BIG MOMENTS - May 17, 2009: CHI @ DET

The plays that turn the tide in every game of playoff action -- that is what the beauty of hockey history is built on.

Check back every night following all the 2009 playoff action to witness NHL.com's game-changing moment from each game, as well as the rest of each game's goals, saves and hits.

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Chicago at Detroit - Game 1

A) Burish opens the scoring - With both teams trading early chances up and down the ice, the Hawks managed to do something they struggled with throughout their last series against Vancouver: They scored first. With both teams scrambling for the puck along the right halfboards in the Detroit zone, Jonathan Ericsson attempted to wheel it around the end boards, but the puck wound up bouncing to Adam Burish to the right of the net.

Burish caught Chris Osgood in an awkward position and slipped the puck through the five-hole and into the net. Just 5:25 into Game 1, Burish's tally gave Chicago the early lead in enemy territory.

B) Wings get even - With a faceoff in the defensive zone, it didn't seem like the best situation for the Wings to tie up the game, particularly after Chicago won the faceoff. But Hawks defenseman Brent Seabrook was unable to handle the puck on the blue line, creating a turnover for Daniel Cleary. Cleary skated through the neutral zone on a breakaway and managed to fly past Duncan Keith on the left wing.

Cleary ripped a shot in off the crossbar, knotting up the score at 1-1 just three minutes after Adam Burish had struck first for the Hawks.

C) "Bulin Wall" stands tall  - The Hawks and Wings were tied at a goal apiece early in the second period when Detroit went on the power play. In the face of a wild flurry of shots in front of the Chicago net, Nikolai Khabibulin stood on his head for a series of spectacular saves. The Wings could have conceivably scored on three or four of the shots they put on net, but the man known as the "Bulin Wall" held his ground.

With the all-important first game of the series still up for grabs, Khabibulin's stellar play in net kept the score tied and gave the Hawks a chance to steal one at the Joe.

D) Versteeg quiets the crowd - Chicago trailed 2-1 early in the third period when the Hawks went on the power play. After a scramble by the right halfboards, Brent Seabrook wound up with the puck at the blue line and fired a shot on net. Dustin Byfuglien, who was putting a screen on Chris Osgood, tipped the puck over to Kris Versteeg waiting by the right post.

The Calder Trophy candidate put the puck in a wide-open net, tying the game and quieting the Joe Louis Arena-crowd. After the Red Wings had controlled much of the second period, Versteeg's goal made it a game again.

E) Cleary strikes again - A score by Mikael Samuelsson had already put the Wings back in front, but in a game where neither team had led by more than one goal, a two-goal advantage could prove insurmountable. Dan Cleary gave Detroit that unbeatable edge midway through the third period. With the Wings rushing into the offensive zone, Henrik Zetterberg brought the puck up the left wing and passed it across the ice to Johan Franzen. Franzen put a shot on net, which Cleary deflected past the right shoulder of Nikolai Khabibulin, giving the Wings a 4-2 lead.

Although Cleary's goal wouldn't be the game-winner, it was the one that put the game out of reach for the Hawks, lifting Detroit to a 1-0 series lead.



FINAL SCORE: Red Wings 5, Blackhawks 2

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