Detroit Red Wings: Top 5 Playoff Goals Of The Last 5 Years
By John Curran
Apr 16, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Detroit Red Wings right wing Luke Glendening (41) celebrates after he scored against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period in game one of the first round of the the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. Detroit Red Wings defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
#4: Glendening’s Shorthanded Goal
There’s a lot of things you can say about
. He’s a gritty and hard-working grinder whose style of hockey has been embraced and appreciated by Detroit’s blue-collar hockey fans. Luke Glendening also has an uncanny knack for scoring backhanded goals.
All the previously mentioned skills and qualities that Luke possesses were extremely important in the Red Wings being able to force the offensively explosive Tampa Bay Lightning to a seven game series this postseason. The Wings were not expected to defeat the Lightning in the first-round of this year’s NHL Playoffs, let alone go the distance to seven games.
The Wings played great in game 1 of the series against Tampa. At the start of the third-period Detroit was up 2-1 on the Lightning and Glendening stepped up and displayed some heroic tenacity as Detroit was attempting to kill off a Tampa power-play.
Luke chased a puck into the Tampa zone and caught up with it near the left face-off circle where former Red Wing Valtteri Filppula attempted to cut him off. Aware of Filppula’s presence, Glennie quickly out-maneuvered Val with a swift spin-o-rama and backhanded the puck from the slot and in past Ben Bishop.
The goal would prove to be the game-winner for the Red Wings and set the tone for the rest of the opening round series. The looks of disbelief on both John Cooper and Ben Bishop’s faces after the goal were priceless.
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