NHL Recap: April 14, 2013 – Hawks Roll, Wings Vault Back Into 8th With Shutout Of Predators
There were only 3 games on the NHL schedule on a light Sunday afternoon/evening. Only one of them had real playoff implications. Here is a quick tour around the action:
Apr 14, 2013; Nashville, TN, USA; Detroit Red Wings left wing Johan Franzen (93) scores against Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne (35) during the third period at Bridgestone Arena. Detroit won 3 to 2. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
- Corey Crawford made 30 saves as Chicago shut out the Blues 2-0 in a spirited playoff-like affair. Bryan Bickell and Marian Hossa scored for Chicago, who snapped Brian Elliott‘s 3 game shutout streak.
- Buffalo downed the Lightning 3-1 on the strength of goals from Tyler Ennis, Jochen Hecht and Kevin Porter. Jhonas Enroth made 32 saves to get the win and keep the Sabres’ very slim playoff hopes alive. They are 4 points behind 8th place with just 5 games to play, while all the teams in front of them have games in hand and all own the tiebreaker over the Sabres.
- Jimmy Howard made 22 saves for the shutout as the Red Wings blanked the Predators 3-0. Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen and Justin Abdelkader scored for the Wings, with recent free agent signee Danny DeKeyser picking up his first NHL assist on Zetterberg’s goal. The Red Wings recapture sole possession of the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with the win.
That concludes our brief tour around the NHL for Sunday. Business really picks back up Monday with 8 games, including Ottawa finishing up their road trip in Boston and New Jersey visiting Toronto, where a Devils loss virtually eliminates them from playoff contention. In the West, Dallas and Columbus will both be looking to keep pace with Detroit and keep the race going in the battle for 8th. Check back tomorrow for a full recap of the action and the implications.