I've Been Slackin'

So I feel bad for how little I've been posting on here. I haven't been watching all the games though recently and don't want to pretend like I have. Its a busy time of the school year and the games are just falling at times that I'm unable to watch.

In good news, we're obviously still in first place and we clinched the Division. I'll try to get better, especially as the playoffs draw closer and closer but I can't guarantee anything. Not that anyone relies on me as their soul source of Wings info anyway :P

Game Preview: Preds @ Wings

How do you follow a loss to the NHL's worst team? Hopefully its with a win over one of the better post All-Star break teams this season and a division rival.

Nashville Outlook: Nashville has won two in a row and are 4-2-4 in their last 10. That third column in that line is very important. They had the chance to win 4 games but were unable to win them in overtime/shootout. Thats a four point turnaround no matter which way you turn it, all losses or all wins in regulation. All losses in regulation could have very well put them out of playoff contention but the fact that they were able to get a point out of all four of those games, is one of the reasons they're still in the playoff race.

Detroit Outlook: Like I said, how do you follow a loss to the worst team in the league? You know that that type of loss is demoralizing. I didn't see the entire game but from what I did see, we were completely outplayed by the Islanders. It looked like a classic case of role reversal. They looked like the team in 1st place in the league while we looked like the last place team. Hopefully it was just "one of those nights" but I think it may be part of a bigger problem. Our defense and goaltending has been suspect all year and it could be showing more weakness as the postseason draws near. Good news? We didn't have to win. Bad news? We should have won.

What to Look for: A high energy, refocused, and reenergized Red Wings as Babcock tries to get us back in playoff shape. From Nashville, watch for playmaking by Jason Arnott, J.P. Dumont,Shea Weber, and the underrated Pekka Rinne. From Detroit, watch for Jiri Hudler, Marian Hossa, Mikael Samuelsson, and Nick Kronwall. Kronner made a name for himself in the playoffs last year for laying out Predators players.

Hopefully Shea Weber doesn't bash any of our players heads in again in our pitiful attempts to fight.

Puck drops at 5 PM ET. I won't be able to watch it due to prior plans but as always, GO WINGS!

Oilers and Free Agent Talk

My bad on not posting a follow-up for the Oilers game. I fell asleep at 1-0 Oilers and woke up at a 3-2 final for the Red Wings. Awesome result, I just wish I had seen us storm back and take the win.

Not much going on this week and I haven't posted much. Been busy with school and work and the like.

Nevertheless, I found a good article on the offseason possibilities for the Wings:

http://www.freep.com/article/20090325/SPORTS05/903250433/1048/SPORTS/No+rush+in+signing+Hossa++Franzen

I wish we could keep Hudler, Hossa, and Franzen but it might be impossible.

Division Notes

I've been watching this over the past few weeks and as the season winds down, it could easily come to fruition. All 5 teams in the division are currently above .500 and 4 of the 5 are in playoff spots. The Blues are 3 points behind Nashville for the 8 spot. Now, for all 5 to make it, Edmonton would have to slip and the Blues would have to excel. Its weird to say but go Blues and Preds, as long as you're not playing us that is.

I just think its a really awesome possibility that the entire division makes the playoffs. It really shows people that say the Red Wings don't play in a tough division where they can put their words.

Game Preview: Wings at Oilers

Red Wings (48-16-9, 105 pts)
Oilers (35-28-9, 79 pts)

Lets see how the Wings can respond from a 5-3 loss to Calgary last night against a tough Edmonton team.

Edmonton outlook: The Oilers are kind of treading water at this point, hoping to hold on to that 7 spot. In all likelihood they won't climb any higher than 7 but could very easily drop out of the race all together. They're 4-2-4 in their last 10 and haven't had much recently to celebrate about. Lubomir Visnovsky, one of the Oilers best players, has been out of the lineup since February following surgery. Erik Cole going back to Carolina has left a gap yet to be filled and the Oilers may be regretting it. Patrick O'Sullivan, who came over in the deal for Cole, has only tallied 3 points in 9 games, not enough for the struggling Oilers.

Detroit outlook: With only 9 games left and 8 of the games against +.500 teams, this stretch will be a good test for how well we can prepare and stay healthy for the start of the playoffs. The good news for tonight's game is that we're 3-0 against Edmonton this season, outscoring them 16-6. Hopefully we can continue our streak against them and catch up to the Shark a little bit. Important thing to watch is how Ozzie and Conklin respond after giving up a total of 5 goals. We have a good road record while the Oilers have a worse home record than away.

What to look for: Detroit, as I always say, plays puck possession hockey and can force you to take penalties. This could be a big part of tonight's game as the Oilers take about 15 minutes worth of penalties per game and have allowed 7 of the 16 goals against the Wings on the powerplay. From Edmonton: Ales Hemsky (leads EDM in G,A, Points), Shawn Horcoff, Dustin Penner, and Denis Grebeshkov are all big parts of the Oilers success. From Detroit: Marian Hossa, Pavel Datsyuk, Jiri Hudler, and Brad Stuart.
Also, look for Zack Stortini to mix it up physically for the Oilers. I would like to see a Wing step up physically, but then again, Stortini would just give us another player with Lilja symptoms.

Puck drops at 9:30 PM ET and as always, GO WINGS!

Flames Down Wings 5-3

The Flames got the best of the Red Wings again, posting 5 goals on 27 shots. The Red Wings put 3 on the board on 33 shots but Miika Kiprusoff was too much.

Dion Phaneuf opened the scoring for the Flames by firing a drop-pass from Daymond Langkow off the tip of Ozzie's glove to give the Flames a 1-0 lead midway through the 1st. Ozzie let in a pretty weak goal to Jamie Lundmark and Langkow got his second assist of the game early in the 2nd period. The Flames got another goal a few minutes later as Mike Camalleri scored a powerplay goal and ended Ozzie's night, bringing in Conklin.

Pavel Datsyuk got the Wings back within 2 with his 30th of the season on a shot from a tough angle, following a rebound given up by Kiprusoff. This is when I kind of fell asleep. Glencross scored for the Flames, making it 4-1, and then Johan Franzen scored (31st) to make it 4-2. Jiri Hudler scored less than two minutes later to make it 4-3. But it wouldn't be enough, the Flames added another goal and another victory, leaving the Red Wings with a bitter taste in their mouth heading into Edmonton.

Player of the game: Pavel Datsyuk

Game Preview: Wings at Flames

Red Wings (48-15-9 105 pts)
Flames (41-24-6 88 pts)

Flames outlook: The Flames enter tonight's game on a bit of a skid, losing 6 of 10 and seeing their lead over the Canucks rapidly diminishing. Kiprusoff hasn't been exactly what he has been in the past but is still one of the best in the league and can see a rise in productivity with Phaneuf and Leopold anchoring the defense.

Red Wings outlook: The Wings are red hot as of late, winning 4 straight and 7 of 10. Osgood has been playing exceptionally well lately and has looked like the same goalie that won the Stanley Cup last year. Last time out against Calgary, Detroit lost 6-5 in a shootout after blowing a lead. I'd expect Babcock would have these guys refocused and ready to go and get that one back, especially following a break since Friday's game in Atlanta.

What to look for: Either a high scoring slugfest or a very sound defensive game by both teams. Both teams have the offensive capabilities to make it a slugfest but also have the goalies and defense to make it a 1-0 game. From Calgary: Olli Jokinen, Jarome Iginla, Mike Camalleri, and Dion Phaneuf (unfortunately). From Detroit: Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Marian Hossa, and Nick Lidstrom.

Game starts at 9:30 PM ET and as always GO WINGS!

Wings Blast Thrashers 6-3

The Red Wings got big time production out of its star players as they scored three goals in the third to put the game too far out of the reach of the Thrashers.

Brian Rafalski got the scoring started towards the end of the first as he put a pass from Johan Franzen past Kari Lehtonen for his 10th goal of the year. Datsyuk scored the second goal of the game and his 29th of the year from the top of the faceoff circle on odd man rush with Franzen with 8 minutes left in the 2nd period. Jiri Hudler got the Wings on the board for the second time in the period, just two minutes later on a breakway spawned from Brett Lebda's great length of the ice pass, putting the Wings up 3-0 heading into the final period.

The third period saw both teams trading goals three times. Franzen scored his 30th of the year and a powerplay tally on a backhand shot off of a rebound. The Thrashers would get a powerplay goal of their own as Bryan Little put the Thrashers on the board. Hossa would then score his 36th of the year on a pass from Zetterberg as they stretched the defense horizontally and threw off Lehtonen's positioning. Slava Kozlov scored the next goal for the Thrashers on a slapshot over former teammate Chris Osgood's shoulder for a second Thrashers powerplay goal. Hossa had another breakaway and nearly scored but ended up drawing too many Thrashers players to the boards, allowing a pass to a wide open Dan Cleary in the slot for the 6th Wings goal. The final goal of the game was scored by Colin Stuart but it was too little too late for the Thrashers as the Red Wings put up their 48th win of the season and earned its 105 point.

Ozzie had some outstanding saves and is starting to make me believe that he's just really gearing up for the playoffs. He did let in 3 goals but in my opinion, only one was uncontrollable. And when you get 6 goals a game you can afford to let 3 in I suppose. I really like to see the continuing success that Rafalski has had in Detroit. He's one of the least talked about defensemen in the league for his skill set. He can play as a good of a defensive game as anyone and can also score like a forward on the other end of the ice.

Player of the game: Henrik Zetterberg (4 A), responsible for setting up 4 of the 6 goals, and Johan Franzen (1 G, 2 A)

Other notes: Second straight game the Thrashers have allowed 6 goals. The Red Wings now have 7 players at 50 points or more; Kronwall is 6 away from joining.

Game Preview: Wings @ Thrashers

Red Wings (47-15-9) at Thrashers (29-36-6)

Atlanta Outlook: Atlanta, ugh...where to start...The Thrashers are actually not as bad as it looks in the standings. Before Tuesday night, the Thrashers had won 6 straight games but were dismantled by the Penguins...but then again who aren't the Pens picking apart these days? The main problem for the Thrashers is that they just give up goals left and right. Having the second most goals allowed makes even Ilya Kovalchuck useless. Despite the recent surge by Atlanta, its obviously too little too late and this is gonna be a game of pride more than anything.

Detroit Outlook: The Wings have 3 straight wins and look for a fourth tonight. Ozzie has won those three games and I don't know if Babcock&Co. will start him again or not. I would imagine he starts given the amount of time off from Tuesday to tonight. We've been playing pretty well since the return of Hossa and Holmstrom and hopefully that will continue. We still have some problems defensively and give up too many goals but it could be worse. The Thrashers play aggressively at times and we can easily exploit that with the speed of plays like Hudler, Filppula, Datsyuk, and Hossa. Look for the Detroit trademark--superb passing--to play a big factor in putting pressure on the Thrashers.

What to look for: Look for a high scoring game. I could be wrong but the fact that the Red Wings scored the most goals per game and the Thrashers allow the second most per game makes me think that it could be an ugly-one for the home team. From Atlanta, look for Ilya Kovalchuck (if he plays following an injury), Rich Peverley, and former Red Wing and member of the Russian 5--Vyacheslav Kozlov. For Detroit look for Valterri Filppula, Nick Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, and Johan Franzen. Too much firepower for the Thrashers, Wings win.

Puck drops at 7:30 PM ET and as always, GO WINGS!

Wings Use 3 Straight to Edge Flyers

Apologies for not writing a follow up from the Flyers game until now. Getting back into the swing of things for school after a week off has been tougher than expected.

Anywho, that game was particularly satisfying if you're a Wings fan. It was one of those "character" games. We could have very easily packed it in but we stuck with and fought back and ultimately got the game tied and then in our favor. Franzen, Zetters, and Datsyuk all scored typical goals for themselves. Datsyuk tricked Biron into thinking he was gonna pass it then fired it over Biron's shoulder. Franzen used his body to position himself perfectly for a Datsyuk pass and top-shelfed it to tie the game. Then Zetterberg showed patience in receiving a pass, waiting for Biron to get in position and then read the weak spot. Ozzie let in two goals but settled down and played well the rest of the game, allowing the offense to get going.

The win put us 3 points ahead of San Jose and 4 ahead of Boston. It was also our third consecutive win and shows be returning to top form following all of the injuries this season. Hopefully I'm right. but only time will tell. We could use this as a big momentum swing heading into Atlanta on Friday.

Game Preview: Wings/Flyers

First off. HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY! We need Shanny and McCarty to play tonight, but Shanny's a Devil and DMC is Grand Rapids.

Philadelphia outlook: Philly currently represents the 4 seed in the East but have streaking Pittsburgh fast approaching in the points column. Last time the Flyers won in Detroit? 1988. Biron will likely get the start for the Flyers as they look to make a big statement on nationwide television following the loss to the Rangers on Sunday on NBC.

Detroit outlook: The Red Wings come into tonight's game hoping to increase their point total and head for the top seed in the West. The league's highest scoring team looks to also improve upon their stellar home record. Hopefully Hossa and Holmstrom will continue their recovery and will soon have the Wings firing on all cylinders.

Who to watch:
Philly: Simon Gagne, Jeff Carter, and Mike Richards
Detroit: Johan Franzen, Henrik Zetterberg, and Nick Lidstrom

Puck drops at 7:30 PM ET (or 11:30 Dublin time) and can be seen on Versus.

Model of Consistency

Yesterday's win saw the Red Wings lock up their 9th straight 100 point season. They also wrote their name in the playoff bracket for the 17th straight season.

The 17th straight playoff appearance is very impressive. But I think the 9 straight 100 point season is a better measuring stick. To play at the level that they have for 9 consecutive years shows not only great contributions by players through that span but also the front office.

Stars came and left, played and retired, gave their all and were rewarded. Yet the organization remains the icon of modern hockey (sorry Montreal). All the credit should go to those involved in the front office and the fans that filled the Joe.

Blue Jackets blanked by Osgood

How do you play a team that previously beat you 8-2? Well, how about 4-0.

Marian Hossa scored the first goal of the game when he followed up his own shot and somehow put the puck past Columbus goalie Chris Mason. Hossa's goal was his 35th of the year and his first since returning from injury. Niklas Kronwall made it 2-0 with a powerplay goal midway through the 1st period, tallying his 4th goal and 43rd point of the year.

Mikael Samuelsson scored his 18th of the year on a two-on-one breakout during the 2nd period, snapping a shot over Mason's shoulder to give the Wings a 3-0 lead. Johan Franzen scored his 28th of the year, and put the game out of reach in the process, on a great individual effort deking out Mason.

The best part of the game was the way Osgood played in net. He stopped all 23 Columbus shots and had a few spectacular saves. This was big for him following his last outing against Columbus in which he surrended 7 of the 8 goals, on 23 shots as well. Hopefully he's getting in shape for the playoffs.

Player of the game: Well I'm tempted to go with Franzen and Kronwall who had a goal and an assist each but am gonna have to give it to Ozzie.

Next game is Tuesday against the Flyers at 7:30 PM ET on Versus.

Game Preview:

Columbus outlook: Columbus has won 4 straight and 6 of their last 10 and currently hold the 6 seed in the West. The 4 straight wins have all come against teams at or above 80 points (Detroit, Boston, Pittsburgh, Chicago). The last time the Blue Jackets played the Wings, they put 8 goals on the board to Detroit's 2. The Blue Jackets are on a big surge right before the playoffs and are a dangerous matchup for the Wings.

Detroit outlook: Detroit followed up a OT loss to the Flames with a 5-2 manhandling of the Blues. Hopefully we'll be able to continue the good play and win again and likely seal up a playoff spot. The best thing about the 8-2 loss to the Blue Jackets is how Babcock is able to refocus the team for the next time they face off. If we can force Columbus to make mistakes, we easily have superior talent (except for maybe in net) but can only put forth our highest effort when our defense isn't constantly pressured.

What to look for: For Columbus, watch for Rick Nash, RJ Umberger, Mike Commodore, and Chris Mason. For Detroit, watch for Marian Hossa, Tomas Kopecky, Johan Franzen, and Brad Stuart. I don't know how to call this one, I wanna say Wings win but the Blue Jackets are unpredictably good at times, in any case...

GO WINGS!

Puck drops at 5 PM ET,

Wings Topple Blues 5-2 with 3 Quick Goals

This was good win following the loss to Calgary in overtime. Osgood played well in net for the Wings, stopping 30 of 32 shots.

TJ Oshie put the Blues on the board first late in the 1st period. Then, the Red Wings opened the floodgates. Datsyuk, Kopecky, and Lebda all scored within 46 seconds to put the Wings from 0-1 to 3-1 in a matter of seconds in front of the St. Louis fans. Woywitka scored for the Blues to bring the game within one but Datsyuk added his second goal of the game with only 34 seconds left in the second period to put the Wings ahead 4-2 going into the final period.

Zetterberg added the final goal of the game on an empty net shot, sealing the deal for the Wings.
Hossa played 15+ minutes, which is good following his neck injury that occured from the last game against the Blues. Detroit was outshot (which is a rarity) but still managed to win big.

The next game is tomorrow against Columbus at 5pm

Player of the game: Pavel Datsyuk 2 goals, +2

Game Preview: Flames at Wings

Please keep it up. Hopefully the Wings can string together some more wins as we come down the stretch. Only 14 games remain on the schedule for Detroit and every point matters for home-ice and top seed in the playoffs.

Calgary Outlook: Calgary comes into tonight's game with 3 straight losses and a 6-4 in the last 10 record. However, Calgary is the best team the Wings have played (in the standings) since San Jose on Feb 25. Calgary is however one of the better teams in the league and has been built around goalie Miikka Kiprusoff. The additions of Jordan Leopold and Olli Jokinen at the trade deadline have yet to turn them into an unstoppable force but I think it's only a matter of time.

Detroit Outlook: Detroit looks to win two in a row following the win over the Coyotes in overtime on Tuesday. The Red Wings have won the first two meetings between these two teams and look to lock-up the regular season series. I would expect Ty Conklin to get the start in net tonight at home. He was the winning goalie in both games against the Flames prior to tonight's meeting. The Wings continue to be effective on the powerplay and could get several chances tonight against a Calgary team that gives up a man quite often.

What to Look For: Look for both teams to play a physical game. The Flames are built as a more physical team than the Wings are but lately Detroit hasn't backed down from physical play. The call-up of Aaron Downey has added a little bit more of a physical mentality while still playing puck possession hockey. Calgary will look for a big game from Jarome Iginla, Olli Jokinen, Mike Camalleri, and Miikka Kiprusoff. If Miika is on tonight there's little hope for the Wings but the fact that Calgary takes around 17 penalty minutes per game could play a big part in a Wings win. Detroit will look to Johan Franzen, Pavel Datsyuk, Tomas Holmstrom, and Ty Conklin. I think Holmstrom could be getting back to normal following his injury, and if he gets back to 100%, the rest of the league should be on the lookout.

GO WINGS!

Franzen lifts Wings over Coyotes in OT

Johan Franzen scored his 27th goal of the season in overtime on Tuesday night to end the game with a 3-2 Detroit win. Conklin got the win in goal for the Wings stopping 23 of 25 shots for his 24th win of the year

Valterri Filppula scored his 9th goal of the year and continues to return to his normal offensive production for the Wings. Franzen and Kronwall assisted on the Filppula goal that gave the Wings the early 1-0 lead. Martin Hanzal tied the game late in the 1st period on a scramble in front of Conklin.

The second period saw no goals but several close calls for each team. In the third, the Red Wings capitalized on their only power play opportunity of the game when Brian Rafalski put the puck past Bryzgalov. Shane Doan tied the game with about 9 minutes to play with a shot from the high slot with the help of a screen by Peter Mueller in front of Conklin while the Coyotes were on the powerplay.

Franzen's goal came with under 2 minutes to play in the supplemental period following a faceoff win by Filppula. Filppula got the puck back to Brad Stuart who left it for Franzen. Franzen skated through the middle of the ice and gave himself a more favorable shot and put the puck past Bryzgalov.

It's good to see Franzen and Filppula back to their normal selves after both going through slow periods. Another good thing was to see Tomas Holmstrom back in the line-up after missing 18 games from his hernia injury. Players of the game: Franzen, Filppula. Both had a goal and an assist.

Game Preview- Coyotes at Red Wings

Sigh. Another game following an 8 goal loss. Hopefully this one works out the same as the Blues game following the Nashville loss did, a 5-0 Detroit win.

Phoenix outlook: The Coyotes are on a two game losing skid and have lost 7 of their last 10. Right now they're looking at an early trip to the golf course but could potentially still make the playoffs. Coming into tonight's game, the season series is 2-1 Detroit. The loss was a 6-3 loss, coming on Jan 20 in Phoenix. Ilya Bryzgalov will get the start for Phoenix more than likely. He's been one of the worst in goals allowed this season but is always capable of playing well if the defense works for him. Phoenix is no doubtedly been on the down hill lately, especially after trading away some of its best players (Jokinen, Morris). I think its obvious that Gretzky and the upper management are looking for future talent rather than immediate results.

Detroit outlook: The Red Wings have won 2 of their last 3 but the loss was the embarrasing 8-2 loss to the division rival Columbus Blue Jackets. The Wings still lead the league in goals scored per game at 3.61 but the goals allowed per game isn't that far away at 2.96. Detroit plays puck possession and will look to continue that way of playing tonight. A big part of the Wings' success with puck possession is their ability to win faceoffs. Draper, Datsyuk, and Zetterberg are all in the top 15 in faceoffs, a big reason for our ability to wear down the other teams. If the Wings can control the puck, they have the talent to out play the Coyotes easily.

What to look for: Detroit's powerplay is still tops in the league at 26.7% efficiency while the Coyotes have one of the league's worst penalty kill units. While the Wings also have one of the league's worst penalty kill units, they also take the 2nd fewest penalties per game in the league. I would look for how the powerplay unit works tonight. Once again, puck possession will dictate Detroit success tonight. Look for the Wings to spread out the Coyotes cross-ice and then late in the game try to get behind the Coyotes defense with outlet passes. Players to watch from Phoenix are Petr Prucha, Shane Doan, and Mikkel Boedker. Wings players to look for are Valterri Filppula, Henrik Zetterberg, and Niklas Kronwall.

Excuse me, while I kiss the sky

Okay so sorry about not really posting anything. I've been out of town. And by "kiss the sky" I meant, "not write on here".

Anyway, so I would do a game-wrap up for the Blue Jackets game but the thought of looking at the highlights from that game is not something that sounds too enticing. All I do know is that the game was that it was 8-2 and my phone wouldn't stop vibrating because we couldn't stop the Blue Jackets. The worst part of it is that it was a home game. Guhhh.

I'll be able to update daily again starting now so hooray!

So I didn't watch last

So I didn't watch last night's game. But from the constant text messages I got, I know we got spanked again. 8-2. Very disappointing.

Around the League

Many teams saw the results of their trade deadline deals, some good, some bad.

• Phoenix defeated Boston 2-1. Scottie Upshall scoring a goal in his debut with the Coyotes.
• Calgary got big returns out of its trade deadline deals as Jokinen and Leopold scored 3 of the Calgary goals in a 5-1 win over the Flyers. Jokinen scored 2 and Leopold 1
• Washington continued its slide and lost to the Maple Leafs 2-1, Gerber winning his Leafs debut.
• The Penguins continued to improve as they beat the Panthers 4-1 in Crosby's return to the line-up
• The Sharks lost to Minnesota 4-3 in overtime to gain a point and tie the Wings for 1st place in the league.
  

Wings Avalanche Summary

Alright, I'll be honest. I didn't exactly watch all of tonight's game, but I did catch a good portion of it.

John Michael Liles got the scoring going in the 1st period as he put the Avs on the board for an early 1 goal lead. Filppula scored his 2nd goal in as many games to tie the game up. Johan Franzen scored his 26th goal of the year in the 2nd period to put the Wings up. Draper beat Raycroft for his 7th goal of the year, giving the Wings a 3-1 lead heading into the 3rd.

The Avs would come back and play better hockey in the 3rd and had 2 consecutive almost goals. One came on a puck that beat Conklin but Franzen prevented from crossing the goalline. The second chance came soon after that on a shot off the post. The Avs put a goal on the board late in the 3rd as Milan Hejduk beat Conklin with Raycroft pulled for the extra man. Fortunately the Avs were unable to put another one in and the Wings earned their first, and only, win of the regular season against Colorado.

Once again, the Detroit puck control limited the chances that the Avalanche got. Both teams played well disciplined hockey (only 6 total penalty minutes) but still had physical play. The Wings outshot the Avalanche 30-27 and put the pressure on the Leopold-less Avalanche defense. Game MVP: Filppula for getting his 2nd goal in 2 games, getting him going could mean trouble for the opposition.

The next game for Detroit is a home game Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The win also put the Wings in first place in the league (for now).

Terrifying article

http://www.torontosun.com/sports/columnists/bill_lankhof/2009/02/03/8243026-sun.html

Avalanche Preview

Detroit comes into tonight's game after a solid 5-0 win after last night's win. With a win tonight the Wings could jump the idle Sharks and Bruins to go to 1st in the League in points. On the other end of the spectrum in the Western Conference lies tonight's opponent, the Colorado Avalanche.

Colorado outlook: Colorado recently lost to the NHL worst Islanders and things don't look to be much better after being sellers at the trade deadline; sending Jordan Leopold, one of their better defenders to Calgary for 2 players. The Avs have no clear cut starter in goal as each have double digit losses and less than 20 wins, probably more of a case of who has the hotter hand of late. The good news for the Avs? They've won all three contests against us this year and look to sweep tonight.

Detroit outlook: The Wings lost one of their offensive stars for an unknown amount of time last night as Marian Hossa crashed head first into the boards, he's currently listed as day-to-day. The good news? The Avs have lost 5 straight games and 7 of their last 10. This could be a "trap game" for the Wings though following a big and physical win last night. Detroit needs to play its style of hockey: using puck control and superb passing to wear down the opposing team.

What to look for: Look for Filppula to try and get back in the groove again following his 19 game goal drought. Babcock hasn't said if Ozzie or Conklin will start, but both goalies are still looking to erase the memory of the 8-0 game. How the Avs defense handles the absence of Leopold. How the Wings offense deals without Hossa (again)

Puck drops at 9 PM Eastern Time, or 5 AM Moscow time.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to watch all of the game. Virginia Tech plays UNC in basketball tonight and I gotta go out and support my Hokies! But, as always, GO WINGS!

Trade Deadline Deals

• Ottawa gets G Pascal Leclaire & 2nd round draft pick from Columbus in exchange for C Antoine Vermette
• Penguins send D Danny Richmond to Blues for D Andy Wozniewski
• Sabres get G Mikael Tellqvist from Phoenix for 4th round pick in 2010
• Boston picks up D Steve Montador from Anaheim for F Petteri Nokelainen
• Calgary sends D Lawrence Nycholat, D Ryan Wilson,& 2009 second-round pick to Colorado for D Jordan Leopold
• Calgary acquires C Olli Jokinen & 2009 3rd rd. pick from Phoenix for F Matthew Lombardi, F Brandon Prust, & 2009 first-round pick, the first real "blockbuster" of the day
• Boston makes another move and gets F Mark Recchi & 2010 second-round pick from Tampa Bay for D Matt Lashoff, F Martins Karsums
• Toronto sends C Nik Antropov to the NY Rangers for a 2nd round pick and a conditional pick
  
• The Florida Panthers add RW Chris Neil to their line up from Ottawa
• Philly traded RW Scottie Upshall to Phoenix for LW Daniel Carcillo
• Phoenix sent D Derek Morris to the NY Rangers for F Petr Prucha, F Nigel Dawes, and D Dimitri Kalinin
  
• The Maple Leafs sent C Dom Moore to the Sabres for a round draft pick
• Atlanta trades F Erik Christensen to Anaheim for Eric O'Dell
• Sharks get F Travis Moen & D Kent Huskins from Anaheim for F Nick Bonino, G Timo Pielmeier and a conditional draft pick
• Three way trade saw the following: Edmonton got F Patrick O'Sullivan, Carolina got RW Erik Cole (again), and LA got RW Justin Williams.
• Chicago go C Sammy Pahlsson from Anaheim for D James Wisniewski and another player/draft pick to be named
• Philly gets D Kyle McLaren from San Jose for a 6th round pick
• Toronto acquires G Olaf Kolzig, D Jamie Heward, D Andy Rogers, & a 4th round pick from Tampa Bay for D Richard Petiot
  

Wings Blues Summary

Big rebound game tonight as Detroit blanked St. Louis 5-0 in a game completely controlled by the Wings. The game was a physical battle from the drop of the puck but the Wings didn't back down and dished out a lot of the punishment as well.

The game got off to an ominous start with Hossa losing his balance following a shot and a small push from a Roman Polak. I don't really think a penalty should have been called on Polak but I could also see how one was called. Hossa was on the ice for way too long and I dont like how he grabbed his neck immediately, especially coming off of a neck injury. Good knews is he was moving his arms and legs and hopefully it's nothing too serious. More updates on his status as they become available.

Then Aaron Downey showed why he was called up, and I take back all the...well they weren't bad things at all really...so I guess what I'm saying is yay for Aaron Downey.

I don't think there's a clear winner hear but both had awesome punches. Also of note, Youtube users are ridiculously fast. This was like 40 minutes after it happened. I also forgot that Downey was the guy that did this.

Kopecky put the Wings on the board in the 1st period when he picked up a rebound and deked Chris Mason to the side and put the puck on the empty side. The Wings killed off a 4 minute powerplay which was huge for the game momentum and oh yeah, Kopecky's goal came during it. Not only did we kill off all of the penalties tonight, we got the shorthanded goal. Despite the much criticized play of the PK units, you gotta admit it has certainly gotten better recently.

Zetterberg put another goal on the board in the 2nd on guess what? you got it! the powerplay! On a big mess in front of the goal, he slammed it in between Mason and the post.

Kopecky got another point on a backhand shot that Draper deflected past Mason in the 3rd. Kronwall blasted a puck off the glove of Mason and into the net for a second powerplay goal of the night. Mason had a beat on the puck but somehow it hit off the top of his glove and slowly flipped behind him into the net.

The Wings took advantage of a 5-on-3 and controlled the puck for 2 full minutes. Filppula scored his first goal in 19 games on a pass in front of the crease. Fil's goal wasn't technically a powerplay goal, coming 1 second after the two penalties expired, but the two Blues players were too far away to do anything about it.

Kopecky finished the game with 1 G & 2 A. Osgood got a shut out, stopping all 22 shots; which is big following the 8-0 drubbing at the hands of the Predators (although he only allowed 4 of those).

This was a good game following such a horrible one in Nashville. It showed that we're not afraid of taking the body and that we're still able to be productive offensively while doing so. We alos held true to our MO of puck control and it proved to be the main reason we won the game. We put a lot of pressure on their players and were able to force bad passes all night long. In short, we got back to playing Red Wings hockey

Next game is tomorrow at 9 PM ET against the Avalanche.

More Trade Rumblings And Transactions

• Penguins released Miroslav Satan. Satan had an unexpectedly poor season up to this point and this frees up cap space for any trades or offseason moves. Satan only had 17 goals, 19 assists which really wasnt much of a drop-off from last year's numbers. It'll be interesting to see who signs him
• Probably the bigger story is the Rangers signing Sean Avery. Avery had been suspended following his now notorious comments about his ex-girlfriends dating other NHLers. Look, I know what he said was pretty bad but I think people take him way too seriously. I wonder how he'll fit in with the Rangers and if he'll be able to contribute after so much time out of the league
• Jay Bouwmeester could be headed to the Flyers before the deadline, but there are also several other teams supposedly in the hunt for the Panthers player.
  
• The Pronger rumors continue to heat up and noone really knows where he'll land. Personally, I could care less. As long as he goes to the Eastern Conference, out of my sight, I'll be fine. But it looks like he'll land back in St. Louis, of course.
  

Gaborik on the move?

Might the Minnesota Wild be putting Marian Gaborik on the trade block? Gaborik is recovering from hip surgery and is close to coming back. But by the time he returns he might not be wearing a Wild jersey. Gaborik's a free agent at the end of the year and the Wild could be looking at cashing in off of his current contract by trading him away.

Any team that takes Gaborik would putting themselves in a situation for a huge loss conisdering he's only played 6 games this year, might not be 100% when he returns, they'd obviously have to give up something of value (draft pick or young star), and he might not resign with that team in the offseason. All of these factors make the trading of Gaborik unlikely but I wouldn't be surprised if a Pittsburgh, Buffalo or Dallas tries to pick him up.

Backstrom Re-signs with Wild

Some big news out of Minnesota as Niklas Backstrom re-signed with the Wild for four more years at a total of $24 mil. This ended a lot of trade speculation around the league about him going to the Caps most likely. Backstrom's one of those goalies that you can build a team around, like Kiprusoff, so the Wild are good shape for the next few years and could make big time statements in the league.

That also ends my very unlikely dream trade for the Wings at the deadline. Eh oh well.

Blues Preview

This is an important game. Not so much that we need the wins, although we do if we want to catch San Jose and Boston for home ice throughout playoffs. But this is an important game to see how we come back following the demoralizing Nashville loss. In a game in which we were completely and totally dominated and nothing went right unless you were wearing blue, we definitely did not look like the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

The good news? We come into the game with the Blues with a 3-0 season record against them. Although that record is a little misleading. Two of those three wins were in a shootout. And this game is a road game, where we've struggled considerably more than at home. The Blues are also 4-1 in their last 5 and the 1 loss being in overtime. Once again I think puck control will be a big factor. If we can control the game from the onset and keep putting pressure on the Blues early and often we can win this one. Another key is to see how Ozzie or Conklin (whoever gets the start) bounces back. My guess is Ozzie gets the start and the Wings come out physical after being pushed around last game. We should win this one anyway, but I'm not guaranteeing anything after that Nashville game! Puck drops at 8:30 ET or 2:30AM Sweden time.

Other big games tonight:
Canes/Caps
Bruins/Flyers
Ducks/Hawks

Uppers and Downers

No, I'm not talking about recreational drugs.

I'm talking about players being called up and others being sent down.

Monday saw the Wings calling up Aaron Downey and Jonathon Ericsson and sending down Darren Helm and Ville Leino. I can kind of understand the Helm move but Leino? He'd scored 5 goals and added 4 assists in 13 games with the Wings. Maybe it's just temporary but I don't understand it. I know Downey can bring more of a physical playing style than Leino or Helm but physicality doesn't directly put the puck in the net.

I can understand Ericsson being called up. He's been waiting for a while to come back up following his injury and the defense has been suspect at times. The question I have is when does Darren Haydar get a crack at the Wings lineup? 63 points in 61 games is pretty good I'd say.

Time will tell if this is a good or bad move. In my opinion, it was too soon to send Leino back to the AHL but as I said, hopefully its just temporary.

Edit: I previously had Leino at playing 5 games with the Wings. I can't read apparently.

The Trade Deadline Approacheth

So the trade deadline is less than two days away and once again it doesn't look like the Wings need to make any moves. This is a good and bad thing. The good news is that we are able to build such a successful team through the draft and free agency and just players that have stayed for so long (ie Maltby, Draper, Lidstrom, etc.) The bad news is we could miss out on some good chances for players that will be UFAs at season end.

Ken Holland is probably the best GM in the NHL and possibly in all of sports. That's why he was able to bring Brad Stuart in last year for 2 draft picks. Stuart was a big part of the Wings Cup win last June. So the question of who is the next to come to Hockeytown? Will the Wings even make a move for a player down the stretch? Here's what Holland had to say about it:

"I've had some teams call," Holland told The News. "We don't have a lot of cap space, if any, really. Most trades we're going to look at would have to be cap dollar in, cap dollar out."

If you ask me, I don't think anyone needs to be brought in. It makes sense too. We don't have a lot of cap space and if we want to be able to resign Hossa and/or Franzen in the offseason, it would be beneficial to keep things the way they are.

There've been speculations that Holland would add Ian Laperierre from the Avalanche. I know Laperierre brings some physicality to the line-up but we already have some guys that can do that (Kopecky, Maltby, Draper) and DMc is back with the Griffins making rehab starts. I just don't like the fact that we'd most likely be giving up some of our young talent in turn for Laperierre. There've also been some reports of the Wings being interested in Kari Lehtonen, the Thrashers goalie, but most of that has seemed to die down.

The move I would like to see be made? Reel in Backstrom from the Wild. I know this wouldn't happen, considering he's a free agent at the end of the year and we'd be getting rid of either Ozzie or Conklin but Backstrom is playing pretty good right now, and that's a big understatement.

In the end, don't expect too much from the Wings. But then again Holland could show his genius.

League scores and notes

Marty Brodeur continues to improve upon his return from injury as the Devils shut-out the Flyers 3-0. Brodeur had an incredible save and earned his 100th career shut-out, putting him just three behind the legendary Terry Sawchuck.

The Panthers roughed up the Caps 6-2, Ovechkin got his 46th goal in the losing effort. Pittsburgh beat Dallas 4-1, Malkin getting 3 more points to put himself 10 points ahead of Ovie. And apparently noone played goalie for either team in the Flames/Lightning game, as the Lightning outscored the Flames in a 8-6 win, jeeze.

Other news: Steve Ott gets suspended without pay for this. Yeah, I know he was checking Niedemayer from behind at the ened of the game, probably could have done with out that. But the number of Ducks, including Giguere's testicularly aimed slash, didn't land a single one of them a suspension. If you look at the video, Pronger has his gloves off, which means he should be charged with fighting but won't be. And Moen already had Ott within his grasp so I don't know how Ott is the only one to get suspended with all the other players. Don't get me wrong, I hate both of these teams with a passion but what the crap?

Edit: Apparently Ott tried to gouge Moen's eye, so yeah he deserved it. My bad.

...what happened?

8-0.
What the you know what?!

How do you outshoot the opposition 30-23 and have 0 goals to show for your own effort and 8 to show for theirs? I'm not exactly ready to completely pin this one on Osgood/Conklin (both played last night) but some of it was their fault. Conklin had trouble controlling rebounds and that lead to a few of the Nashville goals. Osgood replaced Conklin in the first period and didn't do all that much better. The Predators also benefited from some odd bounces and just good luck on some bad turnovers by the Wings.

The thing that's so bad about this loss is that it was completely dominated by the Predators. They out hustled the Wings all night long and seemingly did everything at will. My pregame prediction came true, no not that we'd win. That if we controlled the puck we'd win, and we didn't control it and clearly lost. Hopefully this was just "one of those nights" for the Wings where they were just off and not any type of indication of things on the way down.

To make things even worse, Andreas Lilja got his ass beat by Shea Weber. It was just not the Wings night. Next game is on Tuesday against the Blues