DETROIT, Michigan -- The Detroit Red Wings claimed their NHL-record fifth Presidents' Trophy on Tuesday as a 2-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers gave them a 55-15-8 record, guaranteeing them the top spot in the league at the end of the season.
The win also gave the Red Wings 118 points on the season, good for second-best in franchise history.
The shutout was Detroit goalie Manny Legace's seventh of the season and set a new team record for shutouts in a single campaign. Legace made 29 saves in the effort.
Playing in his first game with the Red Wings while filling in for the injured Robert Lang, Donald MacLean scored the game's first goal to get Detroit on the board.
With the Red Wings on the power play, Mikael Samuelsson fired a long shot on net and Niklas Kronwall picked at the rebound. The puck came loose to the side of the crease and MacLean was open to pick it up and throw it past Edmonton netminder Dwayne Roloson at 9:46 of the first.
After a scoreless second period, Kris Draper gave Detroit an insurance goal just 19 seconds into the third.
A good bounce off the boards in front of the Detroit bench on a clearing attempt got Draper the puck in behind most of the Edmonton defense. In on a two-on-one, Draper faked a couple times, freezing Roloson and firing a shot past him.
Roloson finished the night with 25 saves on 27 shots while taking the loss.
Detroit went one-for-six on the power play, with most of their chances coming early in the game while the Oilers took the first four penalties of the match. Edmonton had five power plays on the night, including one spanning the game's final nine seconds.
The Red Wings will be back in action on Thursday when they visit the Chicago Blackhawks.
Notes: Steve Yzerman was held without a point, ending his scoring streak at eleven games... Henrik Zetterberg returned to the lineup after sitting out Detroit's win over Columbus on Saturday... Valtteri Filppula was sent back to the Grand Rapids Griffins after taking Zetterberg's spot in the lineup on Saturday.
Should be a good game, hopefully not to boring. Would like to see a win in front of the home crowd!
Yeah, the Wings need to make sure that they don't let up with the Western Conference wrapped up. It'd be good to get the win to lock up the President's Trophy, which they can get with two points or Ottawa failing to win out.
Oilers have come out completely flat defensively but they're getting their offensive chances.
Always great to see a Grand Rapids callup get on the scoreboard.
Wow, Manny has been sharp tonight.
Right now that puck looks as big as a beach ball... I smell George Washington and George Bush!!!
Mowers, Mowers, Mowers... You have to keep your head up!
PRESIDENTS!!!!!!!! SHUTOUT!!!!!!!!! Next stop the Bowl and the Cup!!!!
I just flipped over to ESPN and they have nothing as usual on Hockey!!!! Not even in the little hot news window! What a bunch of communists!
Heh, ESPN will have their 30-second blurb about hockey at 3:00 AM, that's all we get. Good thing there's the Internet to get all the hockey news we need.
You didn't here? I am working a deal so you and I will host the hockey 5 minute show at 4 AM
Sweet!
But do I have to come up with some stupid catch phrase like all the other ESPN anchors?
From the TSN recap of the game...
"Edmonton challenged him often in the third but couldn't get a shot past Legace, who has emerged as Detroit's No. 1 goalie ahead of Chris Osgood."
Where the hell have these guys been? Manny's been the undisputed #1 all season (whether I think he should have been or not).
We also had our 15 seconds of coverage on ESPN which pretty much said the same thing. I know everyone was ma d about the lockout last year, but that was no reason to get rid of NHL2NITE in favor of some bowling tournment or ridiculous poker match. The problem is not the league, it's the fricken journalism coverage that sucks. I don't see a drama queen TO in the NHL so I guess that is their excuse not to cover any of the action
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