The First Classic of the NHL Playoffs

Surely, NBC executives were grateful for the work of Anaheim Duck Todd Marchant. After all, they were one period of extra-time hockey away from having to pre-empt the start of prime-time programming. Being that this is May, a major ratings period in television, this isn't exactly a wonderful proposition. Even the biggest hockey fan has to admit that there isn't a huge number coming to you when you air a hockey game.

Those who were watching, though, were treated to a classic. The Ducks and Red Wings gave us our first multiple-overtime game of these playoffs, and one can only hope it's a sign of things to come in this hotly-contested series.

It was a classic goalie duel in the third period and through the first two overtimes. Sure, Anaheim's Jonas Hiller will get all the accolades. Not only did he win, but he made 43 saves on 44 shots between those three periods of hockey. That's amazing.

What is forgotten is the way the Ducks started the first overtime. They surged, using a stifling forecheck to keep Detroit bottled up, and generating some great scoring chances.

After 101:15 of intense, up-and-down hockey, Marchant's goal ended the marathon. It was fitting in a way, because at the end of the second overtime, Marchant chatted rinkside with NBC's Darren Pang (a breath of fresh air "Inside The Glass," as Pierre McGuire had TSN duty in Boston) and talked about how important it was to reach down and find the energy to keep playing in a game like this.

As you can imagine, a game of this length produced some eye-popping numbers. Here's a quick glance at some of the more interesting stats from Game 2.

Anaheim Ducks	TALE OF THE TAPE	Detroit Red Wings
Bobby Ryan 6 Ryan Getzlaf 6 Corey Perry 5 Chris Pronger 5 Todd Marchant 5	Shots on Goal	Mikael Samuelsson 10 Marian Hossa 9 Nicklas Lidstrom 8 Pavel Datsyuk 6 Brad Stuart 6
Marchant 16-16 Getzlaf 10-18 Andrew Ebbett 0-8 Team 38-56	Faceoffs (W-L)	Valtteri Filppula 11-4 Henrik Zetterberg 19-14 Datsyuk 18-14 Team 56-38
Pronger 46:21 Getzlaf 38:59 Scott Niedermayer 38:34 Perry 38:06 Ryan Whitney 34:53 Josh Green 11:18	Minutes	Stuart 45:01 Lidstrom 43:24 Jonathan Ericsson 42:36 Lidstrom 37:03 Niklas Kronwall 39:21 Zetterberg 33:30 Chris Chelios 6:50
Pronger 55 Marchant 53 Getzlaf 52 Perry 51 Drew Miller 49	Shifts	Ericsson 60 Stuart 58 Lidstrom 56 Kronwall 52 Zetterberg 45 Datsyuk 45
James Wisniewski 7 Ryan Carter 5 Getzlaf 5 Marchant 4 Francois Beauchemin 4	Hits	Dan Cleary 9 Darren Helm 8 Ericsson 7 Tomas Holmstrom 6

As you can see, each team leaned on their stars a bit in the latter portions of the game. Not only that, but it was a game not at all short on physical play.

These are things that guys talk about all the time. When it comes to the playoffs, there is no sacrifice too large, no price too high, and there are no corners to be cut.

Hopefully, the cross-country (pretty much) flight to Anaheim doesn't sap much of the remaining energy, and both teams can give us a show half this good in Game 3 Tuesday night.