On the Wings

The Wings wrapped up their four-game West Coast road trip with a convincing 5-2 win over the Phoenix Coyotes last night. They began a little shaky, but gradually took command of the game and put the finishing touch on one of their better recent road trips. They passed the first big test of the season with a 3-1 record, and though there are still concerns about their ability to stay out of the box, things are looking pretty good at this stage.

Some thoughts on the game:

… Dominik Hasek was in net last night and, like his teammates, started out a bit shaky. He did get stronger as the game went on, but he’s still somewhere in his “B” game. He was hung out to dry on the Coyotes first goal and was beaten by a straight-up shot by Steve Reinprecht. You’d kind of like to see Dominik Hasek make that save. On the second goal, he had to deal with Mike York virtually on top of him while a Derek Morris shot came through. I don’t blame him for that one at all. The official should have called York for interference there, especially since Hasek was not out of the crease. Later in the game, Dom made some really great saves, so his confidence seems to be building.

… I updated the GameDay post with a comment on the waived off goal and only have a little more to say about it. I do not understand the official’s reasoning on that one, because Tellqvist did not even act like he’d been bumped. Holmstrom never touched him and there was no dive on Tellqvist’s part, so why did the ref call interference? I wish I had a replay of it so I could demonstrate the guy’s complete incompetence.

… While the Wings were in the middle of their warming-up stage last night, one player that stood out as having a rough start was Pavel Datsyuk. He turned the puck over at center at least 3 times, with one leading directly to a goal. His turnovers weren’t 100% his fault, though, as they came as a result of less-than-stellar outlet passes from the defense, but it was still unusual. Pavel got it together in the second and third periods, though, and finished strong.

… Brett Lebda had a strong game. He nearly had two goals, but had his shot cleared away from the empty net by a Phoenix player. He scored on a nice set-up by Matt Ellis a few minutes later, however. Hopefully that’ll get him going offensively.

… Ellis, by the way, had a heck of a game. He stood out a lot in the third period and just looked great. He was a major reason the fourth line caused the Coyotes so many problems and his actions behind the net led directly to two goals. He nearly scored himself a couple times and showed incredible hustle. Dave at Gorilla Crouch believes he’s solidified his spot on the team and I completely agree. There’s no way he’ll get sent down after his performance over the whole road trip.

… Aaron Downey looked good last night as well. I like what he brings to the team, both on the ice and off it. He has a good work ethic and a great attitude on top of bringing that element of toughness the Wings need. He’s gradually earned more ice time, topping out at nearly 6:30 last night, which is good to see. Unfortunately, if the Wings are serious about bringing up Igor Grigorenko soon, he’ll be headed to Grand Rapids. Quite frankly, I’d rather the Wings keep him. Downey, along with Ellis, brings an energy to this team that Grigorenko seems incapable of providing.

… For all those Kirk Maltby haters out there: what now? The man had two goals last night. I think he’s still valuable to the team.

… Jiri Hudler had a decent game. He was johnny-on-the-spot for the first goal and though he finished with only one shot on goal, he remained dangerous.

… Valtteri Filppula also had a strong game, but he needs to find a way to bury the puck. He had two separate breakaways but couldn’t put it in the net. He seems close to breaking out, though, so I’m not anywhere near giving up on him.

… The play that led to Henrik Zetterberg’s goal in the third period was beautiful. Pavel Datsyuk drew two defenders to himself and then dished the puck off to Holmstrom to Tellqvist’s right. Zetterberg, on the other side, called for the puck, and got it. An easy slam-dunk goal. Typical for that line.

… One thing I noticed last night was the Wings had some trouble getting set up on the power play. They went 0-for-7 with the man advantage, which is surprising considering the Coyotes went into the game 26th in the League on the PK at 75%.

… All in all, a good game. It was definitely a relief to see them perform so well on the road. Now, they get two home games in a row, beginning with the Canucks on Wednesday. The big game of the week is against the Sharks on Friday, however.

… Be sure to check out the highlight reel.