One of the most maddening teams I’ve ever followed continued its up-and-down performance over the past couple weeks with a 3-2-1 record since the curbstomping in Columbus. I’ll go at this with a game-by-game approach. The Wings are a different team every night, both literally with all the injuries they have had, and figuratively with the collective effort they bring (or don’t) on a nightly basis.

Red Wings: 3  Canucks: 1 – From my perspective, this was the most impressive game the Wings played in the last two weeks. They were outshot 32-29, but Jimmy Howard looked as good as I’ve ever seen out of him in net. The Wings were the aggressors, out-hitting the ‘Nucks 34-20. Brad May decided to hold his own in a fight (but still fell down I think). Henrik Zetterberg dominated the game, scoring a beauty of a goal for the game-winner.

Red Wings: 7  Ducks: 4 – I wasn’t able to watch this game, but still took part in the post-game festivities thanks to Z’s hat trick. Saturday games are a pain to watch, especially when there’s college football going on. 82 games in the NHL season vs. 12 (or 13 for the good teams) in college football? There’s a reason this game wasn’t on ESPN. And stop being cheap Arby’s. Give me a damn sandwich after a hat trick. Either that, or switch to Little Caesars for this promotion.

Stars: 3  Red Wings: 1 – Brad May almost gets the first Red Wings’ GHHT since this blog’s existence, but it is instead ripped out from underneath him by Dennis LaRue. Yeah, May still needed an assist too, but that call was absolutely criminal. The Wings didn’t play well enough to win, but the NHL’s handling of that call was a joke. It’d be like your dentist winning a lawsuit because he “intended to numb your mouth” before performing a root canal.

Panthers: 2  Red Wings: 1 (OT) – I didn’t watch this game either, but apparently Ozzie let in a softy in OT and the Wings reverted to their old ways for one game. Via Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle:

What I learned:
Having twice as many shots on goal as your opponent does not mean that you will win a hockey game.

Red Wings: 3  Canadiens: 2 (2-1 SO) – Yes the Wings won, but I’m fairly certain 99.9% of Wings fans would have gladly taken a 5-0 loss instead of an overtime win and an injured Kronwall. George LaRaque was given a 5-game suspension for the knee-to-knee hit. It’s not entirely fair that he misses 5 games while Kronner misses a couple of months, but had it been the other way around I wouldn’t be complaining too much. More importantly, I discovered another reason why my girlfriend is a keeper: she texted me score updates while I was at the store purchasing goodies for my social gathering later in the evening.

Predators: 3  Red Wings: 1 – A poor effort by the Wings yet again when they’re on Versus. Seriously, when is the last time they won when the game was on that channel? The lack of Ken Daniels, Mickey Redmond, and Larry Murphy in the building definitely had something to do with the Wings’ poor effort last night. On the other side, the Predators seemed to be playing at a playoff-like intensity. Without a doubt, last night will be one of their top-5 best efforts of the season and they still weren’t able to put away a half-asleep, injury-depleted Red Wings squad.

Overall, the Wings have regressed a bit since they destroyed the Blue Jackets, but the loss of Kronwall for a couple months is yet another huge blow to a team already devastated by injuries. The Wings are back in action tomorrow night against the Atlanta Thrashers.

I’m not sure how much posting I’ll be doing over the holiday weekend, but at the very least I’ll have recaps for the Wings, Lions, and Pistons up by the end of the week. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images

After the Dallas Stars ended the Wings’ three-game winning streak on Wednesday night, Detroit will look to redeem itself tonight at Joe Louis Arena when the team hosts the Florida Panthers at 7:30 p.m. EDT. Goaltender Chris Osgood will return to the crease tonight after sitting out the last three games due to a virus per the Detroit Free Press. Kirk Maltby will also return to the lineup tonight after fighting the flu and missing three games, replacing Brad May. Don’t forget to bring a new, unwrapped toy (please no stuffed animals) as the Wings will hold another Toys for Tots drive tonight.

Wings lose 3-1 to Stars

The 3-1 loss to Dallas stung, in particular, because an apparent goal by Brad May was overturned according to The Detroit News and it marked Detroit’s first loss in regulation at home. It was not deemed a goal thanks to an intent to blow the whistle call as explained by Mike Murphy, the NHL’s senior vice president of hockey operations. The DRW blogosphere was angry about the call and had no trouble voicing their opinions: Abel to Yzerman, Babcock’s Death Stare, Below the Crossbar, Big Red Machine, DetroitHockey.net, Hockeytown Static, Motown Wings, Nightmare on Helm Street, On the Wings, Red Wings Blog, Red Wings Hardware, The Production Line, The Scrappy Octopus, The Triple Deke, Unconnected Red Wings Blog and Winging It In Motown. Other hockey bloggers even chimed in, including Puck Daddy, Gross Misconduct, From the Rink, the New York Times’ Slap Shot Blog and Mike Chen’s Hockey Blog.

Forward Henrik Zetterberg extended his point streak to four with Detroit’s only tally on Wednesday. Stars forward James Neal, who played for the local Plymouth Whalers for two seasons including their 2006-07 OHL Championship season, posted two assists and was named the game’s first star.

In Other News

• Osgood’s illness gave netminder Jimmy Howard the reins and he benefited from the extra workload according to the Detroit Free Press. Coach Mike Babcock told MLive.com that Howard’s four-game stretch as a starter helped solidify the Wings’ goaltending situation.
• DRW.com’s Bill Roose talked with Brad May about his career as a fighter.
• Need a gift idea for the hockey fan in your life? If so, the Red Wings have an entertainment package — Homer for the Holidays — for you at a great value. For just $96, you can purchase a ticket to three games (list of games available can be found here) and one free general admission ticket to see a movie at any Uptown Entertainment theater.
• Bruce MacLeod of The Macomb Daily talked to the newest Wing, Drew Miller, about making a return to his hometown.
• The NHL.com writes that Jeremy Williams and Kris Newbury have helped to energize the Grand Rapids Griffins, which is the Wings’ AHL affiliate.
• Hot Ice, which is a Russian magazine, interviewed former Wings forward Sergei Fedorov.
• Nightmare on Helm Street sized up Detroit’s opponent tonight, the Florida Panthers.

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images/NHLI

Former Red Wings player Brendan Shanahan announced his retirement yesterday. He finished his career with 656 goals (11th overall) and is the only player to score over 600 goals and log over 2,000 penalty minutes. MLive.com spoke with former captain Steve Yzerman about what Shanny meant to the team. Shanahan was the player that former coach Scotty Bowman referred to as “the missing piece.”

DRW bloggers remembered the fan favorite for his goal scoring and his ability to shine against the Colorado Avs as he posted his 500th career goal against Patrick Roy, the Statue of Liberty marker against Roy, and he was part of the memorable March 26, 1997, battle at the Joe. Here are some of their thoughts: Abel to Yzerman, Motown Wings, Octopus Thrower, Out of Bounds, Red Wings Hardware, The Production Line, and The Triple Deke.

In Other News

• Goaltender Chris Osgood remains out for tonight’s game against Dallas thanks to the lingering flu bug. As a result, Jimmy Howard will get his fourth straight start in net and Daniel Larsson will remain the backup netminder. Ozzie practiced with the team yesterday for the first time in about a week, but wasn’t ready to play a full game yet.
• If you are coming to tonight’s game at the Joe, the Wings are hosting a toy drive for Toys for Tots so please bring new, unwrapped toys (please no stuffed animals) to help underprivileged kids in the southeastern Michigan area.
• With the help of teammate Kris Draper, Darren Helm has shown improvement on the ice this regular season.
• Red Wings’ players like Niklas Kronwall and the third and fourth lines have stepped up into the void left by some of the players who left in the offseason or were injured early on. The defenseman has recorded three goals and four assists in the last three contests.
• Kronwall’s defensive partner Brad Stuart is also getting a shot at offense, playing at the point on the second power-play unit with Jason Williams still injured.
• The Wings welcomed the Memorial Cup champs, the Windsor Spitfires, to practice on Monday.
• Wings’ top draft pick from this summer, Landon Ferraro, is slowly coming around after suffering a knee injury according to Red Wings Central.
• Winging It In Motown takes a look at some stats and awards Wings’ players some various honors, including the Patrick Eaves Award.
• Big Red Machine posted its three (Wings) stars of the week. The NHL named Henrik Zetterberg the first star of the week with a league-leading nine points, two game-winners and a plus-five rating last week.

Red Wings: 9 Blue Jackets:1

It’s hard to explain what coming home to a score like last night’s is like. Bob from Detroit4lyfe put it best on his Twitter last night. I checked ESPN.com during class half-expecting Columbus to be up 1-0, and saw that the Wings hung 4 goals on Steve Mason in the first period. By the time I got home, it was already 6-1.

Regardless, this type of game was long overdue as far as the Red Wings’ fanbase is concerned. Seeing the Wings come out and firing on all cylinders after losing Jason Williams to a broken fibula (among the other injuries) is, for lack of a better word, a relief. Most of the Red Wings bloggers I read barely remember the last time the Wings didn’t make the playoffs. There have only been two Red Wings captains in my lifetime. The Detroit Red Wings are synonymous with the word “success” in my book.

I think the best way to describe the first month of the season would be “puzzling.” Most Wings fans didn’t know why the team was starting slow with the burn of last year’s Cup Finals still smoldering in the minds of the Detroit faithful. We wondered why the team fell flat on its face in the homecoming games in Sweden. Then there was disbelief with the injuries to both Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula. The Wings stars weren’t performing either.

I don’t want to reflect on it too much, because it looks like the Wings have turned the corner (knocks on wood). Via The Chief:

Subtract the Toronto game for just a moment. Take it away. Forget that Voox and JJ jinxed us. Forget that the Wings continued a trend of going prison skinny guy at the ACC and just erase that for the very brief time being.

Because if you do? Jeez. We’re looking at a Wing team that’s allowed no more than one goal in four games. We’re looking at a Wing team that, suddenly, has outscored their opponents (Boston and San Jose, ahem, being two of them) 14-3.

My D4L colleague Jessie has a similar take at Bingo Bango:

Sure they are still THE organization, THE example to all other 29 teams in the league, but a 9-1 victory was a pleasant and unexpected treat.

They bent the BJs, Nash, and Mason over and had their way nine different times, 7 different guys. Sure that sounds like a cheesy porn, but tonight it best describes the ass kicking that took place in Columbus.

The guys at The Triple Deke are a bit perplexed, but excited all the same:

I did not see that coming. Not at all. I did think that by some strange form of reverse-reverse logic that the Wings would win (you know, as opposed to a legitimate reason such as “talent”), but not this way. There is nothing to complain about. In other words, this game was Drew Sharp’s worst nightmare.

Unfortunately, the Wings don’t get to revel in this big win for long. The Vancouver Luongos Canucks are in town and hoping that the Wings forgot to leave some goals in the tank for tonight. The Detroit News [via A2Y] is reporting that Chris Osgood and Kirk Maltby are out tonight. Jimmy Howard will be in goal while Maltby will be replaced by the newest Wing and former MSU standout Drew Miller.

To keep busy until game time, make sure to check out Kyle’s interview with Canucks blog Dan Cloutier for Vezina over at Babcock’s Death Stare. Also, one of today’s hot trends on Twitter is #unpublishedNHLbooks. I’ve helped contribute to that “discussion.” There are some really funny ones being posted.

More to come later, including highlights, Tigers coverage, and a midseason Lions review.

After a surprisingly slow to their season which has seen the Detroit Red Wings win just 7 of their 15 games, general manager Ken Holland has admitted to purposely decreasing the teams talent level and instilling a losing atmosphere. ”Who won the cup last year? It certainly wasn’t the Detroit Red Wings so I had to teach a lesson and show everyone that if losing is what they want, then losing is what they’ll get,” said Holland following the Wings 5-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. “It looked to me like those guys last year wanted to lose, so that is exactly what they are gonna get this year.”  Holland also points out the decision to not re-sign Marian Hossa and Mikael Samuelsson and instead signing the likes of Todd Bertuzzi, Patrick Eaves and Jason Williams as moves that would lead to a much weaker team and thus carrying out his plan of teaching the team a lesson. “Why else do you think I brought in Bertuzzi, Eaves and Williams but chose not to re-sign Hossa and Samuelsson? If I was going to replace those guys I would have atleast brought in some more Swedes, but I knew those three players would give us a much better chance of losing. Do you really think that Jiri Hudler decided to go to Russia on his own? That was all me too.” Holland also turned to the glaring fact that Chris Osgood is still the teams top goaltender. “Do you honestly think Osgood would still be here if we weren’t purposely trying to lose? Give me a break. How else would we be able to lose to the Leafs?”

Of all the offseason moves that Holland made to make the team worse, there is still one that got away and it is clearly the one that bothers him the most. “Cheli,” said Holland with obvious disappointment. “If I could have kept Chris Chelios for another year we probably wouldn’t win 10 games this year and I definitely would have gotten my message across a little stronger.”

The Detroit Red Wings turned up their defensive intensity this week, giving up only one goal in a mid-week sweep of the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks. The Wings, now riding a three-game win streak, sit at 3rd place in the Central Division with 17 points, just one point behind the division-leading Columbus Blue Jackets. The Chicago Blackhawks sit at 2nd with 17 points also, but the Hawks have 8 wins to the Wings’ 7.

Though 3rd place is definitely not a position Wings fans ever want to see their team in, it’s nice to see the Wings starting to hit their stride. They have given up two goals in their last three games, showing the kind of hustle and grit fans expected right out of the gate this year. The 2009 version of Chris Osgood is worlds better than his 2008 counterpart. Ozzie looks much more focused than he did at any point in the regular season last year. The penalty kill finally looks competent, to put it modestly. Since allowing two power play goals in the first two periods against the Edmonton Oilers, the Wings have killed off the last nine penalties they have taken.

Though the Wings aren’t scoring as many goals, the offense is still getting it together. Their holding possession much better. If Todd Bertuzzi could finish the Wings would have won by about 5 goals last night. They controlled that game, and realistically should not have gone into overtime. Ever since Shawn Horcoff scored to put the Oilers up 5-1, the Wings have outscored their opponents 10-2 (in regulation).

Some thoughts:

Don’t look now, but the Wings have taken 9 of a possible 10 points out of their last 5 games. With a trip to the bottom-dwelling Toronto Maple Leafs looming this weekend, the Wings should extend that streak to 11/12 points.

Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images

Around the Rink had experienced some technical difficulties over the last two weeks, which is why this feature has recently been M.I.A. We apologize for the down time and will now return to running this feature every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as before.

Detroit ends San Jose’s six-game winning streak

The Red Wings earned their third straight victory at Joe Louis Arena Thursday evening in a 2-1 shootout win over the San Jose Sharks, who had strung together a six-game winning streak entering the game. Detroit earned its first win in three shootouts so far this season.

Detroit netminder Chris Osgood had a strong outing, making 33 saves and stopping both of San Jose’s shootout attempts.

“Ozzie’s got to be feeling really good about himself,” Babcock said of his starting goaltender, who’s allowed just two goals in winning three in a row. “We’re playing well in front of him, but he’s playing well.”

DRW.com’s Michael Caples breaks down the Wings’ win, including some interesting stats in the 65 minutes of play. You can read other game recaps at The Detroit News, MLive.com, Motown Wings, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, The Triple Deke, Unconnected Red Wings Blog, and Winging It In Motown.

Red Wings honor Budd Lynch

Former broadcaster and longtime PA announcer Budd Lynch was recognized in a ceremony before Thursday’s game to mark Lynch’s 60th year with the Wings. All fans in attendance received a commemorative Budd Lynch bobblehead, which proved to be a hot ticket at the Joe last night.

In addition to the ceremony, “the Little Caesars Veterans Program and Coca-Cola will provide a Joe Louis Arena suite to military veterans and active military members home on leave every home game during the 2009-10 regular-season” in honor of Lynch.

Lynn Henning wrote a great article about Lynch in The Detroit News, which details the story of how he lost his arm in the war and how he landed his job with the Wings. Bob Duff of the Windsor Star goes back to Lynch’s start with the franchise.

In Other News

• With the 2009 Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony quickly approaching, Wings’ fans can find a nice chunk of articles on three of their former players. Michael Caples of DRW.com spoke with current Red Wings’ players about Steve Yzerman. Dan Rosen of NHL.com wrote two features on The Captain that were posted on Thursday.
• Forward Valtteri Filppula received the Carhartt award as the “Hardest Working Player of the Month” for October. Filppula remains out until December with a broken right wrist, which has provided Patrick Eaves with an opportunity that he appears to be taking advantage of.
• The Wings have got some good news from defenseman Andreas Lilja, who hasn’t had a headache in three days after seeing a chiropractor in Vancouver by the suggestion of teammate Brad May. There is no specific timetable for his return, but this three-day span has been the first time since his fight in February without headaches. He has started to practice with the team and at some point will have to see how he handles getting hit.
• Forward Dan Cleary is one goal away from notching his 100th career goal and it appears he’s getting a bit antsy to reach the benchmark.
• USA Hockey will announce its roster for the 2010 Winter Olympics on Jan. 1 during the NBC broadcast of the third annual Winter Classic at Fenway Park. A blog for the LA Times has the announcement dates for all of the national hockey federations.
• Bruce MacLeod of The Macomb Daily notes that Brad May will return to the lineup on Saturday after suffering an eye injury on Oct. 31.

So my mom try to make my hair wavy. At first it looked curly but after I sleep on it, it’ll be how I want it to be. The Detroit Red Wings game against the Boston Bruins was interesting. I always felt that Osgood sucks as a goalie but since the Bruins didn’t get any goals, it actually made Osgood look.. good. I like his helmet (maybe the only thing I like about him).

My parents were impressed with my work today. Highfive. But will we get tickets? Well, that’s still in the air.. or it might have even went away. Should I make a sign? “Ay, Sharpie! We’re soulmates! Same berfday!!” Haha XD Hey, it could work! Or maybe a sign that’s like, “Hey Tayvez!” instead of Toews. Drop that last one.. There was some that I could have done for the Anaheim Ducks! “The actors play better than you!” (nah, I’d get hit with the Stanley Cup), “Did ya find out you weren’t so ‘mighty’ after all?” or “Come on Coyotes! IT’S DUCK SEASON!”. Blackhawks? Hmm.. Worm gets eaten by blackhawk, blackhawk gets eaten by.. a coyote? *shrugs*

I feel a little better about the situation from last night. Today I did my job and that was to help around the house. I feel way better and even though we might or might not go, hey, at least I did it.

Yeah, mom thanked me.. dad? Not so. And after I walk into the house after school, I was talking to my mom and me and my brother stare are each other. Still talking and staring. It’s not my fault you blew up this little problem. And it actually didn’t even involve YOU. This school day, I told my friends about it. And it’s always good to get something off your chest, which is something I rarely do.

I forgot yesterday after I was cool, calm and collected, all I need is time for myself, relax, just get all the emotions out, and that’ll make me feel like it was nothing big in the first place.

And maybe for a future Red Wings game (my dad thought of this one) “Os-NO-good” again, I’d get hit with Sir Stanley Cup. Haha!

So I am hoping to do small previews and subsequent reviews of Red Wings games throughout the season.  Without further ado, the official blogging gets underway:

Boston Bruins vs. Detroit Red Wings,

November 3rd 7:00pm, Joe Louis Arena

Game Notes:

1. Both teams are searching for consistency of late.  The Red Wings return from their marginally unsuccessful road-trip, in which they somehow still managed to capture 6 out of a possible 10 points.  Saturday’s game against Calgary was the best game the Wings have played in weeks.  Hopefully that trend continues.  Boston meanwhile enters the game at an even .500  They have not won consecutive games this season, but they have also not yet lost 2 games in a row.  Coming off a shutout loss on sunday to the New York Rangers, they will be looking to put the puck in the net early and often.  If Boston overcompensates, their offensive focus may help the wings generate some chances in transition.
2. Tim Thomas was ordained a goaltending god after last year’s regular season performance.  This season he seems more human going 4-5 in his nine appearances and posting a 2.66 GAA.  However, he has still posted a shut-out and a .910 SV%  Ozzie on the other hand as we know all too well is floating with a GAA above 3 and a SV% under .900 (3.10 and .889 to be exact).  Goaltending will be huge in the first period as each team looks to get the jump.  Despite his inconsistencies, I think Osgood will play well enough to hold the team in it.  If Thomas can play like an average goaltender in the 1st period the Wings’ chances of getting the quick jump drastically increase.
3. Ville Leino returns to play on the 4th line alongside Abdelkader and Maltby.  I liked his benching last game by Babcock.  Before the season started I predicted he would score 20+ because we’ve seen the skills he has and the way he can play when he wants to.  He just did not seem to be working hard enough the last 4-5 games.  Hopefully Ville is angry enough to realize that if he wants to get 2nd PP-unit time, or 2nd line time, he needs to put the effort in every game.
4. Finally, Doug Janik makes his appearance for the Red Wings tonight.  Rafalski is out with the flu (…and for all the little piggies life is getting worse…) Janik is a 29-year-old player who has seen NHL time before, so this isn’t a new thing for him.  I can only hope he contributes well enough tonight, and in any time he gets, that the Red Wings feel comfortable getting rid of Meech or Lebda.  They have proven their inconsistency to me over and over.  Please Doug Janik, be the best 6th D-man I’ve seen all year.  I need to know our third pairing doesn’t have more holes than a strainer.

My Bold and Stupid Predictions for the Game:

1. The pentaly-kill prowess of draper/eaves/helm nets the Red Wings a short-handed goal.  Speed kills…penalties that is.
2. Pavel Datsyuk makes Zdeno Chara look foolish on an outlet pass tonight, creating a turnover and a subsequent scoring chance for the Wings.  This only re-affirms that Pavel Datsyuk is a pick-pocket and that Nick Lidstrom is the consummate Mr. Norris.  Lidstrom wants his hardware back Zdeno.
3. Boston delivers a questionable hit on one of the Red Wings players and the Wings quickly realize they actually really enjoy having Brad May in the lineup.  (Get well soon Brad…)
4. The offenses both have an outburst, but the play of Osgood in the first allows the Wings to hold on to an early lead.
5. Doug Janik gets on the scorebord with an assist, proving he can be more valuable then our stable of 6th defensemen so far.
6. Final score: 5-3 Red Wings win.

It’s been a bit of a rough week at the GHHT headquarters. Between exams and sickness, I haven’t had the energy to write much about the Wings’ time in western Canada.

Obviously, the biggest impact of this road trip was the loss of Valtteri Filppula for 6-8 weeks with a wrist injury. As I’ve mentioned in nearly ever Wings recap I’ve done this season, Filppula has been the Wings’ most-improved player in the early part of the year. He wasn’t exactly lighting up the box score, but he and Leino seemed to click well on that 2nd/3rd line no matter who the other winger was. This, coupled with the loss of Johan Franzen, is a big-time setback for the Wings. I’m still skeptical about Franzen’s ability to come back this season and be the same “I shoot, I score” Johan Franzen we know and love. Everyone needs to step up for the Wings now. There’s no more room for error. They need to bring their best effort on both ends of the ice for the entire game if they hope to get back to the top of the Western Conference. This year is becoming a test for the entire Wings organization, to see if they can fight through all the adversity they’ve seen so far and still be an elite team.

I don’t want to say that I’m “happy” with how Jimmy Howard played during the Vancouver and Edmonton games (specifically vs. Edmonton), but I definitely don’t think many of the goals in either of those games were his fault. I think it’s correct to say that he is a big part of why they beat the Canucks. Coming in stone-cold after Chris Osgood let in two soft goals and playing as well as he did was huge. The goalie change seemed to spark the Wings and they pulled out a huge win. Howard let in 5 goals against the Oilers, but many of those were not his fault. Kyle at Babcock’s Death Stare analyzed each of the five goals and broke each situation down, pointing out who was at fault in each scenario. Great stuff over at BDS.

Taking the Filppula loss out of the equation, I would actually consider this road trip a success for the Wings. They earned 6 out of a possible 10 points, including 5 of the last 6. Those first two games were against two of the hottest goaltenders in the business right now. Many fans went into this trip saying that the Wings needed it for “bonding time” yet expected 8 points (or more) out of the trip. If the Wings were in such dire need of time to gel as a team, there was no way they were going to get 8 points out of the trip. Were the points they got pretty? Absolutely not. But when they’re gearing up for the playoffs at the end of the season, nobody will remember how the Wings got those points. Honestly, I’m most impressed with the Edmonton game. It would have been easy for the Wings to treat it a lot like the Buffalo debacle and give up, but the team fought back and earned a point instead. Yes, both Datsyuk and Zetterberg put forth pathetic efforts in the shootout. Yes, Howard looked ugly at points. But they earned a point after being down 4 goals. If that’s not the definition of “stealing a point,” I don’t know what is.

Look at the lineup this year. Here are the healthy forwards that are coming back from last year’s regular season squad: Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Holmstrom, Cleary, Draper, and Maltby (based on the lineup vs. Calgary). Right now, the Wings are throwing out 6 new forwards while shuffling lines to deal with injuries and ineffective play. The Wings’ top goal scorer right now? Tomas Holmstrom. Why? Because he knows his role with this team. The rest of the Wings? Not so much. Mixing in so many new guys without having much consistency among the lines hasn’t given them a chance to figure out their role for this team, much less get into a rhythm offensively.

I wish I could explain what is wrong with the defense. Most of the guys are the same from last year, with the obvious exception being Jonathan Ericsson in Andreas Lilja’s place. The top two pairings have again been ineffective in the early going. Could it be due to age? I’d say so for Brian Rafalski and possibly Lidstrom. Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart don’t really have an excuse. The defense should definitely be better, though looking at various recaps from last night’s game in Calgary shows me that the D came to play.

Contrary to popular belief, the goaltending is a non-issue. We’ve all seen how anemic Osgood can be during the regular season, but as Captain Norris explains (via the Chief), “I’d bench a full boat of Martin Brodeurs over Roberto Luongos before I’d have Ozzie riding the pine [in the playoffs].” Brilliant stuff over there. A bit outdated (10/23), but awesome nonetheless. I’ve already said my bit about Jimmy Howard. Keep this in mind: he’s a rookie. Find me a rookie goaltender not named Steve Mason who had a great rookie season in the last 20 years. I can’t find one. We’re not expecting the kid to carry us, just to keep Ozzie fresh until he flips the switch.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. This team is going to be fine. They got out of western Canada without the swine flu and seem to have found a bit of a groove. I trust that the best organization in sports can fight through the adversity thrown their way and come out ready to wreak havoc in April.

Before Detroit could blink, they were down 1-0 when Henrik Sedin scored 30 seconds into the game. Christian Ehrhoff added to the deficit seven minutes later.

Things weren’t looking good for Detroit on Tuesday night against Vancouver, as Chris Osgood was pulled after giving up two goals on four shots faced.

But then, something strange happened: The Red Wings were on the opposite end of a blown lead.

Rallying back from two goals down, Detroit got a first-period goal from Tomas Holmstrom and then four goals in the third period to win 5-4.

A comeback. A victory. On the road. How about that?

In what wound up being a thrilling contest for those few who stayed up to watch on the east coast, perhaps the most promising sign of the night was the two goals from Pavel Datsyuk.

The Russian is one of the two most important players on the team as far as offense is concerned (Henrik Zetterberg being the other), and he had been without a goal this season before Tuesday night. Datsyuk picked up his first two goals of the season in a three-minute span to give Detroit a brief 4-3 lead.

He also tallied an assist and ended the game with three points.

Jason Williams tapped in the game winner on a power play, and the Wings managed to hold the 5-4 lead for the last four minutes.

Jimmy Howard played very well in relief of Osgood, and that’s a good thing for the future. Osgood had an incredibly off night, but Howard was able to come in and bend just little enough for Detroit’s offense to salvage two full points from the game.

Tuesday was an uncharacteristically bad night from Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo as he let in five goals on 42 shots. To be fair, two of those goals were on Detroit power plays, but this is the man who had given up six goals in his last five games combined.

All in all, a very exciting game for both sides, though Detroit made Vancouver’s fans leave the arena unhappy. Could this be a sign of things turning around in Hockeytown, or was this just a one-game thing for Detroit’s offense?

Five more observations:

1. Ryan Johnson took a nasty slide into the boards in the second period and had to be carted off the ice on a stretcher. Let’s hope he’s alright, as his shoulder slammed into the boards very hard.
2. Filppula draws key penalty. Valtteri Filppula should be credited with drawing the penalty that turned into Datsyuk’s second goal. He burst through three Canucks and would have gotten a shot off on Luongo if not for Kevin Beiksa hooking him. That penalty set up Datsyuk’s second goal of the period. Filppula also got the primary assist on the game-winner from Williams.
3. Schneider says hello. Former Wing Mathieu Schneider scorched home Vancouver’s third goal of the night on a play very familiar to Detroit fans of the past. He was making those slap shots from near the blue line plenty during his four seasons in Hockeytown.
4. Homer right at home. Holmstrom scored Detroit’s first goal and was instrumental on their third and fourth goal, pestering Luongo with his presence in front of the net. There’s no one better in the NHL at that.
5. Road relief. Not only was the victory Detroit’s first in four games, but they also notched their first road victory of the season. They needed to get out of that funk bad.

Best of the Wings: Datsyuk. His first two goals of the season and an assist make him the best Wing on the ice, though it was close between him and Holmstrom.

Worst of the Wings: Osgood. The veteran faced four shots and allowed two goals before being removed. Another simple call tonight.

Word of the game: Relief. The first road win and first win overall in nearly two weeks. This must be a huge weight off the players’ shoulders.

Up next: Thursday, at Edmonton, 9:30 p.m.

Another night, another blown lead for the Red Wings.

Tomas Holmstrom and Brett Lebda scored to give Detroit a 2-1 lead, and then the wheels slowly fell off late.

Controversial or not, Phoenix tied the game with less than three minutes remaining because the Coyotes crowded the net and Chris Osgood had no idea where the puck was.

Not Osgood’s fault, just great rushing to the net and confusion generation by Phoenix.

The game winner? Much more on Osgood’s shoulders. Adrian Aucoin sped into the offensive zone down the right boards and flung a shot toward the net, a shot that normally has little chance of going in. Osgood had a clear view of the puck, but it somehow deflected off his stick and went into the net just two minutes into overtime.

Final score: Detroit 2, Phoenix 3 in Jobing.com Arena.

Those are the kinds of goals in hockey that make me wonder why teams don’t do as much shooting when they’re in the offensive zone. So often, teams will carry the puck and do a lot of fancy passing to fake out the goalie.

In this case, like countless others, just throwing the puck willy-nilly at the net was all it took for Aucoin to send the fans home happy. Throw the puck at the net, good things happen.

Blown leads are becoming Detroit’s signature this season. I wrote after Saturday’s loss to Colorado that I would be expecting plenty of blown leads in the future. It only took one game for that to be true.

In good news for Detroit, Pavel Datsyuk was back in the lineup and played very well for the first time all season. He picked up two assists in the game and now has four on the season. Him and Henrik Zetterberg were on fire with assists in the game, as Zetterberg took the second assists on both Detroit goals.

Three more observations:

1. Road woes. The Phoenix game was the first of five straight road games in the Wings’ longest road trip of the season. Detroit is now 0-3-1 away from Joe Louis Arena this year and has been outscored 18-10 in those games.
2. Shoot the puck! Usually a rarity in seasons past, the Coyotes outshot the Red Wings 33-27 in the game. Detroit is averaging 30.2 shots per game this year (16th in the league) against 29.8 for their opponents. For comparison, the Red Wings’ numbers from last year were 36.2 (1st in the NHL) against 27.7 (2nd), and their 2007 numbers were 34.4 (1st) against 23.5 (1st).
3. Laying low. Former Wing Robert Lang had a quiet night for Phoenix, shooting twice but not recording another stat in his 15:37 of ice time.

Player of the game: Aucoin. He assisted on the Coyotes’ first goal and score the game-winner in overtime. Simple enough.

Best of the Wings: Datsyuk. First assists on both Red Wings goals, and that pass to Lebda for his goal was beautiful.

Word of the game: Motif. As in, blown leads will be the motif of Detroit’s season. They’re the recurring theme, the story arc, the unifying piece to the early part of the year.

Up next: Saturday, at Colorado, 9 p.m.

So, the coyotes beat the Red Wings in OT. It was a crazy game, well at least toward the end.

I am sure the papers will make all kinds of excuses for why Detroit lost. Because you know, the Coyotes couldn’t possible actual win on their own accord. I will say, they did not play their best through the first two periods, but they ramped it up toward the end of the third. They fought hard to come back and win the game.

A big thanks to Chris Osgood. Yah, for giving us the win in OT. That was awesome. Of course the goal was not credited to Osgood but to Aucoin (his second for the night, WTG Adrian!)

I can’t think anymore. The whiny models on my tv are killing my brain cells. And I am tired. I leave you with a picture:

This is precisely why I think the NHL did not go with renewing with ESPN and opted for the hardly-much-better Vs.

First of all, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are no longer in their NHL prime. Datsyuk is 31 and Zetterberg is 29. Those are not “prime” ages to play a nine-month NHL season (training camp to the Cup finals).

We’ve noted in this space for years — hockey is a young man’s game. Maurice Richard was 23 when he scored 59 goals in 50 games during the 1944-45 season. Bobby Orr was 22 when he scored 120 points and flew through the air to win his first Stanley Cup in 1970. Wayne Gretzky was 21 when he went 92-120-212 in the 1981-82 regular season. Sidney Crosby was 21 this past June when he became the youngest NHL captain to raise the holy grail.

Younger players are more energetic, more durable, heal quicker and, most important, have heightened mental clarity because younger people think only of the present, which is the key to creativity and productivity. I’m not saying Datsyuk and Zetterberg are Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden and will never win another Stanley Cup. Just realize that players get injured more in their 30s and begin a downward arc in their production.

Secondly, the Wings are probably at the end of their run. Their best players are older and their younger players are average NHL players. They continue to live off their power players and struggle with their penalty killing and goaltending. The injury to Johan Franzen is enormous. The Red Wings will struggle to score goals and that is a problem because they are not constructed to prevent them. Coach Mike Babcock may have to make some alterations to the Wings’ normal style of play and GM Ken Holland may have to reach into his bag of tricks and try to find a goaltender.

The first step is a healthy Datsyuk and Zetterberg, and go from there. Detroit won’t win the Central Division, but it has all season to get ready for the playoffs, when Franzen can hopefully return healthy. There is still a lot of good in Detroit, just maybe not championship good.

I don’t know where to start with this. Perhaps I’ll start with numbers, which were culled from the ESPN website, just to prove they have access to the same information I have.

Datsyuk’s numbers last year read as such:

81 games played 32 goals, 65 assists total of 97 points. +34 with 22 PIMs, on the PP Datsyuk registered 11 goals 25 assists. Oh yeah, did I mention he won the Lady Byng trophy for the third straight season, and the Frank J. Selke trophy for the second straight season? If Datsyuk was at the end of his career, why is he putting up numbers that a lot of players in their “prime” can only dream of. Is he Ovechkin, Crosby or Malkin? No. Is “past his prime” in Pavel Datsyuk’s world still better than most players career years? Absolutely.

Enough on Datsyuk, let’s dissect the Swede, Henrik Zetterberg. He played in a respectable 77 games last season and put up 31 goals, 42 assists and that was good for a respectable 73 points. For those that can’t figure it out on their own, that’s good for just under one point per game, actually, .95 points per game if you REALLY want to get technical. Zetterberg had a +/- of +13, which for a mostly offensive forward, is pretty respectable, granted he’s not Datsyuk, but not many people are, which is what made Datsyuk the Frank J. Selke trophy winner.

Are the Wings off to a slower start than usual? Is Buccigross correct in his assessment of their goaltending situation? For the time being, yes, but name the last season people thought Chris Osgood was going to have a great year. We’ve seen this before, and we know that Chris Osgood doesn’t play like this forever, when he turns it on, he’s almost impossible to beat, especially in big game situations. Which brings me to my next point. Why is it that ESPN covers hockey for maybe five minutes a day when Sportscenter has it’s Ovechkin or Crosby highlight from last night’s game, and they feel like they’re an authority on the sport? Further more, why do people care what John Buccigross has to say? Great, he co-hosted NHL 2Night and had absolutely no connect to the game whatsoever before he started being “the hockey guy” for ESPN.

The short version of this is basically, John Buccigross doesn’t know what he’s talking about, and Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg still have plenty of time before anyone should write them off as “past their prime.”