Wings 4, Stars 1 — On the Wings

Got to take care of a few non-blog things on lunch break, so briefly:

Reset: If last night’s game is any indication, we may be able to consider the Blues game as a reset button on the season. It wasn’t a perfect game by any means, but it was a strong effort against a tough team.

Miller: Of the new faces on the team, it’s been the guys from whom the least was expected that have impressed the most, I think. First it was Patrick Eaves. Now it’s Drew Miller. His play on the goal was a heck of an effort. Sure, the actual goal was lucky, but he made that happen with hustle. The rest of the team should take notice. He won’t put up big numbers, but that kind of effort is what will produce timely goals in important games.

Howard: It would seem Howard has turned into an actual NHL goalie. I’m going to stop waiting for the other shoe to drop now. If he can keep this up, the Wings’ goaltending future looks pretty bright. Between him at his best and McCollum/Larsson, the Wings could be set for a while.

Bertuzzi: Maybe, just maybe, we’ll see him start producing on a consistent basis now that he’s had a couple nights where the puck went in for him. Confidence is a bigger deal for him than maybe anyone else in the League and now that he seems to be gaining it, we might be able to dial back the vocal frustration.

Turco: Is hilariously bad in the Joe and against the Wings in general. What is it about them that makes him such a bad goalie? I’ve never seen someone who’s otherwise a solid player go to pieces so consistently against just one team. Crazy.

Next up: The Oilers are having an awful season, but that doesn’t make them a team to overlook. It should be a good test of the Wings’ focus.

Comments

John W. says:
December 1, 2009 at 10:16 am
Good point on Miller, he really does seem like a guy who could score 5 regular season goals, and then 5 huge playoff goals. He's the kind of guy who gets very little credit, but you really like to have on your team. I think he could be a Wing for a while, he could definately be Kirk Maltby's replacement.
As for Bert, yeah, let's hope these last 2 games get him going.
I think Pavel had a great game. No goals again, but he seemed "on." The 2 plays that stuck out in my mind were the one where he broke his stick, yet still managed to protect the puck and pass it to the point-man with his foot, and the Bertuzzi goal where he made a perfect tape to tape pass while laying on the ice. Plus, I think Bertuzzi scoring a goal off of his feed might give Pav more confidence as well.
The Edmonton game scares me, because there is no way the game should even be close, but we all know how that usually turns out. They just lost Hemsky for the year and Khabibulin is out with back trouble. If the Wings have reset their season, this game should be in the 4-1 range, with the 1 coming while already up by at least 2.
Even though they have won 2 straight, they can really use this 2 day break before playing 3 in 4 nights. Rest up boys.
Justin says:
December 1, 2009 at 3:51 pm
That was indeed a great play by Miller to prevent the icing call before scoring the goal. Another fine exhibit to use in the argument against no-touch icing.