NYI...

Going to try to do a running game recap today, since I have nothing better to do...

The New York Islanders took 13.5 minutes to register a shot on goal. The bad news is that out of the 4 shots they took in the first period, 2 of them went in. John Tavares (who can feel free to knock it off at any time) scored both of them, and the first ended witht he Islanders up by one. Johan Franzen scored the first goal of the game, in what looked like a runaway for the Red Wings, but apparently the Islanders have Jimmy Howards number. Well, at least John Tavares (who I hope has a freak accident in the locker room with a cigarette lighter and accidentally burns all his sticks) does. So the first period ends with the Isles scoring on 50% of their shots, and the Wings scoring on roughly 8%. I don't think I like these numbers...AND the Red Wings had two opportunities on the power play.

Second Period: I'm getting verrrrry sleeeeepy...Again, a power play opportunity squandered, Tomas Holmstrom has taken 4 shots on net, and the Wings closest opportunity was from 20 feet. Jimmy DID stop a point-blank attampt by Jon Sim, so maybe he's getting his confidence back and getting into a rythym. He still isn't facing all that may shots (5 so far, with 5:13 remaining), but at least 50% of them are finding their way across the goal line. Well, that is until the Isles potted another goal with 4:47 remaining, this time it was Jesse Joensuu. Since I am following the game online now, I did not see the play, so I don't know if Jimmah could have done much about it...however, I can tell that Dwayne Roloson is not having too much trouble. Just as the second period was about to end, Valtteri Filppula knocks a Nick Lidstrom rebound past Roloson to put the Wings within one, and more importantly, give the Wings the momentum shift going into the third. Roloson has the entire intermission to let that last second goal worm its way into his psyche and start gnawing on his confidence. The Second period ends with the Wings down by one. Sound familiar? It should, because if history is any indicator, the Wings have the Isles right where they want em.

Third period begins, and the Red Wings are dominating the Isles, but they have let yet another power play slip past without a goal, and they have now doubled up on the Isles in shots. Unfortunately, the "W" is not awarded for having more shots than the other guys, so ideally, the Wings need to get a few more biscuits in the basket. As I wrote that, Tomas Tatar SCORES to put the game back on an even keel....wait...Who the "H - E - double hockey sticks" is Tomas Tatar? Wait, this just in from MLive.com: "Tatar has been called up from AHL Grand Rapids to make his NHL debut against the Islanders". Well there you have it. Called up just to score goals! What an interesting concept...First NHL goal, so congratulate him if you see him at Cheli's. Its all knotted up and grinding towards overtime, and the occasional shots that New York throws at Jimmy Howard are giving me fits, but he is doing OK, keeping the Wings in it. I can't help but think if Chris Osgood would be a little more solid right now since win #400 is behind him and he can relax and have fun. No matter, he's on the bench and Babs isn't going to pull Jimmah with 2 minutes to go. So down the stretch they come, and the Wings are peppering Roloson with shots and at this point, if someone scores, it will very likely be the game winner. Last minute to play, and Ruslan Salei tosses one into the middle to be batted away by Roloson. The Wings are really putting the screws to the Isles, but Roloson is strong with 30 sec to go. Looks like its going to OT...

OT: With one point in the bag, the Wings and Isles take to the ice for 5 min of sudden death. Two minutes in, the Wings get a power play, which is immediately negated by Zetterberg, which puts the game into a minute or so of 3 on 3, the rarest of hockey moments. Of course, nothing happens during the 3 on 3, and as soon as the Islanders go on the power play, they score to end the game. Of course.

Well, that will probably be the last time for a live game recap....

Old Guys

The Red Wings' old guys are really turning the trick these days. Chris Osgood cemented his place in Red Wings (and NHL) history a few days ago (more on that later), Nicklas Lidstrom is scoring more points than some forwards, and Kris Draper is experiencing a bit of a resurgence. It's refreshing, especially the Kris Draper thing, because he is one of this authors favorite players ever. People were starting to doubt him, and while he isn't having a career season, he IS contributing, and that has to count for something.

Watching the last game gave me fits. Jiri Hudler (who seems to have found his shot) had already scored, and this is how the first period ended. I can deal with that. But then, in the space of just over a minute not quite halfway through the second period, I was motivated to just turn it off and go to bed. Suddenly it was 3-1, and the Wings looked a little off stride. Jimmy Howard was no doubt wondering who but that bigger net behind him when he wasn't looking, and I thought I saw him looking towards the bench, wondering when Mike Babcock was going to wave him off and send in Chris Osgood. Who, by the way, should play a LOT better now that he has the "400" monkey off his back. In any case, there needed to be a spark, or at least a realignment of sorts. It came in the form of a 36 foot slapshot from Nicklas Lidstrom, which perked up the defense, and a goal from Patrick Eaves to close out the second, and reduce this game to a 20 minute free for all. What the Dallas Stars didn't know is that control of the game would now be in the hands of the Red Wings.

In the third, Brad Stuart decided to try his hand at the long slapshot, since he had seen Lidstrom do it. It worked, and the Wings are up by one. Then Kris Draper, not to be outdone, slapped in another. After that it was the Patrick Eaves Show and the Wings win by 4 goals.

Mike Babcock, on Eaves:

"He can shoot the puck and he likes to shoot it. Like anybody who starts scoring, he shoots the puck all the time. Guys that don't score, they never shoot the puck. They just keep passing and wonder why they don't score. I'm glad he's got it figured out."

So basically, if you don't take any shots, you will never score. Right. Thanks Mike. Now you just need to tell some of the guys, like Brian Rafalski (0G, 24A). Yeah yeah, we all know that an assist is just as good for the team, but think about how many games the Wings win if Rafalski and Hudler REALLY start producing...

On Osgood: He now has more wins than a lot of goalies in the Hall of Fame already, and the same number of Stanley Cups as Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur, and might (just might) catch Terry Sawchuk. Doubtful though. In any case, his HOF credentials are only stained by the fact that everyone sees only the soft goals and missteps, and not the fantastic performances he has turned in over time. Take Win #400 for example: 49 shots and 46 saves in a game where the rest of the Red Wings were outplayed badly. Ozzie kept them in the game, despite an (arguably) soft goal. He has done this many times, but all anyone remembers is that he let goal in from center ice. So what? The Red Wings actually WON that game you know...

399.5???

I really hate these games...you all know, the one where the Wings are up, the crowd is TOTALLY into the game, and then, they blow it. Actually, the superstitious people among you can blame it ALL on the TV voice who just had to say that the Wings are 8-0-1 in games where they are tied after one period. Why do we need to know this? Totally worthless stat, and in this case, sent the Wings chances into the toilet.

So the game: Datsyuk scores first on the power play on a sweet backhand shot. Then about 10 min later, Eaves scores on a big fat rebound to make it 2-0. Did you ever notice how the other teams goals always look like they got lucky? Well, about 90 seconds after Eaves scores, Brad Richards dumps it in the general direction of the net, on a shot that wouldn't even have landed in the trapezoid, and somehow it ends up in the net. After a few seconds of disbelief, I watched it several times in super slo mo and saw that it deflected off Brad Stuart's skate. Super. Alright, whatever, its just one goal, right? Wrong. I barely had a chance to stop sulking about the Brad Stuart thing when all of a sudden, everyone seemed to run away from Trevor Daley like he dropped a deuce in his shorts, and gave him rougly the entire area inside the blue line to shoot. It goes in, even though Osgood should have seen it all the way. Back to the replay, and it was revealed that the puck went in off the shaft of Brendan Morrow's stick.

In the second, I had to wait 19 minutes and change for the lone goal, but it was sort of spruced up when Steve Ott and Abdelkader decided to drop the gloves and make out for 30 seconds. I mean, I've seen Abdelkader drop the gloves before, but has anyone seen him throw a punch? Just sayin... Finally, Franzen pots one to make it 3-2 Wings, and it was the result of a lot of hard work. Franzen deserved that goal, and the last 3 minutes or so of the second period was downright fantastic. Kris Draper looked young again. Sort of.

Third period starts, and the play was mediocre. There was an overlong (I thought) conversation about Osgood's Hall of Fame chances. This can be summed up in one word. YES. God's sake the guy has a handful of Stanley Cups, almost 400 wins, and steady play. AND he beat the shit out of Patrick Roy that one time. It's a no brainer. He should be in. About halfway through the third, you can tell the crowd is loving this game when Helm almost gets a short handed goal. Again. Seems like he is always doing that, doesn't it? I hope we keep the kid he is so fast that by the time the opposition mentally registers the fact that he is coming, he's already gone by. Which is what happened here, he just didn't score. If he had... (well, never mind that, we could go on about that all day.) Then, then.... OK, for the record, it wounds me deeply that I have to disparage a professional hockey player from my hometown (Wyandotte, MI), but I think that Brian Rafalski was a bit distracted by the crowd chanting for Osgood, because he just...GAVE it to Jamie Benn. I mean, it didn't even look like he even meant to pass it to anyone else. Before I could even completely formulate the inevitable thought that "this isn't going to turn out well", it didn't. Brendan Morrow was already camped in front of Osgood, having a coke and a hot dog, when he received the pass from Benn that netted they tying goal. The crowd deflates. So does Osgood. The chants go: "OZZIE OZZIE OZ-awwww". Yeah. Really.

I didn't even want to watch the overtime, but I did, and wouldn't you know it, the Stars get a power play. Then a 3 on 1. Then a goal. Great. At least we get a point.

Finally...and a new record!

If Nick Lidstrom has a to-do list, by now it is probably pretty damn short. Does he have it posted on the fridge, right next to the "Honey-do" list? Let's see...

Win Stanley Cup...check

Win World Championship...check

Win Olympic Gold Medal...check

Never finish a season in the "minus"...check

Win Norris Trophy...check

Win Conn Smythe Trophy...check

50 point season...check

60 point season...check

70 point season...check

80 point season...check

Average one point per game...check

Get a Hat Trick...hmmmmm...

(Get it? "check"? Oh, never mind...losers...)

Until last night, the great Nicklas Lidstrom had not scored a Hat Trick, even during the season where he amassed 80 points. That's pretty close to the top of the list. For all he has done, over 20 years, still no Hat Trick. Until last night. Thats the great thing about the Wings. When the offense can't seem to put the biscuit in the basket, the defense will. Out of 5 goals last night, two defensemen accounted for 4 of them. Now Nick can check off another item, and that is the one that reads, "Become oldest defenseman in history to record his first Hat Trick".

Wings win, 5-2, and are hopefully back to their winning ways.

Below .500??

OK yeah, below .500 for December as of right now. The Wings are playing the Blues right now, so maybe we can draw even. Even so, for this spoiled rotten Wings fan, losing this often sucks donkey.

Since I haven't dropped a blog on you for a few games, I will go over them. Quickly. Because I really, REALLY hate to talk about the Wings when they are not doing so well. Luckily I have other things to distract me, such as wor, and the Nutcracker.

Yes, the Nutcracker. Its a ballet. Uncultured fools, all of you. In any case, my daughter is in a few parts, and she is kicking ass. Seeing her do so well keeps my mind off the Red Wings when they are doing their best impression of 1986.

ANYWAYS: Here you go. The Wings went to Anaheim and shut out the Ducks, 4-0. Player of the game was Howard, obviously, he got the shutout. Then the Wings packed up and took the short walk across the highway to LA to lose in OT to the Kings. Player of the Game? Anze Kopitar. Yes, I KNOW he plays for the other team, but he scored the game winner, so he deserves it. Besides, I can throw a dart at a team picture of the Wings and tell you how bad they sucked, no matter who it hits. Even the towel boys were slow. Moving on, the Wings lose back to back games (for a total of three in a row), to the (stupid) Sharks and the Predators. Then Montreal came to town for an Original Six matchup, and the Wings managed to score 4 and win one. After that, they travelled to New Jersey, and I see Chris Osgood in net. I groan inwardly, because I think old Ozzie is one of the best goalies of all time, but maybe he's in his last season....yeah I said ALL TIME. I see you shaking your heads, you non-believers. Go look at the top ten winningest goalies of all time...guess who is ahead of names like Dominik Hasek, John Vanbiesbrouck, and Mike Vernon? Terry Sawchuk's number hangs from the rafters, and Osgood will probably end up with more wins, but do you think his number will be up there? Hell no. Anyway, Ozzie got win number 399 while beating the THE winnigest goatender of all time, Martin Brodeur. The man gets no respect, even after 4 Stanley Cups. Next on the list is Grant Fuhr, only a mere 8 wins away. He won't catch Marty but he will retire with numbers that are solidly in the top ten of all time.

I'll fill you in on the St Louis game after it ends. Yeah, I know I forgot a game, but it isnt worth talking about, since I could hear the sucking all the way over here in the Seattle area. It was that bad. So bad, in fact, that I think Mickey Redmond actually started drinking during the first period. Right now its the end of the Second, and the Wings have a 3-1 lead....

Streakin...

You know, I should really quit reading the Triple Deke blog before writing my own. Its hard to write when you are still pissing yourself over some totally random comment that he threw in there for this express purpose. In any case, the Wings are on a hot streak, winning three in a row, and beating up on the Columbus BlowJays twice. That Nash kid is pretty good, but one person doesn't make a team. The BlowJays might go into the playoffs, but they are not making it out of the first round unless Jesus Christ Himself intervenes and the Edmonton Oilers (7-12-4) make the post season.

No matter how you slice it, the Wings are on fire. All the talking heads on TV will tell you that they are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games. So what? Why not just roll back all the way to the beginning of the season? They are 16-4-2. Yeah, take that. They are firmly on top of the West, and they would be on top of the whole NHL if the Eastern Conference didn't have The Devils, Islanders, Sabres, Maple Leafs, Hurricanes, and Panthers to beat up on. (Yeah, I didn't link these teams because nobody likes them, sue me).

If you browse the Red Wings statistics pages, you will note that Ruslan Salei leads the team in PIM. The Red Wings web managers, in an effort to make it look like this was some error, have posted his picture in his Avalanche sweater. He's dead to them, apparently. In the "good" stats, Cleary still leads the team in goals, Lidstrom and Datsyuk are tied for most assists, and Datsyuk is on top in total points. Speaking of assists, if you missed that one from Datsyuk to Zetterberg in the game against the (stupid) Sharks, you need to go watch the highlights.

Now. About this Modano thing. According to the Detroit Free Press, Modano may not return AT ALL this season. A skate blade cut a tendon in his wrist. Remember those old fashioned brown leather gloves that went roughly up to your shoulder like a cow insemination glove? Maybe the rest of the players should take a lesson and go back to the high cuff gloves, rather than these sporty little Isotoner-looking things they are wearing now...so out for the season. Great. There goes at least 30 points. On the upside, the Wings actually have someone to replace him with. The other upside is that the Wings, with the return of Kris Draper in a few days, will have exactly ONE person on the DL (knock on wood).

Anaheim is next, but not till Friday. Plenty of time to soak up some rays on the Pacific Coast, then the dreaded "three games in four days" plan, one of which is San Jose at the Joe a day after back to back west coast games. Not looking forward to that one...

Anyway, you all get a lot of late night/early morning ramblings this week...