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.