Published May 14, 2013
Associated Press
ALLEN PARK, Mich. – The Detroit Lions have signed defensive end Freddie Bishop and released running back Devin Moore.
The team did not disclose contract terms Tuesday. Bishop, an undrafted free agent, played college football at Western Michigan. He had 15 sacks in four seasons there.
The 27-year-old Moore played four games for the Indianapolis Colts in 2010, but he hasn't appeared in a regular season game since.
Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews celebrates a goal by Chicago Blackhawks right wing Marian Hossa in the first period as the Blackhawks defeated the Minnesota Wild 5-1 in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Chicago, Thursday, May 9, 2013. (AP Photo/Daily Herald, George LeClaire)The Associated Press
The Detroit Red Wings celebrate their 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks in Game 7 of their first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, May 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)The Associated Press
CHICAGO – Jonathan Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks got to watch all the action in the NHL playoffs while they waited for an opponent to emerge for the second round.
What they saw from the Detroit Red Wings looked very familiar.
"Just that same relaxed, patient experience that they've shown in the playoffs and makes them a tough team to beat," Toews said. "They got some veteran guys who have won Stanley Cups. They understand what it takes to win during playoff time and that's the reason they came out on top."
Yup, Chicago's next opponent is a very familiar one. Detroit's 3-2 victory in Anaheim in Game 7 on Sunday night set up one last matchup between the "Original Six" teams in the Western Conference semifinals.
Under the NHL's realignment plan, the Red Wings will move to the East next season, meaning they will not face the Blackhawks in the playoffs before the Stanley Cup. That adds another level of intrigue to a best-of-seven series that already features one of the NHL's biggest rivalries in the tense setting of the second round of the postseason.
"I think it's just fitting, final year of being in the Western Conference and we're facing the Hawks here in the playoffs," Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard. "It's going to be a lot of fun."
Detroit had to scramble to extend the longest active playoff streak in major professional sports to 22 straight seasons, winning the last four games of the regular season to secure the seventh spot in the West. Still, it's the lowest playoff seed for the Red Wings since the NHL moved to the 1 vs. 8 conference format in 1993.
That hardly mattered in the first round against Anaheim.
The Red Wings and Ducks alternated wins for the first six games of the playoffs. Anaheim got its first chance to close it out on Friday night, but Henrik Zetterberg scored in overtime to lift Detroit to a 4-3 victory after it blew a two-goal lead with 3½ minutes left in regulation.
Zetterberg then had a goal and an assist in the deciding game as the Red Wings emerged from a 3-2 series deficit for the first time they beat Colorado in the 2002 Western Conference finals. They went on to hoist the Stanley Cup.
"I think we believe in what we do," Zetterberg said. "Of course it's nice to win games and win games in the way we've done it, in overtime, those close games.
"That series is over now. It's a new team and new challenges."
Chicago has been quite the challenge of late. The Blackhawks have won seven in a row against the Red Wings dating to last season, including four games this year. But half of this year's games went to a shootout and another was decided in overtime.
"When we played them during the year, there was maybe one game where it kind of got out of hand," Chicago goalie Corey Crawford said. "But the other games were pretty tight games. We won a couple in shootouts.
"They're a team that can skate with us and obviously they have a lot of skill. It's going to be fun."
The Red Wings caught a break when the NHL scheduled the first game of the series against the Blackhawks for Wednesday night, giving them an extra day to rest following the grueling series against Anaheim and the trip back across the country. There also could be another extra day before Game 2, since the United Center has to stay clear on Friday night for a possible Game 6 between the Bulls and Heat in the NBA playoffs.
But Chicago gets the extra rest as well, and it's taking full advantage of its extended break since it beat Minnesota in five games in the first round. Center Michal Handzus missed practice Monday, but coach Joel Quenneville called it a maintenance day and said he expects him back on the ice on Tuesday. Center Dave Bolland and goalie Ray Emery will be available against Detroit after they missed the series against the Wild with lower body injuries.
"Certainly we've had a good history with them in the past and had some very intense games," Quenneville said. "Had a couple of great games with them this year. It helps with our travel as well, but certainly we're excited about getting into this round. We're going to have our hands full with this team, but we're excited about it."
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AP Sports Writer Larry Lage in Romulus, Mich., contributed to this report.
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Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap
Anaheim Ducks defenseman Ben Lovejoy (6) checks Detroit Red Wings right wing Patrick Eaves (17) in the third period of Game 4 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Detroit, Monday, May 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)The Associated Press
Anaheim Ducks center Daniel Winnik (34) shoots at Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard (35) as defenseman Niklas Kronwall (55), of Sweden, defends in the third period of Game 4 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Detroit, Monday, May 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)The Associated Press
Anaheim Ducks right wing Emerson Etem (65) celebrates his goal with David Steckel (20) against the Detroit Red Wings in the third period of Game 4 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Detroit, Monday, May 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)The Associated Press
Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard celebrates with Niklas Kronwall (55), of Sweden, Daniel Cleary (11) and Henrik Zetterberg after beating the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 in overtime of Game 4 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Detroit, Monday, May 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)The Associated Press
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Ryan Getzlaf knows the Anaheim Ducks could be getting frustrated.
Instead, he thinks they're just getting started.
The Ducks have controlled long stretches of their matchup with Detroit, outshooting and outscoring the Red Wings over the first four games while getting superior goaltending from Jonas Hiller. Yet the series is even heading into Game 5 on Wednesday night at Honda Center.
Second-seeded Anaheim's stellar regular-season record and formidable talent haven't mattered to the Red Wings, who sneaked out two overtime victories despite playing with a lead in just one of the series' four games.
It's a recipe for tension in the Ducks' dressing room heading into a pivotal point of the first-round series. But to Getzlaf and his teammates, every element of the playoff march is a privilege, particularly after the Ducks missed the postseason in two of the past three years.
"We're far from frustrated," the Anaheim captain said Tuesday after the Ducks' long flight from Detroit to Orange County. "This is playoff hockey. This is the best time of the year, and we're in a best-of-three series now. We always knew it was going to be a long series. ... It's been a grind throughout the year. We've always been able to rise up to the occasion, and we're hoping for that tomorrow (in Game 5)."
The Ducks expect to have little trouble regrouping after they barely missed a chance to take a 3-1 series lead in Game 4 on Monday night. After Anaheim blew a third-period lead, Damien Brunner's overtime goal evened the series for the Red Wings, who appeared to be on the ropes after getting shut out by Hiller in the first 100 minutes of the teams' two games at Joe Louis Arena.
"One goal the other way (in Game 4), and everybody is happy around here," Getzlaf said.
Instead, the Ducks must find additional determination to get past their playoff-tested opponents. Anaheim will have the advantage of its favored matchups on home ice in Game 5 and a potential Game 7, yet neither team believes matchups or friendly crowds have made much impact on this series.
"Quite frankly, the matchups only work if your team is playing well and you get a lead," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. "If you don't get a lead, you may have some great defensive matchups, but you're going to have to change because you need to score goals. We'll get the last change (in Game 5), which will help, because I thought the last game they were definitely trying to get (Pavel) Datsyuk's line against one specific line, and we tried to change it a few times. It's a difficult thing to do."
Datsyuk scored the tying goal with 6:33 left in regulation in Game 4 for the Red Wings, who finally flexed their offensive skills at home after five-plus periods without a score.
The Red Wings made an obvious effort to get more shots at Hiller in Game 4, sending pucks at the Anaheim net at every opportunity. Hiller was solid all night, but the Red Wings' mentality eventually led to Brunner's winning goal.
"The plan was to get more shots, and shoot from worse angles," Detroit's Valtteri Filppula said. "We did a good job. We were able to get pucks back in the offensive zone. I didn't think we did that enough in the previous game."
The Ducks are hoping to increase their own offensive pressure on Jimmy Howard on Wednesday. Howard acknowledged he hadn't been Hiller's equal in the series, giving up 12 goals on 120 shots, but he played tremendously well in Game 4 when the Ducks pressed for a possible clinching goal.
"I just wanted to give the guys a chance to win," Howard said. "They deserved that. I knew I had to be better. I wanted to be better. ... In the playoffs, all it takes is a goalie to get hot, and anything can happen."
Although Anaheim has generated plenty of offensive chances, the Ducks could use a goal from high-scoring Corey Perry, who won the Richard Trophy with 50 goals in 2011 during his MVP season. He hasn't found the net in the playoffs, and he missed on a couple of golden chances in Game 4.
"If those went in, we wouldn't be having this conversation," Perry said Tuesday. "They had a lot of shots (in Game 4), but we had some good chances, too. We've got to create more chances, keep plugging away, and hopefully get some ugly ones."
Boudreau criticized a few unnamed Ducks after Game 4 for being "passengers" — passive participants who didn't do enough work to help Anaheim. Major lineup changes seem unlikely after the Ducks' fairly solid play throughout the series, but Boudreau is eager to get his team rolling quickly, before any struggles lead to a potential elimination game.
Detroit again will be without Justin Abdelkader, who must finish his two-game suspension for a big hit on Anaheim's Toni Lydman. The veteran defenseman sat out Game 4 with apparent after-effects from the collision, and Lydman didn't skate in the Ducks' optional practice after traveling Tuesday.
While the Ducks prepared for the pressure of Game 5, the Red Wings worked on minor adjustments for their latest trip to Honda Center, where they've won three of their four games this season.
"We have to go in their barn and steal another game," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said.
