Archive for the 'Game Reports' CategoryPage 6 of 21

Wings 4, Lightning 2

Published
by
Matt Saler
on November 30, 2007
in 2007-2008, Game Reports and Lightning
. 4 Comments

Update (2:10 PM): I forgot to mention earlier that Henrik Zetterberg’s home point streak ended at 27 games last night. With the net empty at the end of the third, the team made an obvious push to get him the puck, but he sent his best chance wide. As unfortunate as that was, it’s good to see the Wings winning on secondary scoring, with Tomas Kopecky getting the game-winner rather than someone from the top line. - Matt

The Wings won their only meeting with the Tampa Bay Lightning this season, putting up four goals to the Bolts’ two last night at the Joe. Despite the fact that Tampa managed 23 shots, it seemed to me that the game was one of the more lopsided contests game the Wings have played all season. They dictated play virtually the whole game. Quite frankly, the Lightning were a disappointment.

… Marc Denis was in net for Tampa Bay. He should take the posts out to dinner, as they are the only reason he didn’t get lit up for eight goals instead of four. Two of the post incidents were especially memorable. On the first, Denis was completely down and out with Pavel Datsyuk looking at a wide-open net in a situation similar to his eventual goal. The defenseman must have gotten his stick on the puck at the last second because it’s hard to believe Pavel would shank it that badly, but it clanged off the far post. Later, the prettiest passing play you ever saw ended with a heavy Henrik Zetterberg shot going off the far side post in the other end. That one really hurt because it would have been such a great play to put on the highlight reel.

… At the other end, Chris Osgood was stellar. He had zero chance on either of the Lightning’s two goals and great saves on their few scoring chances. He continues to exude confidence.

… Chris Chelios’ pass to Jiri Hudler on the opening goal was a thing of beauty. Great veteran play by Chelios and nice anticipation by Jiri. The little Czech is looking better all the time.

… Pavel Datsyuk is heating. IwoCPO puts it perfectly at Abel to Yzerman:

And speaking of Datsyuk…stand by. He’s been around long enough for us to recognize the signs and they’re all there. 4 goals and 6 points the last three games and he’s just heating up. Forget the stats and just consider the way he’s controlling play every shift.

He’s been racking up the assists all year, but now the puck is going in for him and he’s looking as sharp as ever. That’s great news for the Wings.

… I give lots of credit to Aaron Downey for choosing to ignore Andre Roy when the Wings were ahead. Roy was trying to get him to go most of the night, but Downey knew it would only serve to get the Lightning fired up at a time in which the Wings were dominating. Keeping Downey was another great decision by the Wings.

… Tomas Kopecky’s goal in the second period came as a complete surprise to me. I knew he had offensive skill, but I never expected to see him break in, shoulder-fake Denis, and roof it like he did. One of the prettier goals of the year so far, even if it was against a sub-par goalie. As much as the team wants him to focus on his defensive game, I hope that goal just the beginning for him.

… Ken Daniels and Mikey Redmond spent the remainder of the night singing Andreas Lilja’s praises following Kopecky’s goal. The big Swede’s pass that let Kopey get in the clear was definitely a great one and evidence that Nick Lidstrom is rubbing off on #3 more than most fans think. I’m starting to appreciate Lilja more and more, and already consider him one of the team’s better penalty killers.

… Mark Hartigan was a complete non-factor in the game. The two highly-knowledgeable Griffins fans that I watched the game with called him a dirty, lazy player. I’m glad he’s been sent back to the Griffins.

… Good to see Dan Cleary get on the board again. As with Kopecky, hopefully he’ll be able to build on the goal.

… All in all, a strong performance by the Wings, who’ll need to keep up the offensive dominance as they head into a game against Ilya Bryzgalov and the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday. While the Coyotes aren’t anything to write home about, but Bryzgalov is a great goalie and one that’ll be harder to beat than Marc Denis.

Links

11/27 Notes

Published
by
Matt Saler
on November 28, 2007
in 2007-2008, Flames, Game Reports and Video
. 0 Comments

Update (1:10 PM): George Malik has a slick roundup of media and player comments on the game over at Snapshots. - Matt

… So the Wings beat the Flames 5-3 last night. From the little that I saw online (while in class), it looked like a fast-paced game, though that impression may be due to the stop-and-go nature of the video feed. Since I didn’t get to watch the whole thing and therefore cannot comment on it much at all, I have some links for you:

… Aside from the win, the big news coming out of the game is the injury to Kris Draper at 18:40 of the first period. Evidently, he twisted his left knee while behind the net with Owen Nolan. He was able to drive himself to the DMC for an MRI, but Mike Babcock told the media “”We’re a little concerned right now,” though the hope is obviously that it’s nothing major. We’ll probably find out more today.

As the Freep points out, Johan Franzen, the last Red Wing to sprain his knee, missed 10 games. Let’s hope Drapes can make it back sooner than that.

… If you’re looking for the Dion Phaneuf hit on Jiri Hudler, look no further:

Fortunately for him, Jiri gets his head up at the last second there, so he wasn’t totally unprepared. A bit of a high one, but Hudler is one of the shorter guys in the league, so that isn’t so surprising. A spectacular hit, to be sure, though I’m not a fan of the elbow-on-head contact.

… In response to Ian’s question on the gameday post, the “A” is on rotation between Zetterberg, Draper, and Datsyuk.

Also, yes, we’d be screwed if one of the top three goes down. More so if one of the Eurotwins does, but losing Homer would decimate the power play.

Wings 2, Predators 3

Published
by
Matt Saler
on November 23, 2007
in 2007-2008, Game Reports and Predators
. 8 Comments

The Wings fell to 4-5-1 versus the Central Division with last night’s 3-2 loss to Nashville. It was a game they should have had well in hand by the end of the first period, as the Predators took six penalties in the first 20 minutes. The Wings couldn’t convert on two 5-on-3s, though they did score on their first power play. By and large, the Wings dictated the game until the Predators scored and gained their legs. The rest of the game consisted of the Wings gradually losing steam as the well-rested Predators took over.

… Dominik Hasek looked good, for the most part. He had no chance on at least two of the goals, though I thought the Preds’ second was a little weak.

On the first, Dan Cleary gave no support to Nick Lidstrom, who was covering JP Dumont, allowing Jason Arnott to skate into the low slot unmolested and knock the puck home on an easy slam-dunk play.

On the second, there was all kinds of traffic in front, but it would have been nice to have seen Hasek handle the rebound better off the shot from the blueline. Martin Erat had an easy time of it flipping the puck over a down-and-out Dom.

On the third, the Preds got a bit of a lucky bounce off the initial shot, which allowed Bonk to pick it up and snipe the top corner over Dom’s glove from 18 feet out. No real chance there.

Dom definitely gave the Wings a chance to win the game, especially after making 15 saves on 16 shots in the second. The loss cannot be pinned on him.

By the way, Chris Osgood will be the starter Saturday against Columbus.

… Johan Franzen finally got a goal last night, not long after he scored on a shot taken after the whistle. It came on the Wings’ first power play, not long after a great effort by Niklas Kronwall to keep it in. Johan put a nice backhander between Mason’s arm and his body as he went to cover the post. I thought Franzen played well last night overall, though he took two penalties in a row in the second.

… Henrik Zetterberg’s goal in the second period was a beauty. Pavel Datsyuk carried the puck in down the right wing and quickly dropped it off to Zetterberg in the slot. Hank deked Zanon out of his jock strap and beat a startled-looking Mason top corner.

… Matt Ellis had to leave the game after taking a hit from Jordin Tootoo in the second period. It was a heavy hit, but not particularly dirty. Apparently, Ellis’ head was hurting afterwards and the team decided not to take any chances. Hopefully it’s not a concussion.

Tootoo, by the way, was much more noticeable last night than he was the first time around. Still quiet according to his own standard, but more noticeable.

… The Wings’ top line was ground down by the Preds, who really took it to them physically. As the game wore on, the physical toll started to tell, as the Wings as a whole looked slower and more tentative.

… The story of the game was the blown power play chances, particularly the two 5-on-3s in the first period. The first was just 19 seconds long, but the second was 1:12. They did not generate much pressure on either of them and did not come particularly close to scoring. Definitely not the results you want to see.

So, despite the fact that the Predators’ penalty trouble was virtually handing the Wings the game early on, they went into the lockerrooms at the end of the first tied at one. The Wings do a lot of talking about “killer instinct,” but until they start doing something about it, they’ll continue to have games likes this. Of course, they did play the night before and were up against a team that hadn’t played since Monday. The way I see it, though, is that if they’d pushed harder in the first when they seemed to have energy, they may not have had so much trouble later in the game as fatigue became more of a factor.

… One more thing about the penalties: I hate it when referees micromanage a game like that. When they call every little thing, it takes the flow out of the game and drains some of the top players, who are forced to kill penalties and play in higher stress situations. When refs start whistling everything, you start to think they’ve forgotten the game isn’t about them, it’s about the players. It got to the point where I didn’t want to see another penalty, even if it was deserved.

… Anyway, the Wings are home today having a late Thanksgiving with their families. Evidently, they’ll head out tonight for the game in Columbus tomorrow.

GameDay: @ Nashville (10-8-2, 22 Pts) 8:00 ET

Published
by
Matt Saler
on November 22, 2007
in 2007-2008, Blues, Game Reports, GameDay and Predators
. 1 Comment

Update (7:50 PM): You can watch the game live online on NHL TV here. - Matt

Update (5:50 PM): HockeyTownTodd has his preview posted. - Matt

Update (2:20 PM): Over at Snapshots, George Malik has a nice roundup of all the post-game media from the win over the Blues. - Matt

Tonight is the second of eight games between these two teams this season. The Wings won the first meeting, 3-2 in a shootout on the 7th. They’ll meet again in December (1), February (1), and March (4).

Since losing to the Wings on the 7th, the Predators have posted a 3-1-1 record. The three wins came in a row after leaving Detroit and included two games over the Blue Jackets. Since beating the Blackhawks on the 15th, however, the Preds have dropped two in a row. First, they lost 3-2 to the Blues in a shootout on the 17th, and then they lost 2-1 to St. Louis again, in regulation, two nights later. Nashville has been playing Central Division opponents since November 4, but they’ll finish that stretch up tonight.

Radek Bonk leads the team in goals with 8, but David Legwand leads in points and assists with 18 and 12.

It looks as though Chris Mason will be the starter tonight.

For the Nashville perspective, see Pred-Joe, On the Forecheck, and the official Predators blog.

The Wings are 3-3-0 since beating the Predators earlier this month. They dropped three consecutive games, but have since won two in a row, including last night’s game in St. Louis, a 3-0 decision. Chris Osgood was in net and only needed to make 12 saves to post his 44th career shutout. He was great when needed, though, and continues to exude confidence. Henrik Zetterberg opened the scoring just 22 seconds into the game with a nice powerplay goal and the Blues never got back in the game. They took two penalties, including a couple double minors, and could never find their rhythm. The Wings, on the other hand, were pretty dominant. Mikael Samuelsson and Dan Cleary scored the Wings’ other goals. Cleary’s was a particularly nice breakaway effort.

See post-game comments from Mike Babcock here, from Chris Osgood and Dan Cleary here, and see the highlight reel here.

Tomas Kopecky left the game with a shoulder injury that they’re saying is minor. Apparently, he wouldn’t have played tonight anyway, as he and Dallas Drake were slated to sit in exchange for Matt Ellis and Aaron Downey.

Dominik Hasek is slated to start tonight.

The Wings will need to try to pick up where they left off last night. The Predators are rested, which will make things difficult, especially given their speed, but if the Wings are smart defensively, they should be in good shape. If the Wings can’t limit the shots like they usually do, it may not be a bad thing, as Hasek apparently prefers to face a lot of shots rather than, say, 12. Given that the Wings will keep their opponents to under 20 shots on most nights, you have to wonder if a goalie that can’t thrive in that system is the best for the team. Chris Osgood has no problem with facing 12 shots. Just sayin’.

Oh, and happy Thanksgiving!

Wings 3, Blues 4

Published
by
Matt Saler
on November 14, 2007
in 2007-2008, Blues and Game Reports
. 9 Comments

Update (3:48 PM): HockeyTownTodd has some great stuff in the comment he left below. The stats he gives are not encouraging. - Matt

The Wings dropped their second straight intra-divisional game last night, losing 4-3 to the St. Louis Blues. Their 40 minutes of decent hockey bookended a second period in which the Blues not only stormed back from a two-goal deficit, but took a two-goal lead of their own. Detroit controlled the play in the first, for the most part, but allowed the Blues to get back into the game in the second. By the third, both teams were playing pretty well, with the Blues just beating back the Wings efforts at a comeback.

… Jiri Hudler stood out again as having a good game. He finished with two assists and was heavily involved in the offense. His helper on Valtteri Filppula’s goal was particularly nice. His confidence is way up and you get the feeling something’s going to happen when he has the puck.

… Dan Cleary also continues to play well. His goal in the first period was a great one and he caused trouble the rest of the night.

… I thought Niklas Kronwall had one of the best games of his career. He finished with 25:07 in ice time and two assists. He looked extremely confident in both ends of the ice. Perhaps it was a relief to be cut loose a bit without Andreas Lilja as his partner.

… Henrik Zetterberg’s point streak ended at 17 games. The last time he was shut out? February 8, 2007 against the Blues. Manny Legace was the goalie that night, too. He did have six shots, which is something, I guess.

… I didn’t think Pavel Datsyuk had a particularly good night. He scored a bit of a fluke goal, but wasn’t much of a factor aside from that. The Blues did a good job of silencing him.

… Derek Meech filled in ably tonight. He’s a steady young defenseman. I like the idea of Babcock using him every once in a while. I think Lilja plays better hockey when he gets the idea his job isn’t guaranteed.

… Manny Legace recovered rather nicely from the Wings first two goals. Good for him, if it was bad for the Wings.

… The loss does not rest entirely on the shoulders of Dominik Hasek, but he gets a hefty share of the blame. He had no chance on the first goal and was interfered with on the third, but he should have stopped the 2nd and 3rd. You can blame the second on a defensive breakdown (it was really just a nice breakout by the Blues), but Dom has to make that save. That’s why he’s in Detroit. I don’t know what the heck happened on the fourth goal, but that should have been a routine save, heavy shot or not.

Dom wasn’t on top of his game last night and Babcock made the right decision to pull him. When the Wings skaters are being outplayed by their opponents, the goaltender is supposed to give them a lift, particularly when that goaltender is Domink Hasek. Didn’t happen last night.

… The Wings kept the Blues away from Chris Osgood for the most part, but Ozzie looked sharp when needed.

… The team has until Saturday to get back on track and I hope they can because they’re facing Chicago again that night.

Wings 2, Blackhawks 3

Published
by
Matt Saler
on November 12, 2007
in 2007-2008, Blackhawks and Game Reports
. 8 Comments

The Wings lost to the Blackhawks for the third time this season and deservedly so. With the exception of brief periods of play in the beginning and toward the end, they were outclassed by Chicago and looked completely out of sync. The Hawks, on the other hand, earned the win with hard work and hustle, pretty much from the first puck drop to the final horn.

I don’t have a lot more to say about this one, but here’s what I’ve got:

… Tomas Kopecky had a decent night. He had a nice assist on Hudler’s goal and just after that, put on a good show in a fight with Patrick Sharp. Although Sharp took Kopecky to the ice, I’d say the Blackhawk lost the fight, as he was cut badly by one of Kopey’s upper cuts.

… Hudler was one of the few Wings that looked sharp. He finished with a goal and an assist.

… Henrik Zetterberg extended his point streak to 17 games with a secondary assist on Hudler’s goal. He didn’t stand out too much.

… Chris Osgood’s unbeaten-in-regulation streak ended at 20 games. He didn’t look bad, though.

… Some real chintzy calls on both sides last night. It’s times like these that I really, really hate the new standards. It’d be nice if the officials could tell the difference between a hook that is consequential and one that’s not. Too many calls these days leave even long-time fans like myself mystified.

… I didn’t mention it for fear of jinxing things, but, like so many times in the past, the Wings had a chance to set a team record for consecutive wins with a tenth. I wonder if I’ll live to see them do it.

… I don’t like the idea of seeing the Wings face the Blues Tuesday if they’re going to come out like they did last night.

Wings 4, Blue Jackets 1

Published
by
Matt Saler
on November 10, 2007
in 2007-2008, Blue Jackets and Game Reports
. 4 Comments

Just have time for a few comments:

… The shot totals and the final score indicate a more lopsided game than it really was. I thought the Jackets played very well. They carried the play early the game and held their own throughout much of the rest of it. The Wings are great at shutting down the end of plays, which explains the Jackets’ 16 shots. What is surprising is that they only managed 8 shots with the man advantage, which isn’t much over one shot per power play on average. I’ll put that down to the Red Wing penalty killers.

… Niklas Kronwall laid a nice hit on Sergei Fedorov at the Columbus blue line in the first period, drawing a lot of cheers from the crowd. Sergei had just taken a pass and had time to get his head up before getting stopped in his tracks by a hit that connected all the way from his shoulder to his hip.

… Speaking of Sergei and the crowd, fans at the Joe continued their classless tradition of booing Fedorov every time he touched the puck. Apparently, that’s what three Cups are worth these days.

… Scary moment in the second period: Rick Nash on a carry-out backhanded the puck right in to Dan Cleary’s face. I’m not claiming it was intentional because the puck is harder to control on the backhand, but you’d like to see Nash be a little more careful there. Cleary was about six feet in front of him and Nash could have done any number of things with the puck beside put it in Dan’s face. Cleary went straight to the lockerroom and came back with a patched up face and a shield.

… Pascal Leclaire is a great goalie who is very likely to make the initial save. He doesn’t give up big rebounds, but he doesn’t always control the puck off a shot and that’s how two of the Wings’ four goals were scored: digging up rebounds around the net. On both plays, Leclaire did not hold the post. On Homer’s goal, he was able to flip it over Leclaire’s pad, while Cleary was able to put it past his skate on his second. I don’t know if that’s how he’s generally scored on, but the Wings should be able to recreate those conditions in future games given the fact that they have the best around-the-net guy in the league and several understudies of his on the roster.

… Hasek looked good in his return. The Jackets’ goal was essentially a foregone conclusion, so I’m not blaming him for it. He made a number of key saves at various points in the game and definitely did his job. In the post-game, you could hear it in his voice that he wished he’d had more work, but he gave credit to his teammates for their tight defensive play. Dom had the best quote of the broadcast during a brief feature on his daily practice routine:

“… then I warm up my butt …”

I don’t know, maybe I was just tired, but the way he said it made it sound hilarious. Anyway.

… I had a feeling Henrik Zetterberg’s point streak would end last night. Well, his teammates, particularly Pavel Datsyuk, must have sensed my doubt, because they essentially forced the Jackets to give up a point to Zetterberg late in the third period. They went on the power play at 16:02 and after an ineffectual second unit went off, the first unit came out and, with the exception of Tomas Holmstrom (lost his stick and returned to the bench in exchange for Kirk Maltby) they did not leave the ice until 18:32, when Hank scored. Heck, they didn’t even leave the Jackets’ zone. It got to the point where I almost felt bad for Columbus because they could not get the puck cleared no matter how hard they tried. They had to be dead by the time Hank beat Leclaire 5-hole.

It was reminiscent of the power play on which the Wings scored their 7th goal on Colorado in the 2002 Conference Finals Game 7. That time, the Wings put on a clinic for about the whole power play until Pavel Datsyuk scored on a one-timer from the halfboards that blew past a diving Aebischer. Last night’s performance leading up to the final goal was a fine demonstration of what this team can do if it sets its mind on it.

… A good game for both teams, really. The Wings didn’t disappoint and the Jackets have been chastened a bit. I’m sure they’ll be ready for the rematch on the 18th.

Be sure to watch the highlight reel.

Wings 3, Predators 2 (SO)

Published
by
Matt Saler
on November 8, 2007
in 2007-2008, Game Reports and Predators
. 6 Comments

The Wings won last night in a shootout when they should have won in regulation, making it one of those wins that feels like a loss. After the game, Chris Osgood said that they’d played a first 30 minutes, but lost their touch in the second 30. That about sums it up. The Wings were dominant for the first period and much of the second, but gradually seemed to lose interest and allowed Nashville to mount a comeback that never should have happened. During the second intermission, Larry Murphy described the reaction on the bench to Jiri Hudler’s late second period goal as a sigh of relief and said they could relax some as a result. They took his advice a little too seriously.

… Chris Osgood continues to play some of the best hockey of his career. His glove hand is as quick as ever and he just looks to be in a zone out there. He made a number of big stops last night on plays I was sure would be goals and was great in the shootout. It’s been said a lot lately, but the Wings really do have the best backup in the league.

… Jiri Hudler has four points in four games and he’s now a fourth liner. The disconnect continues.

… Henrik Zetterberg’s point streak continued as he earned the second assist on Hudler’s goal, thereby breaking the record held by Norm Ullman. The new Red Wing record for best individual start is at least a point in the first 15 games. At the beginning of the season, I thought Hank wasn’t playing his best despite racking up the points and I’m starting to think that again. He gets many chances, but the majority of them are spent making pointless trips around the back of the net or making pointless long shots on net. The wrap-around tactic almost never works and I’ve yet to see him score on one of those pad-tester shots. Of course, he’s not like that every night and he still racks up points, so it’s hard to complain.

… Pavel Datsyuk was as entertaining as ever last night. He is so slick with the puck that it sometimes boggles the mind. On more than a few shifts, he cycled the puck virtually on his own through 3-4 Predators along the boards, despite falling down, getting held or interfered with in the process. Although he was held pointless last night, I thought he played a strong game.

… Bruce MacLeod thinks Derek Meech is a top six defenseman already and I can’t really argue that. He looks like a veteran out there and I can’t remember a glaring mistake on his part to this point. MacLeod suggests that he could eventually edge out Lebda, but I think it’s more likely he’ll take Lilja’s place if anything.

… Ken Daniels spent all of the second intermission analyzing Jiri Hudler’s goal in HD. He was sure it went in off Chris Mason’s stick and didn’t touch Hudler, but as soon as he came back and tried to demonstrate that to us, FSN showed a replay that definitively showed it had gone in off Hudler’s knee after all.

… Henrik Zetterberg used a deke other than the Forsberg Shootout Move™ last night. It looked like Mason was expecting Hank to go for it again, which would explain his positioning at the end of the play. I think Hank used the Move so much on purpose, to lull goaltenders into thinking it was the only one he had. Now he has that full body shiver, head fake+forehand deke thing or whatever it was, too. Psychological games. It looked too easy.

… Pavel Datsyuk’s shootout goal was a pretty one, too.

… Good to see Dan Cleary so active offensively last night. His goal was just the kind you want to see from him, right in Mason’s face, off a rebound. He came close to scoring again later in the game, but ended up putting himself in the net rather than the puck.

… The net in the Wings’ end came off a good three times last night. Once, it came off and play continued and headed to the other end. Chris Osgood dutifully put it back in its place, but the whistle went inexplicably a short while later. It’s a minor thing, but they might want to check that thing. It seemed a little lose.

… Jordin Tootoo was a non-factor. I don’t know if it was because Aaron Downey gave him a talking to periodically or because Tootoo really has toned it down this season, as I read recently on a Predators message board. Either way, it was nice to hardly notice him.

Anyway, the Wings have had better wins. They get some slack because they’d had a long break and getting a little rusty in those circumstances is understandable, but I hope they’re sharper Friday against Columbus. The Blue Jackets are looking good this year.

Wings 2, Oilers 1

Published
by
Matt Saler
on October 31, 2007
in 2007-2008, Game Reports and Oilers
. 0 Comments

Okay, I don’t have a recap of the game today. I didn’t take notes, and we were driving back from Holland during the third period. Basically, I remember it being very tightly-contested and that Henrik Zetterberg’s goal was sweet. For a recap, check out Dave’s at Gorilla Crouch. If you’re looking for entertainment, read the comments over at Abel to Yzerman’s liveblog post.

I do have some observations about things off the ice, though:

First: what is it with FSN’s amazement about this new fangled thing, the Internet? They’re enough out of touch with technology that they’re shocked to get so many emails from viewers during the game. John Keating joked that the Internet is “all the rage these days.” Um, yeah. That’s right. It is. As refreshing as it is to see FSN and the Wings discovering this “new” medium, it’d be nice if they’d drop the golly-gee-guffaw thing.

Second: Anyone else get a kick out of Niklas Kronwall’s Oxford don look? Seriously, he had a sweatervest on. Stylish.

Third: speaking of style, did anyone need to know that Mikael Samuelsson wears tight clothes? Draper dropped that one on us while discussing Henrik Zetterberg’s new clothing line. Drapes didn’t take the bait when Keating asked him about which Red Wing would do best on the runway. Too bad.

I wish I’d seen Filppula’s game winner live. Oh well. Hopefully he’s getting going now and we’ll see more of that. Nice timing on it, too.

Wings 3, Canucks 2

Published
by
Matt Saler
on October 29, 2007
in 2007-2008, Canucks and Game Reports
. 3 Comments

Briefly:

… It was a hard-fought game for both teams. Each side had its moments of dominance and down to the final seconds it wasn’t clear which team would win. I recall the Canucks controlling play more often, so this game had the feeling of a bit of a steal. The Wings played well, though, and hopefully will be able to carry this strong start through the rest of this road trip.

… Chris Osgood was strong and continued his regulation winning streak, which puts him at 12-0-5 since his last loss in 60 minutes. His counterpart, Roberto Luongo, had a strong game as well and did a good job of keeping the Wings from pulling away.

… Jiri Hudler’s game winner was a great individual effort and definitely belongs on a highlight reel of the team’s best goals of the season.

… Tomas Holmstrom’s goal felt pretty good, coming as it did 12 seconds after the Canucks scored. Henrik Zetterberg got a secondary assist on the play, so the streak is still alive. The top line was skating circles around the Canucks all night and it’s only because they got too cute at times, and because of Luongo’s strong play, that they did not get another goal or two.

… Nick Lidstrom had one of his best games of the season, I thought. His stick was everywhere, ending rush after rush with a perfect poke-check. He was a wall.

… Derek Meech looked strong in his debut. He was a little more adventurous offensively than I prefer to see in a young defenseman, but he didn’t get burned, so it turned out alright. He made more than a few veteran plays and generally looked like he belonged out there.

… With the net empty in the final seconds of the game, Chris Osgood teed up the puck, maybe in an effort to go for a goal. It was a momentary lapse in judgment and one he immediately regretted when the puck went off a Canuck forward and created a good scoring chance. Fortunately for Ozzie, he was able to keep the puck out of the net long enough to get a whistle from the ref, though the Canucks knocked it in at about the same time. It was immediately waived off, however, because the ref had thought about blowing the play dead before the puck went in. Even if he hadn’t blown the whistle, the goal wouldn’t have counted because the Canucks pushed Osgood into the net.

… I was a little surprised at the silence of the Vancouver crowd. The place was packed, but it seemed dead. That may have been the feed, though. Things did get loud on a shift in the third period when the Canucks hit just about every Red Wing on the ice. The crowd also got vocal when the goal was waived off.

… Be sure to check out the liveblog over at Abel to Yzerman, George Malik’s roundup at Snapshots, Dave’s recap at Gorilla Crouch, and the highlight reel.