On the Wings

Update (11:34 AM): I meant to mention that the Eurotwins were in fact split up last night, but not at the beginning. They actually started the game on the same line and were only separated later, with periodic reunions on the power play. With Pavel playing so well and Hank not more than a couple steps behind, the split wasn’t such a bad idea. - Matt

The Wings won their first game in Montreal since 2003 and put on one of their better performances of the season in the process. They weathered an early push by the Habs and soon established a dominance that extended most of the rest of the game.

… The big story of the game was Dominik Hasek. Although he only faced 16 shots, Dom demonstrated that he’s still “got it,” as more than a few of his 15 saves were very tough. He obviously had a lot to prove given his slow start and last night he went a long way in re-establishing himself. He was caught a little flat-footed on the Habs’ one goal, but I can’t really blame him for that.

If he can that up in his next start, Mike Babcock will need to find a way to get both of his goalies the games necessary to keep them sharp. That will make the Wings that much tougher to play against.

… The other story of the game was Pavel Datsyuk, who had yet another dominating performance, finishing with two goals and one assist. Both of his goals came off intercepted Canadien passes and were basically unstoppable. His assist on Henrik Zetterberg’s power play goal was pretty conventional, but you can see the Habs respecting him as a threat as he carries the puck into the zone. Pavel’s turned his slow start around with 7 goals in his last 5 games, making him the player with the hottest stick on the team.

… Andreas Lilja got away with a pretty nasty hit early in the first period. With the Habs clearing their zone, Lilja stepped up and shoved Steve Begin into the boards from 4-5 feet out. Begin went flying sideways into the boards, hitting first with his head, and lay there for some time before getting up. Despite the fact that he struggled to get to the bench, the officials were slow to whistle the play dead.

Begin got some revenge later in the game when he and Lilja had a jersey-pulling contest disguised as a fight, but that doesn’t make it right. That’s not Red Wings hockey, Andreas.

… I normally think of Saku Koivu as a mild-mannered guy, but he was an ornery punk last night. He and Tomas Holmstrom nearly had a fight later in the first period and in the third, a tussle with Mikael Samuelsson resulted in former Red Wings Mathieu Dandenault executing a flying tackle on his captain’s antagonizer (and getting a game misconduct for his trouble). While I can appreciate Dandy wanting to come to the defense of his captain, the whole flying tackle thing was dangerous and unnecessary. I’m glad he got booted.

All that unfriendliness had me wishing the Wings didn’t have to wait until next year to play Montreal again. A home-and-home series would have been great, but because they’re not in the Central, a rivalry with the Habs is not officially sanctioned.

… I thought Casey Price looked quite solid, until Pavel started to wear him down with his two goals. Price didn’t have a chance on Kronwall’s goal, which was tipped, but he should have had Zetterberg’s and by that point, he looked a bit shaken. He’s a 20-year-old rookie playing in a high-pressure town, but did a good job over all. His teammates owe him better support than they gave him. I think Guy Carbonneau is pretty out of line to call out the goaltending when his skaters underperformed so badly.

… The fans in Montreal are merciless. You make a good play and you might get a so-so response. But you make a bad play and the boos rain down. One example: in the third period, the Habs basically passed Datsyuk the puck and the crowd got furious. I thought it was hilarious.

… Every time I watch Versus, I’m embarrassed by the amateurism of the broadcast. At one point, the color guy was praising the linesman for making a routine off-sides call. Why? When Koivu and Holmstrom got into it during the first period, they knew a penalty was called, but didn’t know who it was on and so they just stopped talking for 20-30 seconds. The FSN crew would have been on that immediately. I don’t want to make this a Versus-bash, so just one more thing: Brian Engblom needs a make-over, badly. His hair hit a new low last night.

A couple positives: they at least showed the ceremonial puck drop before the game and interviewed Gordie Howe in the crowd. The interview with Chris Osgood was also a highlight. The interview with Claude Lemieux? Not so much. If I never have to hear his voice or see his face again, I’ll be happy.

… Overall, a very good game for the Wings, who seem to get a kick out of playing Eastern Conference teams, as this and their game against the Lightning were two of their best all season. That they went without allowing a power play goal on seven chances despite being down their two best penalty killers is as good a sign as there is that the team is on a roll.

Links

• Baroque’s recap at HockeyTownTodd
• IwoCPO’s post-game thoughts at Abel to Yzerman
• Bruce MacLeod’s thoughts on the game
• George Malik’s media roundup and recap at Snapshots
• Montreal-perspective recap at A Theory of Ice
• A Globe and Mail piece about the divergent paths of the two teams
• Highlights
• Boxscore

The Wings extended their win streak to four last night, beating the Montreal Canadiens 2-0 at home. It was a business-like win, with not too much fancy play, though the Wings largely controlled play for two periods, posting 39 shots while holding the Habs to 23. It was the first time the teams had met since October 2003 and the first time the Habs had been in town since the previous October.

Dominik Hasek started for the Wings and looked solid. He had a couple points where the Canadiens had him scrambling around and things got a little tense, but he either made the save or they blew their chances. Overall, he was very steady and made all the necessary saves. Toward the end of the game, as time was becoming an issue for the Habs, he kept play going by going out of his way not to freeze the puck, which one of the little things he does that doesn’t get noticed. It was his 74th career shutout, which is 10th all-time. He is second in the league this season with six (Martin Brodeur has seven).

The Canadians had a few stretches in which they really controlled play. One such stretch was the first minute or so of the game, as they cycled the puck around the Detroit end. They did it on a power play or two as well, but not as consistently as I’d have expected of the #2 power play team in the league. The Wings were able to kill off five power plays, including one 26-second 5-on-3 and didn’t seem to have much trouble doing so. Of course, the Canadiens killed off the two Wings power plays, so it was a bit of an even trade.

Jiri Hudler scored the first goal for the Wings. It came as a bit of a surprise on a quick rush beginning at the Detroit blueline. He skated down the left wing boards and took a shot from just inside the left circle, with a clear shooting lane. David Aebischer dropped and reacted, but the puck beat him to the upper right corner of the net. It was a great shot and put the Wings ahead 1-0 at 9:18 of the first.

The teams pretty much traded control from then on, through the second period, which was a lot less offensively-oriented than the other two. The Canadiens had three powerplays in the second, the last of which was due to a crap call if I ever saw one. Kris Draper was called for high sticking Michael Ryder near the Montreal net. Draper had his stick in Ryder’s mid-section and could have been called for hooking, but Ryder decided the referee needed a little help. So, he threw his head back as he let himself fall, holding his face in his hand, tricking the referee into thinking Draper had caught him in his face with his stick. A disgusting display, but Ryder got off without a diving penalty. Fortunately, the Wings killed it off. I’m sure I’ll get accused of homerism after my reaction to the play, but unless I missed something, it was a blatant dive and not something that belongs in the game.

To start the third period, the Wings controlled the play. For about a minute. Then, the Habs took over for a minute and a half or so. After a fairly lethargic second period, the sudden urgency and intensity was a welcome change. The Wings’ best line was, of course, Pavel Datsyuk with Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom. With the Eurotwins causing Montreal puck carriers and defenders fits as they expertly stole and cycled the puck, Holmstrom got a number of great scoring chances, though Aebischer was too strong.

One thing I noticed in this period was how loud the crowd seemed to be. Of course, it could have just been the Versus mics, which may pick up more arena noise than FSN’s, but it sounded like the usually-quiet Joe crowd was into the game. It was a close one and an Original Six matchup and I didn’t notice a ton of empty seats.

As the period wore on, the Wings began to play pretty conservatively, taking their time leaving the zone and only doing so when they were sure they would get out. The Habs, surprisingly enough, let them do it rather than making a concerted effort at a comeback. It would come later, but by then it was too late.

Pavel Datsyuk extended the Wings’ lead to two goals at the 14:41 mark of the period after a nice play at center with Henrik Zetterberg. Hank carried the puck over over the blueline and then dropped it to Pavel, who skated down the right boards as Francis Bouillon covered him. He stickhandled briefly before releasing a shot from the outside edge of the circle. The puck may have hit Bouillon on its way to the far post and in, but I think it was just a great shot by Datsyuk.

With that out of the way, the Wings settled into a defensive posture and waited for Montreal to come at them. The Habs did, but they were a bit sloppy and didn’t get as much pressure as they’d have liked. They did come close to score around the 17:30 mark, but Hasek was strong and the puck stayed out. They pulled Aebsicher briefly around the 19:00 mark, but a neutral zone faceoff forced him back. He left again with about 20 seconds left, but it was far too late by then. 2-0 Wings, final.

A good win for the Wings, who improved to 4-1-1 against the East thus far this season. They have four non-conference games remaining, with a visit to Long Island coming later this month, trips to New York and Philadelphia coming in February, and the Bruins coming to town in March. On Wednesday, they’ll have a chance to edge closer to the Central Division lead as they host the Nashville Predators, who are currently ahead of them by four points.

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