Finis

Dejected Red Wings fans linger in their seats as Joe Louis Arena empties out after San Jose's Devin Setoguchi scored the overtime game-winner to complete a hat trick. (John T. Greilick / The Detroit News)

Bob Wojnowski, writing in The Detroit News:

Detroit -- Over in a flash, again. Over by the narrowest, nastiest margin, again. And now, the Red Wings' season is nearly over, pushed to the bitter brink by an opponent they simply can't hold off.

The Red Wings blew their chance in this one, no doubt. But the Sharks also took it, and now they're on the verge of taking Detroit's season and snapping it over their knees again. Devin Setoguchi's third goal, 9 minutes 21 seconds into overtime, gave San Jose a 4-3 victory Wednesday, a 3-0 series lead and such taut command of Detroit, it's staggering.

The Red Wings lost the way they've lost many times to this team, an agonizing riddle they just can't solve. They lost on a terrific shot that might have tipped off a stick, and a series that could've turned tight stunningly turned the other way.

It's time to stop being surprised. The Sharks have beaten the Red Wings seven of their last eight meetings in the playoffs, all by one goal. The Red Wings played well at times, with Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk dynamic again, but not well enough to beat the relentless Sharks.

The Fat Lady is in the wings (heh) and she's tunin' up.  Yeah, it ain't over til it's over and all that happy horseshit but we know: it's over.  Bein' down 0-3 in a hockey playoff series is like that ol' sayin' in chess: you're playin' for heart failure... on the part o' the other guy.  These Fish have strong hearts, so that possibility ain't in the cards.  The maddening thing... the thing that drives us Wings fans abso-fukkin'-lutely NUTS... is how close these games have been, especially Game One out in San Jose when the game was decided by a garbage goal in OT.  The outcome of that game set the tone for this series and it's been ALL downhill since then.  

It's just like last year, only worse.  Last year the Wings went into the second round against the Sharks all tired out from a brutal seven game first round victory over those Feral Dogs... this year they swept those same Dogs and things looked pretty good.  Until last night.  And now it's déjà vu all over again.  The Wings will win the next one at The Joe and mebbe even another one after that but make no mistake: it's over.

Sigh.  Oh, well.  Sometimes it bees like that.  That's hockey, and a bag o' assorted other clichés about losing.  Still and even: not fun.  Not fun AT ALL.