Red Wings vs. Blues GP...

Red Wings: 16-8-1

Blues: 14-9-3

Season Series: 0-1

Red Wings Zen:

Point and Laugh:

Video Candy:

This will never, ever get old.

Red Wings vs. Ducks GP...

Red Wings: 10-7-1

Ducks: 6-9-4

Season Series: 1-0

Red Wings Zen:

Point and Laugh:

Video Candy:

Red Wings vs. Stars GP...

Red Wings: 8-5-1

Stars: 11-4-0

Red Wings Zen:

Point and Laugh:

Video Candy:

Red Wings vs. Ducks GP...

Red Wings: 5-5-1

Ducks: 5-5-3

Red Wings Zen:

Point and Laugh:

Video Candy:

Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets GP...

Red Wings: 4-0-0

Blue Jackets: 0-5-1

Red Wings Zen: 

Point and Laugh:

Video Candy:

Caption Mondays Volume 23...

I've been saving this one for a while because it's one of my favorites.  What's going on in this shot from a December game?

Weekly Wrap-Up Volume Eighteen...

Caption Mondays: Friend of SSDD Sara Neuie was at it again this week.

Hank: ...and then Millsie totally Eavesed in front of everyone!
Stuart: Ha! I can't believed I missed that! Anything else happen while I was gone?
Hank: Well, there was this time Millsie...
Rig: *interrupting and nodding toward Drew* Uh, Hank...
Millsie: Not this story again...

Trivia Tuesdays: Clark got the answer again this week. I went a little off the reservation with the question, but it was sort of Wings-related.

This week's question: The NHL's all time leader in penalty minutes spent a small part of his career in Detroit. What was his name and how many minutes did he rack up?

The Answer: Tiger Williams (How glad are you that I didn't make a tiger blood joke there? It would've been so easy, too. It was practically teed up for me.) racked up 3,966 minutes in 962 games. That averages out to 4.12 minutes/game. If he would've served all of his penalties to completion, he would've spent 66.1 hours in the box (not to mention the fact that his teams would've had an unbelievable PK%). He was only a Wing for part of one season, but still managed to accumulate 158 penalty minutes in 55 games in Detroit.

Red Wings 3, Wild 4 (OT): Post Game Snipes...

• I swear the Wings are trying to kill me. They waited until I was driving down the highway to tie the game and take the lead.
• This recap is going to be even more jumbled than usual because due to real life commitments, more DVR deletion issues, and the lateness of the FSD replay, I watched the game in this order: last ten minutes of the third-overtime-second period-first ten minutes of the third-first period.
• In the pre-game, Ken Daniels said that if you knew that Cal Clutterbuck was leading the Wild with 6 goals, you were a true hockey fan. I knew that. To be fair, it was only because the random number generator landed on his number for my GP, but I did know it. There you go: the Ken Daniels stamp of approval.
• This wasn't Jimmy's best night. He's been on a roll lately, so he was bound to have an off-night at some point and he just didn't look as sharp as he usually is.
• So since when did Rig learn how to play defense?
• Is it really necessary to say, “Here comes Helm with good speed?” It seems kind of redundant.
• Dan Cleary's goal-scoring streak finally came to an end tonight, but he still leads the team with nine goals on the season. Who called that at the beginning?
• Cal Clutterbuck had the audacity to score a goal after I was kind enough to feature him in the Point and Laugh section of today's GP. Wait, hmm...okay.
• Minnesota's first goal came right after Zetterberg's penalty expired, but for all intents and purposes, it might as well have been a powerplay goal. Even though he was out of the box, Z never got back into the play.
• Ken Daniels mentioned that Helm was the only Wings forward without a goal at least two-hundred times. I'm pretty sure Helm finally went out and scored just to get him to stop.
• Was it just me, or did it seem like Lidstrom's targeting computer was a little off tonight?
• I hate the trap. I just thought everyone should know that.
• The Wild really turned things on towards the end of the third period. I wasn't at all surprised when they scored. You could just kind of feel it coming.
• Patrick Eaves scored the go-ahead-goal during the third period. Drew Miller “scored” on Wednesday. Not bad for a couple of guys rotating in and out of the lineup.
• I really think the first intermission interview was the first time I've ever heard Ruslan Salei speak.
• The Eurotwins looked uncharacteristically out of synch tonight.
• The two goal reviews tonight were some of the most pointless reviews I've ever seen.

1. The Minnesota Wild bore me. I know that's not nice, but I'm pretty sure everybody but Minnesota fans agree with me.
Okay, there's no way Minnesota fans can't recognize how boring their team is. The folks in Minny are supposed to be smart hockey people, so they've got to see it too.  I can't fathom watching 82 whole games of that.

2. The powerplay had a bit of a resurgence during the third period last game. I'm hoping that'll be a spark that gets them going. Babcock is mixing up the units for tonight, so maybe they'll start to build some momentum.
It converted again when Johan Franzen scored during the third period. There's still a lot of room for improvement. Missing that five-on-three opportunity earlier in the game was unfortunate.

3. I want to see the top line get going again like they were at the start of the season. Will they be able to get back to dominance against a weaker Wild team tonight?
It was another quiet night for the Eurotwins. It's not a noticeable issue since the Wings are still picking up points, but you can't count on getting two goals from your fourth line every game.

Hero: Darren Helm
He was hustling all night long on the fourth line. He finally netted his first goal of the season meaning that all of the Wings forwards have now recorded at least one goal. Plus, he was thoughtful enough to score before I got in the car so there was no dangerous swerving.

Villain: John Madden
He sealed the deal with a goal in OT. The Wings had been looking pretty good through overtime until that point.

Final Thought:
I enjoyed the Wings' last game against the Wild much more than this one.

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, 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 vs. Oilers GP...

Red Wings: 7-2-1

Oilers: 3-5-2

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?
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?
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?

Red Wing Zen:

Drew Miller

0-1-1, +/- -4, 0 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Nikolai Khabibulin

3-5-1, 1 SO, 3.44 GAA, .897 SV%

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: Drew Miller...

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

Drew Miller

2009-2010 Regular Season: 80 GP, 10-9-19, +/- 2, 12 PIM

2010 Playoffs: 12 GP, 1-1-2, +/- 2, 4 PIM

Season Highlight: His flying goal against Nashville.

Season Lowlight: Getting waived by the Lightning.

Drew Miller wasn't really even on my radar at the beginning of the season last year. He was tucked away in one of the league's hockey wastelands, and didn't seem particularly important. He ended up getting waived by the Lightning, which I would consider vaguely insulting coming from the Lightning (of course, this was in the pre-Steve Yzerman GM days). Ken Holland snagged Miller off of the waiver wire (which seems like a rarity for the Wings in the recent past), and it turned out to be another good find on his part.

I was glad to hear that the Wings re-signed him over the off-season. He's fighting for a spot on the fourth line this season and it's not clear what kind of ice time he's going to be seeing. He endeared himself to me last season with his hard work, but he might have a hard time cracking the lineup unless there are injuries. Also, did you know that Ryan Miller is his brother?  Wowzers.

What he needs to do to make me smile: Keep rocking that salt'n'pepper hair.

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.

Red Wings vs. Coyotes Game Six GP...

13. It’s a day game on NBC. Uh oh.
12. The Wings still need to work on their faceoffs. There’s really no reason for Phoenix to be winning more draws.
11. The Eurotwins need to keep firing on all cylinders. The last couple of games have been quite a show.
10. What tin foil hat-inducing moments are going to occur as the Wings try to end the NHL’s team’s season?
9. The first few minutes of this game are going to be key. The Wings need to get off to a much better start than they did last Sunday.
8. I’m looking at Dan Cleary to do something good tomorrow. This worked for Miller last time, so it’s worth a shot.
7. Jimmy Howard needs to stand strong again. He’s had an incredible run over the last two games, and has managed to restore all of the fickle fans’ confidence in his abilities.
6. Are we going to have to put up with Shane Doan again?
5. This series, the Wings have played better when they’re the ones carrying the physical play to the Coyotes. They need to keep hitting hard and not letting Phoenix run around.
4. The PK and powerplay need to keep doing their thing. Since the disastrous first game, the PK has been fantastic. Special teams may very well determine the winner.
3. The second defensive pairing has looked much better over the last two games. Brad Stuart, in particular, had a great game on Friday night. The Wings need them to keep bringing their physical presence.
2. Will we get treated to a full-game effort tomorrow?
1. The Coyotes are going to come out hard hoping to get another home game in Phoenix. The Wings need to take this game seriously and shut them down. There’s no reason to make another trip to Phoenix and risk all of the assorted bad things that can happen in a Game Seven.

Red Wings 4, Coyotes 1 (3-2): Post Game Snipes...

• I cannot express how much fun I had hanging out with the #redwingscommune on our fieldtrip to Hockeytown. You guys made my day like you wouldn’t believe. I’m so glad that we didn’t have #communefail again. That would’ve been way too much to handle.
• How good does it feel to see the Wings leading the series? Please close them out on Sunday, boys.
  
• During the first period, we answered trivia about the Wings and I tied with a bunch of other people for the most right. We had a bean bag toss to determine who got a Pavel Datsyuk autographed puck. After two rounds in which none of us managed to score (obviously we were intellectuals, not athletes, and they kept letting us move closer), two of us finally scored. We had one more round and my octopus bean bag (How cute are these?) hung right on the edge of the hole and slowly fell in. I was really excited.
• They were also giving away loads of free stuff (spring cleaning for their storage areas?). We got Red Wings bags, No Limits signs, Budd Lynch bobbleheads, ornaments, pom poms, playoff t-shirts, glasses cases, water bottles, car flags, and scrubs.
• I’m sorry, but when did it become legal to stand on the goalie while scoring a goal? There’s no way that flies if Homer does it.
• This is how we celebrate goals at the Commune:
  
  
  
• This game was so similar to Game 4—a close, back-and-forth game until the third period when the Wings score with a couple of quick goals. I like it. Except for the unnecessary stress part.
• Todd Bertuzzi drew a penalty. We were all a little confused.
• We had a good laugh at Homer’s goal since he was cruising behind Bryzgalov in the crease.
• Datsyuk’s goal was just a thing of beauty. Not many goalies are going to stop that shot, but even fewer players are going to be able to make it.
• Z’s empty net goal was about as skillful as they come. A lot of the credit for it has to go to Filppula, though. He’s the one who chased the puck down and stripped the Coyotes player of it.
• The second period was rough. The Wings were on their heels and there was a definite sense of panic going throughout the Commune.
• That was a nasty hit Rafalski took when he drew the boarding penalty.
• What was going on with Phoenix fans beating up Wings fans in the crowd? Stay classy, bandwagoners.
• There was actually one Phoenix fan in the bar. She was sitting right behind us with a group of Wings fans, and we couldn’t understand why they would be willing to hang out with her. They were giving her a really hard time after the game, though, so all was well.
  

GP Review:
14. We need to see more special teams magic tomorrow.
The powerplay did not look too hot. On the other hand, the PK was spot on again. I can live with that, all things being equal.

13. Can the defense hold steady again?
The defense was better again. The second period was a nightmare, but that was more of a team-wide issue than just the defense.

12. I’m still looking for full-fledged Playoff Franzen.
I think he’s starting to emerge. He’s looked better over the last couple of games and picked up an assist on Datsyuk’s goal. That whole top line was going tonight.

11. Shane Doan might be back tomorrow. What is he going to do to make us hate him?
No Shane Doan. No sadface here. Also no Doanface, but that's probably for the best.

10. Which team is going to work harder?
This one was pretty even. I’d say the Wings outplayed the Coyotes, but the also went to sleep for large stretches of the second period. They’ll need to be better in Game Six.

9. Jimmy needs to follow up his shutout and Calder nomination with another strong game. I have high hopes that that game was just what he needed to get his head straight and confidence back.
Oh yes he did. Those two quick saves he made on a rush in the third may very well have saved the game for the Wings.

8. How many goal reviews will we have to endure?
They reviewed Miller’s goal (which, to be fair, wasn’t that unreasonable), and even came up with the right call. The goal that should’ve been waved off was the Coyotes’ lone tally. That was just ridiculous

7. Insert standard sixty-minute effort question:
The second period was not good, but you already know that. The Coyotes got a lot of momentum off of their illegal goal, and I was pretty worried for a while. The Wings don’t tend to respond well to adversity.

6. Faceoffs need to improve.
Where do they post faceoff statistics online? I can never find them because they’re not in the boxscores. At any rate, the Wings should still be better on those than they have been. They’ve got good faceoff men. There’s no reason for us to be talking about this at this point.

5. The Wings need to keep up their physical play. I’m sure the Coyotes will be amped up to be back in their building, and the Wings have to keep dishing it back.
Brad Stuart and Justin Abdelkader had some good hits out there, and Helm was doing his thing too. I think I even witnessed Todd Bertuzzi throw a hit. The Coyotes weren’t running around tonight, and the Wings were actually more dominant physically.

4. They also have to get off to a fast start. The first five minutes of the game will be crucial for setting the tone.
Their pace from the start was pretty good. It would’ve been nice for them to have scored on that early powerplay they got, but the happy outcome of the game makes me not care so much.

3. The Eurotwins need to keep doing their thing. They’re absolutely essential.
Datsyuk: goal. Ztterberg: goal. Keep it up, boys.

2. I’m looking for good things from Drew Miller. He’s looked feisty so far, and I like that.
Did I call that or did I call that? I’m going to start saying something like that about a random Wing in every GP.

1. How many of Hockeytown’s finest are going to be detained by the Coyotes’ arena security?
There was an octopus on the ice near the end of the game. I hope there was a hat being passed around in a bar in Phoenix to bail the thrower out. We were thinking of wiring some money from Hockeytown too.

Hero: Jimmy Howard
Twice in a row for Jimmah. He has really turned things up since getting called out by people who weren’t happy with his Game Three performance.

Villain: Ed Jovanovski
He now leads the playoffs in goals scored while using the opposing goaltender as a stepstool.

Final Thought:
Life really is better in the Red Wings Commune.

Red Wings vs. Coyotes Game Five GP...

14. We need to see more special teams magic tomorrow.
13. Can the defense hold steady again?
12. I’m still looking for full-fledged Playoff Franzen.
11. Shane Doan might be back tomorrow. What is he going to do to make us hate him?
10. Which team is going to work harder?
9. Jimmy needs to follow up his shutout and Calder nomination with another strong game. I have high hopes that that game was just what he needed to get his head straight and confidence back.
8. How many goal reviews will we have to endure?
7. Insert standard sixty-minute effort question:
6. Faceoffs need to improve.
5. The Wings need to keep up their physical play. I’m sure the Coyotes will be amped up to be back in their building, and the Wings have to keep dishing it back.
4. They also have to get off to a fast start. The first five minutes of the game will be crucial for setting the tone.
3. The Eurotwins need to keep doing their thing. They’re absolutely essential.
2. I’m looking for good things from Drew Miller. He’s looked feisty so far, and I like that.
1. How many of Hockeytown’s finest are going to be detained by the Coyotes’ arena security?

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

• It feels like it’s been forever since I wrote one of these. I’m a little rusty.
• First off, congrats to all the folks with DirecTV who finally got to watch their first Versus broadcast of the season.
  
• The Wings looked good last night. After these last few weeks, I finally feel like I recognize those guys skating around in jerseys with the Winged Wheel on them.
• One of the Wings’ powerplays was so good that the Penguins looked like they were a peewee team trying to keep up with the grownups. Unfortunately, it didn’t end up with a puck in the net.
• Versus showed a shot of Ozzie on the bench apparently whispering sweet nothings into Paul Boyer’s ear. At one point, I thought he was going to plant a kiss on his cheek. I guess he’s having a good time, at least.
• The Eurotwins were out in full force last night. Please tell me that there’s a photoshop out there with them in a Captain Planet cartoon combining their powers.
• Hank called Bertuzzi “Ber-toot-sie” in an interview. I realize that it’s technically the real way to pronounce it, but it made me snicker.
• Back in September, if you had told me that seeing Jimmy Howard look like he was hurt was nearly going to give me a heart attack, I would’ve laughed at you. Luckily, he bounced right back and was more than ready to perform some late-game heroics.
• I’ve never once said that Crosby sucks or denied that he’s a talented player. My issue with him is his insistence on acting like a spoiled little brat. His attack on Zetterberg, who did nothing that I saw to provoke anything, was cheap and selfish. Instead of trying to put a puck in the net, he was focused on cross-checking Z from behind. That’s the kind of thing that would’ve had me yelling at the TV if it was coming from a Wing. Not so with Pittsburgh fans as they were quick to rush to his defense. His comments after the game were absurd and just as indicative of his self-centeredness. There really is something to be said for class, and Crosby is completely devoid of any semblance of it.
• Jimmy Howard solidified his place in Wings fans’ hearts when he jumped to Zetterberg’s defense. I kept rewinding the scrum at the end on my DVR and rewatching it, and I laughed every time.
• This is one of my new favorite quotes ever: “I saw Jimmy coming in with his glove and Crosby wasn’t there anymore.’’~Z
  

GP Answers:
1. How close to the final horn are the Wings going to wait to score a goal this time around?
They scored with less than a minute left in the first, but other than that, it was fairly undramatic. The real end-of-game drama came from Gary’s baby.

2. Will any Wings fans even make it to the opening faceoff before wanting to toss their TVs out of the window due to all of Versus’ inevitable Penguin-fawning? This would be an interesting thing for me to try since I live in the basement and I’d actually have to heave the TV up and out of the egress ditch.
I solved this problem by not watching the pre-game show.

3. What great new word or phrase are the Versus announcers going to delight us with tonight? In the past, we’ve been treated to ‘mastodonic,’ and more recently ‘Danglelicious.” I’m eagerly awaiting more of their oratorical brilliance.
Sadly, we weren’t treated to any delicious creativity.

4. Who is Matt Cooke going to try to kill tonight?
It turned out that Cooke wasn’t the one the Wings had to be looking over their shoulders for.

Cookies and Cupcakes for Henrik Zetterberg
There’s very little that you can do to convince me that Sidney Crosby doesn’t have nightmares about Zetterberg shadowing him anywhere and everywhere he goes.

Drew Miller the Golden Facepalm
He missed another glorious opportunity. I don't know what he was up to during the two games I missed, but the last little stretch seems to have been filled with numerous chances that should've resulted in goals for him if he had a little more finish.

What I Learned:
A whole week without hockey is horrendous.

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

• The Wings didn’t exactly come flying out of the gate last night, but they buckled down when things mattered the most and managed to squeak out an important win.
• I really can’t stress enough how important it was to win that game.
• Kirk Maltby did a good job in his audition for a post-career broadcasting gig. I also thought it was cute that Homer asked about him in his post-game interview.
• The name Nigel Dawes never fails to make me snicker. I should grow up.
• What got into Drew Miller? He had his best game in a while and had a bunch of great chances. He didn’t quite finish any of them, and I was shocked that ‘snakebit’ wasn’t used to describe him on the broadcast. This was good because it should really be ‘snake-bitten’ and that bothers me.
• I was terrified on that penalty shot. However, since Jimmy Howard made the save, it ended out working out pretty well for the Wings. They got to keep their powerplay and went on to do good things with that. I really thought Jason Williams (Who?) was the one who got called for the penalty shot, but according to the box score, it was actually Zetterberg. (UPDATE 3/16/10 8:31 PM: I finally got to watch the replay just now, and it was clearly Williams. I'm not sure what the deal with the box score saying it was Zetterberg is. He wasn't anywhere near it. I still say it was a weak penalty shot call, though.)
  
• I still haven’t figured out what Z was doing on that play when Z made the turnover that led to the breakaway that led to the penalty shot.
• Datsyuk’s goal came courtesy of a classic Holmstrom screen. It was sheer beauty.
• When Brian Rafalski took that four-minute penalty in the third, I thought in my head that whoever was successful during that penalty would win the game. If Calgary scored, they’d go on to win, but if the Wings killed it off they’d end up on top. Of course, I didn’t dare say that out loud and I quickly banished those thoughts. Luckily, I turned out to be correct.
• Holmstrom’s goal was on a classic deflection right in front of the net. He was in picturesque form last night.
• Don’t overlook the play Brad Stuart made to keep the puck in the zone right before Franzen took the shot that was deflected in. Without that, the goal doesn’t happen.
• It had to be disheartening for the Flames to give up a goal in the final minute of the second period, and then the winner with less than two minutes to go in the game. I mean, I don’t really care, but having watched the Wings do that numerous times this season, I can empathize.
• Winning this game means that Calgary doesn’t win the season series, which is one of the tiebreakers should they find themselves deadlocked with Calgary for 8th place at the end of the season. Of course, if the Wings would just buckle down and play hockey like they have been over the last week, I don’t think we’ll have to be agonizing about trying to understand the tiebreakers at the end of the season.
• I was really amused by how excited everyone on Twitter was about that shot that Jimmy didn’t give up a rebound on near the end of the game. Still, it was vacuum-like.
• I wasn’t particularly happy with the fact that Zetterberg lost two straight defensive zone faceoffs during the final seconds of the game. Obviously, nothing bad happened, but those have to be won.
• The Wings now find themselves an exciting three points above Calgary in the standings and only one point behind Nashville for 7th place. They’re in a position where they can’t be passed during their three day mini-break on the west coast (Seriously, three days off and then back-to-back games? On the weekend I’m going out of town? I’m going to go a whole week without watching a game, which is sad for me.) How much more anxious would we all be if we had to sit idly by during the next three days knowing that the Wings were out of the playoffs again and other teams were pulling away? By the time the weekend rolls around, the Wings will still be in 8th place and have at least a game in hand on both of the teams they’re battling with for the last two slots. What a relief.
  

GP Answer:
1. Those games we enjoyed so much against the Wild and Sabres aren’t going to mean a whole lot if the Wings can’t pull this one off tomorrow. There’s only one question today: will they show up? This season, the Wings have had a stunning inability to rise to the occasion when these big games come up. Let’s hope that that trend reverses itself against the Flames. The big guns are going to have to show up, and the role players are going to have to bring their best game. Losing this one’s not an option.
Their start wasn't particularly impressive, but they pulled off the win, and did it in regulation. You can't ask for more than that, I guess.

Cookies and Cupcakes for Tomas Holmstrom
Homer was doing that thing that he does all night long. I often wonder if the other 29 teams in the league keep a psychologist on staff to help their goalies recover after games against the Wings and Holmstrom’s rear end. It can’t be fun for them. I, on the other hand, love nothing more than geeking out over another superb Holmstrom deflection or screen.

Andreas Lilja gets the Golden Facepalm
That turnover on Calgary’s goal can’t happen.

Henrik Zetterberg gets a Secondary Facepalm
This is twice in one week, I think. I’m kind of shocked, that I’m even doing this. Still, that turnover, the penalty shot, and those key faceoff losses at the end of the game just don’t paint a pretty picture.

What I Learned:
NHL anagrams are fun. Try them. You won’t regret it. Brad Stuart’s is Absurd Tart, just for reference. You also might find out that your little sister’s is hilarious and be able to torment her with it.

Red Wings 3, Sabres 2 (OT): Post Game Snipes...

• The first ten minutes of the game looked like a continuation of the Minnesota game. The Wings were in vintage form, and I was as thrilled as can be. Then, oddly enough, the Wings started to sit back and allowed the Sabres back into the game.
• Pavel Datsyuk’s goal was from an incredible angle. I have no idea how he managed to put it in the net from that close to the goal line, with a defenseman in the way.
• Eaves’ goal was the result of straight up hard work. I liked it a lot.
• I skimmed through the last few minutes of the first period because my new housemate who’s moving in tomorrow showed up and we were chatting. I don’t regret anything.
• They managed to play the start of ‘Piano Man’ right at 9 o’clock. I was really amused. If I was in charge of the audio at the Joe, I know that I’d be hoping that there was a stoppage in play right at nine so that I could play it right on the dot. It’s the little things in life that amuse me.
• I really don’t like seeing Jason Williams (Who?) and Todd Bertuzzi on the ice together. It just seems like a bad idea.
• It turns out that the Sabres' tying goal came on a play that should've been blown dead because the puck hit the netting. I had no idea until that information found its way to Twitter via the Salers. FSD pointed it out later during intermission. Based on history and karma, we should expect the Wings to play the Sabres again this time next year and score a goal on an eerily similar play off the netting. At least that's what happened when San Jose was the beneficiary of a missed call like that two seasons ago, only to see the Wings get retribution almost exactly one year later on a bounce like that. See folks, this is why we believe in the Hockey Gods.
  
• The Sabres rang a shot off the post late in the third period that I was 100% sure was in the net. I was so sure that I started yelling at my TV for half a second. Luckily, I was wrong.
• That overtime goal was pure Olympic Rafalski. I’m sure Ryan Miller was wishing that they were still on the same side.
• I was a lot happier to see R. Miller give up an OT goal this time around.
• This game brought the Wings dead even in the goals for/against category. That makes me sad.
  
• All in all, I’d say that this was a pretty typical ’09-’10 Wings game.
  

GP Answers:
1. Miller vs. Miller tonight. I can’t tell you what I’d give to get a chance to take on one of my siblings in an arena like this. Which one will prevail?
Drew wins! Sure he didn’t score on his brother, but I have a feeling he’d rather have these two points in the standings.

2. The powerplay’s suddenly caught fire since Johan Franzen returned. Can it keep going after a having such a rocky first part of the season?
How nice is it that the Wings have a powerplay again? They’ve got a nine-game conversion streak going on right now. In those nine games, they’re 6-2-1. I guess that’s what a real, live powerplay does for a team, eh?

3. Zetterberg had one of his best games of the season on Thursday after having his line shuffled. Can that success continue?
He wasn’t nearly at the level we saw on Thursday, but he was definitely more visible than he’s been in the recent past.

4. The game against the Wild was remarkable in the sense that the Wings displayed a level of effort and commitment to win that has been lacking this season. What are the odds that we get to see a game like that twice in a row? If they play like that again tonight, I might have to call this the start of a trend. By itself, though, the Wild game doesn’t mean a whole lot.
During the fist ten minutes of the game, it looked like we were seeing the same team that dominated the Wild. Then they went and let up. Still though, they’re looking like a team that can go places right now.

Cookies and Cupcakes for Brian Rafalski
You score an overtime goal and you get the baked goods. That’s the way things go.

Jimmy Howard’s rebound control gets the Golden Facepalm
Rebounds led to both goals. This continues to make me nervous.

What I Learned:
Drew Miller and Ryan Miller are brothers. Wowzers!!!