by Lee Mathews

Created on: May 18, 2008

No one doubted the Red Wings' winning streak would come to an end.

What is a bit surprising is how the Dallas Stars have turned the tide. A Stars team that looked completely outmatched in the first three games of the series has fought back to a 3-2 mark and is now taking the series back to Dallas in hopes of forcing a game 7 at Joe Louis Arena.

Like me, a lot of Wings fans are asking "What the hell happened to this team?"

If you watched game four, you witnessed a travesty of a blown call - Pavel Datsyuk's wicked slapshot goal on the powerplay being waved off because of "goaltender interference." In the replay, Thomas Holmstrom was totally innocent, having only part of his rump in the crease,
which, according to rule 69, is not cause to disallow a goal. However, since the goal was waved off by the on-ice official, the play was not reviewable. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, do not eliminate Dallas in four straight.

So the seeds of doubt were planted and the underdog given new hope. You could see the chins on the Dallas bench stiffen, and they clearly had more jump and fire than the Wings following the call. For the remained of game four, Dallas out-hustled, out-hit, and out-worked Detroit and came away with a victory.

That set up game five in Detroit. Clearly a team as versed in the trials and tribulations of the Stanley Cup chase as the Red Wings could rebound and take game 5 before the home crowd. The numbers from the game speak about frustration:

17 shots from Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Lidstrom and not a single point between them.

39 shots on goal, and only Jiri Hudler managed to beat Marty Turco.

One poorly-timed lapse in judgment with eight minutes to go, when Thomas Holmstrom decided to face-wash Steve Ott on the Dallas bench, leaving the Wings shorthanded at a critical juncture.

Detroit got burned twice on poor line changes, and once because they didn't respect Marty Turco's near-superhuman ability to move the puck. This team was shell-shocked once again, and looked like they just plain didn't know how to win.

To me, game 6 in Dallas is a must-win. The Stars already have a ton of confidence now, and to allow them one more kick at the can in Detroit would be a huge mistake. It's time for Mike Babcock to rally the troops. Get Datsyuk and Zetterberg back on track. More physical presence from guys like Drake, McCarty, and Kronwall. Play smart.

If they can play Detroit hockey for 60 minutes, the game is theirs. If Dallas can once again plant the seeds of doubt, look out Wings fans - this will get ugly.

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