Five Things for April 22nd: The Wings Prepare for Game 3 Against Boston

1. With the series tied at one game apiece, the Red Wings are getting ready to play the Bruins at Joe Louis Arena tonight.  After the physical display Boston put on in game two, it is clear that the Wings need to find a way to utilize their speed and quickness to try to make the game a little more wide-open.

When Mike Babcock and Brendan Smith met with the media yesterday, they shared the same message: Smith should never have gotten involved with Zdeno Chara:

Ansar Khan of Mlive.com reported a couple different quotes from both Smith and Babcock saying that the Wings need to stay away from the rough stuff in order to have a better chance in this series.  The puck drops at 7:30 on NBC sports network.

2.  Anibal Sanchez was the American League ERA champion last year.  He has not been quite as sharp this season.  Sanchez had a rough seventh-inning last night against the White Sox, giving up four hits and three runs en route to a 3-1 loss.

The Tigers offense threatened quite a bit, scattering nine hits and drawing four walks.  However, they left 10 runners on base and went 0-10 with runners in scoring position. Sanchez has a 3.54 ERA this year, which is good, but not quite at the elite level he was pitching at last season.

The Tigers catch a break for tonight's game by missing White Sox ace Chris Sale.  Sale was placed on the 15-day disabled list yesterday.

3. The Blackhawks got a shutout from Corey Crawford as they beat the Blues 2-0.

Columbus got off to a great start, scoring two goals in the first four minutes of their game against the Penguins. Pittsburgh hit them quick in the 3rd period, erasing a 3-1 deficit by scoring three goals in 2:13.  Columbus is still searching for their first home playoff win in franchise history, as they dropped this one to Pittsburgh 4-3.

The Wild were able to shut down the Avalanche in game three, getting a 1-0 overtime win.  Mikael Granlund won the game in OT on a fantastic individual effort:

In Dallas, Kari Lehtonen had a 37 save shutout that gave the Stars a 3-0 win over Anaheim. The Ducks lead the series 2-1.

4. There were two NBA games last night.  The Thunder and Grizzlies, played a great overtime game that saw Memphis get a 111-105 win.  Zach Randolph led the Grizz with 25 points.

The Clippers blew out the Warriors 138-98.  Blake Griffin led LA with 35 points.

5. Terrelle Pryor was moved from the Raiders to the Seahawks yesterday.  Oakland got a seventh-round pick in return.