Wings win Game 7, will face Blackhawks
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Henrik Zetterberg and Valtteri Filppula each had a goal and an assist, and the Detroit Red Wings finished off the Anaheim Ducks with a 3-2 victory in Game 7 on Sunday night.
Detroit will face the top-seeded Blackhawks in the second round, capping off a longtime rivalry that will be split up by conference realignment next season.
The Wings’ Justin Abdelkader scored a short-handed goal and Jimmy Howard made 31 saves as seventh-seeded Detroit won three of the first-round series’ final four games to oust the Ducks, who had the NHL’s third-best record in the regular season.
Emerson Etem and Francois Beauchemin scored and Jonas Hiller stopped 29 shots for the Ducks, who failed to win their first playoff series since 2009 despite home-ice advantage.
After the clubs played four overtimes in the series’ first six games, the Red Wings largely dominated the anti-climactic clincher.