FIRST PERIOD

Highlight Reel: Here’s Rocky Balboa, er, Steve Yzerman, with blood streaming down his face from a cut beside his left eye, courtesy of a stick administered by the Ducks’ Steve Rucchin and the game is only 89 seconds old. Here’s Yzerman yelling at referees, “Yo, Mark Faucette, yo, Don VanMassenhoven. Two referees and nobody saw that? Where’s the penalty?” Here’s Yzerman, the bleeding stopped, opening a wound in the Ducks by taking a rebound of Nicklas Lidstrom’s shot off the Joe’s hyperactive boards and jamming the puck past Guy Hebert to tie things, 1-1.

What You Won’t Find in the Box Score: Hardly two minutes pass when Darren McCarty takes an elbow from Jason Marshall in front of the Duck goal. McCarty goes straight to the corner and pops Paul Kariya twice with elbows, letting the Ducks know who would be held accountable for all their transgressions. Oh, and that Chris Chelios wouldn’t be the only Red Wing bruising Kariya.

Winning Number: While Detroit is administering a physical beating, it also has the game’s first six shots. Shot to the jaw, shot on goal. Shot to the gut, shot on goal. Shot to the kidneys, shot on goal. This is offensive balance, Red Wing style.

Wrong Number: Martin Lapointe pops Matt Cullen with an elbow, drawing a penalty and putting the Ducks on the power play. Uh oh. Yep, Marty McInnis slaps in a rebound goal for a 1-0 lead, and oh, yeah, the Ducks had the best power play in the NHL this season, converting 22% of their opportunities.