The Wings played again tonight and won 7-4. While the score would indicate a run-away game, nothing could be further from the truth. First, the last goal was on an empty net, so it wasn't quite as lopsided as it would seem. The Wings had three goals--doing great!--and then Columbus scored 4 unanswered goals! Finally, the Wings got their heads out of their asses and started to play again and ended up winning. It seems as if they start to get lazy and sloppy when they are winning by three goals--as if they think they can't be beat. They have done this too much this year and it has to stop.
Cleary got his first-ever hat trick tonight. I really like him--he is a good player and I think he will just keep getting better. (It IS getting rather distracting to see him without his teeth, though. The two top ones were knocked out during a game a few weeks ago and he still hasn't had them fixed. But, then, he HAS been on fire ever since--maybe he should just go without them!:)) Datsyuk got two goals--he FINALLY is starting to earn the $3.9 million that he's getting paid this year. Lang is just doing an outstanding job and Lidstrom is still going strong with a +/- of 22 (as of the 27th)--the second highest in the league. They are playing decent hockey--NOT great--but that just may be to their advantage when playoffs come around: they won't have peaked too early.
My favorite player right now is Valtteri Filppula. He is the first ever Finn that the Wings have had as a player. He is only 22 years old and I saw him play his first game for Detroit at the end of last year. He can do some amazing things with the puck and I can see great things for him in the future. He has a play that is pure magic--at least when it works. As he is skating down the ice, he will pass the puck between an opponent's skates, skate around the guy, and pick up the puck on the other side--and then shoot it at the goal. Give him a few more years and that will be his signature play and he will do it as easily as I can walk down the street. I hope he will stay with Detroit--I don't want him to become dead to me, as Shanahan is! ;)
On Tuesday night the ceremony to retire Yzerman's number will be broadcast. What a sad night that will be. A great player AND a great gentleman--the likes of which we may never see again, at least in the same package.
Hockey Talk
