Reasonable Start: Like I said last night, this was a strong game for the Wings. I’d even go so far as to say they were the better team. The Predators really just got the better luck. This would have been an entirely different game if just two bounces had gone the other way for the Wings.
Of course, luck is a huge part of the playoffs, so the fact that the Wings didn’t play well enough to overcome it is something they need to address in Game 2. The Predators are sure to be better tomorrow.
Weber: The news today is that Henrik Zetterberg is okay, which is fortunate for everyone involved. It could have been a lot worse. Weber really looked like an animal on that play. It sounds like he won’t face any discipline for it, either, which sucks.
Note that I mean the penalty he did receive on the play doesn’t count as discipline. If he gets a fine, that will do next to nothing in the discipline department.
Helm: As unfortunate as Weber getting away with his move on Zetterberg would be, the real tragedy of last night is the Helm injury. As is typical with skate injuries, it was a total freak accident. Fortunately, his surgery was successful and he’ll apparently be ready for next season. But it’s a huge blow to the team. He’s exactly the kind of player you want in your lineup in the playoffs. There’s no replacement for him. Conner would help, but Helm’s a special guy in this organization.
Howard: I thought he looked very, very good. The Predators are a dangerous team and Jimmy made a lot of his saves look easy when a lesser goalie would have looked lost. He was the victim of some bad bounces and a surprising defensive breakdown, unfortunately. Game 2 might be an epic one in his career, though.
Rinne: Dude’s a Goalie. But I noticed he got slightly shakier later in the game. I think if the Wings can get over their obsession with racking up passes to set up some kind of Platonian ideal of the perfect goal and just throw the puck on net a few times while following up on it, they could actually crack the Rinne nut.
The PK: Great night for those guys. They certainly got enough practice. They could be a huge factor in this series.
The PP: Would it be ridiculous to pan a power play that still scored twice? I’m still majorly disappointed with that late 5-on-3. They needed a goal there and put almost nothing together.
The Refs: Nothing about what the refs did changed the outcome of the game. But they sure did ruin it. Let me be perfectly clear: there is no consipiracy. What we have is simply the least professional, most incompetent group of officials in sports. These guys suck at their jobs. And guess what? Their utter lack of professionalism means Babcock’s comments will come back to bite the Wings however long they’re in the playoffs.
Emmerton: 2:52 TOI. Just saying.
Stuart: One negative for the Wings was Brad Stuart. On ice for all three Predator goals, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Red Wings player make such a hard 180 in the span of just a couple months. It was not long ago that I considered Stuart to be the second-most reliable defenseman on the team. Now? I don’t trust him at all. I don’t doubt his professionalism so far as to say he’s actively checked out, but something is going on and the Brad Stuart we were begging not to leave has already gone. We’re watching a shell of that player out there.
Gaustad: Okay, I admit it. I laughed at the Deadline Day worst case scenario talk of Paul Gaustad pulling a key faceoff win out of the dot in a playoff series. I thought, “Whatever, the Wings have decent faceoff men. It’ll be okay.” But I tell you i’m not laughing now. Gaustad was huge in the faceoff circle in key moments for the Preds last night. That 5-on-3 was one of them.
Next: The Wings need to improve their baseline play and make sure they’re elevated higher than the Preds are sure to bring their game up. They also need to work on making more of their own luck by simply putting the puck on net. That’s how they scored their two last night. The perfect play isn’t as valuable as the junk play that gets it in.