2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs The 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League began on April 11 , 2007 . The sixteen teams that qualified , eight from each conference , played best - of - 7 series for conference quarterfinals , semifinals and championships , and then the conference champions played a best - of - 7 series for the Stanley Cup . The series ended on June 6 , 2007 , with the Anaheim Ducks defeating the Ottawa Senators four games to one to win their first ever championship . For the first time in NHL history , neither of the two teams that played in the previous year ' s Stanley Cup Finals ( the Carolina Hurricanes and the Edmonton Oilers ) qualified for the playoffs . For the first time since 1999 , neither of the two Stanley Cup finalists ( the Anaheim Ducks and the Ottawa Senators ) had previously won the Cup . Detroit Red Wings defenceman Chris Chelios made his 22nd post - season appearance , breaking the record for most post - season appearances . The New York Rangers set a new post - season franchise record this year by defeating the Atlanta Thrashers 7 – 0 on April 17 . Over the years , the championship round of the playoffs has been variously referred to as the " Stanley Cup Championship , " " Stanley Cup Finals , " and " Stanley Cup Final , " among others . " Stanley Cup Final " has gained official currency with the NHL and its broadcast partners . Other sources continue to use the name " Stanley Cup Finals " and many use both . Playoff seeds . After the 2006 – 07 NHL season , the standard of 16 teams qualified for the playoffs . The Buffalo Sabres were the Eastern Conference regular season champions and were also the Presidents ' Trophy winners with the best record at 113 points ( 53 wins , 22 regulation losses , 7 overtime / shootout losses ) . The Detroit Red Wings earned the Western Conference regular season crown with 113 points ( 50 wins , 19 regulation loses , 13 overtime / shootout losses ) . Playoff bracket . In each round , the highest remaining seed in each conference is matched against the lowest remaining seed . The higher - seeded team is awarded home ice advantage , which gives them a maximum possible four games on their home ice , with the other team getting a maximum possible three . In the Stanley Cup Final , home ice is determined based on regular season points , giving the Anaheim Ducks home ice for this year ' s series . Each best - of - seven series follows a 2 – 2 – 1 – 1 – 1 format . This means that the higher - seeded team will have Games 1 and 2 , plus 5 and 7 if necessary , played on their home ice , while the lower - seeded team will be at home for the other games . The format ensures that the team with home ice advantage will always have home ice for the " extra " game if there are an odd number of games in a series . Statistical leaders . Goaltending . These are the top five goaltenders based on either goals against average or save percentage with at least four games played . Conference quarterfinals . Eastern Conference quarterfinals . ( 1 ) Buffalo Sabres vs . ( 8 ) New York Islanders . The high scoring Buffalo Sabres had completed one of their best regular seasons ever , having won the President ' s Trophy , awarded to the team amassing the most points in the regular season , with 113 points . After qualifying for the Eastern Conference Finals in 1993 , the Islanders had failed to win a playoff series since then . After a miserable 2005 – 06 season , the team hired former Buffalo Sabres coach Ted Nolan . Under him the team posted a 92 point season in 2006 – 07 . It was on the final day of the regular season that they clinched a playoff spot with a shootout victory over the New Jersey Devils . Game 1 went to Buffalo , but in Game 2 the Islanders beat the Sabres 3 – 2 . However that win was overshadowed by Buffalo winning the next three games to clinch the series and move on to Round 2 . ( 2 ) New Jersey Devils vs . ( 7 ) Tampa Bay Lightning . In the spring of 2003 , the Devils and Lightning met up in the Eastern Conference Semifinals , which the Devils won in 5 games in the First series between the two teams . The Devils and Lightning met again in 2007 . However , Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello , with 3 games remaining in the regular season , fired head coach Claude Julien so that he could coach the team going into the playoffs . The Devils and Lightning split the first 2 games in New Jersey . The Lightning were able to win Game 3 to take a series lead , but Devils center Scott Gomez scored the overtime goal in Game 4 to tie the series at 2 games . The Devils then went on to win the next two games to take the series 4 games to 2 . ( 3 ) Atlanta Thrashers vs . ( 6 ) New York Rangers . The Thrashers qualified for the playoffs in 2006 – 07 , their first ever trip to the postseason . General manager Don Waddell arranged several trade deadline deals that brought winger Keith Tkachuk and defenceman Alexei Zhitnik to Atlanta from the St . Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers , respectively . This new veteran leadership helped to propel the young Thrashers into the playoffs . For the Rangers , this was the second straight season in which they qualified for the playoffs after several years of not qualifying , having been swept in four games the season earlier by the Devils . This series proved to be no contest , however , as the Rangers swept the series in four games . It was thought that the series would be more evenly matched , and aside from the Rangers 7 – 0 rout of Atlanta in Game 3 , the scores in the other three games were close . The first two games were decided by one goal , and Game 4 was decided by two goals ( one being an empty net goal . ) Western Conference quarterfinals . ( 1 ) Detroit Red Wings vs . ( 8 ) Calgary Flames . The Detroit Red Wings tied the Buffalo Sabres for most points in the regular season with 113 , but because Buffalo had more victories , Detroit narrowly missed out on winning their third consecutive President ' s Trophy as the NHL ' s best regular season team , while the Calgary Flames barely qualified for the playoffs as the number 8 seed with 96 points , 1 point ahead of the ninth place Colorado Avalanche . The Red Wings and Flames met in the 2004 Western Conference semifinals in which the Flames won in 6 games , eventually losing in 7 games of the Finals that year . The Red Wings were looking to silence their postseason critics and advance to the second round after having lost as the number one seed a year earlier to the eighth seed Edmonton Oilers , who also lost in Game 7 of the Finals . The Flames had also been bounced out of the first round the previous season . The Red Wings made several moves at the trade deadline , acquiring Todd Bertuzzi and Kyle Calder while trading away Jason Williams . The Flames made several moves during the regular season as well , trading away Andrew Ference and Chuck Kobasew to the Boston Bruins for Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau , as well as re - acquiring Craig Conroy . In Game 1 , the Red Wings dominated the Flames 4 – 1 , in which Red Wings centre Pavel Datsyuk scored his first playoff goal since Game 7 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals . Pavel Datsyuk scored again just over a minute into Game 2 , which the Red Wings won 3 – 1 to take a 2 – 0 series lead . But the Flames won both Games 3 and 4 by a 3 – 2 score , tying the series at 2 . In Game 5 , the Flames were assessed with several penalties for stick - related infractions during a 5 – 1 loss , giving Detroit a 3 – 2 series lead . Most notably , backup goalie Jamie McLennan slashed Red Wings forward Johan Franzen in the stomach only 18 seconds after relieving Mikka Kiprusoff . McLennan was immediately ejected from the game , causing Kiprusoff to return to the net ; McLennan was later suspended five games . Flames coach Jim Playfair and the Flames organization were also fined . The Red Wings then eliminated the Flames the next night in Calgary when the game winning double overtime goal was scored , coincidentally , by Johan Franzen . The Red Wings moved on to Round 2 for the first time since 2004 . ( 2 ) Anaheim Ducks vs . ( 7 ) Minnesota Wild . The Anaheim Ducks had won their division for the first time in franchise history with a franchise best 110 points . It was also the first time they had qualified for the playoffs in back to back years . The Minnesota Wild , only making their second playoff appearance , needed to face the team that had eliminated them in the Conference Final back in 2003 . Game 1 of the series began at the Honda Center . Ducks back - up goalie Ilya Bryzgalov began the series while starter Jean - Sebastien Giguere tended to his newborn son . Pavol Demitra opened the scoring for Minnesota . Teemu Selanne tied the game on a breakaway , and Dustin Penner scored the game winner late in the third . Game 2 was another close game , but the Ducks pulled out a 3 – 2 win to take a 2 – 0 series lead at home . The series shifted to the Xcel Energy Centre for Game 3 . Once again , the Ducks proved to be the more superior team as they netted goals from Andy McDonald and Rob Niedermayer . Petteri Nummelin gave the Wild a goal in the last minute of play , but the Ducks held on for a 2 – 1 win . In Game 4 , Chris Pronger opened the scoring for the Ducks . However the Wild took over the game halfway through the second period and managed a 4 – 1 win to keep the series going . Going back to Honda Centre for Game 5 , Giguere returned to the net and crushed the Wild ' s hopes by allowing one shot past him . The Ducks won the game 4 – 1 and eliminated the Wild . ( 3 ) Vancouver Canucks vs . ( 6 ) Dallas Stars . The Vancouver Canucks returned to the playoffs after a disappointing 2005 – 06 season . They had been considered underdogs from the start of the season but ended the season with 105 points , the best in franchise history . This gave them the division championship and a top seed against their first round opponent the Dallas Stars , who had finished with one more point than the Canucks . Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo made his first playoff appearance in Game 1 at General Motors Place . After giving up the lead three times in regulation , Henrik Sedin won the game when he converted a pass from his brother Daniel at the 18 : 06 mark of the fourth overtime . It was the longest game the Canucks ever played , and the sixth longest playoff game in NHL history . Luongo stopped 72 of 76 shots in the 5 – 4 victory . The Stars opened Game 2 with a goal just 24 seconds in , and the Canucks were not able to recover as Dallas goaltender Marty Turco shut them out 2 – 0 . After earning a split in Vancouver , the Stars returned home to American Airlines Center for Game 3 . Once again , the Stars came out with the opening goal scored by Stu Barnes . The Canucks tied the game on a Jan Bulis goal in the third period to send the game to overtime . The Canucks finished the Stars quickly this time as Taylor Pyatt scored the game winner 7 : 47 into the first overtime for a 2 – 1 win . Game 4 remained scoreless into the third period . In the end , the Canucks pulled out another 2 – 1 victory thanks to goals from Mattias Ohlund and Trevor Linden . Back at General Motors Place for Game 5 , both Luongo and Turco pushed aside every shot in regulation , and for the third time in the series , an overtime was needed . At 6 : 22 mark of the first overtime , Stars captain Brenden Morrow tipped the winner in off a Sergei Zubov shot for a 1 – 0 victory to send the series back to Dallas . In Game 6 , the Stars pulled out a 2 – 0 win to force a seventh game in Vancouver . Marty Turco recorded his third shutout of the series . Back in Vancouver for Game 7 , the Stars dominated the first period and came out with a 1 – 0 lead . In the second period , Henrik Sedin put the Canucks on the board . It was the Canucks first goal in three games and their first at home since Game 1 . From there on , the Canucks took over the game . Trevor Linden scored the game winner 7 : 00 into the third . Two empty net goals gave the Canucks a 4 – 1 win as well as a series win . ( 4 ) Nashville Predators vs . ( 5 ) San Jose Sharks . The Nashville Predators made the playoffs for the third straight year . Their first round opponent was the San Jose Sharks who had eliminated the Predators in five games the year before . The seedings for both teams were the same as the year before , and once again Nashville received home ice advantage . Game 1 was an evenly matched game . Both Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov and Predators goalie Tomas Vokoun were well matched . A goal by Matt Carle put the Sharks on the board in the first period . Nashville netted goals from Alexander Radulov and Jean - Pierre Dumont early in the second , but the Sharks responded with three goals to take a 4 – 2 lead into the third . The Predators tied the game late in the third as Radulov and Dumont each scored a second goal . Patrick Rissmiller won the game for the Sharks 8 : 14 into the second overtime . In Game 2 , after the Sharks opened the scoring , the Predators went on a scoring spree and ended up winning the game 5 – 2 . At San Jose ' s HP Pavilion for Game 3 , the Predators were considered a big underdog . In five road playoff games in the past , they had yet to win one . The Sharks came out with the greater energy and took the game 3 – 1 . Game 4 was a " must win " for the Predators . However the Sharks once again came out with the greater energy . Even though the Predators capitalized on a late rush , the Sharks held on for 3 – 2 win and took a commanding 3 – 1 series lead back to Nashville . In Game 5 , the Predators and Sharks exchanged two goals . Late in the third , Sharks captain Patrick Marleau scored the winner to eliminate the Predators for the second year in a row . Conference semifinals . Eastern Conference semifinals . ( 1 ) Buffalo Sabres vs . ( 6 ) New York Rangers . The high - scoring Buffalo Sabres met the surprising New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals with the two teams coming off first round victories . The Rangers defeated the higher seeded Atlanta Thrashers in stunning fashion , sweeping the third seed on the heels of strong play from Michael Nylander and solid goaltending by Henrik Lundqvist . The Sabres , who were forced to work harder than they expected , still dominated a New York Islanders team that earned a playoff berth in a shootout victory on the last day of the regular season , and defeated the eighth seed in 5 games . The Sabres had won all four games in the season series against the Rangers , leading many to believe this series may have a quick ending . After a scoreless first period in Game 1 , Thomas Vanek opened the series scoring with a goal late in the second . Ales Kotalik added another Buffalo tally two minutes later and Vanek chipped in another with 1 : 36 left in the second . It seemed that Buffalo was showing their stride from the regular season , as the Sabres cruised to a 5 - 2 victory . The Rangers opened the scoring in Game 2 , as Martin Straka scored a powerplay goal halfway through the first . However , the Sabres answered less than a minute later on a Brian Campbell powerplay tally . Although New York would take back the lead late in the second on a Paul Mara goal , Buffalo showed their scoring prowess in the third . Chris Drury tipped in a Toni Lydman pass less than a minute into the period and Thomas Vanek scored the game winner halfway through the period off a nifty no - look pass from Drew Stafford and Buffalo seemed well on their way to the Conference Finals as the series shifted to Madison Square Garden . However , the Blueshirts proved that they too can win on home ice , winning the game 2 - 1 on a Michal Rozsival double overtime goal . After a game marked by great goaltending from Lundqvist and Sabres goalie Ryan Miller , Rozsival ' s point shot finally found the back of the net 16 : 43 into the second sudden death period . The goal was huge for Rozsival , as he missed time in Game 1 and gritted through Game 2 with a leg injury . The game was not without controversy however , as a Karel Rachunek goal early in the second was overruled after review , with the officials in Toronto determining the puck had been kicked into the net . More controversy arose in Game 4 , a 2 - 1 Rangers victory . Danny Briere appeared to beat Lundqvist with 17 seconds left in the game , but the goal was disallowed after a lengthy review . Briere appeared to have Lundqvist beat on the short side after a nifty deke , but the overhead camera angle did not provide indisputable evidence that the puck had crossed the line . Another note from Game 4 was the scratch of Sabres winger Maxim Afinogenov . Buffalo ' s sixth leading scorer in the regular season had been underwhelming in the playoffs , and coach Lindy Ruff was looking to send a message . Game 5 shifted back to Buffalo , and the strong goaltending from the two young keepers continued . Miller turned away 14 shots through the first two periods until an innocent looking shot by Martin Straka snuck over Miller ' s shoulder and hit the goal cam in the back of the net with just over 3 minutes left in regulation . Lundqvist again seemed unbeatable , having stopped the first 36 shots he faced . However , the 37th Buffalo shot was one that Sabres fans will always remember . The Sabres pulled their goaltender for a 6 on 5 advantage with the faceoff in the Rangers zone and less than 15 seconds remaining in the game . Buffalo co - captain Chris Drury won the draw and with 8 seconds left found the back of the net on a Tim Connolly rebound and through a Thomas Vanek screen . The game was not over however , and still another hero would be crowned on this Friday night in the Queen City . With Blair Betts off for hooking less than 5 minutes into overtime , Lindy Ruff gave Maxim Afinogenov a chance to redeem himself for his poor play . Afinogenov came through , getting off a quick slapshot from the point that beat Lundqvist five hole . Afinogenov took several strides before diving across center ice , and his jubilant teammates joined him in celebration . Buffalo would carry this momentum back to New York , where the Rangers had yet to lose in the playoffs . While the Rangers took the lead late in the first , Buffalo exploded for 4 goals in the second and another in the third , including two by forward Jochen Hecht . The Rangers would not go down easily however , with Michael Nylander drawing the Blueshirts within 1 with less than 3 minutes to play . The Sabres however were able to hold on and win the game 5 - 4 , taking the series in 6 games . A lasting effect from the series may have been Chris Drury ' s strong play , as the Rangers signed the pivot to a free agent contract after the season . ( 2 ) New Jersey Devils vs . ( 4 ) Ottawa Senators . The Ottawa Senators , having eliminated the young Pittsburgh Penguins in the opening round , had to face the team that had stopped them one game short of the Stanley Cup Final in 2003 . The New Jersey Devils were a huge favourite to win the series . Game 1 of the series began at Continental Airlines Arena . The Senators came out with all the energy and capitalized on every Devils mistake to jump out to a 4 – 0 lead . From the second period on , the Devils stole the momentum , and the Senators needed to hold on for a 5 – 4 victory . Both teams were ready for Game 2 , but it was the Devils who held a 2 – 1 lead in the third period . The Senators tied the game late in the third , but Jamie Langenbrunner scored the winning goal for the Devils 1 : 55 into the second overtime . Game 3 at Scotiabank Place turned out to be a defensive battle . The game remained scoreless into the third period before Tom Preissing put the Senators on the board . An empty net goal was added for a 2 – 0 Senators win . The teams were evenly matched once again in Game 4 , but the Senators won 3 – 2 . The Senators returned to Continental Airlines Arena for Game 5 with a chance to finish the series . Scott Gomez scored for the Devils first , but the Senators responded with three straight goals . Gomez gave the Devils a late third period goal , but the Senators hung on to win 3 – 2 in the final game ever played at Continental Airlines Arena . The Senators advanced to the Eastern Conference Final for the second time in their history . Western Conference semifinals . ( 1 ) Detroit Red Wings vs . ( 5 ) San Jose Sharks . The Red Wings and Sharks met in the postseason for the first time since 1995 , when the Red Wings swept the Sharks in four games . Evgeni Nabakov and the Sharks shut out Detroit in Game 1 in Detroit by a score of 2 - 0 , taking a 1 - 0 series lead . The Red Wings drew even with a come - from - behind victory in Game 2 , with Pavel Datyuk scoring the go - ahead goal with 1 : 24 remaining in the third period . The series then shifted to San Jose for Games 3 and 4 . The Sharks won Game 3 with Jonathan Cheechoo scoring the game winner , taking a 2 - 1 series lead . After being down 2 – 1 with less than a minute left in Game 4 , the Red Wings tied the game thanks to Robert Lang , and later won in overtime on a powerplay goal from Mathieu Schneider to draw the series at 2 – 2 . Detroit then dominated the Sharks back in Detroit in Game 5 , winning 4 - 1 , taking a 3 - 2 series lead into Game 6 back in San Jose . Two goals from Red Wings winger Mikael Samuelsson and a Dominik Hasek shutout won the series for the Red Wings , moving them to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2002 . ( 2 ) Anaheim Ducks vs . ( 3 ) Vancouver Canucks . After a thrilling seven game series against the Dallas Stars , the Canucks then had to face the Anaheim Ducks . This series featured teams that each had two brothers playing on the same team ( the Sedins for Vancouver and the Niedermayers for Anaheim ) . After Canucks player Jeff Cowan opened the scoring in Game 1 within the first eleven minutes , Anaheim answered back with three goals ( two by Andy McDonald and one by Teemu Selanne ) in the first period , plus two additional goals later in the game for a 5 – 1 win . Game 2 was a much closer game as Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo came back with a better performance than the first game . The game proceeded into double overtime until Vancouver ' s Jeff Cowan managed to score from a very tight angle to tie the series 1 – 1 going into Vancouver . Despite receiving nine penalties ( including four straight during the first period ) in Game 3 , Anaheim managed to win the game 3 – 2 in regulation in Vancouver thanks to a game winning slap shot by Corey Perry . Game 4 was a different story , however , as Vancouver jumped ahead in scoring 2 – 0 after two periods in an effort to tie the series . But during the third period , Anaheim came back with goals from Pronger and Selanne to tie the game , plus a goal by Travis Moen shortly into overtime extended the series lead to 3 – 1 . In Game 5 , Luongo stopped 47 shots and helped keep the score tied at 1 after three periods ( in the end , the Ducks had 65 shots on goal ) . At the start of overtime , Vancouver unexpectedly switched goalies , later revealing Luongo had an untimely case of diarrhea . After Dany Sabourin successfully stopped Anaheim shots , Luongo returned to the net and kept the game tied going into double overtime . Shortly into the second overtime period , Rob Niedermayer delivered a huge body check on Jannik Hansen . The puck came to Scott Niedermayer , who fired a wrist shot that found the back of the net , giving the Ducks the overtime and series victory , moving them to the Western Conference Finals . Replays showed that Luongo ' s glove hand was up trying to signal to referees that he thought the hit was an elbow , and the puck went through where his glove should have been . When Luongo was announced as the second star of the game , many at the Honda Center cheered . Conference finals . Eastern Conference finals . ( 1 ) Buffalo Sabres vs . ( 4 ) Ottawa Senators . The Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres had been at each other ' s throats throughout the season . On February 22 , 2007 , Ottawa enforcer Chris Neil delivered a controversial late blindsided hit to Buffalo ' s Chris Drury , seriously injuring Drury and sparking an in - game brawl between the two teams , which featured a fight between Buffalo player Andrew Peters and Ottawa goalie Ray Emery plus a heated argument between coaches Brian Murray and Lindy Ruff . In Game 1 at Buffalo , Ottawa opened the series with goals by Mike Fisher and Daniel Alfredsson respectively to start with a 2 – 0 lead in the first period of Game 1 . The Sabres answered later in the first and midway through the second period with goals by Maxim Afinogenov and Toni Lydman to tie the game 2 – 2 . The Senators then took control of the third period and scored three more goals to win 5 – 2 and take the series lead . In Game 2 the Sabres jumped ahead in scoring during the first period with two goals . But Ottawa later caught up and tied the game 2 – 2 by the second period . Ottawa defenceman Wade Redden gave the Senators the lead by the end of the second period with a power play goal . Buffalo did not answer until late in the third period on a power play goal by Danny Briere with only 6 seconds left to tie the game . Senators defenceman Joe Corvo scored just off a faceoff to give Ottawa the double overtime win and a 2 – 0 lead in the series . Game 3 in Ottawa was kept to no scoring until the second period when Senator Captain Daniel Alfredsson shot a puck that somehow riccocheted off Sabre goalie Ryan Miller towards Alfredsson who had an open net . Ottawa took a 3 – 0 lead in the series . In Game 4 Buffalo started with a goal nine seconds into the game . Buffalo jumped ahead 3 – 0 in scoring before the Senators came back with two goals . Ottawa could not score a third goal and tie the game , and the Sabres fought back into the series with a 3 – 2 win . Game 5 in Buffalo opened with a Sabre goal . But Ottawa came back and took a 2 – 1 lead . Afinogenov tied the game for the Sabres midway through the third period to eventually send the game into overtime . However , Daniel Alfredsson eliminated the Sabres by skating and shooting through three Buffalo players and scoring the overtime goal to send the Senators into the Stanley Cup Final . Western Conference finals . ( 1 ) Detroit Red Wings vs . ( 2 ) Anaheim Ducks . The Western Conference Finals featured the number 1 and 2 Western Conference teams , the Red Wings and Ducks respectively , competing for a berth in the Finals . This would be the Red Wings ' first trip to the Conference Finals since their last Cup win in 2002 ( they failed to make it past the second round for three straight seasons afterward despite having terrific regular season records ) , while the Ducks made it for the second time since their 2003 Stanley Cup run in which they lost to New Jersey in 7 games . Detroit opened the series at home in Game 1 with a 2 – 1 victory , with both goals deflecting off Ducks defensemen . Game 2 was a different story as the scoring lead shifting between the teams . With the Wings leading 3 – 2 in the third period , a goal was ruled when the puck somehow crossed the goal line while settling over Hasek ' s knee as he slid backwards into the net , thus tying the game and sending it into overtime . Scott Niedermayer sealed victory for Game 2 as he scored in overtime to tie the series . Game 3 at Honda Center featured one of the most one - sided games witnessed in the playoffs , as the Red Wings blanked the Ducks 5 – 0 to take a 2 – 1 series lead . Chris Pronger was suspended by the NHL for Game 4 . His suspension was a result of the same hit on Tomas Holmstrom that Rob Niedermayer was penalized for . While Pronger received no penalty for the hit during the game , Pronger was later suspended after NHL officials reviewed the replays , which showed Holmstrom being boarded from behind as a result of a Pronger elbow , drawing blood from a cut on his forehead . In Game 4 , without Pronger , the Ducks had to step up their efforts . They dominated the first period with 3 goals , including a power play goal by Ric Jackman , Pronger ' s " stand in " for Game 4 in his first game of the playoffs . Detroit would came back after trailing 3 – 1 to tie the game 3 – 3 in the second period , only to have the Ducks respond with a stunning wrist shot goal from the blue line by Ryan Getzlaf and an empty net goal Rob Niedermayer that gave Anaheim the 5 – 3 win and tie the series at 2 games . The tied series returned to Detroit for Game 5 . A goal from Detroit defenceman Andreas Lilja early in the second period put Detroit up 1 – 0 . Throughout the game , the Red Wings dominated the play . Despite their controlling of the play , Detroit was only able to score once because of the strong play of Ducks goaltender J . S . Giguere . Finally , after over 59 minutes of play , the Ducks found the inside of net via a power play goal by Scott Niedermayer with just only 47 seconds left in the game . Niedermayer appeared to be attempting a pass to a Ducks player in front of the net , but his pass deflected off Detroit defenceman Nicklas Lidstrom ' s stick and over Dominik Hasek ' s glove . Halfway into overtime , Andreas Lilja was making a routine breakout play behind his net when fore checking pressure by Andy McDonald caused Lilja to turn the puck over to Teemu Selanne , who lifted a backhander above a sprawled Hasek to give the Ducks a stunning 2 – 1 overtime victory and a 3 – 2 series lead going back to Anaheim . Game 6 almost seemed to be anti - climatic of Game 5 , starting with a short handed goal by Rob Niedermayer . The Ducks extended the lead to three in the second period . Early in the third period , Detroit scored a goal by Henrik Zetterberg . Samuel Pahlsson again extended the Ducks lead by three goals shortly after . Two powerplay goals from Pavel Datsyuk cut the Ducks ' lead to only one late in the game . But despite the late period pressure , the Anaheim Ducks were able to hold on and win the game and the series to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in their history .