Seventh heaven

Blackhawks. Red Wings. Game 7. The city of Chicago was beside itself with excitement Wednesday, which means there were two possible outcomes: Either Blackhawks Nation would be in hockey heaven, or suffer sports hell on Earth. Here's how the showdown unfolded, with those mood swings in mind.

FIRST PERIOD

Heavenly: Andrew Shaw goes after Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg, smacking him with his stick and igniting a shoving match near the Detroit bench. Think these guys really want this game?

Hellish: The first dumb penalty of the game goes to Duncan Keith, who gets sent off for tripping. Not a good risk, Duncs, considering the Wings were in no danger of scoring. #useyourhead

Heavenly: The Hawks' Viktor Stalberg and the Wings' Dan Cleary exchange glove sizes after a whistle near the end of the period. You don't talk bad about a hockey player's momma!

Heavenly: Shaw spins behind the goal for a stuff attempt, but Wings goalie Jimmy Howard shuts the door at the far post. Love how aggressive this "little" guy is. Good things have to be around the corner.

Score: Blackhawks 0, Red Wings 0

SECOND PERIOD

Heavenly: GOAL! Patrick Sharp finishes off a three-on-one break with his seventh goal of the playoffs. Howard has no chance, and the Wings might feel that way right now, too.

Hellish: Hawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson takes a shot to the jaw and is shaken up. Fortunately, he doesn't miss a shift. Yep, he's a hockey player all right.

Heavenly: Wings forward Cory Emmerton has Crawford dead to rights just a few feet from the goal. But the Hawks netminder makes a terrific stop, and fans can breathe again.

Hellish: Patrick Kane has a wide open net on a pass from Toews, but a sliding Kronwall negates the chance. How many bullets-er, pucks-can the Red Wings dodge?

Score: Blackhawks 1, Red Wings 0

THIRD PERIOD

Hellish: Bleep. Zetterberg buries one in a wide-open net. Game tied. This ain't gonna be easy after all.

Heavenly: Sharp comes oh-so-close to breaking the tie, splitting the defense before Howard denies him. Must. Cash. In.

Hellish: Zetterberg holds the puck in the Hawks' zone for what seems like an eternity. Ya gotta make him pay for that. #bickellsmash

Hellish: You've got to be kidding. The Hawks have a Niklas Hjalmarsson goal wiped out by a pair of coinciding penalties, and we've got overtime. Great. (Note sarcasm here.)

Score: Blackhawks 1, Red Wings 1

OVERTIME

Final score: Blackhawks 2, Red Wings 1