2009 NHL Playoffs: Anaheim Ducks vs Detroit Red Wings Game 7

Written by Scott Burgess

Thursday, 14 May 2009

The Anaheim Ducks forced a Game 7 against the Detroit Red Wings by winning Game 6, 2-1 at home. Now the action heads to Hockey Town as the Detroit Red Wings host the Anaheim Ducks for seventh heaven. The winner will go on to face the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Finals. NHL oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com have the Red Wings as -240 moneyline favs over the Ducks with the over/under posted at 5.5 goals. Be sure to get your 2009 NHL Playoffs Anaheim Ducks vs Detroit Red Wings Prediction in now at Sportsbook.com

The Ducks won Game 6 thanks to goals from Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Goalie Jonas Hiller has been great against the Wings high powered offense stopping 38 of 39 shots in Game 6. He’s currently 7-5 in the playoffs with a 2.20 GAA after allowing 27 goals; he has two shutouts as well. This postseason, the Ducks have proven they can win anywhere and their confidence has grown. Anaheim won Game 2 at Joe Louis Arena in triple overtime and opened the playoffs with two road wins against the top-seeded San Jose Sharks. "Nobody expected us to beat San Jose," Ducks forward Todd Marchant said. "We're trying to ride the unexpected. One thing they must improve on is shots on net. The Wings lead the NHL in shots on net, which a huge factor in their winning ways. The Ducks defense has been great against the high scoring offense of the Wings; they’ve allowed seven power play goals in seven games, or 22 kills. The Ducks have six power play goals in six games or 26 tries.

The Red Wings lone goal scorer was Johan Franzen, who leads his teammates with 13pts (8 goals 5 assists). Pavel Datsyuk led the Wings during the regular season with 96pts (32 goals 64 assists) and in these playoffs he has only 4pts (1 goal 3 assists). The NHL MVP finalist is goalless in his last eight games and has just two assists against Anaheim. Goalie Chris Osgood stopped 28 of 30 shots in Game 6 for a 7-2 playoff record with a 2.01 GAA after giving up 21 goals: he’s got one playoff shutout in these playoffs. The second-seeded Red Wings will face the eighth-seeded Ducks tonight at home, hoping to follow a trend. Entering Wednesday's night's Pittsburgh-Washington finale, home teams have won 63 percent of Game 7s since 1939. The Wings lost a total nine games at home during the regular season and one game in the 09 playoffs. As experienced as Lidstrom is, with a franchise-record 224 games of postseason experience, he hasn't played in a Game 7 since Detroit beat Colorado 7-0 in the 2002 conference finale and he's been in just five in his career. "Everything is on the line," Lidstrom said. "We have play with a sense of desperation from the start, and we have to do that for 60 minutes."

Recent Trends to Consider:

Under is 17-5-2 in the last 24 meetings in Detroit.
Home team is 39-18-2 in the last 59 meetings.
Under is 29-14-5 in the last 48 meetings.
Ducks are 7-24-1 in the last 32 meetings in Detroit.
Ducks are 1-4 in their last 5 games following a win.
Ducks are 0-4 in their last 4 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Red Wings are 13-3 in their last 16 playoff games as a favorite of -201 or greater.

2009 NHL Playoffs Anaheim Ducks vs Detroit Red Wings
When: Thurs, May 14, 2009 7:00 PM ET
Line: Sportsbook.com
Pick: Red Wings -240

Point-Spreads.com 2009 NHL Playoffs Anaheim Ducks vs Detroit Red Wings

The Bottom Line: You can’t beat the Wings at home. Go Detroit! Be sure to get your 2009 NHL Playoffs Anaheim Ducks vs Detroit Red Wings Prediction in now at Sportsbook.com and receive a 10% sign-up bonus on your initial deposit.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 14 May 2009 )

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