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.