Red Wings vs. Sharks GP...

Red Wings: 9-6-1

Sharks: 9-5-1

Season Series: 0-1

Red Wings Zen:

Point and Laugh:

Video Candy:

Red Wings vs. Wild GP...

Red Wings: 5-4-0

Wild: 4-3-3

Red Wings Zen:

Point and Laugh:

Video Candy:

Caption Fridays Volume Two...

Here's the lovely Sara Neuie's caption from last week:

Z: Ugh, shouldn't have eaten that last cheeseburger...

Cleary: Just aim away from my skates, k?

Kronner: Gross dude.

Here's this week's photo.  Caption away!

Red Wings vs. Avalanche GP...

Red Wings 1-0-0

Avalanche 0-0-0

Red Wings Zen:

Point and Laugh:

Photobomb!

Video Candy:

Caption Fridays Volume One...

Raise your hand if you're excited for the start of the Wings' season!  Everyone?  Ok, good; that's what I thought.  Now raise your hand if you're excited that last season's photo caption game has been moved to Fridays.  Nobody?  Nobody?  Bueller?  Ok, well, not quite what I was hoping for.  Anyway, here's the 2011-2012 season's first installment:

This one was taken during last year's pre-season.  What are the boys up to here?

Red Wings vs. Maple Leafs GP...

Red Wings: 43-22-9

Maple Leafs: 34-31-10

Red Wing Zen:

Niklas Kronwall

11-24-35, +/- 6, 34 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Mike Komisarek

1-9-10, +/- -9, 79 PIM

Red Wings vs. Kings GP...

Red Wings: 38-18-6

Kings: 35-23-4

Red Wing Zen:

Niklas Kronwall

10-19-29, +/- 5, 30 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Willie Mitchell

2-4-6, +/- 7, 15 PIM

Red Wings vs. Panthers GP...

Red Wings: 35-16-6

Panthers: 24-25-7

Red Wing Zen:

Niklas Kronwall

10-18-28, +/- 6, 26 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Mike Weaver

2-8-10, +/- 1, 20 PIM

Weekly Wrap-Up Volume Twelve...

Caption Mondays: Vanya wins this week.

Rig: "Oh, dude! Didja see that guy get smoked?"
Kronner: *says nothing, but thinks 'I've done better.' Hmmm. Should remind this guy what a big hit looks like.

Trivia Tuesdays: Petrella takes home this week's non-existent prize.

This week's question: Who is the only player to have worn number 45 for the Wings?

The Answer: Kyle Quincey.

Caption Mondays Volume 12...

What are Kronner and Rig up to here?

Red Wings vs. Canucks GP...

Red Wings: 26-10-5

Canucks: 27-8-5

Red Wing Zen:

Niklas Kronwall

8-13-21, +/- 6, 22 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Ryan Kesler

23-16-39, +/- 17, 38 PIM

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 vs. Wild GP...

Red Wings: 21-9-4

Wild: 16-13-4

Red Wing Zen:

Niklas Kronwall

7-9-16, +/- 6, 18 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Marek Zidlicky

4-14-18, +/- -1, 20 PIM

Red Wings vs. Canucks GP...

Red Wings: 20-8-4

Canucks: 19-8-4

Red Wing Zen:

Niklas Kronwall

7-8-15, +/- 7, 14 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Ryan Kesler

16-10-26, +/- 10, 30 PIM

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

• I headed down to the Joe with the lovely Sara Neuie for tonight's game. I think it's safe to say that we had a good time.
• We knew it was going to be a good night when we were walking on the concourse and came across a beer vendor who was singing Christmas carols, but replacing every syllable with the word 'beer.” I don't even like beer and it made my day. I spent my whole drive home singing beer songs along with my CD player. Seriously. Give it a whirl.
• I don't know who DJed tonight, but they should be banned from the building. It was the worst collection of “music” I've ever heard played there. I suspect it was our DJ friend from the Town Pump up there playing his stupid techno music. Seriously, a little rock here and there wouldn't have killed anybody. Techno “Jingle Bells” made me want to stab my ear drums. When they finally played a Bon Jovi song in the third period, I threw my arms up in the air and
• So that Nick Lidstrom guy...he's pretty good, eh? We were pulling for curly fries as soon as he scored his second goal. I was surprised to find out that that was his first career hat trick. It just seems like after all these years, he would've had one already. As far as I can recall, this was the first hat trick I've ever seen in person. It was perfect. The Perfect Hat Trick.
• I can promise you that yelling, “Curly Fries!” in the stands at the Joe was way more fun than yelling, “Junior Roast Beef Sandwich!” would've been. No contest.
• I'm going to map out every Arby's in a 20-mile radius and visit each one for my free Perfect Curly Fries tomorrow.
• Helm and Kronwall are the only two Wings who recorded a point tonight who aren't on one of my fantasy teams. It was a pretty lucrative night.
• It was Dollar Pretzel Night at the Joe. I don't know if I've mentioned it on here before, but I'm a big fan of carbs.
• I managed to complete the rare concession stand + bathroom trip in a single intermission. Anyone who frequents the Joe knows how impressive that is.
• We loved Kronwall's little kick after he scored his goal. We're pretty sure he learned it while drinking Captain and Kesler dancing at karate practice (no, that's not supposed to make sense to anyone but Neuie). I think the Kronner Kick should be part of all future goal celebrations.
• Henrik Zetterberg had four assists. That's...a lot.
• Datsyuk made most of the crowd at the Joe laugh in astonishment at least twice tonight.  Watching him play hockey is just pure fun.
• The Wings' penalty kill looked fantastic during their first kill. The Blues were barely able to enter the zone at all.
• You know who else looked good tonight despite not really factoring in on the scoresheet? Todd Bertuzzi.

Hero: Nick Lidstrom
This one's pretty obvious. He sent all of Hockeytown into a frenzy by buying us all lunch tomorrow. Thanks, Nick.

Villain: David Backes
He tried to destroy poor Homer along the boards. At least the Wings made the Blues pay on the ensuing powerplay.

Final Thought:
Going to Astoria for a victory celebration is more fun than going to Astoria to eat your feelings after a loss.

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.

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 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 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 4, Coyotes 2: Post Game Snipes...

• The Wings looked awful in the first period. Across the board. I'd say I was surprised, but well, I wasn't.
• The thing that everyone is missing with Chris Osgood these days is the fact that he is a backup goalie. Backup goalies give up soft goals and make you cringe when they're in net. It's the way of the world. We're still looking at him as '08 Ozzie and he just isn't that goalie anymore. I think Wings fans will be a whole lot happier if we can realign our expectations to be more realistic for a backup netminder.
• Darren Helm had his best game of the season so far.
• I'm still regretting not smuggling in a bottle of Pepsi for Ozzie. I think it would've helped matters.
• At one point during the game, Pavel Datsyuk did something ridiculous and then passed the puck to Doug Janik who proceeded to blow the entire play. Amanda and I screamed, “JANNNNNNNNNNIK!” in perfect unison. I think we shook our fists at him, too. Or maybe that was just me.
• Pav is a ridiculous human being. He had a shift during the second where he absolutely victimized Pyatt and made him look like a peewee hockey player. That man just does things the puck that nobody else can. Nobody.
• The Commune found out that Gary Bettman was in the building toward the end of the second period. Hearing this news prompted us to exclaim (again in unison), “Well THAT explains it!”
• Mickey's interview with Bettman was much less argumentative than the last one they did. Hearing Bettman speak still gives me the shudders.
• Homer's penalty near the end of the game was killer.
• That was an ugly, ugly turnover by Kronner on the empty-netter, but booing him was uncalled for.
• The Wings could not hold the puck in the zone to save their lives tonight.
• I loved how hard Helm was working on that last shift. The team was down by two with less than a minute left in the game and he was still out there going strong.
• Kat and I rode the People Mover back to Greektown after the game. There were dancing homeless men on our train. One of them did the Moonwalk. Bros were singing “Beat It” for them to dance to. It was epic.

Hat Trick:
1. There's been a lot of talk lately about the third line not producing offensively. Will they redeem themselves tonight?
No, they still look disorganized and not quite on track.

2. The top line stole the show the last time the Wings played seemingly six years ago. Does that mean it's the “second” line's turn tonight? A glitter kittens goal celebration at the Joe with the Commune has the potential to be epic.
It was definitely the Pavel Datsyuk show tonight. Mule did score on the powerplay, though.

3. How many last-minute goals will the Wings allow? That's a sad trend that I've never been able to fully wrap my head around.
None, if you don't count the empty-netter. At least that's something. 

Hero: Pavel Datsyuk
I can't even tell you how many times we just laughed and looked at each other in disbelief up in the stand at the Joe after Datsyuk did something ridiculous. Amanda's mom texted her asking if anyone was going to show up to play the game with Pavel. We got the sense that after the first period, he just said, “Ah, screw it. We're going to lose anyway. Might as well have some fun,” and went out there and skated and stickhandled circles around the Coyotes. He put on a show last night, and it's too bad that the rest of the team didn't really look like they were interested in winning. Plus, he tallied his 600th career point.

Villain: Lauri Korpikosky
He scored the Coyotes' shorthanded goal, and then put sealed the victory with the empty-netter at the end.

Final Thought:
Isn't it sad that slow starts like that are predictable for the Wings?