Red Wings vs. Predators Game Three GP...

1 Red Wings vs. Predators 1

A scary-looking octopus:

What we learned from Game Two:

• Hey, look, rest of the world: the Wings actually can stand up for themselves.
• That Pekka Rinne guy sometimes actually looks a little bit fallible.
•  The Wings' rookies can be kind of fun.

Exciting things about Game Three:

• Back in Hockeytown!  It'll be nice to see the Joe rocking for the playoffs...again.
• Pavel. Datsyuk.  This is a given.  It's also how you can tell that I'm running out of things to write, so I'm resorting to stating the obvious.
• You can watch it while eating brunch.  (Or breakfast if you live out west.)  I mean, who doesn't love a good brunch while watching a playoff game?  Oh, you too?  I thought it was just me.
  

Terrifying things about Game Three:

• It's an early game on NBC.
• I have a feeling that the ice quality is going to leave something to be desired.  That usually doesn't work out in the Wings' favor.
• It's Game Three of a tied playoff series.  Let's face it: everything about it is terrifying.
  

Who will have a good game tonight:


I'm picking the Mule for this one.  He's clearly riled up about the last game, and it sure would be nice for him to enter his playoff beast mode sooner rather than later.

Something to lighten the mood:

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 5, Senators 3: Post Game Snipes...

• How great did it feel to drop the puck on the new season? Birds were singing, there were rainbows, and unicorns frolicked in my living room. Actually, that's a lie. It was pouring outside and I was trying to clean pizza sauce off of the couch when the game started, but that's how I felt in my mind.
• I pretty much love Budd Lynch. His voice makes me happy. Sometimes I wonder if the players slip him cash to mispronounce their buddies' names as a joke. That's what I'd do if I was a hockey player, anyway. Either way, I love it.
• I think Ozzie's officially the most beloved goaltending coach of all time, judging by his introduction tonight.
• The pre-game ceremony with Brad McCrimmon's family was nice. It was super sweet (and a little heartbreaking) when his son put on the jersey that he was presented.
• If I had to predict which one of the Wings would give the most awkward hugs, I'd choose Pavel Datsyuk.
• It's a good thing that they switched to those low-energy goal lights at the Joe before the opener what with the Wings scoring five goals and all.
• I know some people want to panic about the three goals that the Wings gave up towards the end of the game, but I'd like them to take a deep breath and a chill pill (yeah, I actually used that phrase). They let up on a big lead late in the game against a lousy team. Of course, in an ideal world, the team would be absolutely flying for every minute of every game, but that would only be realistic if they were all robots. Nick Lidstrom aside, that's just not the case. Let's wait and see for a few more games before we start hyperventilating, ok?
• Speaking of Lidstrom, Datsyuk's apparently been teaching some of his dangling tricks. He pulled a nice move waltzing in on Anderson for his goal.
• Cory Emmerton is evidently the first Red Wing in possession of a Twitter account to score a goal in an NHL game. Because you needed to know that.
• I liked pretty much everything about Bert's goal.
• So how about those special teams, eh?
• We're only one game in, but consider me sold on the Ian White signing. He was impressive all night. I will, however, continue to call him Not-Kirk-Maltby until further notice because I don't handle change very well. That's what happens when you take over the number of one of my childhood icons.
• Please, pretty please let Hudler continue doing what he did tonight all season long.

Final Thought:
There is nothing worse than spending the hockey off-season in Florida. I'd take a never-ending Michigan winter with permanent hockey season over four hockey-less months in this live-in oven.