Ritola Claimed Off Waivers...

Mattias Ritola is headed to Tampa Bay after he was claimed off of waivers. This vindicates my decision to skip him in my player profile series. Granted, that decision was made more out of laziness than any actual savvy, but it makes me feel good. I know there are some out there who are really disappointed to see him go, but I guess I don't really care that much.

I think the thing people are hung up on is letting go of Ritola's potential. But that's all it is right now: potential. He's got a lot of it, to be sure, but he failed to develop at the rate the Wings hoped and he was out of options. This pre-season was his chance to earn a spot on the roster, but he wasn't particularly impressive. Ken Holland chose to hang onto Patrick Eaves instead, and I think it's the right decision. It's always hard to give up players who show that potential to develop and you definitely don't want to mortgage the future for the moment (ahem, Toronto), but I think Eaves can be part of the Wings' future. He won over a lot of Wings fans last season with his play and his hustle and you can't deny the chemistry he had with Darren Helm. In a perfect world, I would've loved to have seen Ritola pass through waivers and spend time in Grand Rapids, but that's not the way things work.

Red Wings 7, Sharks 1 (1-3): Post Game Snipes...

• The game didn’t exactly get off to a wonderful start. The Wings took a too many men penalty right off the bat. Naturally, the question Wings fans had was, “Why didn’t the linesman warn them that they had too many men and give them time to get legit?” Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to work?
• Mike Babcock says Stuart’s expected to return on Saturday. He was injured in the first period on this hit by Rob Blake. While I still maintain that he wilted under the intense in-person hatred of Sara’s hubby, having him in the lineup is going to be important when the series returns to California.
• I really was shocked that the one Franzen goal wasn’t called back for interference. Normally, I would feel the slightest tinge of guilt, but not the way this series has gone so far.
• I was really amused when people at the Joe threw their hats for Franzen even though those of us watching on TV knew the first goal would be switched to Bertuzzi. Mule just wouldn’t allow those fine fans’ hats to go to waste, though, and kindly scored two more goals of his own.
• Speaking of Bert, he had a ridiculously good game tonight.
  
• Curly fries tomorrow! I think a four-goal performance is worthy of a large curly fries instead of the mini one you usually get. Speaking of which, in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Wings have now equaled their total number of hat tricks from the last two regular seasons. Not that it matters, but it was a thought that popped into my head.
• Dan Boyle scored on his own net again. It was another fluky play, and actually bounced in off of a teammate, but it made me laugh. What did he do to the Hockey Gods?
• Franzen’s natural hat trick was the first by a Wing in the playoffs since McCarty did it in ’02 against Colorado. That was a memorable game too, in the sense that I didn’t watch the third period of it where all the fun happened. I blame the city of Birmingham. I’ve never liked it there. But I digress.
• Predictably, the Sharks decided to go out and goon it up when the game got out of hand. The refs tonight at least had the good sense to penalize them for their hi-jinks. I don’t really understand that mentality. I was concerned that someone was going to get hurt, but the Wings did a pretty good job standing up for themselves.
• Thornton threw a nice elbow on Zetterberg in front of the net. In this picture, one guy shows character and leadership. The other, not so much. I’ll leave the interpretation up to you.
• I’m pretty sure nobody actually landed a single punch in Abdelkader’s “fight.” Oh well, I guess it’s the thought that counts.
• Of course, the goonery did inspire Mickey Redmond to exclaim, “She’s getting rough and dirty! That’s the way I like it,” which very clearly made my day.
  

GP Review:
12. I’ll start with the obvious: The Wings need to find a way to win this game.
Yeah, that just happened. For real.

11. Mattias Ritola is making his playoff debut in place of the injured Patrick Eaves and useless Jason Williams (Who?). This is exciting and terrifying all at once.
I didn’t see Ritola do a whole lot, but he at least didn’t stand out in a negative manner. Or try to kill me.

10. The Datsyuk line can’t afford to get taken advantage of defensively like they were on Tuesday.
The defense was tight all around. The offense maintained pressure in the zone. San Jose spent most of the game on their heels wondering what hit them. (Spoiler alert: It was a large, Swedish Mule.)

9. Powerplays have been few and far between this series, but the Wings haven’t done a good enough job capitalizing on them when they do come their way. Special teams have been crucial in every single game all playoffs long.
We all had to take a moment to re-learn about the concept of a Wings’ powerplay. Nobody was quite sure what to make of the fact that they were allowed to have a man advantage. Once they settled in, though, things really took off.

8. Jimmy needs to settle down and stop trying to do too much. People have been criticizing him, but they’re forgetting that he’s a rookie. He doesn’t need to be the savior of the world. He just needs to make the saves the team asks him to.
Jimmy wasn’t tested too much, but he made the saves when he had to.

7. Again, STAY OUT OF THE BOX!!!
Imagine that: a game where I didn’t notice any egregiously bad penalty calls. I even complimented the refs at one point on twitter. I know. The world may be ending.

6. Capitalize on mistakes when San Jose makes them. It seems like they’ve found a way to put the puck in the net every time the Wings make a mistake. The Wings need to turn the tables if they want to have a shot at crawling out of the hole they’ve dug for themselves.
Not only did the Wings find a way to take advantage when San Jose gave them room, but they also cut down on their own mistakes.

5. This is the equivalent of a Game Seven. Start strong. Finish strong. (And, you know, don’t forget about the middle of the game either.)
That early penalty aside, the first period was dynamite. Five goals? I’ll take that any day.

4. Win faceoffs. It makes it a heck of a lot easier to play the puck possession game we know and love.
The teams were dead even in faceoff wins. It somehow seemed like the Wings were winning the really important ones tonight, though.

3. Andreas Lilja is back in the lineup on defense. Here’s hoping he can settle Ericsson down.
Ericsson made a really good defensive play tonight! Everyone was so excited that they twittered about it. Having Lilja in for Lebda was huge since Stuart left the game early on.

2. Zetterberg really stepped up his game on Tuesday. He and his line need to keep carrying the play to the Sharks’ top players.
His new “remixed” line was insane tonight. That’s all I have to say about that. insane.

1. Keep testing Nabokov. He hasn’t looked nearly as spectacular as a 3-0 series lead would indicate.
His save percentage for tonight was .444. That’s not a typo.

Hero: Johan Franzen
Somehow, 14% of FSN voters disagreed with this selection. Four goals? Six points? A #JohanFranzenFacts hashtag campaign dedicated to him? The Mule did it all tonight. I just hope having to file for a restraining order from my brother won’t distract him from the task at hand.

Villain: Joe Thornton
I was so glad when he got slapped with his 14 minutes of penalties. I’m so glad the Wings don’t respond that way when they find themselves losing by a large margin. Good on Todd McLellan for keeping him on the bench for the remaining time after his penalties.

Final Thought:
Don’t think of it as trying to climb out of a 3-0 series deficit anymore. Think of it as trying to climb out of a 3-1 series deficit. I’m not sure if that’s better or worse.

Red Wings vs. Sharks Game Four GP...

12. I’ll start with the obvious: The Wings need to find a way to win this game.
11. Mattias Ritola is making his playoff debut in place of the injured Patrick Eaves and useless Jason Williams (Who?). This is exciting and terrifying all at once. How is that going to work out for the Wings?
10. The Datsyuk line can’t afford to get taken advantage of defensively like they were on Tuesday. That was just ugly.
9. Powerplays have been few and far between this series, but the Wings haven’t done a good enough job capitalizing on them when they do come their way. Special teams have been crucial in every single game all playoffs long.
8. Jimmy needs to settle down and stop trying to do too much. People have been criticizing him, but they’re forgetting that he’s a rookie. It just feels like he's been trying to win the games by himself, and his being too aggressive has led to some goals. Just make the saves as they come, and let the team play defense in front of you, Jimmy.
7. Again, STAY OUT OF THE BOX!!!
6. Capitalize on mistakes when San Jose makes them. It seems like they’ve found a way to put the puck in the net every time the Wings make a mistake. The Wings need to turn the tables if they want to have a shot at crawling out of the hole they’ve dug for themselves.
5. This is the equivalent of a Game Seven. Start strong. Finish strong. (And, you know, don’t forget about the middle of the game either...)
4. Win faceoffs. It makes it a heck of a lot easier to play the puck possession game we know and love.
3. Andreas Lilja is back in the lineup on defense. Here’s hoping he can settle Ericsson down.
2. Zetterberg really stepped up his game on Tuesday. He and his line need to keep carrying the play to the Sharks’ top players.
1. Keep testing Nabokov. He hasn’t looked nearly as spectacular as a 3-0 series lead would indicate.

The Wings can still do this. The Sharks said it themselves: if any team can crawl out of a 3-0 hole, it’s the Wings. That being said, the version of the Wings we’ve seen for most of the playoffs won’t be able to do it. The post-Olympic streak Wings? If they start showing up, there’s a slim possibility. The NHL’s playoff slogan is “History will be made” after all. I hope for the sakes of all of the #redwingscommune members in attendance tonight that they don’t have to see a handshake line.

Red Wings 1, Ducks 4: Post Game Snipes...

• The Wings’ powerplay makes me sad.
• They actually looked for the first few minutes. My attention was slightly divided between the WJC Final and the Wings game, but they looked like they had some jump. Then they got that first powerplay and gave up a shorthanded goal and the rest of the period was just a hot mess.
• During the first intermission, Keating accidentally called the Wings the Denver Red Wings. He’s officially banned for life. Of all the teams to mash up…unforgivable. Unacceptable. A travesty. A shamockery…you get the idea. The craziness continued after his interview with Z later on that break.
• Zetterberg joked that, “This is the first time the injured guys needed a bus to get to the game.” He also did an epic job at looking nonchalant and pretending like he didn’t notice that Keating was being weird again. I’m pretty sure he ran away as soon as the camera shut off, though.
• Team USA won the WJC. It’s not really Wings-related, but I was pretty excited. Especially since they looked horrible after they gave up two goals with less than three minutes left in the third to go to OT.
• Ritola had a fantastic move on a chance on Hiller. It was pretty, but he couldn't finish it.
  
• I hate Brad Watson.
• We somehow ended up talking about Man Pocky on Twitter during the game. @jennyquarx and I are starting a campaign to make its use as slang for attractive men universal. Get on board.
• Filppula scored his first goal since his glorious return from IR.
• There were more fights in this game than I’ve seen in a Wings game in a long time. Not that May’s and Bertuzzi’s were really great fights or anything.
• Where on earth was Datsyuk tonight? He apparently got an assist on Flipper’s goal, but for the life of me, I can’t remember seeing him on the ice more than once or twice. That’s not the kind of performance the Wings needed from their top gun.
• This game was definitely not worth staying up this late. I have to get up at 5:30 AM.
  

GP Answers:
1. Every time the Wings play Anaheim, I have to ask myself the same question: What will the Ducks do tonight to make me hate them even more?
Darren Helm got smoked on a hit before he’d touched the puck during the second period. The Wings got a powerplay out of it (and of course didn’t score), but I was just relieved that he wasn’t hurt.

2. When is Nick Lidstrom going to score a goal again? It’s been the better part of a decade since he put one in the net, and I’m going to copy/paste this into every GP until he does.
No dice tonight.

3. Cleary and Zetterberg are expected back on Thursday (*fingers crossed*). That means two guys are going to be headed to Grand Rapids or the press box. I had my money on Ritola being the first to go, but now that he’s being kept in the lineup over Leino tonight, who knows what could happen? Tonight would be a really good time for one (or more) of the bubble guys to have a “statement game.” Will it be May who starts sitting regularly? Leino (answer: most likely)? Maltby? What about Ritola? They have to know that they’re on the bottom rung of the ladder, so it would be nice to see them playing like they have something at stake.
Nobody stepped up. Nobody at all.

4. Is getting a powerplay actually going to be an advantage for the Wings tonight? It’s probably (hopefully) the last chance for some of the guys on the 2nd unit to show their stuff tonight, so maybe they’ll take advantage.
No. In fact, their lousy first powerplay and the shorthanded goal that Anaheim scored on the PK seemed to suck the life right out of the Wings. Their second go-round seemed to actually resemble a powerplay, but still…it’s pathetic.

Cookies and Cupcakes for Valtteri Filppula
He scored the Wings’ only goal to make the game close in the third period. Since nobody else really felt like doing much apparently, he wins the baked goods.

An Extra Stick Tap for Derek Meech
I liked his fight in the second period because it was the right kind of fight. He got hit and didn’t like it so he started the fight. It wasn’t staged or planned or any of that nonsense. I liked it.

Todd Bertuzzi gets the Golden Facepalm
He made a glorious pass…right to Saku Koivu that lead to the Ducks’ shorthanded goal. He also missed a glorious opportunity in front of the net on a powerplay in the second. I don’t know how he didn’t bury that one.

What I learned:
The Wings appear to be blissfully unaware of the fact that they’re currently sitting outside of the playoff picture and lack any sense of urgency.

Red Wings vs. Ducks GP...

1. Every time the Wings play Anaheim, I have to ask myself the same question: What will the Ducks do tonight to make me hate them even more?
2. When is Nick Lidstrom going to score a goal again? It’s been the better part of a decade since he put one in the net, and I’m going to copy/paste this into every GP until he does.
3. Cleary and Zetterberg are expected back on Thursday (*fingers crossed*). That means two guys are going to be headed to Grand Rapids or the press box. I had my money on Ritola being the first to go, but now that he’s being kept in the lineup over Leino tonight, who knows what could happen? Tonight would be a really good time for one (or more) of the bubble guys to have a “statement game.” Will it be May who starts sitting regularly? Leino (answer: most likely)? Maltby? What about Ritola? They have to know that they’re on the bottom rung of the ladder, so it would be nice to see them playing like they have something at stake.
4. Is getting a powerplay actually going to be an advantage for the Wings tonight? It’s probably (hopefully) the last chance for some of the guys on the 2nd unit to show their stuff tonight, so maybe they’ll take advantage.

Wings 4, Coyotes 1: Post Game Snipes...

• The Wings were inches away from scoring into their own empty net on Phoenix’s first delayed penalty call. I think I would’ve cried if it had gone in the net.
• The Wings scored a powerplay goal tonight. I was almost in a state of disbelief. I’d almost forgotten how to experience any emotion other than frustration with the Wings’ powerplay.
• Holmstrom’s first goal came off of a nice tip. So did his second one. They were pretty much textbook Tomas Holmstrom.
• Datsyuk's goal was also a thing of beauty.
  
• No seriously. Watching him tip the puck is like viewing art. I don’t know what that says about me, but I’m sure it’s nothing good.
• Brad Stuart had a breakaway? I saw it, but I really thought it was Helm at first based on the 3 on the back of his jersey.
• I really wanted them to give that second goal to Nick. On the other hand, it’s easier to meet my self-imposed 4 question quota for the GPs if I just keep copy/pasting that in.
• Could some of the calls that the Wings took have been any weaker? I mean really.
• Jimmy Howard was fantastic again. Who wants to bet that he gets the next start?
• The Wings gave up a goal on the 5-on-3 penalty kill, but I’m not too broken up about it.
  

GP Answers:
1. Leino looked better on New Year’s Eve. He did things like skate and appear to have a purpose out there on the ice. He even scored a goal. With Brad May’s injury, he’s guaranteed another shot at playing, so can he build on that performance and work his way out of the doghouse?
I thought he looked like a hockey player again tonight. He’s not exactly lighting things up, but he didn’t seem to be meandering aimlessly around the ice like he was pre-benching.

2. Guys will be coming back from injuries in the next couple of weeks. It’s time for the guys who’ve been playing to start fighting for their jobs. Who’s going to play well enough to guarantee himself a spot in the lineup every night?
Miller, Eaves, and Ritola stood out as the best of the “bubble” guys. I don’t think there’s any way that Ritola will be staying with the big club once guys come back from their injuries, but he’s impressed me in his time with the Wings. Miller’s been nothing but solid since he got picked up off of waivers, and he had a couple of decent chances tonight. And Eaves has shown his signing to be yet another Kenny Holland stroke of genius.

3. Tonight marks the start of a 5-game roadtrip. Ten points are at stake (How do you like those mad math skills?) on the trip, and it’s important for the Wings to start stringing together some wins. Will they be able to start it off well and set a good tone for the rest of the roadtrip?
Well they certainly got off to a good start. Here’s hoping that they can keep up that tempo throughout.

4. When is Nick Lidstrom going to score a goal again? It’s been the better part of a decade since he put one in the net, and I’m going to copy/paste this into every GP until he does.
Oh, he came close tonight. FSD originally awarded Holmstrom’s second tally to Nick, but the replays showed that it had been tipped in front. He’s been much more active in the offensive zone the last couple of games and had some great chances tonight. But…halfway through the season, he’s on pace for a 2 goal season. And that makes me sad.

Cookies and Cupcakes for Tomas Holmstrom
Two glorious tip-in goals are enough to earn the baked goods any night. I could watch those replays all night.

An Extra Stick Tap for Nick Lidstrom
He was, of course, fantastic all around. He was much more noticible in the offensive zone than he has recently, and was his usual perfectly-placed self on the other end of the ice. I usually don’t give him enough credit, so I want to give him his due tonight.

Justin Abdelkader gets the Golden Facepalm
I had a hard time choosing this one, but I’ll give it to Abdelkader because there’s really no reason to ever take an offensive zone penalty while your team is on the powerplay. And he did that tonight.

What I learned:
Euchre is supposedly known as Bacon (scroll to the Origins section) on the East Coast. I've never heard this, and I've played my share of Euchre with folks from around the country (after putting them through Euchre boot camp, of course). Apparently there's also some kind of bacon salt that you can use to make everything taste like bacon. I don't know what to make of this.

Wings 4, Avalanche 2: Post Game Snipes...

• The game got off to kind of a rocky start as the Wings took a penalty 11 seconds in. Fortunately, the Wings were able to kill it off.
• Datsyuk was the first Wing not named Todd Bertuzzi to score in over 4 games. This is a truly horrifying stat.
• That “tripping” call against Filppula late in the third period was a joke in every sense of the word. There is absolutely no way in the universe that that was a trip. Maybe, maybe a hook if you really want to be ridiculous, but I was always under the impression that tripping involved taking out a player’s feet…or at least involve actually being responsible for knocking the opposing player down.
• I think it’s fairly apparent that the Wings’ PK is more of a scoring threat than their powerplay right now.
• We had a Blue Moon on New Year’s Eve. Ville Leino also scored. Just saying…
• The Wings’ PK, which has been lights out since Thanksgiving, allowed two powerplay goals last night. It’s hard to complain about that though, since it’s been so good recently.
• Craig Anderson was upset about Ville Leino's goal (although, to be fair, it has to be kind of embarrassing to be the guy who finally lets the loafer score). Here's a super high-quality video of him whining about the call. Adrian Dater is involved. You've been warned.
  

GP Answers:
1. 2009 hasn’t exactly been good to Wings fans. I think we’re all looking forward to 2010 and the joyous frolicking that surely awaits us in the new year. Before the ball drops in Times Square, though, the Wings have one more game to win. Can they send this less than stellar year off with a bang?
Yes. I still haven’t seen the whole game, but the Wings appeared to throw together a solid effort. I’m beyond ready for 2010 to start bringing good things.

2. The rivalry’s dead and yadda yadda yadda. I don’t care. I still take great pleasure from beating the Avs. Will the Wings pretty please end the year with a good, old-school beat down? It would take me right back to my childhood in the ‘90s.
Despite Holmstrom’s 500 penalties on the night, there wasn’t any nastiness going on. Not that I expected there to be much, but a girl can dream.

3. This is the last home game before the Wings begin a 5-game roadtrip out west (and randomly to New York at the end…NHL scheduling win for sure). During that trip, some key guys are slated to come back from injury. Can the guys in the lineup tonight hold down the fort until reinforcements come (see what I did there?)?
I didn’t really realize that I asked the same question 8 times in a row. Obviously, the boys were able to get things together, and…well, you get the idea.

4. When is Nick Lidstrom going to score a goal again? It’s been the better part of a decade since he put one in the net, and I’m going to copy/paste this into every GP until he does.
Not last night.

5. Patrick Eaves is out with the flu tonight (thanks, Rafalski), which pretty much negates our theory about it being caused by lack of hair to cover one’s head. As a result, Leino is going to find his way back into the lineup out of necessity (this is becoming a trend). If ever there was a time for him to come back into the game looking like an NHL player, I would think that this would be it. Will he be able to reclaim his roster spot from Ritola with a strong game tonight?
Well, he came up with a huge goal in the third period. It took a video review to make sure that it stood, but it was a good goal, and a beautiful tip-in. I still think Ritola played a little better, but Leino showed up where it counts—the scoresheet. Apparently Brad May is now day-to-day with a lower body injury from last night (Seriously? More injuries? I don’t care that it’s just May.), so it’s pretty likely that Leino will be getting another shot tomorrow.

Cookies and Cupcakes for Darren Helm
Two shorthanded goals in the New Year’s Eve game? Even though one was an empty-netter, that’s spectacular. Over the course of the season, he’s created approximately 7,394 breakaways or partial breaks for himself with his ridiculous speed. We were all just waiting for him to finally finish one of them. Not only did he finish, but he finished with style.

Tomas Holmstrom gets the Golden Facepalm
At one point during the third period, he missed what could’ve been an easy tip-in because he was too busy taking a cross-checking penalty in the crease. I was pretty annoyed with that one.

What I learned:
In the month of December, the Wings’ scored 4 powerplay goals. They also scored 3 short handed goals. When your powerplay is almost tied offensively by your PK, you know you have some issues. On the other hand, they only allowed 5 goals on the penalty kill, which is pretty darn impressive.

Wings vs. Avalanche GP...

1. 2009 hasn’t exactly been good to Wings fans. I think we’re all looking forward to 2010 and the joyous frolicking that surely awaits us in the new year. Before the ball drops in Times Square, though, the Wings have one more game to win. Can they send this less than stellar year off with a bang?
2. The rivalry’s dead and yadda yadda yadda. I don’t care. I still take great pleasure from beating the Avs. Will the Wings pretty please end the year with a good, old-school beat down? It would take me right back to my childhood in the ‘90s.
3. This is the last home game before the Wings begin a 5-game roadtrip out west (and randomly to New York at the end…NHL scheduling win for sure). During that trip, some key guys are slated to come back from injury. Can the guys in the lineup tonight hold down the fort until reinforcements come (see what I did there?)?
4. When is Nick Lidstrom going to score a goal again? It’s been the better part of a decade since he put one in the net, and I’m going to copy/paste this into every GP until he does.
5. Patrick Eaves is out with the flu tonight (thanks, Rafalski), which pretty much negates our theory about it being caused by lack of hair to cover one’s head. As a result, Leino is going to find his way back into the lineup out of necessity (this is becoming a trend). If ever there was a time for him to come back into the game looking like an NHL player, I would think that this would be it. Will he be able to reclaim his roster spot from Ritola with a strong game tonight?

I’m only going to get to see the first half of the game tonight, so there may or may not be a recap tomorrow. One thing that I wanted to mention was that I added up the Wings’ regular season and playoff record for the calendar year of 2009 for my year-end recap…and forgot to put it into the post. This is apparently what happens when you attempt to blog in the middle of the night. Anyway, the Wings have gone 61-36-11 in 2009 so far (obviously one game remains). Here’s hoping that they can bring that win column up to a nice, even 62 by the end of the night.

PS. Happy New Year, Wings fans everywhere!

Wings 0, Blue Jackets 1 (OT): Post Game Snipes...

• The penalty called on Filppula was a joke. Hooking? Seriously? At least they killed it off.
• I know I should be used to it by now, but Doug Janik is killing penalties for the Wings. I just…I don’t know. It just doesn’t seem right.
• One of these days, Darren Helm is going to figure out how to bury one of those chances he gets, and I think we’re all going to pass out from sheer joy.
• It was nice to see May step up and do his job by fighting Boll in the first period. I initially wrote it off as the world’s worst fight, but May got in a couple of good swings. I’ll mark it down as a win for him. He must be listening to the podcast.
• Mason played like he did as a rookie. Thanks for saving it for the Wings.
• The Wings’ powerplay is pathetically dismal. It makes me sad.
• On the other hand the PK’s been out of its mind good. It’s like the Wings can only have one special teams unit going at a time. When one gets good, the other tanks. I guess the debate should be if we’re willing to trade some of the PK’s success to jump start the powerplay.
• Janik got into a fight. I don’t think that that’s really his thing.
• I kind of lost interest in this game somewhere around the first intermission. The Wings had a few sporadic chances, but it just had the feel of a game that was going nowhere.
• The Wings have now been shut out in three of their last four games. I get that they’re injured, but something needs to be done.
• Was it just me, or was this one of the best Versus telecasts you've seen? They actually did things like replay penalty calls and shots on goal from time to time.
  
• All things considered, I guess I’m glad that they managed to pick up a point out of this whole mess.
• I’m so ready for 2009 to be over that it’s not even funny. Bring on the New Year's Eve game.
  

GP Answers:
1. Filppula made an immediate impact in his return on Saturday. He didn’t score, but he definitely skated with the air of someone who knew what he was doing on the ice. Now that he’s had a game to work off the rust, how will he look tonight?
He looked good again, but, like the rest of the Wings, got nothing done.

2. Ritola was called up to replace Leino tonight. If that doesn’t send a message, I don’t know what will. Anyway, Ritola has to know that he’s getting an enormous opportunity here. He’s been chosen to replace a regular in the lineup, not called up out of necessity because of a lack of healthy bodies. How will he respond?
I didn’t notice him very much, but then again I barely noticed anyone on the Wings.

3. Datsyuk got put in the doghouse on our podcast this week for not stepping up and picking up the slack during Zetterberg’s absence. The bottom line is that he’s the one who needs to be leading the team right now and he’s not scoring. Will he return to his usual awe-inspiring form tonight?
It’s not so much that he’s playing badly. He just isn’t bringing the fabulosity (we spent some of the third period recalling some of our favorite Versus announcer moments) that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from him. And if ever there was a time that the Wings needed him, it’s now.

4. When is Nick Lidstrom going to score a goal again? It’s been the better part of a decade since he put one in the net, and I’m going to copy/paste this into every GP until he does.
No.

Cookies and Cupcakes for Jimmy Howard
Well, you know why. I can’t fault him for the OT goal. He deserved a win tonight. He got let down by the offense yet again.

Brad Stuart gets the Golden Facepalm
He let Modin walk around him on the OT goal. In a 1-0 game, that’s all it takes to land here.

What I learned:
Letting my brother have the remote during a hockey game is a terrible, terrible mistake.

Wings vs. Blue Jackets GP...

I was pretty tempted to just copy and paste the GP from the last game because I have a hard time getting excited about playing the Blue Jackets twice in a row.

1. Filppula made an immediate impact in his return on Saturday. He didn’t score, but he definitely skated with the air of someone who knew what he was doing on the ice. Now that he’s had a game to work off the rust, how will he look tonight?
2. Ritola was called up to replace Leino tonight. If that doesn’t send a message, I don’t know what will. Anyway, Ritola has to know that he’s getting an enormous opportunity here. He’s been chosen to replace a regular in the lineup, not called up out of necessity because of a lack of healthy bodies. How will he respond?
3. Datsyuk got put in the doghouse on our podcast this week for not stepping up and picking up the slack during Zetterberg’s absence. The bottom line is that he’s the one who needs to be leading the team right now and he’s not scoring. Will he return to his usual awe-inspiring form tonight?
4. When is Nick Lidstrom going to score a goal again? It’s been the better part of a decade since he put one in the net, and I’m going to copy/paste this into every GP until he does.

I also had one note that I meant to put in my recap from Saturday night: Several years ago when I got a Fedorov jersey for Christmas, I wore it while I watched the next Wings game on TV. He scored 5 goals that night. Little Sister wore her new Datsyuk jersey while she watched the game at home on Saturday night...and he scored zero goals. Obviously somebody screwed up. Just saying...