Red Wings 5, Sharks 3: Post Game Snipes...

• Aren't you all glad the game went on as scheduled? After several hours of wondering whether or not the Wings were going to be able to play tonight due to a power outage in the Sharks' building, we finally got word through Twitter that the problem had been fixed and the game was on.
• The Wings got off to a bit of a slow start in the defensive zone, making way more turnovers than were necessary. Jimmy Howard made some good saves to hold down the fort until they got their act together.
• The Wings got a powerplay goal from Dan Cleary early on. I'm pretty sure the puck ended up in the back of the net because the Sharks were still confused about the fact that the Wings had just gotten a powerplay. After the playoff series last season, I'm guessing they thought that the rule book had been amended to prohibit that occurrence.
• This was one of those games during which all I could do was shake my head at the Eurotwins. They do ridiculous things with the puck every single game, and on those nights when they really dial it up, watching them go to work is glorious.
• Pavel Datsyuk's goal was just pretty. He embarrassed the Sharks' defensemen as he danced right through them and then finished the play with a shot into the wide-open net from a bad angle.  After the goal, Ken Daniels yelled, "He dangles, and snipes!" Just saying...
• Zetterberg looked like a baseball player as he swatted his first goal out of mid-air. The hand-eye coordination needed to do that is pretty impressive.
• San Jose's second goal should've been goaltender interference. Last time I checked, sitting on goalies wasn't allowed...unless you're Colton Orr. If Tomas Holmstrom so much as gives the goalie a dirty look, he's called for interference.
• Patrick Eaves scored. I guess you wouldn't know that he plays ping pong.
• Z's second goal was set up by a beautiful pass from Datsyuk. As I've already said...amazing stuff. Just amazing.

Hero: Henrik Zetterberg
We were all pulling for him to snag us some free curly fries roast beef sandwiches tonight. The fact that he didn't trigger the Arby's promo doesn't take away from his four-point performance, though. He was phenomenal, as was his partner in crime, Pavel Datsyuk.

Villain: Scott Nichol
He ended up with four penalty minutes for going after Kronwall late in the third period. Kronner obviously had no interest in fighting. Good job, dude.

Final Thought:
I could watch the Eurotwins play hockey 24/7 and never for one second be bored.

Trivia Tuesdays Volume 6...

Which team have the Wings gone the longest since last facing in the playoffs?

As always, post your answer in the comments.

Red Wings vs. Sharks GP...

Red Wings: 15-4-2

Sharks: 11-7-4

Red Wing Zen:

Brian Rafalski

0-10-10, +/- 3, 2 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Joe McCarthy

2-2-4, +/- 0, 6 PIM

Caption Mondays Volume 6...

This one's from the warm-up before the Coyotes game on October 28th.  What are the guys concerned about here?

Weekly Wrap-Up Volume Five...

Here's your belated wrap-up since I forgot to do it on Friday amidst all the Thanksgiving festivities.

Caption Mondays:  Neuie's little brother won this week.  I enjoyed imagining Datsyuk trying to do an Aussie accent.

*in best fake Aussie accent* "When you see the winged Datsyuk make his pirate face, you know that he is hungry for battered duck."

Trivia Tuesdays: Someone finally beat Andy this week.  Clark was the first responder this time around.

This week's question:  Against which team have the Wings played the most playoff series? What is their record against them?

The Answer:  The Wings have played 23 series against Toronto over the years.  Their all-time record is 11-12.

Red Wings 4, Blue Jackets 2: Post Game Snipes...

• I was concerned about how the Wings would start this game since it had an early start time, but they actually looked pretty lively in the first period.
• During the pre-game show, FSD did a segment where they asked players about their hidden talents. Darren Helm's talents were walking on his hands and doing the Worm.
• I've had a long-standing suspicion that when Chris Osgood is on the bench, he's doodling instead of charting faceoffs. The hidden talents segment made me positive that I'm right, as Ozzie revealed that he likes to draw pictures.
• Jiri Hudler claimed to be a good BBQer. I'm not sure I'd want to eat something he cooked.
• The Circus line looked threatening all night. Zetterberg, in particular, had a lot of good chances and looked dominant with and without the puck. He didn't end up with any points to show for it, but it was definitely one of his best games of the season.
• We were subjected to the Blue Jackets' hideous third jerseys for the second game in a row. I'm sorry, are Wings fans being punished for something? Evidently Mickey Redmond likes them. He said something about Columbus looking like a whole different team when wearing them. Ken Daniels responded by saying that they looked like the Florida Panthers. Boom.
• Kronwall and Helm scored fourteen seconds apart in the second period. Just like that, the Wings went from trailing to being in the lead. That's what this team can do to you.
• The penalty kill in the third period was outstanding. The Wings out-worked and out-played the Blue Jackets for all of Filppula's double minor, as well as the two-minute 5-on-3 kill in the middle of it. The fans at the Joe were on their feet applauding the team. Everything about it made me smile.
• Filppula ended up with the game-winner for the second game in a row. I'm guessing his finely-tuned fashion sense finds the ugly third jerseys the Blue Jackets were wearing objectionable.
• The Wings were 0-5 on the powerplay tonight. Ouch.
• After the game, FSD showed a slo-mo replay of Jimmy Howard squirting water on his face from the water bottle. It prompted my little brother and I to laugh hysterically. Was that really something we needed to slo-mo?

Hero: Henrik Zetterberg
He didn't pick up any points on the evening, but he was dominant throughout the whole game. I was really convinced that he was going to score tonight. Obviously, I was wrong, but that doesn't take away from his effort.

Villain: Steve Mason
He looked like he'd been shot after Abdelkader's goalie interference penalty. The little peek he took to make sure the ref had noticed his acting was cute, too.

Final Thought:
That's not a bad way to close out Thanksgiving weekend at all.

Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets GP...

Red Wings: 14-4-2

Blue Jackets: 14-7-0

Didn't we just do this?
 

Red Wing Zen:

Ruslan Salei

0-5-5, +/- 2, 26 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Mathieu Garon

6-1-0, 1.33 GAA, .950 SV%

Red Wings 2, Blue Jackets 1: Post Game Snipes...

• Special teams were key in the game tonight. The Wings relied on their strong PK to kill off FIVE straight penalties. Columbus ended up going 0-5 on the powerplay. The Wings then got 3 straight powerplays, one of which resulted in a goal.
• I personally thought that the Jackets deserved a major penalty for wearing such ugly jerseys. Or maybe the refs were trying to help them out because they felt sorry for them.
• Franzen finally scored his first road goal of the season.
• When I first saw Columbus' third jerseys, I was kind of ambivalent. I thought they were stupid because I dislike the concept of third jerseys in general (they're nothing more than a cash grab) and they looked exactly like most other third jerseys out there on the market. However, as the game wore on, every time FSD showed a close-up of a Blue Jacket player, I hated them a little bit more. The cream on the shoulders really took them from mediocre to ugly. The font used for the numbers didn't help matters either.
• After returning from a commercial, Larry Murphy was going over a play that had happened earlier and said “Umdinger” instead of “Umberger.” I found it way more amusing than I should have. Umdinger.
• At the end of the game, Jakub Voracek proceeded to smack himself on the head with his stick. Why? The world may never know.
• Anyone else think that a Jared Boll penalty shot was much less punishment for the Wings than a two-minute powerplay would've been?
• Mike Modano left the game after being cut on the hand/wrist with a skate blade. Trevor Thompson's post-game tweets about it didn't sound promising.
• Valtteri Filppula picked up the game-winner on the powerplay. I don't know why, but I always forget about him. He needs to do more things like that so I'll remember him.

Hero: Jimmy Howard
He made stop after stop after stop to keep the Wings in the game including a huge (although not terribly challenging) save on the penalty shot in the second period. After having a rough night in Atlanta two days ago, he bounced back and was the star of the game by far.

Villains: The Referees
Five straight penalties, plus a penalty shot, against the Wings? Columbus conveniently taking the next three straight penalties? Changing standards for hooking? Tonight was a classic example of NHL officiating.

Final Thought:
The most important regular season game in franchise history didn't turn out so well for the Blue Jackets.

Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets GP...

Red Wings: 13-4-2

Blue Jackets: 14-6-0

Red Wing Zen:

Brad Stuart

2-7-9, +/- 8, 24 PIM

Point and Laugh:

RJ Umberger

(This was taken when he was on the Flyers.)

7-8-15, +/- 10, 24 PIM

Red Wings 1, Thrashers 5: Post Game Snipes...

• The Wings looked awful tonight. They never even got going in the third period. It wasn't hard to predict that their habit of starting slowly and sleepwalking through large portions of games was going to catch up to them eventually.
• There were a ridiculous amount of turnovers tonight. Everybody was making them in every area of the ice.
• The blue stanchions in Atlanta annoy me.
• Joey MacDonald played the third period and wasn't awful. That's somewhat reassuring in a strange way.
• Zetterberg made some nice plays with the puck, particularly late in the game, but to no avail.

Hero: Todd Bertuzzi
He scored the Wings' only goal of the game. It got them back into the game after falling down 0-2 at the beginning. Sadly, it was only a glimmer of hope.

Villain: Andrew Ladd
He scored the killer shorthanded goal that ended up being the game-winner.

Final Thought:
I think the Wings were already thinking ahead to Thanksgiving. Not a good night, but it's not the end of the world either.

Red Wings vs. Thrashers GP...

Red Wings: 13-3-2

Thrashers: 9-9-3

Red Wing Zen:

Jiri Hudler

1-4-5, +/- -5, 6 PIM

Plus a special bonus picture:

Point and Laugh:

Zach Bogosian

1-2-3, +/- -8, 12 PIM

Trivia Tuesdays Volume 5...

Against which team have the Wings played the most playoff series? What is their record against them?

Happy googling. LGRW.

Caption Mondays Volume 5...

I took this week's picture during warm-ups on Opening Night. You all know what Pav did later that night.  What was going through his mind as he was preparing for the game?

Red Wings 5, Flames 4 (OT): Post Game Snipes...

• Friday night, it was the fourth liners who were featured on the scoresheet. Tonight, it was the stars who took over. Franzen, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Lidstrom each found the back of the net. That's a pretty awesome list.
• The Wings went three-for-seven on the powerplay tonight. It was nice to see them convert later on since there were so many missed opportunities in the first period. With the two late-game penalties that went against Calgary, it would've been a major failure if the Wings hadn't been able to convert to tie the game.
• Dan Cleary left the game after getting wrecked against the boards in the corner. There's still no word on his injury, but I'm guessing it won't be happy since he didn't return. Someone should start tracking players who are on the receiving end of big hits. Whereas Lidstrom almost never gets rocked, it seems like Dan Cleary gets laid out at least once every game. It's like he needs some convex mirrors mounted on the side of his helmet or something.
• Ericsson also left the game briefly after blocking a shot with his ankle. He was helped to the dressing room, but came back to finish the game. That was a relief because he's actually been playing well lately.
• The Wings' first intermission naptime evidently ran over because they were totally flat-footed at the beginning of the second when they allowed Calgary to take over the game.
• Defensive zone turnovers came back to bite the Wings again tonight in a big way.
• Datsyuk's goal was the result of his best Tomas Holmstrom impression.
• Zetterberg's first goal came off of another strong play on the puck. Z had a really quiet stretch there where it seemed like he was drifting, but lately he's been working his way through the defense with strength better.
• The last-second tying goal was a classic Eurotwins goal. It was even more exciting because when Calgary cleared the zone right before it, I said to my dog, “Well, that's game.” Then Datsyuk broke in, danced through the defense, and dished it off to Zetterberg for the shot. I loved the waterbottle pop, too. It made it that much more dramatic.
• Abdelkader threw a nice, clean hit at one point and then got jumped after the whistle by a Flame who felt that he needed to get revenge. They ended up getting offsetting minors for roughing. What a stupid mentality.
• Bert got a double minor midway through the third when he took an interference call and then was slapped with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty (most likely for being named Todd Bertuzzi). I figured that was the end of the Wings' chances since even if they killed all four minutes off, they'd be eating up a huge amount of time off the clock. Shortly afterward, though, Calgary took a penalty of their own and Zetterberg scored on the ensuing four-on-four. All in all, it was a much better result from Bert's penalties than I was envisioning.

1. The Wings have managed to pull three out of four possible points over the last couple of games while not really looking good enough to earn them. Here's hoping they'll actually show up to play a full game. The early start has me less-than-optomistic.
It was another typical early start. If someone understands the Wings' problems with games that don't begin at 7 or 7:30, I'd love an explanation.

2. Jimmy Howard didn't have his best game on Friday night. How will he rebound today?
Four goals against isn't great, but I wouldn't rag on him too much. One of them could've been a little soft, but the defense didn't really do him many favors tonight.

3. I'm still looking for the top line to get going again. The Eurotwins have really quieted down lately and the Wings are going to need them to get scoring again.
They took over the game in the third period in true Eurotwins fashion. It was the best they've looked in a few games.

Hero: Henrik Zetterberg
His two third period goals sent the game to overtime and set the Wings up to win the game. His last-second tying goal was as exciting as they come.

Villain: Jarome Iginla
It was so nice of him to regain his scoring touch just in time to face the Wings.

Final Thought:
The Wings have come out flat three games in a row. In those three games, they've picked up five out of a possible six points. Think the rest of the league is scared?

Red Wings vs. Flames GP...

Red Wings: 12-3-2

Flames: 8-10-0

1. The Wings have managed to pull three out of four possible points over the last couple of games while not really looking good enough to earn them. Here's hoping they'll actually show up to play a full game. The early start has me less-than-optomistic.
2. Jimmy Howard didn't have his best game on Friday night. How will he rebound today?
3. I'm still looking for the top line to get going again. The Eurotwins have really quieted down lately and the Wings are going to need them to get scoring again.

Red Wing Zen:

Mike Modano

2-5-7, +/- -1, 6 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Miikka Kiprusoff

7-9-0, 2.70 GAA, .907 SV%

Red Wings 3, Wild 4 (OT): Post Game Snipes...

• I swear the Wings are trying to kill me. They waited until I was driving down the highway to tie the game and take the lead.
• This recap is going to be even more jumbled than usual because due to real life commitments, more DVR deletion issues, and the lateness of the FSD replay, I watched the game in this order: last ten minutes of the third-overtime-second period-first ten minutes of the third-first period.
• In the pre-game, Ken Daniels said that if you knew that Cal Clutterbuck was leading the Wild with 6 goals, you were a true hockey fan. I knew that. To be fair, it was only because the random number generator landed on his number for my GP, but I did know it. There you go: the Ken Daniels stamp of approval.
• This wasn't Jimmy's best night. He's been on a roll lately, so he was bound to have an off-night at some point and he just didn't look as sharp as he usually is.
• So since when did Rig learn how to play defense?
• Is it really necessary to say, “Here comes Helm with good speed?” It seems kind of redundant.
• Dan Cleary's goal-scoring streak finally came to an end tonight, but he still leads the team with nine goals on the season. Who called that at the beginning?
• Cal Clutterbuck had the audacity to score a goal after I was kind enough to feature him in the Point and Laugh section of today's GP. Wait, hmm...okay.
• Minnesota's first goal came right after Zetterberg's penalty expired, but for all intents and purposes, it might as well have been a powerplay goal. Even though he was out of the box, Z never got back into the play.
• Ken Daniels mentioned that Helm was the only Wings forward without a goal at least two-hundred times. I'm pretty sure Helm finally went out and scored just to get him to stop.
• Was it just me, or did it seem like Lidstrom's targeting computer was a little off tonight?
• I hate the trap. I just thought everyone should know that.
• The Wild really turned things on towards the end of the third period. I wasn't at all surprised when they scored. You could just kind of feel it coming.
• Patrick Eaves scored the go-ahead-goal during the third period. Drew Miller “scored” on Wednesday. Not bad for a couple of guys rotating in and out of the lineup.
• I really think the first intermission interview was the first time I've ever heard Ruslan Salei speak.
• The Eurotwins looked uncharacteristically out of synch tonight.
• The two goal reviews tonight were some of the most pointless reviews I've ever seen.

1. The Minnesota Wild bore me. I know that's not nice, but I'm pretty sure everybody but Minnesota fans agree with me.
Okay, there's no way Minnesota fans can't recognize how boring their team is. The folks in Minny are supposed to be smart hockey people, so they've got to see it too.  I can't fathom watching 82 whole games of that.

2. The powerplay had a bit of a resurgence during the third period last game. I'm hoping that'll be a spark that gets them going. Babcock is mixing up the units for tonight, so maybe they'll start to build some momentum.
It converted again when Johan Franzen scored during the third period. There's still a lot of room for improvement. Missing that five-on-three opportunity earlier in the game was unfortunate.

3. I want to see the top line get going again like they were at the start of the season. Will they be able to get back to dominance against a weaker Wild team tonight?
It was another quiet night for the Eurotwins. It's not a noticeable issue since the Wings are still picking up points, but you can't count on getting two goals from your fourth line every game.

Hero: Darren Helm
He was hustling all night long on the fourth line. He finally netted his first goal of the season meaning that all of the Wings forwards have now recorded at least one goal. Plus, he was thoughtful enough to score before I got in the car so there was no dangerous swerving.

Villain: John Madden
He sealed the deal with a goal in OT. The Wings had been looking pretty good through overtime until that point.

Final Thought:
I enjoyed the Wings' last game against the Wild much more than this one.

Weekly Wrap-Up Volume Four...

Caption Mondays: Rob won this week with his crack about James Wisniewski's recent suspension.

"I will not pull a Wisniewski, I will not pull a Wisniewski, I will not pull..."

Trivia Tuesdays: Andy won again this week, although Clark chipped in with an assist.

This week's question: Which team do the Wings have the most all-time regular season victories against?

The Answer: The Wings have racked up the most victories against none other than the Chicago Blackhawks. Their all-time record against the Hawks is 360-258-84-8. The next-highest number of victories are against Toronto. The Wings have beaten Toronto 274 times in their history.

Red Wings vs. Wild GP...

Red Wings: 12-3-1

Wild: 9-6-2

1. The Minnesota Wild bore me. I know that's not nice, but I'm pretty sure everybody but Minnesota fans agree with me.
2. The powerplay had a bit of a resurgence during the third period last game. I'm hoping that'll be a spark that gets them going. Babcock is mixing up the units for tonight, so maybe they'll start to build some momentum.
3. I want to see the top line get going again like they were at the start of the season. Will they be able to get back to dominance against a weaker Wild team tonight?

Red Wing Zen:

Brian Rafalski

0-6-6, +/- 8, 2 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Cal Clutterbuck

6-0-6, +/- -2, 16 PIM

Red Wings 7, Blues 3: Post Game Snipes...

• This was one of the Wings' worst games of the season. I know you're thinking, “But Kris, they won by four goals. This is very true, however until they came alive in the third period, things were looking pretty ugly. There were turnovers galore and it seemed like the Wings couldn't complete a pass.
• The first goal of the game was batted into the Blues' net by Jaroslav Halak. Instead of clapping or cheering, I just sat there and laughed. It was enough to send my brother running into the room to see what was so funny.  Drew Miller ended up getting credit for the goal, but even he laughed it off.
• Jimmy Howard ended the first period with an absolutely killer save with fractions of a second left on the clock.
• Johan Franzen got called for a weaksauce holding call during the second period. Predictably, it led to a powerplay goal for the Blues. It always seems like it's the cheap calls that lead to pucks going in the net.
• Justin Abdelkader scored on a pretty deflection in front of the net to retie the game after the Blues' powerplay goal.
• Cleary continued his hot streak with two goals tonight. He's been unbelievable lately. I drafted him in one of my fantasy leagues and people said I was stupid for taking him so high. Who's laughing now, little bro?
• Zetterberg's goal came after he made a strong, strong play on the puck. It was nice to see the first line do something good since they hadn't done a whole lot up to that point.
• Kronner gave us all a scare when he took a blindside hit. He took his time getting up, but returned to the game afterward. Though it was blindside, it wasn't a headshot as it didn't look like any head contact was made in the couple of replays that were shown.
• That offensive outburst in the third period was a glimpse into what the Wings can do when they're firing on all cylinders. In a little over three minutes, they took over the game and turned a mediocre game into a lot of fun.
• The Wings scored their last two goals on the powerplay. Up until then, it had looked pretty ugly. Here's hoping that that success continues. The Wings are way too good to have such a lousy powerplay.
• Good job going after Jimmy at the end of a blowout, Backes.

1. The Wings had another lengthy break between games, having been off since Saturday. Will they be ready to go on time?
No, it was another one of those games where they don't show up to play at the start of the game. They really didn't wake up until the third period.

2. The Wings get to face off against Jaroslav Halak for the first time tonight. It definitely has the potential to be one of those games where the Wings skate circles around their opponent but can't seem to put a puck in the net.
That definitely wasn't the case tonight. Halak let in (scored on himself, really) a laughable goal to kick things off and then got lit up in the third. We got plenty of Jaroslav HaLOLk.

3. The Blues sit only two points behind the Wings for the Central Division lead. This could shape up to be the main battle for the Wings down the road. It'd be nice to be able to pick up a couple of points against a division rival to stay on top of the pack.
The Wings did indeed stay on top with what looked like a decisive win on the scoreboard, but wasn't really that great.

Hero: Dan Cleary
He turned in another two-goal performance. He's now in the midst of a six-game goal streak. Night in and night out, he's one of the hardest-working Wings on the ice, and it's nice to see him getting rewarded on the scoreboard.

Villain: David Backes
I don't care if he's an American hero. Going after Jimmy is a major offense. Plus, my bro wants to buy his jersey, and I consider wearing another team's logo to be an unforgivable sin.

Final Thought:
The Wings pulled off a win tonight that they didn't really deserve.  They definitely didn't deserve to win by four goals.

Red Wings vs. Blues GP...

Red Wings: 11-3-1

Blues: 9-4-3

1. The Wings had another lengthy break between games, having been off since Saturday. Will they be ready to go on time?
2. The Wings get to face off against Jaroslav Halak for the first time tonight. It definitely has the potential to be one of those games where the Wings skate circles around their opponent but can't seem to put a puck in the net.
3. The Blues sit only two points behind the Wings for the Central Division lead.  This could shape up to be the main battle for the Wings down the road.  It'd be nice to be able to pick up a couple of points against a division rival to stay on top of the pack.

Red Wing Zen:

Henrik Zetterberg

4-13-17, +/- 9, 4 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Erik Johnson

1-3-4, +/- -1, 13 PIM

Trivia Tuesdays Volume 4...

Which team do the Wings have the most all-time regular season victories against?

 As always, post your answers in the comments.  Is anyone going to beat Andy this week?

Caption Mondays Volume 4...

This week's caption fodder was taken at the Wings Alumni Charity Softball Tournament this summer.  I figured I should do something to honor Dino Ciccarelli's induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame since I don't think I bothered mentioning it this week (or when he was originally elected) because I'm lazy.  What better way to celebrate this momentous occasion than to post a goofy picture of him and let people caption it?  Have fun.

Red Wings 3, Avalanche 1: Post Game Snipes...

• Bert's goal came on a shot that was just nasty. I could watch the replay all day long.
• Shortly afterward, Mule attempted the same shot Bert scored on from the other side of the rink like he was playing a game of H-O-R-S-E. Sadly, he was not successful. I guess that means he gets an H.
• Lidstrom extended his point streak to 11 games. Pavel Datsyuk did not.
• After two periods of total domination, the Wings decided to stop skating during most of the third. After Colorado finally got on the board, they really turned things up for a while and I thought they were going to score again and really make things interesting. The Wings looked a little better during the last five minutes.
• There was only one commercial break during the third period. It didn't come until 3:20 left in the period. If I'm not mistaken, the teams played almost nine minutes without a whistle.
• Eaves took a holding penalty in the third period. He definitely didn't get his money's worth for that one.
• Dan Cleary has been unstoppable lately. He's scored in five straight games now.

1. Jiri Hudler finally made an impact in the game on Thursday. Was that enough to wake him up and get him going or is he going to go back to being invisible again tonight?
The little guy finally put a puck in the net. Well, actually, he banked it in off of Budaj's skate. The result is all that really matters, though. Here's hoping he's finally going to look like the player the Wings thought they were getting back this season.

2. Now that Mule finally netted #100, is he going to go on one of his tears again? I certainly hope so.
Franzen picked up an assist on TAWD's powerplay goal in the first period. He didn't manage to score any of his own, but he looked threatening. It would've been nice to have seen him capitalize on that breakaway he #Eavesed.

3. Courtney, one of the co-founders of the other blog I write for—Chicks Who Give a Puck—is an Avs fan. In light of that, I think it'd be fun if everyone spent the day tweeting her to let her know where your allegiance lies for tonight's game. She's a good sport, so give her some good-natured joshing today. I'll let you know if we're still on speaking terms in the recap tonight.
Now that the game is over, we're all on the same side again. Liz, Ellen, and I get to retain CWGAP bragging rights now, though.

Hero: TAWD Bertuzzi
This was one of those nights when Bert looked like a giant (maybe a viking? A giant viking?) pillaging his way through some peaceful little medieval village. He was blasting through town, out-muscling the men, and rounding up kittens like a takeout meal.

Villain: John-Michael Liles
He broke the shutout in the third period. It added a little drama to the game and made things interesting, but it would've been nice to see Jimmy pick up the shutout.

Final Thought:
The Wings just keep on rolling.

Weekly Wrap-Up Volume Three...

Caption Mondays: Sara Neuie won this week again with her imaginary conversation about old man sweaters.

Dougie: Are you sure?
Hank: I'm telling you it works! How else do you think I got Emma?
Dougie: Huh, old man sweaters. I'll go shopping tomorrow. *smiles* I am so getting laid when I get back to Grand Rapids

Trivia Tuesdays: Andy actually waited over an hour to answer this week, giving other folks a chance to sneak in an answer before him. Nobody did, though, making him the three-time trivia champion. That makes the leaderboard:

Andy: 3
Everyone Else: 0

This week's question: The Wings hold the record for most penalty minutes in a single playoff game. How many minutes did they receive and how many penalties were they awarded?

The Answer: The Wings had a whopping 152 penalty minutes in a game against the Blues in 1991. St. Louis is in second place with 146 minutes of their own that day. Each team was awarded 33 penalties in what was apparently a rowdy game. Sadly, the Blues ended up winning 6-1.

Red Wings vs. Avalanche GP...

Red Wings: 10-3-1

Avalanche: 8-6-1

1. Jiri Hudler finally made an impact in the game on Thursday. Was that enough to wake him up and get him going or is he going to go back to being invisible again tonight?
2. Now that Mule finally netted #100, is he going to go on one of his tears again? I certainly hope so.
3. Courtney, one of the co-founders of the other blog I write for—Chicks Who Give a Puck—is an Avs fan. In light of that, I think it'd be fun if everyone spent the day tweeting her to let her know where your allegiance lies for tonight's game. She's a good sport, so give her some good-natured joshing today. I'll let you know if we're still on speaking terms in the recap tonight.

Red Wing Zen:

Johan Franzen

7-3-10, +/- 4, 8 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Jonas Holos

0-2-2, +/- 4, 2 PIM

Red Wings 6, Oilers 2: Post Game Snipes...

• Well, that was fun. The Wings started the game flying like bullets downtown (har dee har har) and never gave Edmonton a chance to get going. This was one of those wins where you sit back and relax because, well, the Wings are going to win. It's kind of the equivalent of putting your car in cruise control on the highway.
• I think Mickey Redmond said, “hot to trot,” at the beginning of the game. I have no idea what it means, but it sounds terrible.
• The clips of players thanking the veterans were nice, but incredibly awkward. My favorite was Jimmy Howard's. The sideways glance at the end sealed it.
• Hey, Jiri Hudler, welcome back to the NHL. How was Russia?
• You know what I liked about most of the goals the Wings scored tonight? They were ugly goals. They were scored from close range with traffic in front of the net. The Wings have a tendency sometimes to try to get too cute and make the highlight reel fancy pants plays, but goals like the ones from tonight win playoff games.
• Dan Cleary is the frontrunner for the title of Most Improved Over Last Season on the Wings.
• Bertuzzi's play to set up Cleary's second goal was impressive. Didn't Chris Chelios switch his hands on the stick like that on the point from time to time? I'm not sure I've ever seen it actually result in a goal, though.
• Penalty shots make for great drama, but when you have a great offensive team like the Wings, it almost seems like a waste.
• Immediately before Franzen scored I was telling my friend that he'd been stuck on goal number 99 for a while and that if he scored, he was liable to go on a tear. As soon as I finished talking, he swatted the puck into the net. You could kind of sense that he was going to do something good tonight. He was flying right from the start.
• Tomas Holmstrom was doing his usual Homer thing in front of the net tonight.  He was rewarded with a pair of goals.  
• I find it oddly amusing when Pavel Datsyuk hits people. I don't even know why. It just makes me laugh for some reason. I kept rewinding the part where he knocked Dustin Penner down over and over again on the DVR.

1. The Edmonton Sun posted a game preview article that featured this as the intro: “Welcome to Detroit, where the forecast, as always, is muggy, with a chance of murder. When you’re trying to breathe a little life back into your year, this is not the place to visit. And not just because they use more white chalk at crime scenes than they ever did in the schools.” There's nothing like a good old knee-slapping murder joke to introduce an article about hockey. I hope the Wings live up to their billing in the article and dominate Edmonton like they did last week.
I spent the evening downtown (although sadly not at the game), and the only thing I saw outlined in chalk was the Oilers' season (see what I did there?). Okay, to be fair, there was also a chalkboard at Astoria, so I guess there were things outlined there. I'm pretty sure the chalk was yellow, although I'll be the first to admit that I was a little distracted by the delicious and fattening (for you, Neuie) baked goods.

2. Mike Babcock was shuffling lines in practice yesterday. Will changing things up help spark things?
I'd say that six goals counts as a spark.

3. Brian Rafalski's return made an immediate impact on Monday. How will he look in his second game back?
The defense didn't really have a whole lot to do tonight. Rafalski was just fine.

Hero: Dan Cleary
That dude has been on fire.

Villain: Dustin Penner
It was hard to pick a villain for this one. There really wasn't a whole lot of hockey-related stuff to hate on. I went with Penner for breaking the shutout and netting the Oilers' first goal.

Final Thought:
This is totally unrelated to hockey, but after we ate dinner downtown, my friend and I were standing on the edge of the street waiting for traffic to clear. A helpful homeless man saw us waiting and decided to assist us in crossing the street by jumping in front of a bus and telling it to stop. I really thought the bus was going to run him over and was actually reaching for my phone in case I needed to call 911. The bus managed to stop, and the guy stood there in front of it waving us across the street. We were quite content to just wait for the crossing signal, but he insisted that we cross and we obliged since he had just had a near-death experience in order to get us on our way. According to him, he runs this whole town, so it was no problem.  Just another day in Detroit.

Red Wings vs. Oilers GP...

Red Wings: 9-3-1

Oilers : 4-7-2

1. The Edmonton Sun posted a game preview article that featured this as the intro: “Welcome to Detroit, where the forecast, as always, is muggy, with a chance of murder. When you’re trying to breathe a little life back into your year, this is not the place to visit. And not just because they use more white chalk at crime scenes than they ever did in the schools.” There's nothing like a good old knee-slapping murder joke to introduce an article about hockey. I hope the Wings live up to their billing in the article and dominate Edmonton like they did last week.
2. Mike Babcock was shuffling lines in practice yesterday. Will changing things up help spark things?
3. Brian Rafalski's return made an immediate impact on Monday. How will he look in his second game back?

Red Wing Zen:

Ruslan Salei

0-3-3, +/-2, 22 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Nikolai Khabibulin

4-7-1, 3.42 GAA, .896 SV%

Trivia Tuesdays Volume 3...

The Wings hold the record for most penalty minutes in a single playoff game. How many minutes did they receive and how many penalties were they awarded?

Post your answers in the comments.  I'll post the answer on Friday in the weekly roundup.

Red Wings 3, Coyotes 2 (OT): Post Game Snipes...

• I don't know what the first period looked like. I also don't know what all but the final 1:22 of the second period looked like. Why? Nobody's been able to explain that to me. Somehow, the recording that I had set to begin at 7:30 didn't begin until 9:06.
• I'm told that the first two periods weren't that exciting anyway, so maybe it's better that I only got to watch the third period. Sadly, I also missed overtime for other DVR failure-related reasons.
• What I did get to see of the third period looked like solid Red Wings hockey. The Wings were carrying the play to the Coyotes and playing their standard puck-possession game.
• You know what Justin Abdelkader has done since coming back into the lineup? He's made those around him better.
• You know what Jiri Hudler has done? Nothing.
• How nice was it to see Rafalski back in the lineup?
• Zetterberg's overtime tip-in was beautiful hockey.

1. We get to see how the Wings bounce back from a less-than-stellar performance in Vancouver on Saturday tonight.
They definitely looked better in the portion of the game that I got to see. It's hard to make an assessment based on such a small sample, though.

2. How about playing a little defense tonight?
There were more turnovers than I would've liked to have seen during the third period, but it was a much improved effort over Saturday night.

3. The Wings dropped their last game against the Coyotes, so here's hoping they find a way to solve Bryzgalov this time around.
It was indeed a much happier outcome than the last time around.

Hero: Henrik Zetterberg
He came through with the winner in OT. Not only was it a pretty tip-in, but it also ensured that we wouldn't have to witness a shootout tonight.

Villain: Lee Stempniak
I still haven't witnessed the Jimmy Howard writhing in pain incident, but perhaps that's for the best. Just thinking about it makes me nauseous. And stabby.

Final Thought:
Have you ever ordered a Coke in a restaurant and gotten served a root beer? That's what it feels like to come home, sit down on the couch, and prop your feet up expecting to watch your recording of a hockey game only to discover that someone decided that you shouldn't be able to watch the Red Wings that night.

Caption Mondays Volume 3...

This week's edition of Caption Mondays features fan favorite Henrik Zetterberg and fan least-favorite DUHG Janik.  Doug has since made his return to Grand Rapids, but I'm sure whatever wisdom Z imparted on him during this conversation has made him a better man.  So tell me, what's going on here?

Red Wings vs. Coyotes GP...

Red Wings: 8-3-1

Coyotes: 4-5-4

1. We get to see how the Wings bounce back from a less-than-stellar performance in Vancouver on Saturday tonight.
2. How about playing a little defense tonight?
3. The Wings dropped their last game against the Coyotes, so here's hoping they find a way to solve Bryzgalov this time around.

Red Wing Zen:

Jonathan Ericsson

1-0-1, +/- 0, 19 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Martin Hanzal

1-2-3, +/- 4, 10 PIM

Red Wings 4, Canucks 6: Post Game Snipes...

• I had the great pleasure of watching this game with the Commune at Sara's belated Halloween party. Regardless of the outcome of the game, watching the Wings play with the Commune is always infinitely more fun than watching alone. Those of you who haven't had the chance to do so are missing out. I feel sorry for you, really.
• Last night was an awfully sad defensive play from two of the best teams in hockey.
• Vancouver's throwback jerseys were nice and all, but the lack of names on the back was killing me.
• The turnover by Datsyuk that led to Vancouver's shorthanded goal was surprising. We all kind of looked at each other and said, “That was Pav?” It was uncharacteristic for sure, but those things happen sometimes. Hopefully he'll come back fired up on monday.
• The parade to the penalty box at the end of the game was unhelpful, to say the least. It seems like the Wings have a habit of taking a lot of late-game penalties. Or maybe it's my imagination.
• The only three Wings who ended up with positive +/- ratings were Kronwall, Zetterberg, Stuart, and TAWD. Lidstrom was an ugly -3.

1. How will the Wings look playing in the second night of a back-to-back?
They were incredibly sloppy and disorganized in the third period, and it wouldn't surprise me if that had a lot to do with having played the night before. Plus, they were probably pretty confused about not having four days off between games like they've been having. “What do you mean we have to play again already?”

2. The second line has been kind of quiet over the last couple of games. I want to see them have a big night tonight.
Neither one of the top lines looked like their usual dominating selves.

3. Ericsson's looked pretty good in the couple of games he's played since coming back from his injury. I guess he doesn't want to lose his job to Kindl after all. Can he keep it up tonight against a better Vancouver team?
He actually scored a goal and he didn't really look that out of place on the team last night. Then again, the rest of the guys didn't really look that spectacular either, so I guess that made him look comparatively better.

Hero: Niklas Kronwall
He netted two goals last night. That should be enough to stand out on any night.

Villain: Manny Malhotra
He also scored two goals last night, including the shorty that put Vancouver in the lead in the second period and seemed to turn the tide definitively in their favor.

Final Thought:
The Wings didn't look so good, but it happens. Even dominant teams have their off nights.

Red Wings vs. Canucks GP...

Red Wings: 8-2-1

Canucks: 7-3-2

1. How will the Wings look playing in the second night of a back-to-back?
2. The second line has been kind of quiet over the last couple of games. I want to see them have a big night tonight.
3. Ericsson's looked pretty good in the couple of games he's played since coming back from his injury. I guess he doesn't want to lose his job to Kindl after all. Can he keep it up tonight against a better Vancouver team?

Red Wing Zen:

Henrik Zetterberg

3-10-13, +/- 8, 4 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Aaron Rome

0-1-1, +/- -1, 2 PIM

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to watch the game tonight so there may or may not be a recap.

Red Wings 3, Oilers 1: Post Game Snipes...

• Abby got the scoring kicked off early with his second goal of the season. Getting him back in the lineup has made a huge impact on the third line.
• Jiri Hudler, on the other hand, didn't really do a whole lot on the fourth line.
• My rant of the night centers around the two second period fights. Both of them were for stupid reasons. What was worse was the way the linesmen jumped in to break them up. In the first fight, Ericsson was dominating until the linesman grabbed him and tied him up so he couldn't get his arms free. Brule took that opportunity to land several punches while Rig couldn't defend himself. It was dangerous. The exact same thing happened during the second fight, except that time it was the linesman tying up the Oiler. If a fight's going to be broken up, both guys need to be tied up. Otherwise you're just asking for trouble.
• You know what else is stupid? The instigator rule.
• Khabibulin made a spectacular, highlight-reel save as he was laying flat on his back and reached up and batted a puck over the top of the net. It had everyone sitting around in my living room yelling in amazement.
• Jimmy Howard continued to be lights out. It was about this time last season when we all decided that he was worthless and was just filling a spot on the bench until one of the other prospects was ready to take over. My what a long way he's come.

1. The big mystery is who will be sitting tonight. Did the third line's performance on Wednesday change Babcock's mind about putting Hudler back in the lineup? Will he replace a fourth-liner? Will he sit Modano after he played his best game of the season?
Drew Miller drew the short end of the stick and had to sit out tonight. Hudler didn't accomplish a whole lot in his return to the lineup. It'll be interesting to see who ends up sitting tomorrow night. I would've bet on Modano with it being the second game of a back-to-back, but he's played much better the last couple of games. It might be hard to sit him now.

2. The other question mark is Johan Franzen. He sat out practice yesterday, and is iffy for the game tonight. Will he be able to go?
He was indeed in the lineup, but didn't contribute much offensively. The second line was pretty quiet tonight.

3. The Oilers are last in the Conference. Usually the Wings don't bring their A-game for matches like this. Will we get to see the team that dominated Calgary on Wednesday, or are they going to sleep through the start of the game?
I thought it was a good effort all around. It wasn't quite as dominating as the game on Wednesday, but the Wings got the job done.  Even when it was tied, the Oilers never really seemed to be in the game.

Hero: Dan Cleary
He ended up with a goal and two assists for the night. It's nice to see him finally getting rewarded for the hard work he's been putting in on the ice. The last couple of games have really showcased how valuable he can be.

Villains: Don Henderson and Jay Sharrers
Breaking up those fights the way they did was just wrong. Stupid, dangerous, and wrong.

Final Thought:
I love how much happier this season makes me than last year's did.

Weekly Wrap-Up Volume Two...

Caption Mondays: My favorite caption this week was submitted by Sara from A Neuie Perspective. Hide your kittens, Cleary!

C Bear: What do you mean by am I looking for a cat-sitter?
TAWD: Oh nothing, just curious...
Eaves: Uh oh, not this again
Salei:*cough* Don't do it *cough*

Trivia Tuesdays: Andy won this week's trivia quick draw. That makes the leaderboard:

Andy: 2
The rest of the world: 0

It's my understanding that Andy is literally online every waking moment, so challenging him for the lead here is going to be tough. The question this week was: The Wings are tied for the league record for fewest goals scored in a seven-game playoff series. Who did they play? How many goals did the Wings score?

Answer: The Wings faced the Leafs in 1945. Each team scored nine goals in the seven-game series. Sadly, Toronto ended up winning Game Seven.

Red Wings vs. Oilers GP...

Red Wings: 7-2-1

Oilers: 3-5-2

1. The big mystery is who will be sitting tonight. Did the third line's performance on Wednesday change Babcock's mind about putting Hudler back in the lineup? Will he replace a fourth-liner? Will he sit Modano after he played his best game of the season?
2. The other question mark is Johan Franzen. He sat out practice yesterday, and is iffy for the game tonight. Will he be able to go?
3. The Oilers are last in the Conference. Usually the Wings don't bring their A-game for matches like this. Will we get to see the team that dominated Calgary on Wednesday, or are they going to sleep through the start of the game?

Red Wing Zen:

Drew Miller

0-1-1, +/- -4, 0 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Nikolai Khabibulin

3-5-1, 1 SO, 3.44 GAA, .897 SV%

Red Wings 2, Flames 1: Post Game Snipes...

• I'm still baffled by the high-sticking penalty that Dan Cleary drew in the first period. There wasn't a call. Then there was a call. Then the wrong guy was in the box. Then everything worked out the way it was supposed to and benefited the Wings. It doesn't quite compute. I blame Brad Watson.
• Modano finally picked up goal #2 as a Wing. The whole third line had a really good night tonight. It'll be interesting to see how things turn out when Hudler's back in the lineup on Friday.
• The penalty kill looked phenomenal tonight. The powerplay...not so much. The Wings need Rafalski back.
• Modano and Abdelkader scored on almost the exact same shot.
• Salei's high-sticking penalty near the end of the third was definitely a penalty. What I didn't understand was the fact that there was no call when his leg was taken out from underneath him from behind. Seems to me that if that hadn't happened, there wouldn't have been a high stick.

Hat Trick:
1. The Wings kick off a roadtrip out west tonight in Calgary. Here's hoping they get off on the right foot.
It was a solid effort tonight. I feel like the score was closer than the game was.  The Wings looked good and the Flames never really seemed to get anything going.

2. Jimmy Howard's back from his brief back spasm-y hiatus. How will he look in his return?
He looked great. He didn't seem to miss a beat at all. So far this season, Jimmy's been easing everyone's minds.

3. Also making his return is everyone's favorite defenseman, Jonathan Ericsson. Will he make a case to stay in the lineup when Rafalski returns, or is Kindl going to step up and steal a spot?
I didn't really notice either of them tonight. For mistake-prone, young defensemen, that's definitely a plus.

Hero: Dan Cleary
Cleary was everywhere tonight. Everywhere. I was sure he was going to score with the way he was playing, but he settled for an assist on Modano's goal.

Villain: Mark Giordano
he scored Calgary's lone goal to put them ahead in the first period.

Final Thought:
Murph gurgle. Tell me that didn't just give you the heebie jeebies.

An Ode to the Grinders...

My latest piece for The Fourth Period posted this morning.  What started out as a farewell to Maltby turned into a tale about Detroit and our love of the Wings' grinders.  I hope it's not too sappy for you sunshines.  Check it out here.

Red Wings vs. Flames GP...

Red Wings: 6-2-1

Flames: 6-5-0

1. The Wings kick off a roadtrip out west tonight in Calgary. Here's hoping they get off on the right foot.
2. Jimmy Howard's back from his brief back spasm-y hiatus. How will he look in his return?
3. Also making his return is everyone's favorite defenseman, Jonathan Ericsson. Will he make a case to stay in the lineup when Rafalski returns, or is Kindl going to step up and steal a spot?

Red Wing Zen:

Todd Bertuzzi

2-7-9, +/- 6, 6 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Matt Stajan

1-7-8, +/- 1, 2 PIM

TP:60 Episode 3...

The latest episode of TP:60 posted this afternoon for your listening pleasure.  Check it out here.  Saler joins Hollis and Petrella for a discussion that includes Chris Osgood's play, Helm's Halloween costume, and the Kindl/Ericsson debate.

Trivia Tuesdays Volume 2...

The Wings are tied for the league record for fewest goals scored in a seven-game playoff series. Who did they play? How many goals did the Wings score?

Post your answers in the comments section.  Answers will be up Friday, along with the best caption of the week.  As always, happy googling.

Caption Mondays Volume 2...

This week's edition of Caption Mondays features TAWD and Cleary, with Eaves and Salei in the background.  I snapped it Saturday night before the Predators game.  Have at it.