The second game of the series was a little different of a story. Detroit came booming out of the gate, Justin Abdelkader scored just 48 seconds into the first period. Detroit kept up the pressure and Damien Brunner put one passed Jonas Hiller shortly after. The Wings started the second period on the powerplay and Johan Franzen scored 1:04 into the period. The Ducks weren’t going down just yet, Saku Koivu scored on the powerplay to make the difference only two.  Johan Franzen scored his second of the night in the third period to give the Wings a 4-1 lead. Ryan Getzlaf scored almost eight minutes into the third to put the score at 4-2 in favor of the Wings. The Ducks owned the momentum after that and Teemu Selanne scored just after the powerplay expired to get back within one. The Ducks didn’t stop there, they kept the pressure on Detroit and Bobby Ryan finally got one passed Jimmy Howard to tie the game at 4. Sheldon Souray took a penalty with only 38 seconds remaining in regulation. Gustav Nyquist was the hero for Detroit however. Valtteri Filppula set up Nyquist with a beautiful pass for the overtime winner and the first playoff goal of his career.

The Ducks took game one of the series, and when it looked like they were down and out in game two they came back from being down three to tie it and force overtime, but Detroit came out swinging on the powerplay tonight going 3-6 and getting the overtime winner to tie the series at 1 a piece. The series is headed to Hockeytown for the next two games and I would imagine that these two teams won’t let up on the intensity or the hitting. It’s been a physical series so far, and it won’t stop anytime soon. Both teams need to do a better job of staying out of the box. Both the Wings and Ducks powerplays have been hot to start.

Eastern Conference:

Florida Panthers
Ottawa Senators
Pittsburgh Penguins
Tampa Bay Lightning
Boston Bruins
Toronto Maple Leafs
New Jersey Devils
Montreal Canadiens
New York Islanders
Philadelphia Flyers
New York Rangers
Winnipeg Jets
Washington Capitals
Carolina Hurricanes
Buffalo Sabers

Western Conference:

St.Louis Blues
Anaheim Ducks
Minnesota Wild
Chicago Blackhawks
Dallas Stars
Columbus Blue Jackets
Nashville Predators
Phoenix Coyotes
Colorado Avalanche
Los Angeles Kings
Vancouver Canucks
Detroit Red Wings
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
San Jose Sharks

How about them apples to start the season?

The Blackhawks crashed the Kings Banner party; while the Blues destroyed a Nicklas Lidstromless Red Wings.

Blue Jackets took the Predators to a shootout while the Ducks chased Schneider right out of net in Vancouver.

Apr 03, 2012; Vancouver, BC, CANADA; Anaheim Ducks forward Teemu Selanne (8) during the second period against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

Toronto topped the Canadiens; Flyer and Penguins are right back where they left off with one another and the Panthers upset the Canes. So much for the Staal reunion.

Jagr and Selanne are showing that age is just a number; or maybe their experience with previous lockouts helped with being prepared this time around.

Rookies are lighting up goaltenders as Mikael Ganlund (Minnesota) and Vladimir Tarasenko (St. Louis) are giving their fans even more to cheer for with the lockout over.

Today’s Games

Philadelphia Flyers v Buffalo Sabres 12:30 (NBC)
San Jose v Calgary Flames 6:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh Penguins v New York Rangers 7:00 p.m. (NHL Network)
Dallas Stars v Minnesota Wild 8:00 p.m.
Edmonton Oilers v Vancouver Canucks 9:00 p.m.
Chicago Blackhawks v Phoenix Coyotes 10:00 p.m. TSN, NBCSN

Mar 11, 2012; St. Paul, MN, USA; Calgary Flames forward Jarome Iginla (12) against the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center. The Flames defeated the Wild 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE

The NHL lockout has sent many players to find a new team until the lockout is officially over. Most of them have continued playing because they need to stay in shape, but some are just finishing off their careers. Players like Jaromir Jagr (age 40), Daniel Alfredsson (age 39), and Teemu Selanne (age 42) are all players with contracts ending after the 2012-13 season. These three men have had exceptional careers that could unfortunately end in the silence of this lockout.

As of now, Jagr is the only one is playing this season with Rytiri Kladno. After searching for a two year contract and only getting one year from Dallas, he could call it quits after he finishes the season with Kladno. Alfredsson was a huge part of Ottawa’s unexpected comeback season last year, but after this break he might not have enough gas in the tank to continue. Lastly, Selanne has been spectacular despite his age. He continues to put up big numbers for the Anaheim Ducks, and the lockout may be the reason he decides to leave. There has been talks about all three of these men retiring over the past couple years and the lockout could be what pushes them into doing so. The lockout has also put other players in tough situations.

Both Jarome Iginla (age 35) and Patrik Elias (age 36) have played for the same team their entire NHL career. They hold multiple records for their teams, including leading in career goals and points. A perfect storybook ending would have them finishing their careers with each team- the Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils, respectively- but not playing during the offseason and being away from each organization for a full year could arise some problems.

After the Devils lost Parise, they will need some good young talent to learn and grow with the organization come next season. Not a future 37 year old Elias who has been away from competition for a year. Iginla has some hard decisions to make as well. It seems obvious that he would like nothing more then to finish his career with the Flames, but he is also due for a Stanley Cup ring. Calgary’s lineup isn’t exactly championship material, and it will only get harder if they can’t sign other 2013 free agents. I think most people will agree with me when I say I wish Iginla would finish out his playing days in a Flames uniform, but if he wants the cup, it may be time to consider winning it with another team.

In a perfect world, the lockout would be over and even considering these unfortunate situations would not be necessary. But as for now these are likely situations that we, the fans, could see happen within the coming year.