Caption Fridays Volume Five...

This week's winning caption comes from one of my favorites, Mr. Stabbityjones.

Stuart: "I warned you Abby. If you eat all of your Halloween candy in one sitting, you're going to get a tummy-ache."

Here's another picture from Sara Neuie to caption:

Caption Fridays Volume Four...

We had another anonymous winner this week.

"Hmmmm...I could do that move Pavel just did."

This week's picture to caption comes from Sara Neuie of A Neuie Perspective.  Caption away, and please do make sure to check out her other photography on her blog.

Red Wings 2, Canucks 0: Post Game Snipes...

• Normally, I'd be aggravated and cranky about a four-day break in the schedule, but just this once it was okay because it meant that I got to devote all of my attention to the Tigers. They won their afternoon game today, setting up a perfect Detroit double-header. It seemed like the Baseball Gods were smiling on us today.
• So, I guess I should get back to hockey, eh?  I'm pretty sure that's what this blog is actually about, though it's been kind of a while since I was updating regularly.  Whoops.
• The game started off pretty slow, especially after the heart-attacks from the Tigers game, and the Wings looked exactly like you'd expect a team to look after being off for entirely too many days for such an early point in the season.
• The Wings managed to hold the Canucks off until the second period, at which point they proceeded to have their way with them. Granted, Vancouver was playing the tail end of a back-to-back, but they didn't exactly look like a team that went to the Finals just a few months ago.
• Pavel Datsyuk seemed determined to put on a good show on his bobblehead night. One of my oldest friends was at the Joe tonight, and I gave her a mission to obtain a bobblehead for me. She failed. Anyone have a spare?
• I really like the fact that Abby followed up his fight with a goal.
• Back-to-back shutouts. Not bad, eh?

Red Wings vs. Sharks Game Seven GP...

3 Red Wings vs. Sharks 3

Random picture from a google images search of "Red Wings" that caught my fancy:

(Cake, don't fail me now.)

Three things:

• Anything can happen—It's Game Seven. One bounce, one bad break, one turnover can decide the series.
• Goalies—Howard and Niemi may very well end up deciding which team moves on to the Western Conference Finals.
• Mental edge—The Wings have had it throughout the whole series. Here's hoping they'll use that to their advantage tonight.

Red Wing Zen:

Justin Abdelkader

0-0-0, +/- -4, 22 PIM

Red Wings Youtube video of the day:

Red Wings vs. Coyotes Game Three GP...

2 Red Wings vs. Coyotes 0

Random picture from a google images search of "Red Wings" that caught my fancy:

Three things:

• Sixty minutes—The Coyotes are going to be flying right from the start and the Wings have to set the tone early if they want to shut them down. And if Saturday taught anyone anything, it's that they can't afford to let down their guard ever, no matter how big their lead.
• Doan—He led the way for the Yotes with two goals in Game Two and a plethora of hits. He'll no doubt be lining up everything wearing red tonight. The Wings have to find a way to neutralize him somehow.
• Datsyuk—What does he have in store for fans tonight? If ever there was a reason to stay up for a late game, the answer to that question is probably it.

Red Wing Zen:

Justin Abdelkader

0-0-0, +/- 0, 4 PIM

Red Wings Youtube video of the day:

Red Wings 4, Maple Leafs 2: Post Game Snipes...

• Hey, look, I'm actually writing a game recap! This one comes to you courtesy of the fact that I have to work in the morning and had to skip a night out with my roomies. And also my rage over the Lupul goal/Howard's injury. It's always nice to put a good rant down on paper (or, you know, the internet) every once in a while.
• The first was one of the best periods I've seen the Wings play in a while. Passes were crisp. Their puck possession was dominant. Even though it ended tied at one, the Wings looked to be in control.
• The second was a little rockier, and the Wings found themselves in penalty trouble toward the end.
• They took a 2-1 lead into the premature intermission thanks to a classic Homer deflection in front of the net. How sad is it that his first reaction to the goal was to look over at the ref to make sure he wasn't going to wave it off?
• Since Dion Phaneuf's shot broke a pane of glass during a Toronto powerplay with a couple of minutes left in the second, the teams took intermission early to avoid a long delay. This kind of played in Toronto's favor since they got clean ice for the second half of their powerplay, but it ended up not mattering. The Wings took another penalty right before the carryover time wound down anyway.
• The real disaster came in the third period when Jimmy Howard went down with an injury. I've got some ranting to do about the ensuing goal, but I'd happily spot the Leafs ten such goals if it meant that Jimmy finished the game healthy. All this talk of the Baby Pegger (who, despite being my favorite goalie prospect for his Training Camp snipe, I have absolutely no desire to see in a Wings uniform right now) possibly being called up has me in full RSV mode.
• Just to be clear, in the NHL, this is not a goal, but this is. Listen, I like to think I'm a pretty smart lady, but I once again find myself confounded by events in an NHL game. I fail to see how a goal can be called back one night because a goalie initiated contact with a skater who was outside of the crease because of “incidental contact,” and then a few nights later, have a goal stand when a player bumped into the goalie in the crease and proceeded to fall on his back, pinning him to the ice. Take the jerseys the players are wearing out of the question. Only in the NHL does this make sense. Or at least we're supposed to think it makes sense. Or something. I'm not sure anyone really gets it.
• Luckily for the Wings (and my sanity), Jiri Hudler put them back in the lead for good with a quick shot off of a rush.  Check out this picture of his celebration at your own risk.
• Justin Abdelkader was all over the ice tonight. He must've had at least thirty brilliant chances. He didn't finish any of them, but it was a nice effort. Plus, he got into a fight after a big hit on Rafalski, which was also nice to see.
• It looks like Rafalski got lucky after the hit, as his knee brace protected him. It looked pretty bad at first though. I would've been pretty happy if that was the scariest moment of the game. Now that the playoffs are approaching, I'm becoming increasingly paranoid.
• Nick Lidstrom broke up a great scoring chance for the Leafs with a brilliant defensive play. You know, just another day at the rink for him. Sorry, boys, he's just better than you. It's not mean; it's just a fact. Please never leave us, Nick.
• On the other end of the defensive spectrum, Brett Lebda played exactly as you would expect Brett Lebda to play.  How's that Stanley Cup experience treating you now?
• Hey Maple Leafs fans: Todd Bertuzzi's empty net goal effectively ended your team's slight playoff hopes. TAWD Bertuzzi. Hahahaha. Snack on that for lunch.

Hero: Joey MacDonald
He's been astoundingly solid in his last few games, and performed admirably after taking over for Jimmy in the third. I still don't like it one bit, but I guess it does offer some glimmer of hope.

Villain: Joffrey Lupul
Bet you saw that coming, eh?

Final Thought:
This injury nonsense is making my annual post-season nervous tics come early this year.

Red Wings vs. Coyotes GP...

Red Wings: 39-19-7

Coyotes: 33-23-10

Red Wing Zen:

Justin Abdelkader

4-9-13, +/- 10, 50 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Lee Stempniak

14-17-31, +/- 6, 17 PIM

Red Wings 6, Lightning 2: Post Game Snipes...

• One of my lifelong dreams has been to attend a Wings road game. I went to see them play Tampa last night, but I'm not sure that counts. Walking up to the arena, Wings jerseys outnumbered Lightning ones 4 to 1. I didn't see my first Bolts gear until I actually made it to area right outside of the rink. I expected there to be a significant percentage of Wings fans in attendance, but it was still exciting to see the army of red and white sweaters heading into the building. That has to be demoralizing for the home team/crowd.
• They were giving away noisemakers last night, but I was denied one because I was a Wings fan. I was okay with it though, because I don't have any desire to own anything that features the logo of another NHL team, even if the Bolts are my Eastern Conference secondary team. Once the game got underway, I figured out why they chose last night to do that giveaway: without the noisemakers, the home crowd didn't stand a chance of being heard over the thunderous LGRW chants the Wings fans started. The Bolts fans played the living daylights out of those noisemakers all game long. I found it obnoxious until I grabbed one on the way out. It was only then that I realized why they had been playing with them non-stop: they're incredibly fun and addictive. I used mine to play music to accompany my CD player for most of the trip home.
• I got to the rink excessively early because I wanted to make sure I had time to take a lap around the concourse and explore the only non-JLA NHL arena I'd ever been in. The place was nice enough, but I still missed the campiness of the Joe. The walls of the concourse were covered with giant replicas of front pages of the St. Pete Times from the past. It was more of a shrine to the newspaper than to hockey, which is also my number one reason for wishing against all odds that the Wings will never have to share a building with the Pistons.
• More I-miss-the-Joe notes: they only sell bottled pop there; I keep saying this wasteland is uncivilized and nobody believes me. This should prove it. Food and drink prices were way more expensive than I was used to at the Joe. I guess we really are spoiled back home.
• Call me a sap, but I also missed the old scoreboard at the Joe. The one in Tampa is slick for sure, but I found it hard to read, especially when I was trying to see how much time was left on powerplays. (Old people live in Florida. They should use larger-sized numbers so they can have a chance at seeing vital info like that. I could barely make it out and I'm young and spry.) [The entire purpose of the rant in parentheses was so that I could use the word “spry.”]
• The loudest cheer of the night came (predictably) when they showed Steve Yzerman on the scoreboard before the game started.
• By the time the Wings got the scoring underway, the ratio of red to blue in the stands had evened out for the most part. When they netted their first goal, half of the arena stood up and cheered. There was an entire section in the lower bowl that was almost full of Wings faithful.
• A fun game might be to play Where's Waldo? The Lightning Fan? with this picture:
  
  
  
• The Wings brought their A-game in the first period; perhaps they were eager to show Stevie that he should've stayed in Detroit.
• During the first intermission (and maybe the second—I left my seat during that one), there was what boils down to a zamboni party bus. It was towing the Bolts' mascot behind it on a wake-board. It was...interesting.
  
• Things went decidedly downhill during the second period as the Wings allowed the Bolts to erase their lead and tie the game up. Somehow they managed to wake up again and take back control of the game.
• I managed to get a shot of Abby's goal as the puck hit the twine. It was a really exciting moment for me.
• Here's a SSDD exclusive look inside my thought process during Darren Helm's breakaway goal: “Ooooh loose puck! What a chance to-oh, wait, it's Helm. Crap. Oh my god he scored!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Don't get me wrong—I love Helm as much as anyone, but I'm so used to seeing him go the donut goalie route on chances like that that I pretty much expect it now.
• I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Pavel Datsyuk is a ridiculous human being. There's really nothing more to add about him.
• The box score says the Lightning had twenty shots in the third, but it didn't seem like it at all.
• The final octopi tally for the night was three. One of the arena workers even twirled one. This made me deliriously happy, albeit a tad confused.
• I had a total emo moment during the third period when I started to wonder if it would be the last time I ever got to see Lidstrom play live. Last time I did an internship here, I missed Yzerman's last season. Things like this give me anxiety.

Hero: Pavel Datsyuk
His two goals made my night.

Villain: I'm not making anyone a villain for this game. I'm still in too good of a mood.


Final Thought:
I felt more at home at the game than I have at any point since I've been in Florida. I love hockey.

Red Wings 5, Flames 4 (OT): Post Game Snipes...

• Friday night, it was the fourth liners who were featured on the scoresheet. Tonight, it was the stars who took over. Franzen, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Lidstrom each found the back of the net. That's a pretty awesome list.
• The Wings went three-for-seven on the powerplay tonight. It was nice to see them convert later on since there were so many missed opportunities in the first period. With the two late-game penalties that went against Calgary, it would've been a major failure if the Wings hadn't been able to convert to tie the game.
• Dan Cleary left the game after getting wrecked against the boards in the corner. There's still no word on his injury, but I'm guessing it won't be happy since he didn't return. Someone should start tracking players who are on the receiving end of big hits. Whereas Lidstrom almost never gets rocked, it seems like Dan Cleary gets laid out at least once every game. It's like he needs some convex mirrors mounted on the side of his helmet or something.
• Ericsson also left the game briefly after blocking a shot with his ankle. He was helped to the dressing room, but came back to finish the game. That was a relief because he's actually been playing well lately.
• The Wings' first intermission naptime evidently ran over because they were totally flat-footed at the beginning of the second when they allowed Calgary to take over the game.
• Defensive zone turnovers came back to bite the Wings again tonight in a big way.
• Datsyuk's goal was the result of his best Tomas Holmstrom impression.
• Zetterberg's first goal came off of another strong play on the puck. Z had a really quiet stretch there where it seemed like he was drifting, but lately he's been working his way through the defense with strength better.
• The last-second tying goal was a classic Eurotwins goal. It was even more exciting because when Calgary cleared the zone right before it, I said to my dog, “Well, that's game.” Then Datsyuk broke in, danced through the defense, and dished it off to Zetterberg for the shot. I loved the waterbottle pop, too. It made it that much more dramatic.
• Abdelkader threw a nice, clean hit at one point and then got jumped after the whistle by a Flame who felt that he needed to get revenge. They ended up getting offsetting minors for roughing. What a stupid mentality.
• Bert got a double minor midway through the third when he took an interference call and then was slapped with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty (most likely for being named Todd Bertuzzi). I figured that was the end of the Wings' chances since even if they killed all four minutes off, they'd be eating up a huge amount of time off the clock. Shortly afterward, though, Calgary took a penalty of their own and Zetterberg scored on the ensuing four-on-four. All in all, it was a much better result from Bert's penalties than I was envisioning.

1. The Wings have managed to pull three out of four possible points over the last couple of games while not really looking good enough to earn them. Here's hoping they'll actually show up to play a full game. The early start has me less-than-optomistic.
It was another typical early start. If someone understands the Wings' problems with games that don't begin at 7 or 7:30, I'd love an explanation.

2. Jimmy Howard didn't have his best game on Friday night. How will he rebound today?
Four goals against isn't great, but I wouldn't rag on him too much. One of them could've been a little soft, but the defense didn't really do him many favors tonight.

3. I'm still looking for the top line to get going again. The Eurotwins have really quieted down lately and the Wings are going to need them to get scoring again.
They took over the game in the third period in true Eurotwins fashion. It was the best they've looked in a few games.

Hero: Henrik Zetterberg
His two third period goals sent the game to overtime and set the Wings up to win the game. His last-second tying goal was as exciting as they come.

Villain: Jarome Iginla
It was so nice of him to regain his scoring touch just in time to face the Wings.

Final Thought:
The Wings have come out flat three games in a row. In those three games, they've picked up five out of a possible six points. Think the rest of the league is scared?

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 3, Coyotes 2 (OT): Post Game Snipes...

• I don't know what the first period looked like. I also don't know what all but the final 1:22 of the second period looked like. Why? Nobody's been able to explain that to me. Somehow, the recording that I had set to begin at 7:30 didn't begin until 9:06.
• I'm told that the first two periods weren't that exciting anyway, so maybe it's better that I only got to watch the third period. Sadly, I also missed overtime for other DVR failure-related reasons.
• What I did get to see of the third period looked like solid Red Wings hockey. The Wings were carrying the play to the Coyotes and playing their standard puck-possession game.
• You know what Justin Abdelkader has done since coming back into the lineup? He's made those around him better.
• You know what Jiri Hudler has done? Nothing.
• How nice was it to see Rafalski back in the lineup?
• Zetterberg's overtime tip-in was beautiful hockey.

1. We get to see how the Wings bounce back from a less-than-stellar performance in Vancouver on Saturday tonight.
They definitely looked better in the portion of the game that I got to see. It's hard to make an assessment based on such a small sample, though.

2. How about playing a little defense tonight?
There were more turnovers than I would've liked to have seen during the third period, but it was a much improved effort over Saturday night.

3. The Wings dropped their last game against the Coyotes, so here's hoping they find a way to solve Bryzgalov this time around.
It was indeed a much happier outcome than the last time around.

Hero: Henrik Zetterberg
He came through with the winner in OT. Not only was it a pretty tip-in, but it also ensured that we wouldn't have to witness a shootout tonight.

Villain: Lee Stempniak
I still haven't witnessed the Jimmy Howard writhing in pain incident, but perhaps that's for the best. Just thinking about it makes me nauseous. And stabby.

Final Thought:
Have you ever ordered a Coke in a restaurant and gotten served a root beer? That's what it feels like to come home, sit down on the couch, and prop your feet up expecting to watch your recording of a hockey game only to discover that someone decided that you shouldn't be able to watch the Red Wings that night.

Red Wings 3, Oilers 1: Post Game Snipes...

• Abby got the scoring kicked off early with his second goal of the season. Getting him back in the lineup has made a huge impact on the third line.
• Jiri Hudler, on the other hand, didn't really do a whole lot on the fourth line.
• My rant of the night centers around the two second period fights. Both of them were for stupid reasons. What was worse was the way the linesmen jumped in to break them up. In the first fight, Ericsson was dominating until the linesman grabbed him and tied him up so he couldn't get his arms free. Brule took that opportunity to land several punches while Rig couldn't defend himself. It was dangerous. The exact same thing happened during the second fight, except that time it was the linesman tying up the Oiler. If a fight's going to be broken up, both guys need to be tied up. Otherwise you're just asking for trouble.
• You know what else is stupid? The instigator rule.
• Khabibulin made a spectacular, highlight-reel save as he was laying flat on his back and reached up and batted a puck over the top of the net. It had everyone sitting around in my living room yelling in amazement.
• Jimmy Howard continued to be lights out. It was about this time last season when we all decided that he was worthless and was just filling a spot on the bench until one of the other prospects was ready to take over. My what a long way he's come.

1. The big mystery is who will be sitting tonight. Did the third line's performance on Wednesday change Babcock's mind about putting Hudler back in the lineup? Will he replace a fourth-liner? Will he sit Modano after he played his best game of the season?
Drew Miller drew the short end of the stick and had to sit out tonight. Hudler didn't accomplish a whole lot in his return to the lineup. It'll be interesting to see who ends up sitting tomorrow night. I would've bet on Modano with it being the second game of a back-to-back, but he's played much better the last couple of games. It might be hard to sit him now.

2. The other question mark is Johan Franzen. He sat out practice yesterday, and is iffy for the game tonight. Will he be able to go?
He was indeed in the lineup, but didn't contribute much offensively. The second line was pretty quiet tonight.

3. The Oilers are last in the Conference. Usually the Wings don't bring their A-game for matches like this. Will we get to see the team that dominated Calgary on Wednesday, or are they going to sleep through the start of the game?
I thought it was a good effort all around. It wasn't quite as dominating as the game on Wednesday, but the Wings got the job done.  Even when it was tied, the Oilers never really seemed to be in the game.

Hero: Dan Cleary
He ended up with a goal and two assists for the night. It's nice to see him finally getting rewarded for the hard work he's been putting in on the ice. The last couple of games have really showcased how valuable he can be.

Villains: Don Henderson and Jay Sharrers
Breaking up those fights the way they did was just wrong. Stupid, dangerous, and wrong.

Final Thought:
I love how much happier this season makes me than last year's did.

Red Wings 2, Flames 1: Post Game Snipes...

• I'm still baffled by the high-sticking penalty that Dan Cleary drew in the first period. There wasn't a call. Then there was a call. Then the wrong guy was in the box. Then everything worked out the way it was supposed to and benefited the Wings. It doesn't quite compute. I blame Brad Watson.
• Modano finally picked up goal #2 as a Wing. The whole third line had a really good night tonight. It'll be interesting to see how things turn out when Hudler's back in the lineup on Friday.
• The penalty kill looked phenomenal tonight. The powerplay...not so much. The Wings need Rafalski back.
• Modano and Abdelkader scored on almost the exact same shot.
• Salei's high-sticking penalty near the end of the third was definitely a penalty. What I didn't understand was the fact that there was no call when his leg was taken out from underneath him from behind. Seems to me that if that hadn't happened, there wouldn't have been a high stick.

Hat Trick:
1. The Wings kick off a roadtrip out west tonight in Calgary. Here's hoping they get off on the right foot.
It was a solid effort tonight. I feel like the score was closer than the game was.  The Wings looked good and the Flames never really seemed to get anything going.

2. Jimmy Howard's back from his brief back spasm-y hiatus. How will he look in his return?
He looked great. He didn't seem to miss a beat at all. So far this season, Jimmy's been easing everyone's minds.

3. Also making his return is everyone's favorite defenseman, Jonathan Ericsson. Will he make a case to stay in the lineup when Rafalski returns, or is Kindl going to step up and steal a spot?
I didn't really notice either of them tonight. For mistake-prone, young defensemen, that's definitely a plus.

Hero: Dan Cleary
Cleary was everywhere tonight. Everywhere. I was sure he was going to score with the way he was playing, but he settled for an assist on Modano's goal.

Villain: Mark Giordano
he scored Calgary's lone goal to put them ahead in the first period.

Final Thought:
Murph gurgle. Tell me that didn't just give you the heebie jeebies.

Red Wings 3, Blackhawks 2: Post Game Snipes...

• I missed the entire first period and most of the second due to a combination of work (we're lucky enough to have Dish Network there) and birthday stuff for my bro. I'm probably never going to get to see the DVR recording of it due to the fact that the TV's been claimed for the rest of the day.
• The banner ceremony was ridiculously long. I was pretty happy about it though, because I was stuck at work and I would've missed way more of the game if it had actually started at 8:30. Instead, puck drop wasn't until 9:05 and I was able to get home during the first intermission.
• I arrived just in time to see Jiri Hudler's interview about returning to Detroit. Needless to say, the rest of the evening was spent quoting his, “I missed Ozzie...the most,” line with ever-longer awkward pauses. We even got to see the creepy tongue clucking thing he does with apparent BFF Ozzie after the game. I think having Hudler back makes up for the loss of Brett Lebda, especially since Huds has actual hockey talent.
• I was so glad that the Wings were able to spoil their party. I didn't realize just how much I wanted that until it was tied in the third period and I was
• I'm not sure why the review on Bertuzzi's goal took so long. It looked pretty cut and dry from what FSD was showing. I was starting to wonder if karma was going to even out for allowing Cleary's goal to stand on Friday.
• I was disappointed that I missed most of Kindl's season debut. I've been on the Nugget's bandwagon since training camp and I was excited to see him in the lineup last night. I was told that he looked solid, but I didn't really get to see enough of the game to tell.
• My first reaction to Filppula's game-winner wasn't to cheer or to clap or any of the normal goal celebrations. I just sat there and laughed. Welcome to the Marty Turco era, Blackhawk “fans.” It wasn't a shot on net. It wasn't even a pass. It was just an accident...that ended up in the net. I loved it.
• How about that second line, eh? Remember last December when the Hawks shut the Wings out twice in a row and they were feeling all high and mighty? The Wings' second line back then featured Ville Leino and high-scorers Justin Abdelkader and Drew Miller. Little bit different now, huh?
• How sad is it that when the Wings received their 5-on-3 powerplay in the third period, everyone watching the game began bracing for the inevitable makeup calls? There are days when I hate the NHL. Yet for some reason I keep coming back day after day after day.

Hat Trick:

1. Last night set a tone. Let's see if the Wings can follow through with it.
Starting out the season 2-0 is much better than last year when they went 0-2 in Sweden. Even better is the fact that I'm already having way more fun this season than I did at the start of the last one.

2. Ozzie's getting the start. This should be interesting.
I thought Ozzie looked pretty good from what I saw. He made some good saves in the third period and he made some key saves late in the game to preserve the Wings' lead.

3. Please, pretty please ruin the Blackhawks' banner night.
Mission accomplished. Now let's get down to the business of leaving them far behind in the Central Division.

I've Got My Eye on You:

Henrik Zetterberg: 0-0-0, +/- 0, 0 PIM
The whole top line seemed to have a quiet night last night, but that's the beauty of the kind of depth the Wings have.

Niklas Hjalmarsson: 0-0-0, +/- -1, 0 PIM
I really enjoy hearing Hjalmarsson's name called on the broadcast. I didn't get to watch much last night, so I can't really comment much beyond that.

Hero: Valtteri Filppula
A two-goal night is usually enough to qualify for game hero status. I'm especially fond of the way he scored his second goal.

Villain: Duncan Keith
He got away with a nasty elbow on Ruslan Salei during the second period.


Final Thought:
Boy was ruining their party ever fun.

2010-2011 Player Profiles: Patrick Eaves...

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 23 days until the Wings open the regular season. Get excited. Today's subject:

Patrick Eaves

2009-2010 Regular Season: 65 GP, 12-10-22, +/- 0, 26 PIM

2010 Playoffs: 8 GP, 0-0-0, +/- -3, 2 PIM

Season Highlight: His fight against Chicago.

Season Lowlight: The  #Eavesed incident.

Eaves came into last season as kind of a wildcard, at least to me. I didn't really know much about him, but I liked his potential. Eaves lived up to my expectations and had a pretty good season in his new home. It seemed like he found a niche in the Wings' roster and settled in. I was glad when he re-signed with the team this summer. Without Eaves and his glorious shootout attempt during the H2H weekend, we would never have had the #Eavesed hashtag on twitter. How can you not laugh when you watch that video?

I expect much the same from Eaves this season, minus the shootout wipeout. Then again, I'd like to think that he won't need to be called upon to take any shootout attempts again, but I guess anything can happen. He should provide the Wings with solid two-way play, and he has the ability to chip in with a timely goal here and there. He'll be fighting with Helm, Abdelkader, Draper, and Miller for fourth line minutes, but I think he'll crack the lineup.

What he needs to do to make me smile: Keep up the solid two-way play.

2010-2011 Player Profiles: Kris Draper...

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 24 days until the Wings open the regular season. Get excited. Today's subject:

Kris Draper

2009-2010 Regular Season: 81 GP, 7-15-22, +/- -2, 28 PIM

2010 Playoffs: 12 GP, 0-0-0, +/- 0, 16 PIM

Season Highlight: He scored his 150th career goal.

Season Lowlight: Inspiring the Commune slang “donut goalies” by continuously shooting directly into opposing goalies' stomachs.

Drapes looked pretty good on the line with Helm and Eaves last season. It seemed like being paired with a couple of speedy youngsters reguvinated him a little. The line provided some speedy checking combined with a frustrating inability to convert offensive chances.

This is almost certainly going to be Draper's swan song. His contract ends after this season, and Helm and Justin Abdelkader have established themselves as the future of the Grind Line. There just won't be cap or roster space for Draper beyond this season. He's still a valuable penalty killer and provides essential locker room leadership, but this is looking like the year he finally rides off into the sunset.

What he needs to do to make me smile: Solid defensive play.

2010-2011 Player Profiles: Justin Abdelkader...

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 28 days until the Wings open the regular season. Get excited. Today's subject:

Justin Abdelkader

2009-2010 Regular Season: 50 GP, 3-3-6, +/- -11, 35 PIM

2010 Playoffs: 11 GP, 1-1-2, +/- 1, 36 PIM

Season Highlight: Finishing third on the team in hits despite spending a third of the season in Grand Rapids.

Season Lowlight: Getting sent down to the minors to clear salary cap room.

Abby had a pretty good season last year. In addition to being Sara's BFF, he got to spend a lot more time up with the Wings than I had originally expected as he was forced to fill in during the injury plague. If I'm not mistaken, he got to center the second line a couple of nights when things were really sparse.

Abdelkader brings some much-needed physicality to the team and he led the Wings in hits for much of the season last year before getting sent down to Grand Rapids. He's shown a willingness to drop the gloves when the situation calls for it and is usually good for a jolt of energy when the team needs one. There's a reason fans were clamoring for him to be inserted into the lineup after a rocky Game One of the playoffs against Phoenix.

My little bro has a passionate hatred for Abby because he doesn't score a lot of goals, but that's not what he's out there to do. He's not going to put a lot of points on the board for the Wings, but he can make their opponents pay the price when he's called upon. He and Darren Helm are slated to make up the Grind Line 2.0, and I think the legacy's in good hands.

What he needs to do to make me smile: Keep crashing and banging.

Red Wings 7, Sharks 1 (1-3): Post Game Snipes...

• The game didn’t exactly get off to a wonderful start. The Wings took a too many men penalty right off the bat. Naturally, the question Wings fans had was, “Why didn’t the linesman warn them that they had too many men and give them time to get legit?” Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to work?
• Mike Babcock says Stuart’s expected to return on Saturday. He was injured in the first period on this hit by Rob Blake. While I still maintain that he wilted under the intense in-person hatred of Sara’s hubby, having him in the lineup is going to be important when the series returns to California.
• I really was shocked that the one Franzen goal wasn’t called back for interference. Normally, I would feel the slightest tinge of guilt, but not the way this series has gone so far.
• I was really amused when people at the Joe threw their hats for Franzen even though those of us watching on TV knew the first goal would be switched to Bertuzzi. Mule just wouldn’t allow those fine fans’ hats to go to waste, though, and kindly scored two more goals of his own.
• Speaking of Bert, he had a ridiculously good game tonight.
  
• Curly fries tomorrow! I think a four-goal performance is worthy of a large curly fries instead of the mini one you usually get. Speaking of which, in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Wings have now equaled their total number of hat tricks from the last two regular seasons. Not that it matters, but it was a thought that popped into my head.
• Dan Boyle scored on his own net again. It was another fluky play, and actually bounced in off of a teammate, but it made me laugh. What did he do to the Hockey Gods?
• Franzen’s natural hat trick was the first by a Wing in the playoffs since McCarty did it in ’02 against Colorado. That was a memorable game too, in the sense that I didn’t watch the third period of it where all the fun happened. I blame the city of Birmingham. I’ve never liked it there. But I digress.
• Predictably, the Sharks decided to go out and goon it up when the game got out of hand. The refs tonight at least had the good sense to penalize them for their hi-jinks. I don’t really understand that mentality. I was concerned that someone was going to get hurt, but the Wings did a pretty good job standing up for themselves.
• Thornton threw a nice elbow on Zetterberg in front of the net. In this picture, one guy shows character and leadership. The other, not so much. I’ll leave the interpretation up to you.
• I’m pretty sure nobody actually landed a single punch in Abdelkader’s “fight.” Oh well, I guess it’s the thought that counts.
• Of course, the goonery did inspire Mickey Redmond to exclaim, “She’s getting rough and dirty! That’s the way I like it,” which very clearly made my day.
  

GP Review:
12. I’ll start with the obvious: The Wings need to find a way to win this game.
Yeah, that just happened. For real.

11. Mattias Ritola is making his playoff debut in place of the injured Patrick Eaves and useless Jason Williams (Who?). This is exciting and terrifying all at once.
I didn’t see Ritola do a whole lot, but he at least didn’t stand out in a negative manner. Or try to kill me.

10. The Datsyuk line can’t afford to get taken advantage of defensively like they were on Tuesday.
The defense was tight all around. The offense maintained pressure in the zone. San Jose spent most of the game on their heels wondering what hit them. (Spoiler alert: It was a large, Swedish Mule.)

9. Powerplays have been few and far between this series, but the Wings haven’t done a good enough job capitalizing on them when they do come their way. Special teams have been crucial in every single game all playoffs long.
We all had to take a moment to re-learn about the concept of a Wings’ powerplay. Nobody was quite sure what to make of the fact that they were allowed to have a man advantage. Once they settled in, though, things really took off.

8. Jimmy needs to settle down and stop trying to do too much. People have been criticizing him, but they’re forgetting that he’s a rookie. He doesn’t need to be the savior of the world. He just needs to make the saves the team asks him to.
Jimmy wasn’t tested too much, but he made the saves when he had to.

7. Again, STAY OUT OF THE BOX!!!
Imagine that: a game where I didn’t notice any egregiously bad penalty calls. I even complimented the refs at one point on twitter. I know. The world may be ending.

6. Capitalize on mistakes when San Jose makes them. It seems like they’ve found a way to put the puck in the net every time the Wings make a mistake. The Wings need to turn the tables if they want to have a shot at crawling out of the hole they’ve dug for themselves.
Not only did the Wings find a way to take advantage when San Jose gave them room, but they also cut down on their own mistakes.

5. This is the equivalent of a Game Seven. Start strong. Finish strong. (And, you know, don’t forget about the middle of the game either.)
That early penalty aside, the first period was dynamite. Five goals? I’ll take that any day.

4. Win faceoffs. It makes it a heck of a lot easier to play the puck possession game we know and love.
The teams were dead even in faceoff wins. It somehow seemed like the Wings were winning the really important ones tonight, though.

3. Andreas Lilja is back in the lineup on defense. Here’s hoping he can settle Ericsson down.
Ericsson made a really good defensive play tonight! Everyone was so excited that they twittered about it. Having Lilja in for Lebda was huge since Stuart left the game early on.

2. Zetterberg really stepped up his game on Tuesday. He and his line need to keep carrying the play to the Sharks’ top players.
His new “remixed” line was insane tonight. That’s all I have to say about that. insane.

1. Keep testing Nabokov. He hasn’t looked nearly as spectacular as a 3-0 series lead would indicate.
His save percentage for tonight was .444. That’s not a typo.

Hero: Johan Franzen
Somehow, 14% of FSN voters disagreed with this selection. Four goals? Six points? A #JohanFranzenFacts hashtag campaign dedicated to him? The Mule did it all tonight. I just hope having to file for a restraining order from my brother won’t distract him from the task at hand.

Villain: Joe Thornton
I was so glad when he got slapped with his 14 minutes of penalties. I’m so glad the Wings don’t respond that way when they find themselves losing by a large margin. Good on Todd McLellan for keeping him on the bench for the remaining time after his penalties.

Final Thought:
Don’t think of it as trying to climb out of a 3-0 series deficit anymore. Think of it as trying to climb out of a 3-1 series deficit. I’m not sure if that’s better or worse.

Red Wings 6, Coyotes 1 (4-3): Post Game Snipes...

• After an agonizing first period, the Wings managed to absolutely destroy the Coyotes. I’ll be the first to admit that during the first intermission, I was almost positive that it was going to be “one of those games” where the Wings pump 50 shots at the opposing goalie and he absolutely shuts them down. Luckily, my fears were not justified.
• Datsyuk was, well, Datsyukian last night. And also Danglelicious (thank you, Versus). He and Hank even posed for an awesome goal celebration picture that makes it look like they're dancing.
  
• On top of that, one of his goals led to the creation of this masterpiece:
  
• I really think that Nick Lidstrom spent today staring at his birthday cake with forty candles (plus one for good luck) and laughing at it. He keeps on proving that age is just a number.
• As excited as I was about Stuart’s goal, I was also terrified when I saw Zetterberg go crashing awkwardly into the boards behind the net. I didn’t realize at the time that he had been tripped up (stay classy, Phoenix). I wanted to celebrate, but I was just waiting for the camera to pan over to see if Z was okay. The Wings got lucky on that one.
• How was that hook on Helm’s breakaway not a penalty shot? I was shocked, but not entirely unhappy. I figured the Wings would have a better chance on a powerplay than on a Helm penalty shot. It also negated the Coyotes’ powerplay so the Wings didn’t have to kill any more time.
• By the end of the night, Phoenix fans were throwing beer bottles on the ice during play. Hank was kind enough to try to pick it up off of the ice. I suspect it was so he could give it to Brett Lebda in the locker room, but that's just a guess.
• I watched the game from Kukla's Kasa with the rest of the #redwingscommune. We also launched Operation #redwingscommune: No Limits on a video chat with tweeps from around the country. More on that later.
  

GP Review:
13. The Wings need to stop the bleeding on the penalty kill. Sure, another three-goal performance from Phoenix’s powerplay is unlikely, but then again, that’s what we said after Game One.
The PK was not only functional, but I would argue that the long 5-on-3 kill in the second period was the turning point of the game. If Phoenix had scored there, things would have looked a lot uglier. On top of that, a fresh-from-the-box Brad Stuart scored his breakaway goal immediately after the last of those penalties was killed off.

12. The top two lines need to reappear again. When they’re clicking, good things keep happening for the Wings.
Your three stars for the game were Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Lidstrom. That pretty much says it all. (Yes, I realize that Lidstrom isn’t on the top two lines, but he’s the leader on defense and is generally part of the top unit out there.)

11. Coming out strong and aggressive is going to be really important. They can’t afford to be tentative and passive at the start of the game.
I was actually worried for the first few minutes of the game. The Coyotes seemed to be carrying the play (although that could’ve been my paranoid imagination), but eventually the Wings righted the ship and took control of the game.

10. Jimmy was far from the reason for the Wings’ loss on Sunday, but he needs to be in top form tomorrow.
The 6-1 score would make some people overlook the fact that Jimmy made a lot of good saves throughout the game. He was sharp. Sure, that goal off of the faceoff shouldn’t have gone in, but you have to look at the fact that it was a bang-bang play.

9. The Wings need to find a way to solve Ilya Bryzgalov. He may very well have stolen the game for the Coyotes during the first few minutes of play.
He looked like a brick wall during the first period again, and I was having nightmares. The Wings eventually solved him six times, which isn’t good for a goalie no matter how many shots he faces.

8. How many times am I going to be flailing around in search of my tin foil hat?
Oh there were ample opportunities for tin foil hattery. There was the quick whistle on a clearly loose puck that negated a powerplay goal for the Wings. There was the ridiculous string of penalties in the second during which the Coyotes seemed destined to tie up the game. There was some yelling going on at the #redwingscommune.

7. Earth to Playoff Franzen. Where are you? The Wings kind of need you to start producing.
I’m about ready to make some lost mule posters and hang them up around my neighborhood. Here’s hoping he was saving it up for the second round.

6. It sure would be nice to see a full sixty-minute effort…
This was as close to it as we’re ever going to see that, probably. I really have no complaints.

5. Can the defense avoid hanging Jimmy out to dry again?
The defense was there when it needed to be. They weathered the early storm, and had Jimmy’s back for the rest of the night.

4. It would be nice if the powerplay came back to life and scored more goals than it allowed. That’s a pretty good target, I think.
Indeed it did.

3. I hope that Justin Abdelkader keeps hitting everything in sight.
Abdelkader was less noticeable than he was the other day, but it didn’t really matter.

2. Capitalizing on mistakes: whoever does a better job of this is probably going to be playing some more hockey this season.
Verdict: Wings. End of story.

1. This is it. Game Seven. It’s all or nothing. Which team wants it more? No fear. No excuses. No mercy. No limits.
They came out strong and didn’t back down. Their top guys were their top guys. They never let up. We’ll see where the No Limits thing takes them.

Hero: Pavel Datsyuk
Best player on the ice. That’s what he needs to do every night.

Villain: Keith Yandle
Stay classy, dude. Enjoy the golf.

Final Thought:
Round two, here we come.

Red Wings vs. Coyotes Game Seven GP...

13. The Wings need to stop the bleeding on the penalty kill. Sure, another three-goal performance from Phoenix’s powerplay is unlikely, but then again, that’s what we said after Game One.
12. The top two lines need to reappear again. When they’re clicking, good things keep happening for the Wings.
11. Coming out strong and aggressive is going to be really important. They can’t afford to be tentative and passive at the start of the game.
10. Jimmy was far from the reason for the Wings’ loss on Sunday, but he needs to be in top form tomorrow.
9. The Wings need to find a way to solve Ilya Bryzgalov. He may very well have stolen the game for the Coyotes during the first few minutes of play.
8. How many times am I going to be flailing around in search of my tin foil hat?
7. Earth to Playoff Franzen. Where are you? The Wings kind of need you to start producing.
6. It sure would be nice to see a full sixty-minute effort…
5. Can the defense avoid hanging Jimmy out to dry again?
4. It would be nice if the powerplay came back to life and scored more goals than it allowed. That’s a pretty good target, I think.
3. I hope that Justin Abdelkader keeps hitting everything in sight.
2. Capitalizing on mistakes: whoever does a better job of this is probably going to be playing some more hockey this season.
1. This is it. Game Seven. It’s all or nothing. Which team wants it more? No fear. No excuses. No mercy. No limits.