Red Wings 5, Stars 2: Post Game Snipes...

• I'm a little bit rusty here. It's been so long since I got to watch a Wings game that I had to re-teach myself the concept of icing during the first period.
• In one play during the third period, Ian White blocked a shot with his face,and then Henrik Zetterberg made a kick save on the goal line to keep the puck out of the net. White ended up with several stitches and a hospital visit out of the deal.
• Wouldn't it be nice if Fil's and Franzen played the way they've been playing all the time?
• Win five, lose six, win four. Nobody can accuse the Wings of not being streaky.
• For a while there, I thought last night was going to be one of those games where the Wings fire 100 shots at a no-name backup goalie and make him look like an All-Star starter. Obviously, they figured things out in the end, though.
• The broadcast had several nice tributes to Mickey Redmond. He deserves all of them. I sure do love that flannel-wearing, ginger-ale-drinking, bingo-bango-saying, composite-stick-hating guy. He's one of a kind.
• I particularly enjoyed Homer's analysis of the goal that was originally credited to him before being switched to Kronner. I also enjoyed the fact that he told Murph that the goal didn't go in off of him, but asked him to do him a solid and say it did anyway.
• Kindl got into a fight at the end of the game. I like the effort, but he didn't really do so well.

Red Wings vs. Stars GP...

Red Wings: 8-5-1

Stars: 11-4-0

Red Wings Zen:

Point and Laugh:

Video Candy:

Red Wings vs. Stars GP...

Red Wings: 37-17-6

Stars: 31-23-6

Red Wing Zen:

Chris Osgood

5-3-2, .903 SV%, 2.77 GAA

Point and Laugh:

Jason Williams (Who?)

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

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

• Free curly fries tomorrow! The Hobo's treating us all to lunch. I know having a hobo buy your food might seem a bit backwards, but just go with it. There are free curly fries.
• I'd like to take partial credit for the curly fry accomplishment because when I was getting ready to ski today, I reached into the inner pocket of my coat where I sometimes stash hidden treasures and forget about them (hey there, bluetooth headset that was missing for eight months), and I pulled out the curly fries coozy I got at the Big Chill.  It was fate.
• Hey, Jiri Hudler. Guess what happens when you start shooting the puck.
• I went skiing tonight, so I only got to watch the second period live. It just so happened that we went into the lodge as the puck was being dropped at the start of the second and we hung out at the bar until the next intermission. Some are convinced that this was more than a coincidence, but I assure you that it was just a happy accident. I managed to catch the third period on the late-night replay because, you guessed it, someone messed with my DVR recording again.
• I figured the Wings were sunk when they had their little three-goal implosion during the second. It was pleasantly surprising to head back out on the slopes with a tie game in Dallas.
• I get score updates texted to my phone, and my goal horn alert kept going off inside my jacket while we were out skiing. I couldn't read the texts because I would've had to take my gloves off and unzip my whole jacket to get to the phone. It was killer because we didn't know which team was scoring all of the goals. I finally caved and checked the texts and we had a nice little celebration at the top of the mountainhill.
• I really enjoy it when the Wings score seven goals.  It's a lot of fun.

Hero: Patrick Eaves
Hobo is feeding the masses tomorrow. Also, probably playing some ping pong to celebrate.

Villain: Steve Ott
I still hate him.

Final Thought:
This has nothing to do with hockey, but if you ever find yourself on a ski slope, queue up the Top Gun Anthem before you take a nice, long run. It will be epic. I promise.

Red Wings vs. Stars GP...

Red Wings: 23-9-4

Stars: 22-11-4

Red Wing Zen:

Niklas Kronwall

8-12-20, +/- 8, 20 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Adam Burish

4-1-5, +/- 0, 50 PIM

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

• First of all: congrats to the old man on win #400 tonight. You kids stay off his lawn now, you hear?
• This game was a tale of two Ozzies. The second goal he gave up in the first period was incredibly typical of his play for the last two seasons. Then, he somehow found another gear and played like a crazy man for the rest of the game, looking like he did back in the '09 playoffs.
• I loved the celebration after the game. I especially loved the fact that Draper was the first one out to congratulate the old man.
• As those of you in the twitter crowd know, Jenn Ho caught Ozzie drinking a Pepsi during practice on the first day of training camp this fall. I don't think it's a coincidence that he played like that in the Pepsi Center.
• So that Jiri Hudler guy scored a goal. I'm not sure what's up with that.
• During an interview, he referred to Tomas Holmstrom as a “Swedish Terminator.” I loved it. I loved it a lot.
• How about the powerplay tonight? It was absolutely lethal.
• Did the Wings even touch the puck during the second period? It's been a while since I've seen them get worked over like that. Ozzie absolutely stole the game for them during that stretch. He was especially spectacular during the 5-on-3 kill.
• Toward the end of the game, the Wings fans in attendance got a couple of, “Ozzie! Ozzie!” chants going. I want to track each and every one of them down and hug them. Way to represent Hockeytown.
• That late-game tying goal was oh-so-reminiscent of the game against Dallas. I was crushed. I was sure the Wings were going to blow it for Ozzie. Luckily, the Wings got a powerplay late in OT and were able to salvage the victory for him.
• I'm not normally one to talk to my TV and try to vicariously coach the players (the playoffs being the obvious and understandable exception, of course), but this game had me mumbling things about shooting lanes and making shots count during OT.
• Jan Mursak wasn't terribly noticeable, which is good for a rookie making his NHL debut. The one thing (other than the penalty he took) that stood out was when he hustled back to negate a break for the Avs. It was a small play, but it stood out in my mind.
• How many times over the course of your Wings fandom has there been an odd-man rush against the Wings that's caused you to panic until that glorious moment when you realize that Nick Lidstrom is the man back? As soon as you see TPH back there, it seems like the odds are suddenly stacked in the Wings' favor, despite being outnumbered on the rush. Please don't ever leave us, Nick.

Hero: Chris Osgood
The old man stole the show tonight. It would've been good form to make him the hero on the night of his 400th win as a congratulatory measure, but this honor (Oh look, I've gone and developed an exaggerated sense of self-importance.) was earned, not given out of a sense of decorum. I want to see more of this edition of Ozzie.

Villain: Matt Duchene
He opened the scoring for the Avs in the first period, and then almost ruined the game by tying it up late in the third.

Final Thought:
Even the most die hard of Ozzie haters has to feel good for the guy tonight. It's been a long time coming.

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

Note: This has evidently been sitting as a draft since Sunday night. I figured I might as well post it instead of wasting the effort I put into it (not that I really worked that hard at it). I thought about deleting the bullet about how bad the Wings are at overtime, but I decided to let it stay.

• I thought things were going well when Pav and Eaves got the Wings off to a fast start. Getting going on time is always an issue with these early games, but the Wings seemed to find their legs early on. Unfortunately, as the first period wore on, Dallas woke up and pushed the Wings back on their heels.
• It's always nice to see the Wings get a Budd Lynch goal since they give up so many of them.
• The “Ozzie! Ozzie!” chant from the fans at the end was a sure-fire jinx. The crowd did the same thing at the end of Game 5 of the '08 Finals. I'm glad I wasn't watching the game live, because I would've been cringing.
• I hate overtime. Why are the Wings so bad at it? At least it didn't go to a shootout.
• Ozzie deserved better from the team in front of him after they campaigned to get him the start at home for 400. I hope they give him a better shot next time he gets a start.

Hero: Patrick Eaves
He should be acknowledged for his two-game scoring streak. And his love of ping pong.

Villain: Loui Eriksson
Way to ruin Ozzie's fun.

Final Thought:
It would've been really nice for the old man to get 400 in front of the home crowd. Here's hoping he gets another chance.

Red Wings vs. Stars GP...

Red Wings: 20-8-3

Stars 19-10-3

Red Wing Zen:

Jiri Hudler

1-5-6, +/- -7, 8 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Tom Wandell

3-1-4, +/- 1, 6 PIM

Ozzie's got a shot at his 400th win this afternoon.  In addition to that, this is a battle for the top of the Western Conference.  The Stars can tie the Wings with two points tonight.  Here's hoping the Wings show up to play some real hockey.

Red Wings vs. Coyotes GP...

Red Wings: 2-1-1

Coyotes: 1-1-0

Hat Trick:
1. I want to see the Wings work on tightening up the defense. Even in their wins so far this season, it's looked too shaky at times.
2. Word on the street is that the Coyotes are having a hard time selling out their home opener. I'm shocked. I wonder how many of those in attendance will be Wings fans.
3. Can the Wings rebound from a terrible outing at Dallas and resemble the team we know they are?


I've Got My Eye on You:

Niklas Kronwall

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

Eric Belanger

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

I'll be roughing it in the wilderness this weekend, so I won't get to see the game.  Accordingly, there will be no recap later.  This is especially sad because the Wings don't play again until Thursday, at which point I'll have gone an entire week without seeing any Red Wing hockey (assuming you consider what we saw in the Dallas game to be Red Wing hockey).

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

• Well that was pretty ugly. I'm sure it's not exactly the way Mike Modano wanted to make his return to Dallas.
• It was a weird game in the sense that if you glanced at the stats in the box score, you'd probably think the Wings did a pretty good job. They vastly outshot the Stars, only took three penalties, and had plenty of powerplay chances. Those numbers don't tell the real story though.
• It was nice that the Stars honored Modano during the first commercial break. Of course, it would've been nice if they'd showed him a little more respect during the summer.
• The Wings took a penalty within the first minute of the game and allowed a goal seconds later. It pretty much set the tone for the rest of the night.
• The turnovers were coming fast and furious and the entire defense looked terrible.
• The Wings looked a little better in the third period, but that's not really saying much.
• Ozzie didn't look good, but you can't really pin this loss on him.
• My reaction to seeing Johan Franzen go down in the first went something like this: “NONONONONONONONONONONONO!!!!” It was nice that the elbow to the face he took went uncalled. Hopefully we get good news tomorrow, unlike the last October injury he had.
• Pavel Datsyuk, Tomas Holmstrom, and Brad Stuart were all -3 tonight. Nick Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg were both -2. Ouch.

Hat Trick:
1. I want to see a solid game from Ozzie.
Oy vay.

2. The Wings are done being paraded around like the Harlem Globetrotters for home openers now, right?
No, no they're not. It turns out that it's Phoenix's home opener on Saturday, too.

3. How will the crowd treat Mike Modano in his return to Dallas?
They treated him well and the standing ovation he got was quite nice.

I've Got My Eye on You:

Patrick Eaves: 0-0-0 +/-0, 0 PIM
Eaves had some shifts toward the end of the game and kept some pressure on the Dallas defense. He logged a lot of time on the penalty kill and did his job pretty effectively.

Tom Wandell: 0-0-0, +/- 0, 0 PIM
One of these times, I'm going to pick a guy who does something really notable that I can write about here. I'm just waiting for that to happen. I vaguely remember hearing Ken Daniels call his name and thinking, “hey, that's the guy I'm supposed to be keeping an eye on,” but then Nick Lidstrom made a turnover and I went all bug eyed with disbelief and confusion and that was the last time I noticed Wandell.

Hero: Jakub Kindl
He actually stood out as someone who looked good on the blueline. He definitely made some mistakes, but I like what I'm seeing from him.

Villain: Mark Fistric
He knocked Franzen out of the game with an elbow to the face without even taking a penalty. Those are some serious super-villain skills.

Final Thought:
It always amazes me how the entire team can seem so out of sync on the same night. I could understand one or two guys having off-nights at any given time, but the way the whole team can come out and sleepwalk through a game baffles me.

Red Wings vs. Stars GP...

Red Wings: 2-0-1

Stars: 2-0-0

Hat Trick:
1. I want to see a solid game from Ozzie.
2. The Wings are done being paraded around like the Harlem Globetrotters for home openers now, right?
3. How will the crowd treat Mike Modano in his return to Dallas?


I've Got My Eye on You:

Patrick Eaves

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

Tom Wandell

0-0-0, +/- 0, 0 PIM

2010-2011 Player Profiles: Mike Modano...

Hey, kids, guess what? Hockey's almost here. That means it's time for me to get back into this whole blogging thing that I've neglected during the off-season. Since I lack the creativity to come up with a new gimmick, I decided to continue the Player Profiles series I did last year leading up to the season. I'll be taking a look at a different player (almost) every day between now and when hockey starts. By my count, there are 9 days until the Wings open the regular season. Get excited. Today's subject:

Mike Modano

2009-2010 Regular Season: 59 GP, 14-16-30, +/- -6, 22 PIM

2010 Playoffs: N/A

Season Highlight: The nice farewell treatment he got from fans at the end of the season. Except he didn't retire.

Season Lowlight: I don't really follow the Stars, so I have no idea what to even choose from.

Mike Modano was the Wings' big free agent signing for the summer. The story monopolized Wings coverage for a large chunk of the off-season, so here's hoping he ends up being worth the wait. After tossing it around in my head for a while, I came down on the pro-dano side of the debate that raged amongst Wings fans. I liked the signing for a couple of reasons, including the fact that it reminded me of how the team brought back Dallas Drake for 2007-2008. Not only that, but he brings the Wings unmatched depth.

On the first day of training camp when the Modano-Cleary-Hudler unit hit the ice, I just kept thinking to myself, “holy crap, that's the Wings third line.” If you do a line-by-line comparison with any team in the league, nobody else can compete. We all know Modano's not the same Modano we saw playing a decade ago, but nobody's expecting that from him. This line is going to provide the Wings with the kind of secondary scoring they lacked last season as well as some solid two-way play. He's taking some time to click with his new linemates and the Wings' system, but he'll be just fine.


What he needs to do to make me smile: Make the endless debate this suummer worthwhile.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Part Two...

The Bad

• There was plenty of bad to go around this season. It was by far the most stressful one in recent memory. We really did get to see how the other half lives.
• After this season, can we all just agree that the shootout needs to go? The Wings were absolutely miserable at it all season long. There’s really no good explanation for this either. They should really be a lot better what with all of their talent. If anyone out there has an idea, let me know. Aside from that, a shootout on the final day of the regular season determined which team got into the playoffs. Not cool.
• The much-hyped trip to Sweden to start the regular season turned out to be a bust. The Wings came home with an 0-2 record and not a lot to show for their travel. Little did we know that the event was going to be a perfect preview of what most of the rest of the season was going to look like.
• Remember how excited we all were to see a whole season of Jonathan Ericsson? Big Rig didn’t quite live up to the promise he showed during the playoffs last season. He seemed to devote this year to turnovers and giving Wings fans heart attacks.
• This shootout goal that won the game for Dallas was an absolute joke. It wasn’t the most ridiculous event of the season, but it was up there. It was just another one of those moments that makes fans hate the NHL. And of course it had to be "scored" by Steve Ott.
  
• Todd Bertuzzi.
• In January, Brett Lebda managed to break Tomas Holmstrom’s foot during practice. Just when we thought the injury plague was going away and some of the guys were coming back, another one went down. That was definitely not RAAAAGHHHH.
• Remember when we thought Nick Lidstrom would never score a goal again?
• The powerplay was pathetic for a long stretch of the season. Like most of the events of this season, this was unusual and difficult for Wings fans to adjust to.
• The Brad May experiment was clearly a failure. He was useless for sticking up for his teammates. Last time I checked, that was his only purpose for being in the NHL. There’s a reason he ended up finishing the season in Grand Rapids.
• Patrick Eaves’ shootout attempt during the H2H weekend was the stuff of legend. It was like his own little gift to our party. It even spawned the #Eavesed hashtag. Since the Wings ended up winning the game, it’s easy to laugh about now. It’s one of those moments the poor guy is never going to live down. Watch and enjoy:
• During a home game, a section of the lower bowl had to be evacuated because a couple of guys had found their way up into the rafters. It was…interesting.
• NHL scheduling during the playoffs once again baffled everyone involved. Was it really necessary to take a lifetime off before the Finals?
• The Wings’ early playoff exit was a major disappointment. After the way the season went, it wasn’t particularly surprising, but it hurt nonetheless. Not as much as the end of last season’s playoffs, but still not fun.

Proud Podcasting and Pointless Puling...

(Look it up ^. It's a word. You can thank Thesaurus.com for that little beauty.)

The new episode of The Obstructed View came out today. I joined Jess from Bingo Bango and Rob Discher from The Production Line, as well as, of course, Chris and Brian. We talked about fun things like curling and sniper fire. It’s also possible that hockey came up at one point. Anyway, you can download it at all the usual places. Enjoy.

A quick update on where the Wings stand now:
Dallas and Anaheim are tied one point behind the Wings, and Minnesota is only two points back. The Wings, at best, can tie Nashville for 8th place with a win tonight, but would still sit in 9th because of the tiebreaker. On top of that, we’re going to be rooting for Chicago tonight because we need them to beat Dallas. Of course, the way things have been going, the Stars will probably blow them out.

The point is, there’s no help coming from the outside. The Wings can’t keep sitting around and waiting for other teams to do their dirty work for them. Everyone’s been saying that when Franzen is back, they’ll be a different team. Well, he’s back now. Let’s get going.

Red Wings 4, Sharks 2: Post Game Snipes...

• Play was a little chippy for the first few minutes, but San Jose took over after the Wings gave up the first goal. They responded in typical Red Wing fashion by sitting back and conceding play afterward.
• The Sharks’ first two goals both came off of rebound control issues. Get that sorted out please, Jimmy.
• On the first PK, Kronwall went down and couldn’t stand up at all. I nearly had a heart attack as I thought he was seriously injured again. Luckily, his skate blade had just popped out and the Wings weren’t hurt by it.
• Cleary’s goal came off of a good, hard-working play. It was a pretty novel concept.
• It was nice to see the Wings take advantage of their 5-on-3. They let those opportunities slip away far too often. Seeing the Flying Circus line click after all this time was a thing of beauty.
• The Wings looked good after they broke onto the scoreboard. I actually didn’t want the period to end because they had good momentum going. This was unusual because I’m typically counting down the seconds and hoping that the Wings survive to intermission.
• Derek Meech scored. I laughed. When the puck ended up in the net, I was just about to yell at my TV wondering why he was out on the powerplay. Clearly, Mike Babcock saw this coming and this was the reason he put Meech into the lineup tonight. Clearly.
• I love Patrick Eaves a little more each game.
• Kronwall left the game with what was described as a “slight tweak.” Normally this would be reassuring, but this is the ’09-’10 season and things are a little different. After the game, Babcock said that it was his ankle, not his knee. Unfortunately, it looks like he won't be able to play tomorrow against Anaheim. An ankle tweak's probably better than a knee, though.
  
• Jimmy Howard scared me for a minute there toward the end of the game when he got run by Joe Thornton. I never would’ve seen that coming at the beginning of the season.
• Darren Helm beat out an icing in the final seconds of the game to prevent another faceoff in the Wings’ zone. Yeah, it’s impossible not to love that guy.
• The Wings needed this win. They're now tied with Nashville in the standings and have finally actually passed Calgary. They're still stuck in 8th because Nashville has more wins, but this was especially big with Dallas and Anaheim creeping up behind them in the standings.
  

GP Answers:
1. Are the Wings going to show up tomorrow, or is Jimmy going to be standing alone again?
The first part of the first period was not pretty. I was almost convinced that the game was over when San Jose scored the first two goals. Then the Wings went and scored four unanswered goals, and things looked good. They were carrying the play and resembling themselves. Games like this make the pathetic efforts we’ve seen at times that much more frustrating.

2. What kind of impact will Homer’s return have on the offense?
That’s the Homer we all know and love. His presence was immediately noticeable. Not only that, but we got to see the Flying Circus line back in action after what seemed like forever. It’s good to see him back and looking good.

3. Much has been made of the Wings’ lack of killer instinct this season. Blown chances, sitting back on leads, lack of intensity, you name it… Can the Wings for once look like a team that knows what it’s doing?
I was tempted to start feeling happy midway through the third, but I refused to get excited because of the Wings’ penchant for third period collapses. This was exacerbated by the fact that the Wings took another late penalty. That’s a trend that has to stop. They kept up the intensity, though, and held on for the win.

4. Two games ago, the problem was the defense. On Sunday, it was the offense. What part of their game is going to give us fits against San Jose?
My only complaint tonight was the way they started the game. The defense was good, and the offense tallied 4 goals. It’s hard to be upset with that.

5. The powerplay has been looking more functional lately, but it’s still not converting as regularly as we would like. While they boys are able to establish control and cycle in the zone, but the pucks just aren’t going in. Getting Homer back should help in that regard theoretically. Can they start to get that sorted out tonight?
Look at that. The Wings converted twice. It was glorious. Please keep it up.

Cookies and Cupcakes for Tomas Holmstrom
I missed that guy. My excitement for his return was justified as he picked up two assists. He was in vintage form, causing all kinds of chaos in front of San Jose’s net.

An Extra Stick Tap for Henrik Zetterberg
He was great in both ends tonight. it was like he and Holmstrom signed a pact of awesomeness tonight.

Jimmy Howard gets the Golden Facepalm
San Jose’s first goal came off of a rebound that just shouldn’t have happened. Their second goal came off of a weak-ish rebound too. He did manage to lock things down after that, but the first goal was a killer.

What I Learned:
Nik Kronwall is the most fragile human being ever. Seriously.

Red Wings vs. Blackhawks GP...

1. It’s been less than 24 hours since the start of the Dallas game (Oh, NHL, your wonders never cease), and while I’ve never been a professional hockey player, I can’t imagine that the quick turnaround—combined with flying home from Dallas—is easy on the guys. Chicago also has a short turnaround, so we should be in for a spectacular, fast-paced treat for the national TV audience. What are the odds that the Wings will be awake for the start of the game today?
2. The last time the Wings got screwed on a goal call against Dallas, they fell into a pathetic spiral of hopelessness. According to HNIC last night, the organization is “irate.” Will the team come out looking like they’ve got some fire, or let Chicago walk all over them like they did in their last two meetings?
3. I haven’t heard if Leino or May will be in the lineup today, but it probably doesn’t matter much. Either way, I have to ask: what new level of uselessness will they accomplish today?
4. Is there any chance that the Wings can actually score a goal against the Blackhawks this time around? The last two games against them didn’t really work out too well.

Red Wings 2, Stars 3 (SO): Post Game Snipes...

I’m not feeling particularly motivated to write a recap right now, so this is what you’re going to have to live with.

• I hate Steve Ott.
• I hate the NHL.
• Dallas’ tying goal was a textbook case of interference that would’ve been called in a heartbeat if Tomas Holmstrom had been the one preventing the goalie from moving.
• The Wings looked good during the first period, and then decided that they didn’t really want to play the rest of the game. They were probably lucky to get a point out of it, but they sure didn’t deserve to get the second point taken away from them the way that they did.
• At one point, Ken Daniels said, “In quickly goes Helm…that’s redundant.” Never have truer words been spoken by a broadcaster.
• Brett Lebda actually made a really good defensive play when he dove across in front of the net and prevented a sure goal. I felt like I should mention this since it’s not something we see very often.
• Speaking of broadcasters, I think Mickey Redmond is going to have a hemorrhage about that shootout.
• At one point in the third, Ott attempted to check Datsyuk and bounced right off of him. The same thing happened to my little brother when he was a kid and tried to tackle my dad. I laughed then too.
• The fact that Dallas only took one penalty the entire game is an absolute joke. They should’ve racked up at least six minutes in high-sticking calls alone. That’s without even including the way the Stars were running Wings the whole game. Not to mention the fact that the linesmen seemed determined to keep Ott out of the penalty box all game.
• Seriously, what purpose does Brad May serve on this team? If ever there was a game he should’ve dropped the gloves with somebody, this was it. If he’s not going to act like an enforcer, you might as well put Leino back in. At least he might accidentally do something good. Or call up Ritola again. Or something.
• And finally, the reviewed shootout goal: The ref on the goal line had his eyes about a foot away from the puck and signaled no goal. He almost ran headfirst into the goalpoast because he was getting such a close look at it. However, the other referee and a linesman (no way that linesman had a good enough view to call it) outvoted the guy right on the spot and said it was in. That’s the ruling they went with when they contacted the War Room in Toronto, and they ruled that they didn’t have conclusive evidence to overturn the call on the ice. Since when are goals awarded by a show of hands from the officials? Seriously. Could this league be any more of a joke? I really shouldn’t ask that because it’s just begging for yet another display of incompetence. Watch this video. If you can honestly say that the trailing referee and linesman had a better view than the guy on the goal line...I'm still going to call you a liar anyway.
  
• Of all the Stars, it had to be Ott who was gifted that goal.
• After the game, FSN interviewed Alex Auld. He was asked why he’d had so much success against the Wings this season. He said he couldn’t really explain it. I’ve got a couple of ideas for him.
  

GP Answers:
1. The Wings are once again sniffing at a playoff spot tonight and they also have a chance to put some distance between themselves and a team that’s coming up behind them in the standings. They’ll need some things to fall into place for them, since both LA and Vancouver are also playing today, but by night’s end, the Wings could potentially be tied for 7th place in the conference. You’d like to think that this would be the kind of game the boys could get motivated for, so which version of the Wings will we get treated to this afternoon?
They started out pretty strong, but seemed to get progressively worse as the game went on. It was like they were confused and thought that the game was only 20 minutes long today instead of the usual 60. It actually was like a reverse of the usual Wings game in which they sleepwalk through the first period and then wake up as the game proceeds. LA won against Boston, so they’re officially two points ahead of the Wings. Just keep your fingers crossed that Vancouver loses tonight so that they stay within striking distance.

2. The Wings’ powerplay actually served its purpose a couple of times on Thursday night. This was quite an exciting change of pace for us Wings fans. Is there any chance that we’ll get to see a little more of that today?
It converted on its only attempt. The fact that the Wings only got one powerplay today was, as noted above, a joke.

3. Now that Lidstrom’s little scoring drought has been ended, I’ve decided to pick on Pav. He looked better last game than he has of late, but he’s had a tendency to fade away for a couple of games at a time before roaring back to life. Can he follow up Thursday’s effort with an even better one, or will we be wondering if he even played a shift by the end of the game?
Datsyuk was definitely more noticeable today, but he didn’t have much to show for it. His shootout attempt just looked lazy though.

4. Drew Miller had an amazing game Thursday night. If he keeps it up, he’s going to enter the realm of the unbenchable. Is he going to be able to follow that up with another remarkable effort?
Miller kept doing good things, even though he didn’t end up on the scoresheet. All he needs to do is keep working hard, and he’s just fine in my book.

Cookies and Cupcakes for Todd Bertuzzi
His goal to open the scoring was a thing of beauty, and he gets extra kudos for not killing Steve Ott. Not that I’m an Ott fan, but I figured the penalty minutes for homicide would probably put the Wings in a bad spot.

Brad Stuart gets the Golden Facepalm
He made another horrendous Game-Seven-esque turnover right in front of Jimmy Howard. It was…terrible even though LA didn’t score on it. He needs to reign it in. He played too well during the first half of the season to have a meltdown now.

What I Learned:
It is, in fact, possible for the NHL to be more of a joke than we thought it was.

Red Wings vs. Stars GP...

1. The Wings are once again sniffing at a playoff spot tonight and they also have a chance to put some distance between themselves and a team that’s coming up behind them in the standings. They’ll need some things to fall into place for them, since both LA and Vancouver are also playing today, but by night’s end, the Wings could potentially be tied for 7th place in the conference. You’d like to think that this would be the kind of game the boys could get motivated for, so which version of the Wings will we get treated to this afternoon?
2. The Wings’ powerplay actually served its purpose a couple of times on Thursday night. This was quite an exciting change of pace for us Wings fans. Is there any chance that we’ll get to see a little more of that today?
3. Now that Lidstrom’s little scoring drought has been ended, I’ve decided to pick on Pav. He looked better last game than he has of late, but he’s had a tendency to fade away for a couple of games at a time before roaring back to life. Can he follow up Thursday’s effort with an even better one, or will we be wondering if he even played a shift by the end of the game?
4. Drew Miller had an amazing game Thursday night. If he keeps it up, he’s going to enter the realm of the unbenchable. Is he going to be able to follow that up with another remarkable effort?

Anyway, the one good thing about the LA and Vancouver games today is that they’re against teams in the East. I know the Western Conference is much better than the East, but at least if the results are favorable to the Wings, the two points will be going out of conference, and any potential 3-point games won’t hurt as much. Are you ready to root for Pittsburgh (and Boston, although that doesn’t hurt as much) tonight?

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

• The Wings put more pucks into their own net than they did into Edmonton’s. It turns out that that’s not a good way to win games.
• Ericsson left the game in the last few minutes of the third period. All of Hockeytown immediately fell into a collective fit of convulsions. It was initially speculated that it was an ankle injury, but John Keating mentioned that it was actually his knee. He said it didn’t look serious, but the way this season’s been going, I refuse to get my hopes up.
• I really thought Cleary’s goal at the end of the first could be a turning point in the game. Until then, the Wings hadn’t shown much life, and I was hoping that it would wake them up. It didn’t.
• Seriously, the Wings scored twice as many goals on themselves as they did on Edmonton. I know I’ve said that already, but I felt like it needed to sink in a little more.
• I’m about 92% sure that the entire Wings roster spent the summer punching babies. Karmic retribution is the only possible explanation for the events that have transpired so far this season.
  

GP Answers:
1. I’ll start with the obvious: Just how nauseous will the defense make us tonight? Rafalski’s going to be sitting out in all likelihood, and I’ve been having nightmares since I heard he left practice. I kind of have a feeling that Lidstrom is going to step up big time tonight, though.
I’m not really sure what the answer to this one is. If you take away the two goals the Wings scored on themselves, this is only a 2-1 game. There were turnovers, sure, but this was a team loss. You can’t really blame the defense.

2. How will Kindl perform in his first NHL experience? I’m operating on the assumption that we’ll be seeing him and I’m not sure if I should be excited to see his debut or crying under my bed.
Kindl looked fine. He ended up a -2, but I wouldn’t fault him for that. He certainly didn’t look out of place. That’s a good sign, especially if Ericsson’s knee keeps him out of the lineup.

3. Can Todd Bertuzzi keep up the nice little roll on which he ended November? Now would really be a good time for him to get things together.
He made a nice pass to set Cleary up for the Wings’ only goal of the night. I also didn’t notice any dumb turnovers from him, so I’d say it was a decent outing for him.

4. How will the new forward lines look out there? We saw a bit of shuffling during the Dallas game on Monday, but for now Leino’s slated to be bumped up to the top line to hopefully feed off of Datsyuk while Bertuzzi will be playing on Zetterberg’s wing. We’ll see what kind of chemistry the little shakeup leads to.
No comment on this one. Nobody looked good.

5. Edmonton’s in the basement of the Western Conference and they have a terrible road record this season. On top of that, they just lost their leading scorer to a long-term injury (Hi, welcome to our world.). Will the Wings take advantage of that and continue the strong play that we witnessed on Monday? Or will they make me look foolish for writing my previous post?
As was pointed out in the comments of the GP, this was exactly the kind of game the Wings like to lose. And that’s exactly what they did. Babcock called the game “un-Red-Wing-like” in his post-game statement, but when your team displays that kid of effort two nights out of three, there comes a point when that becomes what defines them.

Cookies and Cupcakes for Nick Lidstrom
There were slim picking for this one tonight. It has to go to Lidstrom for that gorgeous pass he made in the waning seconds of the first period.

Jimmy Howard gets the Golden Facepalm
Yeah, I know that two of the goals got deflected in by his own teammates, but his performance was still weak. Just when people were finally starting to think he was the real deal.

What I learned:
I spoke too soon with that whole turning point nonsense.

Wings vs. Oilers GP...

Wings vs. Oilers @7 PM

1. I’ll start with the obvious: Just how nauseous will the defense make us tonight? Rafalski’s going to be sitting out in all likelihood, and I’ve been having nightmares since I heard he left practice. I kind of have a feeling that Lidstrom is going to step up big time tonight, though.
2. How will Kindl perform in his first NHL experience? I’m operating on the assumption that we’ll be seeing him and I’m not sure if I should be excited to see his debut or crying under my bed.
3. Can Todd Bertuzzi keep up the nice little roll on which he ended November? Now would really be a good time for him to get things together.
4. How will the new forward lines look out there? We saw a bit of shuffling during the Dallas game on Monday, but for now Leino’s slated to be bumped up to the top line to hopefully feed off of Datsyuk while Bertuzzi will be playing on Zetterberg’s wing. We’ll see what kind of chemistry the little shakeup leads to.
5. Edmonton’s in the basement of the Western Conference and they have a terrible road record this season. On top of that, they just lost their leading scorer to a long-term injury (Hi, welcome to our world.). Will the Wings take advantage of that and continue the strong play that we witnessed on Monday? Or will they make me look foolish for writing my previous post?