Red Wings bounce back

Red Wings 3 Predators 2

Somebody very wise once said that playoff hockey was a game of bounces.

It may have been me.

OK, it was me.

The old adage was proven true once again, as Detroit had the puck hop their way in Game 2 and were able to even the series at one game apiece.

In Game 1, Nashville received several fortunate bounces into Detroit’s net and out of their own. Friday night, it was the reverse.

Cory Emmerton, (world-renowned sniper that he is /sarcasm), picked the top corner on Pekka Rinne after blocking a Kevin Klein slap shot and gobbling up the loose puck. Johan Franzen scored the eventual game-winner when Brad Stuart plunked him in the skate.

Nashville hit posts. They missed open nets. They hit Valtteri Filppula, who had sprawled out behind Jimmy Howard to block a shot in the crease.

Playoff hockey. That’s what it takes.

One team gets the bounces, the other doesn’t.

In a series as close as the Wings and Predators has been and is going to be, that will be the difference.

This game was way more stressful than Game 1 for me. Partly because a loss meant the Wings would be down 0-2.

Mostly because I was in Grand Rapids, MI watching the Griffins lose to the Chicago Wolves and had to track the game through Twitter and my Scoremobile app.

Do you know how nerve-wracking it is to follow a game based on 140 character updates? I wouldn’t recommend it for the faint of heart or women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant.

Game 3 is Sunday at the Joe. Expect the place to be rocking off the hinges.

Go Wings

The Off Wing View’s Three Stars

3. Cory Emmerton

2. Johan Franzen

1. Jimmy Howard

Unsung hero award: Todd Bertuzzi for informing Shea Weber that the stunt he pulled at the end of Game 1 was not okay.