Strong week pushes Wings to top of TSN Power Rankings

Firstly, sorry for the lack of posting recently and no game preview of the Wings and Ducks on Saturday. I've been having some major PC issues of late which culminated in the mysterious and still unexplained inability to log into any of my google accounts. This, of course, makes it difficult to update a blog hosted by Blogger.com (ie. Google). Anyway, all that's in the past (hopefully) and we're now back on board and good to go.

So, it was a pretty successful weekend for Detroit, who find themselves with a somewhat leisurely schedule right now. The Wings week began with a four day break to prepare for home games against the Flames and Ducks on Thursday and Saturday respectively, and now are in the midst of another four day hiatus with another Thursday, Saturday home stand ahead.

The offensively embattled Calgary Flames found ways to find the net early on Thursday and give Babcock's boys more than a few headaches. Calgary was able to double their season total of first-period goals on the back of a strong display of offensive potency from 21-year-old future star Mikael Backlund. Henrik Zetterberg also nabbed his maiden tally of the season with the Wings sporting a 2-1 deficit at the first break.

Detroit's top two lines then began to take over as the Wings scored three goals unanswered to take a 4-2 victory for Jimmy Howard. Bertuzzi, Zetterberg and Datsyuk all getting two points each with Franzen scoring his fourth of the season and his second game-winner.

The Winged Wheelers were able to snatch another victory from behind two nights later, this time against Anaheim.

The Ducks had a one-goal lead midway through the third period and a 2-goal lead midway through the game, but Henrik Zetterberg with his 2 goal, 4 point night lead Detroit to victory, with a little help from his magical friend Mr. Datsyuk. Franzen also added another lazy goal for the game -- a feat he seems to find as difficult to achieve as a bowel movement. With continued health, this man will surely be Detroit's next 50-goal scorer.

#13 roofed the puck over Curtis McElhinney with under 12 seconds left in the game to steal the win as Anaheim agonized over two more points lost.

The game was not without controversy however. Early in the game Teemu Selanne his head down was rocked with a front-on shoulder hit from Niklas Kronwall. The play was without penalty due to the hit being completely legal.

A usually classy Selanne complained about the hit after the game claiming Kronwall was dangerous and got his elbow up. He also admitted he hadn't seen the hit. Perhaps if he actually looked at the hit he might understand that to outlaw a hit like this is to outlaw hitting from the game. The Flying Finn is understandably frustrated with the recent fortunes of his team and the harsh nature of their loss on the night.

The victories give Detroit a 5-1-1 start to the season and gave Jimmy Howard his 20th consecutive start without a regulation loss, tying his teammate Chris Osgood's post-lockout record. The team's recent success seems to have caught the attention of TSN, as the Winged Wheel moved from #7 to #1 in their Power Rankings, leading Central rivals St. Louis in #2 and Nashville third.

Detroit now awaits visits from Phoenix on Thursday, followed by Nashville on Saturday.

Them Pesky Oils; Red Wings 5, Oilers 4 Recap

It was a game of two halves, the first going to Detroit and the second going the Oilers way in a game that was much closer than it should've been.

The Red Wings blew a 4-goal lead they held late in the second period, but two points is two points because the Wings took a 5-4 decision and drew within a point of the Nashville Predators for fifth in the Conference, with 2 games in hand.

Detroit dominated the early going outshooting the Oilers 16-7 in the first frame and opening up a 3-goal lead after one period.

The Wings continued to dominate the second period with innumberable great scoring chances but Oilers goalie, Jeff Deslauriers stood tall, holding for his team a minor chance to get back into the game. But with under 4 minutes to go in the period whilst on the powerplay, Johan Franzen netted his tenth of the season to seemingly put the game out of reach for Edmonton.

Less than 30 seconds later, the game reached a turning point as Valtteri Filppula was sent to the box. The Oilers needed only 4 seconds of that powerplay to get on the board and gain some momentum, and gain momentum they did.

Less than a minute later Mike Comrie cut the lead to two, on a soft goal by Jimmy Howard's standards.

The third period also went the Oilers way. Barely half way through the Red Wings had completely blown their 4 goal lead on goals from Zack Stortini and Tom Gilbert. Luckily, the Wings were able to steady the ship and Brad Stuart tipped the puck by Deslauriers for the perhaps undeserved win.

Undeserved or not, a win is a win, and good teams often get 2 points from games they shouldn't.

For Detroit, Andreas Lilja, Drew Miller, Nik Kronwall, Johan Franzen and Brad Stuart scored. Whilst Comrie, Stortini and two from Tom Gilbert fileld the scoreboard for Edmonton.

WOW Factor
The tide seemed to turn and turn quickly as soon as Filppula took his penalty and the Oilers scored off the draw. The Wings were their own worst enemy as they became almost fatally complacent with the 4-goal cushion. It wasn't until the game was tied that Detroit really applied more offensive pressure to Edmonton.

Special Teams
The Red Wings powerplay was very strong but scored once from three chances thanks to some acrobatic stops from Deslauriers. The Oilers scored 4 seconds into their 2nd PP of the game but couldn't muster much on their other chances going 1/4 for the game.

In net
Jimmy Howard stopped 22 of 26 shots for Detroit.
Jeff Deslauriers stopped 39 of 44 for Edmonton.

Up Next...
Detroit continues its 3-game home stand on Thursday against Columbus followed by a Saturday afternoon showdown against the 5th-placed Predators (that I'll be attending WOO!!)

Hot Wings Get Fifth Straight; Red Wings 1, Preds 0 (SO)

Maybe I should be cut off from the outside world in Miami more often. Believe it or not, the Red Wings have now set a season high win-streak of 5 wins. Yep, five. The win, coupled with another loss for the Flames all but secures a playoff birth for Detroit as 9th-placed Calgary is now 8 points behind.

Anyway, onto the game...

The Red Wings continued their dominance of the season series with Nashville tonight, with an important road win over the only other team that has been as hot as Detroit.

Contrary to what may be assumed from the uninspired final scoreline, the game saw its fair share of great scoring chances from both sides, but conservative attacks, rough ice and some exceptional goaltending from two young netminders, kept the game scoreless through 65 minutes.

Wow Factor

In the third period, a turnover from Johan Franzen in the Red Wings zone resulted in a brilliantly set up play from Nashville. A perfect tic-tac-toe exchange gave David Legwand an open shot from the slot with a gaping net in front of him. Legwand got the shot off quick, but Jimmy Howard shut the door, getting his left pad over in time to keep the Wings in it.

Special Teams

Obviously all penalties were successfully killed in this one with Nashville going 0-3 and Detroit going 0-2.

In Net

- Jimmy Howard stopped all 33 shots from the Predators for his second career shutout.

- Pekka Rinne continued his phenomenal run, stopping 38 shots for Nashville for his fourth shutout of the month!

The Shootout

Detroit participated in their longest shootout in franchise history. The game-decider lasted 11 rounds, with Todd Bertuzzi and Steve Sullivan both converting in the 5th round. Howard and Rinne each made five more saves until Niklas Kronwall found Rinne's 5-hole to score what turned out to be the winner, after Howard shut the door on Francois Bouillon, giving the Wings the two-points.

Next...

The Wings go back home for a three-game home-stand, the first game being on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers. Detroit still seeks their first win over the last-placed Oilers in the final of four contests between the two clubs this season.

Preview; Red Wings vs. Canucks

After a dramatic comeback loss to the last-placed, lowly Oilers, the Red Wings will now have to get it done in Vancouver against the Oilers' division leader, the Canucks.


The last meeting at GM Place saw a Red Wings victory, and the same will need to happen as the Calgary Flames refuse to let up on the playoff race after a narrow win at home to the Sharks last night.


The Red Wings still hold the eighth and final playoff spot over Calgary by virtue of win%, having a game in hand, but the two teams share equal points. A regulation loss will see Detroit slip to 9th and out with 11 games to play.

Wings in Vancouver

A brief summary of the international experience of each Red Wing taking part in the Olympics:

Pavel Datsyuk -- Russia

International Mens Debut: 2001

Olympic Record: 2002 - Salt Lake City (Bronze), 2006 - Torino (4th)

International Achievements: Olympic Bronze (2002), World Championship Bronze (2005)

International Stats: 41 GP, 7g, 21a, 28pts, 10PIM

Valtteri Filppula -- Finland

International Mens' Debut: 2010
Olympic Record: None
International Achievements: None
International Stats: None

Johan Franzen -- Sweden

International Mens' Debut: 2005
Olympic Record: None
International Achievements: World Championship Gold (2006)
International Stats: 13GP, 1g, 3a, 4pts, 12PIM

Niklas Kronwall -- Sweden

International Mens' Debut: 2003
Olympic Record: 2006 - Torino (Gold)
International Achievements: Olympic Gold (2006), World Championship Silver (2005)
International Stats: 24GP, 3g, 12a, 15pts, 32PIM

Nicklas Lidstrom -- Sweden

International Mens' Debut: 1991
Olympic Record: 1998 - Nagano (5th), 2002 - Salt Lake City (5th), 2006 - Torino (Gold)
International Achievements: Olympic Gold (2006), World Championship Gold (1991), World Championship Silver (2004), World Championship Bronze (1994)
International Stats: 36GP, 9g, 13a, 22pts, 12PIM

Brian Rafalski -- USA

International Mens' Debut: 2002
Olympic Record: 2002 - Salt Lake City (Silver), 2006 - Torino (8th)
International Achievements: Olympic Silver (2002)
International Stats: 15GP, 1g, 7a, 8pts, 8PIM

Henrik Zetterberg -- Sweden

International Mens' Debut: 2001
Olympic Record: 2002 - Salt Lake City (5th), 2006 - Torino (Gold)
International Achievements: Olympic Gold (2006), World Championsip Gold (2006), World Championship Silver (2003), World Championship Bronze (2001, 2002)
International Stats: 60GP, 12g, 26a, 38pts, 22PIM

New addition to the roster, defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, and Grand Rapids Griffin, Sergei Kolosov will also participate in the Olympics representing their home nations of Norway and Belarus, respectively. Both are yet to play an NHL game in the Winged Wheel.

This will be Tollefsen's international mens debut for Norway, while Kolosov rejoins his compatriots for the first time on the international stage since the 2008 World Championships.

Preview vs. Ottawa; Filppula Out

The Senators make a rare visit to the Joe Louis Arena tonight and will try to continue their hot streak and in turn, continue the Wings woes. Ottawa has won 13 of their last 14 games while the Red Wings have lost 4 straight.

Detroit expects Niklas Kronwall to be ready to play tonight. If he is good to go it'll be only his sixth game since he sustained a knee injury against Montreal on November 21, 2009. Kronwall also hopes to use tonight's game as a minor tune-up in preparation for representing Sweden as they attempt to defend Olympic Gold.

Kirk Maltby will replace Valtteri Filppula tonight, who is listed as day-to-day with a groin strain, and hopes to be fit to play for Finland in their first Olympic game.

"I'm concerned,'' Filppula said. "I definitely want to play (in the Olympics). I want to play tonight, too, but we'll have to see how it is. It's much better today than it was yesterday.''

Tonight's affair could also mark the final game of the season for Kirk Maltby as he battles through shoulder problems. Ken Holland said recently that Maltby would require surgery either now or at the end of the season. Surgery now would all but rule him out for the rest of the season.

With Brad May recently being waived, Patrick Eaves' foot injury and now Filppula's groin trouble, the Red Wings may end up short on forwards. Mike Babcock said he will dress seven defensemen and Derek Meech may play forward if necessary.

Jimmy Howard and Brian Elliot are expected to start in goal for their respective teams.

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.