1) Anaheim is a cheap team. Mike Brown’s hit to Jiri Hudler was a hit to the head and appeared obvious to anyone watching. While it’s likely that Brown won’t be suspended for the hit, if Hudler had been injured, he likely would be suspended. The Ducks, especially Chris Pronger, have a reputation for this kind of nonsense.

2) The Wings came out of the gate a bit slow, probably from their week-long layoff. Their energy in the third period is probably a more accurate barometer of where the series will go.

3) The biggest danger to the Wings in this series is not the risk of running into a hot goalie, but injuries. Let’s hope the Wings play with their heads up and avoid missing any key players at the hands of an Anaheim cheap shot.

4) Lidstrom is fershizzle. His game-winning goal is just one example of how he keeps delivering for this team. His cool head will provide leadership through what’s sure to be an emotionally charged series.

Here’s an excerpt of some coverage of the game from the CBC and a link:

Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom’s second goal of the night with 49.1 seconds left in regulation time not only gave Detroit a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks in Friday’s opener of their Western Conference semifinal series, it added to one of Lidstrom’s many playoff marks.

The goal was his 11th career game winner in Stanley Cup play, the all-time record for defencemen.

via 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs Blog – Sports – Savvy Lidstrom bails out Wings.