Thoughts on Game 40:
… For the fifth game in a row, the Wings played closer to their potential than they have the majority of the season. They kept their foot on the pedal from the start to the finish, with minimal bumps on the road in between. They seem to be getting better on a nightly-basis.
… The defense, in particular, is exponentially better these days than earlier in the season.
… Henrik Zetterberg didn’t stand out like I hoped he would, but he definitely had a strong game. His redirection of Kronwall’s shot for the Wings’ 6th goal was stellar and his play at both ends was as well. His line, with Hossa and Cleary, was the best of the night for the Wings.
… As for Hossa, I thought he was the best player on the ice tonight. His pick on Cleary’s goal was just a great play by a smart hockey player and his play with and without the puck was exceptional. It’s good to see him stay on the scoreboard, with his second goal in as many games.
… Datsyuk wasn’t quite as noticeable as he has been recently, but had a strong outing. His PPG (the Wings’ fifth) was a perfect shot, loosed after just the slightest of pauses following the pass from Nick. That he beat Steve Ott on the faceoff leading to the goal was icing on the cake.
… On Ott: what a donkey. At risk of validating the guy by giving him even a moment’s consideration, I’ll elaborate.
That crosscheck on Kronwall for Nik’s clean and spectacular hit on Ribeiro was pure bush league. What is it about today’s NHL that you can’t lay a clean hit on a player without getting jumped by some halfwit mouthbreathing worthless waste of space?
If Ott wanted to give Kronwall a facewash after the whistle, fine. Whatever. Cross-checking him in the back was just asinine and I hope the League reviews it, though I can’t see anything more coming of it.
Ott should have been given a roughing for dropping his gloves and throwing (not necessarily landing) punches in addition to the cross-checking, and probably a major and accompanying game misconduct for intent to injure. That he was able to continue his bush league antics for the rest of the game is pathetic. Tippett should have benched him at the very least for digging the Stars’ hole deeper with his later charging penalty. Alright, enough wasted pixels on that loser.
Wait, one more thing, as pointed out by Meg:
That’s sweet video evidence of then-AHLer Darryl Bootland teaching Ott how to dance.
… Kronwall had a strong night in addition to the hit on Ribeiro. He made a nice heads-up play to pounce on the center-ice turnover leading to Maltby’s goal and put the puck where it needed to go on Zetterberg’s.
… I thought Turco was actually pretty solid, despite giving up three goals on 18. The Wings were just that good. I can understand reasoning behind putting in Stephan, though, especially when you look ahead to Monday’s rematch in Dallas.
The main negative on Turco’s part tonight was that his adventures behind the net in search of the puck nearly ended in a Red Wings goal a number of times. Perhaps the sheen has worn off Marty’s puck-handling prowess.
There was also his amateur-level trip on Jiri Hudler in the first period, a shenanigan that lead to Huds being shook up.
… At the other end, Osgood was strong. He would have had a shutout were it not for a deflection on the Stars’ lone goal. It was good to hear the “Ozzie! Ozzie!” chants at the end of the game. Gotta wonder what the crowd would cheer for Conklin. “Conksy! Conksy!”? Doesn’t have the same ring to it.
… I thought the Stars played a reasonably solid game, though the score certainly wouldn’t tell you that. As with Turco, the Wings were just that good, and you could definitely see the frustration as the game wound down.
… The Wings home penalty kill continued to be strong, despite facing some very well-formed Dallas power plays.
… I’m liking how the Wings look now, but I’m trying to listen to Paul Kukla’s advice as passed on by IwoCPO on Wednesday: withhold judgment until after the coming five-game Out West road trip. That’ll be the real test.