Schedule and 2002 Results
Regular Season Records: Detroit 51-17-10-4=116pts, St. Louis 43-27-8-4=98pts
Game 1 on Thursday, 2 May: StL. loses at Det., 2-goals-nil
Game 2 on Saturday, 4 May: StL. loses at Det., 3-goals-2
Game 3 on Tuesday, 7 May: Det. loses at StL., 6-goals-1
Game 4 on Thursday, 9 May: Det. wins at StL., 4-goals-3
Game 5 on Saturday, 11 May: StL. loses at Det., 4-goals-nil

SERIES NOTES: Post Game 5 assessment: Detroit hosts and defeats St. Louis 4-goals-nil to win their series 4-games-1. Detroit's best-of-7 Qtrs-round Game 5 record is now 3-5 (3-2 at home); St. Louis' best-of-7 Qtrs-round Game 5 record is now 7-11 (2-9 on the road; those 11 overall losses and 9 road losses are NBA/NHL highs in this category). Detroit's Qtrs-round best-of-7 series record is now 7-5 (7-1 when Game 1 is in Detroit). St. Louis' Qtrs-round best-of-7 series record is now 6-15 (3-10 when Game 1 is on the road); those 15 Qtrs-round series losses in best-of-7 play are an NBA/NHL high. The WWLWW series victory for Detroit is the 11th in the NHL Quarterfinals, the 28th in the NHL irrespective of round, and the 69th overall; the first MLB, NBA, or NHL best-of-7 series to end WWLWW was series 4 (the 1908 World Series, won by the Chicago Cubs). Post Game 4 assessment: Detroit defeats St. Louis 4-goals-3 to take a 3-games-1 series lead. The win for the Red Wings improves their best-of-7 Qtrs-round Game 4 record to 5-7 (5-3 on the road); the loss for the Blues drops their best-of-7 Qtrs-round Game 4 record to 8-13 (6-7 at home). When leading a best-of-7 series 3-games-1, Detroit has a 12-2 series record. When trailing a best-of-7 series 3-games-1, St. Louis has a 2-9 series record. The only NHL team to go down LLWL @ VVHH but win the series (in 32 tries) was the Pittsburgh Penguins in series 604 (a 1992 Prelim-round series vs. Washington). Post Game 3 assessment: St. Louis returns home and defeats Detroit 6-goals-1 to cut the Wings series lead to 2-games-1. St. Louis thus improves its best-of-7 Qtrs-round Game 3 record to 12-9 (10-3 at home; those ten wins are an NBA/NHL high on best-of-7 Qtrs-round Game 3 home ice). Detroit's best-of-7 Qtrs-round Game 3 record falls to 5-7 (4-4 on road ice). When leading a best-of-7 series 2-games-1, Detroit has a 16-8 series record; when trailing a best-of-7 series 2-games-1, St. Louis has a 5-13 series record. From 1939 through the 2002 Preliminary round, once before had an NHL team lost Games 1-2 on the road but won Game 3 at home 6-goals-1: In best-of-7 series 851, the New York Islanders did so just last month, in their 2002 Preliminary-round series vs. Toronto (losing the series in seven games). When NHL teams lose Games 1-2 on the road but win Game 3 at home by 4+ goals, their series record is 1-7; the only win was in series 476 by the old Quebec Nordiques, in their 1987 Qtrs-round series vs. the old Hartford Whalers. Post Game 2 assessment: Detroit wins Game 2 by a 3-goals-2 margin, thus improving their best-of-7 Qtrs-round Game 2 record to 8-4 (6-2 on Detroit ice); St. Louis sees its best-of-7 Qtrs-round Game 2 record fall to 9-12 (3-10 on the road) -- those twelve overall losses and ten road losses are each NBA/NHL highs in the best-of-7 Qtrs-round Game 2 category. In best-of-7 Qtrs-round play, the last NBA or NHL team to spot its opponent two opening wins on the opponent's turf but win the series was the NBA Houston Rockets: In best-of-7 series 691, they lost the first two games of this 1995 NBA Qtrs-round series in Phoenix, but won the series in seven games. In best-of-7 NHL Qtrs-round play, the last team to spot its opponent two opening wins on the opponent's ice but win the series was the old Quebec Nordiques: In best-of-7 series 397, they lost the first two games of this 1982 NBA Qtrs-round series in Boston, but won the series in seven games. When leading a best-of-7 series 2-games-nil, Detroit has a 19-6 series record. When trailing a best-of-7 series 2-games-nil, St. Louis has a 1-11 series record (The win came in series 250, a 1972 Qtrs-round matchup vs. the old Minnesota North Stars). Post Game 1 assessment: Detroit takes Game 1 two-goals-nil, thus improving the Wings' best-of-7 Qtrs-round Game 1 record to 6-6 (5-3 at home). That record for St. Louis falls to 8-13 (4-9 on the road). Those 13 overall best-of-7 Qtrs-round Game 1 losses by the Blues are an NBA/NHL high, while those 9 road best-of-7 Qtrs-round Game 1 losses tie the NBA New York Knickerbockers, NHL New York Rangers, NHL Toronto Maple Leafs, NBA Atlanta Hawks (formerly of St. Louis), and NBA Chicago Bulls for an NBA/NHL high in this category. The Detroit Red Wings franchise has a best-of-7 series record of 26-11 (.703) upon winning Game 1; the St. Louis Blues franchise has a best-of-7 series record of 3-18 (.143) upon losing the opener -- although that third series win came over Chicago in the round just completed. In best-of-7 NHL series from 1939 through the 2002 Preliminary round, teams posting a 2-goals-nil Game 1 win own a 10-10 series record. Pre-series assessment: In the 2001-02 regular season, Detroit finished with 18 more regular-season points than St. Louis. From 1939 through the 2002 NHL Preliminary round, when NHL best-of-7 opponents were separated by 18 regular-season points, the team with the better regular-season record has gone on to post a 6-6 (.500) best-of-7 series record in that series against that opponent. Three of those six upset losses were sustained by Detroit Red Wings teams (in series 74 - the 1949 NHL Finals vs. Toronto; in series 655 - the 1994 NHL Preliminary round vs. San Jose; in series 687 - the 1995 NHL Finals vs. New Jersey; the 1949 and 1995 losses were series sweeps).