Red Wings 2, Capitals 3: Post Game Snipes...

• Okay, the Wings should’ve won this one. There’s no question about that. They were clearly the better team, but blew it in the third period.
• The Wings should’ve had more than two goals tonight. They had more than enough shots on net, and Jose Theodore isn’t nearly that good. I know that because he’s been dragging my fantasy team down all season. Of course, the night that I benched him with the hope of a Wings’ win, he plays well. So thanks for that.
• According to Ken Daniels, Rafalski’s goal went through Theodore’s pearly gates aka five hole. I was disturbed. He should know better than to pre-game with Murphy and Keating.
• The Wings’ powerplay needs to start sucking less ASAP. They’ve shown some flashes over the last few games, but they’re still having issues capitalizing when it counts.
• Filppula had one of his best games since returning from his injury. The Wings need more of that from him because they’re still largely a one-line team.
• I missed the interview with Datsyuk, and that makes me sad. If it’s not on Youtube by the time I get up tomorrow morning, I’m going to have some serious issues. I’ve been told that it was a good one.
• And that’s all I really have to say.
  

GP Answers:
1. The last time the Wings played Washington, we barely noticed Alex Ovechkin. Thanks largely to Nick Lidstrom, he just didn’t look threatening very often. The box score says that he got an assist, but the Wings did a great job limiting his chances. Will they be able to repeat that performance?
They held the guy without a shot for only the third time in his career. I’d say that that counts.

2. The Eurotwins were in vintage form on Sunday. They were the best players on the ice, and I think we’re all still trying to piece our minds back together after Datsyuk’s shootout goal. If the Wings want to gain any ground, they’re going to need efforts like that from them on a consistent basis. Are they going to live up to our lofty expectations?
Datsyuk looked like he was flying tonight. He always seems to get up for games against the Caps for some reason. I think he likes taking on Ovechkin. Zetterberg was less noticeable, but he had a good game too. He had a couple of glorious chances that he just put wide.

3. I haven’t heard who’s slated to start in net yet. Will Ozzie finally get a chance to redeem himself? He played the first game against Washington this season, and since it’s against an Eastern Conference opponent, a potential loss would hurt less, I suppose. You’ve got to figure that he’s going to get a start one of these days. I know Howard’s on a hot streak and is young, but at some point he’s going to need a break.
Ozzie got a chance, but he didn’t exactly wow anybody. I was hoping for a statement performance from him, but I was expecting one like we got.

4. The Wings have a chance to break into the top 8 with a win against the Caps. They’ll need LA to lose to San Jose, but it’s within reach again. They’ve had a few chances to do that over the last few weeks, and haven’t been able to put a good effort together. Can they finally get over that hurdle and start working their way up the standings?
I’m going to stop writing GP questions like this because every time I do, the Wings lose. Maybe it will magically reverse-unjinx-will the Wings to an important win the same way dropping the Nick Lidstrom question got him to score.

5. The Chicago game on Sunday was by far the best hockey I’ve seen since the playoffs. The Wings dominated for large stretches and controlled the play. They looked like the better team out there despite still missing some key guys from the lineup. I know we won’t be treated to that kind of hockey every minute of every game, but can the Wings keep up that level of intensity and drive on a regular basis? It sure would make moving up in the standings a lot easier.
I thought the Wings had a good effort throughout the game. The Caps seemed to pick things up a bit after their first goal, but with the kind of shot disparity that the Wings had tonight, it’s pretty clear which team was in control. This loss hurts.

6. Ville Leino or Brad May tonight? Does it matter?
Not really, no. For some inexplicable reason, Leino was back on the powerplay. If somebody out there understands why, by all means, let me know because I sure don’t.

Cookies and Cupcakes for Dan Cleary
His goal came off of an awesome second effort. I loved it, even if I’m not entirely sure why.

An Extra Stick Tap for Pavel Datsyuk
That guy was on tonight. He didn’t have anything to show for it on the scoresheet, but he looked like the best Russian on the ice. This probably would’ve gone to Bertuzzi on account of how good he looked for most of the game, but I have a self-imposed rule that you can only qualify for one award per game. Which brings me to…

Todd Bertuzzi gets the Golden Facepalm
Oh, Todd. I want to like you. I really do. It just seems like for every great thing you do, you make a glaring blunder that just drives me crazy. An offensive zone penalty late in the game 8 miles away from your own net? You’re killing me, Todd. Killing. Me.

What I Learned:
The Wings are incapable of taking the opportunity to climb into the playoff rankings.