Saturday, November 21, 2009

Wings 1, Panthers 2 (OT): Post Game Snipes...

  • Darren Helm had not one, but two breakaways tonight. He didn’t score on either of them.
  • He and Patrick Eaves were absolutely flying for the whole game.
  • Scott Clemmensen did not look like a backup goalie tonight. I hate it when that happens.
  • Can someone explain to me why the Wings are so terrible at overtime? I cannot wrap my head around that.
  • After scoring 19 goals in 3 games, the Wings have managed only 3 2 goals in their last two games. It’s either feast or famine. A little more regularity would be nice.
  • How miserable must it be to be a fan of a team that plays the trap like that? I don't know how you could stand to watch games like that 82 times every season.
  • The Wings should've won this game. They had more than enough opportunities to put it away and didn't capitalize on them.
GP Answers:
1. Ozzie looked good during regulation. He wasn’t terribly tested, but he made some pretty good saves. The OT winner was weak, though.
2. They actually had a pretty quick start. They outshot the Panthers 11-2 in the first period. I had high hopes for the outcome of the game when I turned it off at that point to take care of other obligations.
3. Ericsson was, in fact, not involved in either of the Panthers’ goals. Kudos.
4. The tripping call on Miller was weak, but I prefer to save my complaining about penalty calls/non-calls for the playoffs. There weren’t really any horrendous moments.
5. Datsyuk certainly responded. I’m not sure Bertuzzi looked any better.

Cookies and Cupcakes for Pavel Datsyuk
He looked much more lively tonight. Babcock called him out and he certainly rose to the challenge. The Wings need him to get going.

Brian Rafalski gets the Golden Facepalm
I’m not sure exactly what he was doing on the Panthers’ tying goal, but it involved a lot of standing around and watching the puck get deposited into the Wings’ net.

What I learned:
Having twice as many shots on goal as your opponent does not mean that you will win a hockey game.

3 comments:

  1. Having twice as many shots on goal as your opponent never means that you win a game when the Wings are concerned. It just hurts more this season because the wins are so hard to come by.

    And the Panthers may just be the most boring team to ever hit the ice. Mick was right, they beat the opposition with their boring style of play. That said, Rafalski is going to give me a stroke this season.

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  2. Having twice as many shots on goal as you opponent does not guarantee winning. True fact. Like how the Michigan hockey team lost to Air Force last year! It's frustrating when the team actually plays well but somehow the goal doesn't get in. I hate when backup goalies stand up to the challenge, but hey, if Howard did it we'd all be happy, so... Go Wings!

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  3. I thought for sure that Ericsson was going to be responsible for my paralytic stroke this season after that giveaway back vs. the Ducks... I still think that I will get arthritis from clenching my fists so tightly when he has the puck... Looks like veterans can do the same. Gotta say that Rafi is either hot or not. I think this has more to do with being paired with Lidstrom or not. Then again, you could say that about any of our D-men. Lidstrom may be "slowing down" as so many are saying, but there's no question that anyone who plays with him elevates automatically elevates his game. If this continues to be the case, PLEASE keep Ericsson with him. He's certainly not learning anything playing with Lebda...

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