Howard Lifts Wings to Complete Sweep of Blue Jackets

It was a very solid 4-2 victory with input from all lines and good defensive accountability. The Jackets held a lead midway through the game on the back of a last minute goal from a Derek Brassard tip. It seemed goals would again be hard to come by with Chris Mason dominant up until that point. It must suck to be a goalie against the Wings though, as Nik Kronwall banged away and finally found the net followed by Darren helm taking advantage of a broken play just 14 seconds later to give Detroit the lead. Filppula added a very valuable goal to start the 3rd period but the biggest victory of the night came during a 4-minute period in which Detroit killed off two minutes of 5-on4 and two minutes of 5-on-3 PP time for the Blue Jackets with very little difficulty. That set up the win from there as Detroit moved to 15 wins on the season.

I don't normally make a habit of criticizing other teams, but Columbus will never be a serious threat to contenders with a powerplay like that. Howard had a good game and the PK from Detroit was solid yes, but it wasn't invincible and Columbus was just completely inept with the man-advantage almost all game. Even the late goal was borne of a pretty weak 72 secs of powerplay time. The way the played the 4 minute and most importantly, the full two minutes of 5-on-3 powerplay time was just disgraceful. They took long shots for easy blocks, they made in lanes that weren't open and barely made the Wings chase at all with poor cycling. I'm sorry, but I just had to get that out of my system. Arniel, you gotta fix this ASAP.

Anyway, this is a Red Wings blog so back to them...

It was another game with limited offensive input from Detroit's top scorers. Zetterberg and Lidstrom held pointless however Datsyuk got two assists, with one being on Cleary's EN goal with under a minute left. And this is the difference between this season and last. This is probably a game Detroit would've lost about 12 months ago, when they didn't have the depth they do now. Val Filppula had another two-point night with his second straight GWG and Franzen got a couple of assists. Mike Babcock is usually able to rely on at least one of the bottom three lines to step up if the top line is struggling.

To be fair though, "struggling" wouldn't describe the top line's performance tonight. Zetterberg and Datsyuk were dynamic on several instances and I think they (particularly Z) were very unlucky to not hook-up for some scoring of their own. Hank created several chances but it wasn't meant to be for him, as Mason was up to the task and made things tough for the Wings' forwards.

I mentioned in the preview that I thought this was a very important game to win.

The victory gives the Wings a 4 point lead in the Central (and Western Conference) over Columbus with a game in hand. This gap will definitely come in handy as Detroit heads to San Jose tomorrow to finish off November and head into a 16-game December.

Game Two; Jackets Seeking Revenge in Detroit

Detroit and Columbus will complete the Michigan-Ohio weekend with a matinee affair that frankly, I'm a little worried about.

Detroit was a greatly improved team on Friday, after getting thrashed [pun intended] a few nights before. It was undoubtedly a better defensive effort, however not without its faults. Fact is, Jimmy needed to be outstanding to take the victory. That was mainly because his opponent Steve Mason, was just as prolific as the two young goalies combined for 64 saves with only 3 goals allowed.

Whether or not those two men will start the second game of the home-and-home remains to be seen. For Detroit, Howard has played a lot of games of late and could definitely use a break with a hectic December right around the corner. For the Jackets, while Steve Mason's thrid-star performance was encouraging, back-up netminder Mathieu Garon has had the best start to a season in his career and could help Scott Arniel solve the Red Wings and get back within striking distance of top spot in the Western Conference.

So back to my opening statement in which I expressed concern for the outcome of this match.

I'm still not very pleased with Detroit's performances of late and what I saw of Columbus impressed me greatly. For some reason the Blue Jackets have had great success on the road this year, and I feel they'll be a very determined team heading into the Joe. If the Red Wings cannot match this determination, they'll surely be beaten. I only take solace in the fact that they won Friday's game by the skin of their teeth. A wide margin would surely result in Detroit's patented complacency that kills them in so many winnable games. Also, Detroit sucks before 7pm. I don't know why, but ever since I could remember the Winged Wheel has seemed to struggled in daytime or twilight scheduled games.

It's not all doom and gloom though. At the end of the day, the Wings won without any offense from their top 3 scorers Lidstrom, Zetterberg and Datsyuk. They also spent a good portion of the first half of the game short-handed without any ill-effects. With this in mind, there's a lot more good that could happen to help them pick up two points in this one.

It's an important two points up for grabs in my opinion. Our boys might be sitting in a pleasant position right now, but it's been a pretty leisurely schedule so far. December's schedule is flat out with several road trips, it'll be terribly difficult to maintain .750pt%. Let's get 'er done while we can!

Top Spot Up for Grabs in the West; Detroit @ Columbus Game Preview

I have a very vague memory of the last time Detroit lost a game 5-1. It was about this time last year, I was blind drunk at the Madison Ave Pub in downtown Toronto, in my Yzerman jersey watching the Wings get destroyed by the Leafs. As shocked as I was at the ineptitude displayed the Detroit on that night, even more shocked was I when I witnessed the next game:

Detroit 9 @ Columbus 1

Interesting...

Am I being over-zealous in my pursuit to find some positives from the debacle in Atlanta? Probably, but I guess the point I'm really trying to make is that when they get smashed this team responds. Such is the command Mike Babcock has on them.

But while Detroit's team tonight will be significantly better than the one that walloped the BJs last year, the Jackets have improved their fair share too.

One important stat that sums up the challenge this game should be:

Pts%
Detroit - .737%, 1st NHL
Columbus - .700%, 2nd NHL

Columbus have been on fire of late winning their last five games for their best start in franchise history. A huge part of their record-setting takeoff has been on the road. Columbus has gone an incredible 8-1-0 so far. To juxtapose this stat and make it even more unbelievable, in 2009/10 the BJ's won the grand total of 12 games! They already have 67% of their total wins from 09/10 in just 9 GP.

Luckily for Detroit, this game will be at the Nationwide Arena where Scott Arniel's team have looked more human, going 6-5-0. If however, Columbus are able to please the home crowd and improve their modest record tonight, they will leapfrog the Wings for top spot in the West. I'm not sure if Columbus has been there ever, let alone at this point in the season.

For the Wings, Jiri Hudler returns to the line-up as Drew Miller is the rotated scratch tonight.

Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets Preview

In the second of the home-and-home series between Detroit and Columbus, the Wings look to solidify their dominance of the Blue Jackets, and jockey for position in the Western conference standings with only Sunday's game remaining after tonight.

Right now Detroit sits in 6th place on even points with both Los Angeles (5th) and Nashville (7th). The Wings sit ahead of the Predators by virtue of having one game in hand but the Kings high wins total gives them the tie-breaker over Detroit for 5th place.

Wednesday night's game was not what Mike Babcock had hoped to get from his squad but is somewhat satisfied with getting the all important 2 points with the help of three 3rd period goals in just 76 seconds. A more defensively responsible effort will be required tonight to get another two points and wrap up the season series with the BJ's getting 11 of a possible 12 points.

Turnovers in their own end gave the Jackets a chance at the win, but the Wings explosive third period saved the game and got the 4-3 result.

Wings Look to Snap Losing Streak; Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets Preview

After a disappointing weekend getting only 1 of 4 possible points, the Red Wings chances of getting 5th in the Western Conference, while still strong, have taken a hit. Detroit now relies on the Kings and the Predators to drop points while winning all their remaining three games.

The rest of Detroit's regular season begins at home on Wednesday, when they meet Columbus in the first game of a home-and-home series. The game will mark the final home game of the season for Detroit as they head to Columbus and Chicago to round out the season.

The Red Wings had a rough game against the Flyers but the team's recent form is still positive overall, with Johan Franzen, Tomas Holmstrom and Pavel Dastyuk all registering 9 points in their last 6 games.

The trio will hope to get offensive help from Henrik Zetterberg, Valtteri Filppula, Nick Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski; who've all gotten 3 points or less each, in the last 6 contests.

Wings Seek Seventh Straight; Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets Preview

Detroit looks to do something they haven't done in two years; win 7 in a row. More importantly, Detroit looks to do something they haven't done this season; sit 5th in the West.

Tonight's game vs. Columbus marks only the fourth game of the season between the divisional rivals, who will play another pair of games against each other before the conclusion of the regular season.

Columbus has been pretty hot lately under the guidance of new coach Claude Noel, going 7-2-2 in their last 11 games. Two of those wins against the Central division leaders, the Chicago Blackhawks, by a combined score of 12-5.

Detroit on the other hand, has been the hottest team in the NHL after the Olympic break with an impressive stretch of their own going 12-2-1 since Canada won Gold in Vancouver.

This surge has pushed the Wings from 9th in the West to a solid 6th position and all but a certainty to continue their playoff qualification streak to 19 seasons. A victory tonight would give Detroit an almost insurmountable 8 point lead over the Calgary Flames in 9th, with only 5 games to play in the season.

Other Previews:

Winging It In Motown

As mentioned on FSD: Nightmare on Helm Street

Preview vs. San Jose; Kronwall out

After a grueling and, at times, disheartening road trip, the Red Wings return home with a chance to sweep a season series against the Western Conference-leading San Jose Sharks and turn momentum to their favour heading into the Olympic break. Detroit's bid to get back into the playoff picture may be boosted by the addition of Tomas Holmstrom into the lineup.

"It was a big difference from yesterday to today,'' Holmstrom said. "It's going to be a big test for sure. I need to get these games. It's going to be a tough one for sure, but I may as well get into it right away.''

Brad May will skate in the pre-game warmups as a back-up should Holmstrom be unfit to action. Homer is recovering from a bruised left knee he sustained in Los Angeles last week.

Niklas Kronwall is also being troubled with knee problems. Since suffering a realtively minor sprain in November, he has had difficulty returning to full health and, although the condition of his knee is reported to be improving, he has been ruled out for tonight's clash with the Sharks.

"It feels better today than yesterday, so I'm taking a step in the right direction,'' Kronwall said.

Detroit will need to be at their best tonight after a less than impressive outing against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. They'll look to take advantage of a travelling road team, as the Sharks are on the second of back-to-back games tonight after a 3-0 shutout loss to Steve Mason and the Blue Jackets. Wings' fans might also take heart in knowing that in the 3 previous meetings this season between these two rivals, a much more undermanned Detroit team has won all three, two of them fairly easily.

Jimmy Howard is expected to start in goal once again.