NHL score...

Boston 7,Philadelphia 3... love to see Flyers get stomped,at home....

commentary...

the game was exciting,but honestly,the Red Wings did not show up with a consistent offensive effort,and the first half of the second period,was the worst part of the game for them,being out-shot,18-9,in second period,and 46-25,in game,is basically unacceptable to Mike Babcock,and to the team... Jimmy Howard,was simply outstanding,giving up only two goals,in forty-six shots,and he deserved a better fate,than losing... penalties killed them,in third period,and in overtime,and giving up fourteen shots,on the Sharks' power play,is totally unacceptable... Jimmy Howard,Pavel Datsyuk,and Nicklas Lidstrom,were great,but everyone else,on offense,was MIA(missing in action)offensively... the effort was there defensively,no doubt,but they can not just depend on Jimmy Howard,every game,and have nobody show up,on offense... Sunday's game is the most critical game of series... if Red Wings show up offensively,and give the same effort they gave tonight,on defense,on Sunday,the Sharks are in trouble,because taking 46 shots,usually gets teams three,or four,goals in a NHL game,and the Sharks are not going to back down,or off,in their offense,because they most likely feel that they should have won,in regulation,or by a bigger score,and honestly,they may be very upset,with their effort,overall... that is why they play the game,because both teams will improve,but the Sharks are very happy,with their overtime win,but they do feel that they let the Red Wings off the hook,because they did not pound them into submission,in game one,and even though,the Red Wings have a shot,and could have won game one,and this is going to be a great series,because both teams know how to beat each other,and it will be fascinating to watch the mental chess match,and virtual steel cage match,in this series...

commentary...

when you have a great defensive,and entertaining,game,like tonight,a true fan can not complain,and you can only say that a game was great,and just shake your head,and remember that it was only one game... it will be a very good series,and it may go back and forth,between the teams... the key to winning this series will be to see if either team can win on the visitor's ice,so it is not over,and it will be fun series,to simply watch,and enjoy...

game one-Sharks 2,Red Wings 1,overtime...

Sharks 2,Red Wings 1... overtime... great game,by both teams... winning goal,by Benn Ferriero,which deflected,off Brad Stuart's stick,past Jimmy Howard... if Detroit,and San Jose plays that well,in this series,i will not complain at all... that was a very tight defensive game... the only way that you were going to beat Howard,or Antti Niemi,tonight was to tip the puck past them,and the Sharks got two tips past Howard,one off Joe Pavelski's stick,and one off Brad Stuart's stick(oops),and the Red Wings got only one past Niemi,by Nick Lidstrom,in the first period... the winning goal was set up by a high sticking double minor,by Justin Abdelkader,which Detroit did kill off,but the momentum,and the Red Wings being tired in their own zone,led to a weird puck bounce,and the winning goal,by the Sharks... this series is far from being over,and if both teams play this well,watch out!!!!!!!

commentary...

Bruins-Flyers,round 2!!!!!!! one thing to say,it will be Tim Thomas,and Tuukka Rask versus the trio of goaltenders,for Philadelphia(Sergei Bobrovsky,Brian Boucher,and Michael Leighton),because both teams are very equal in talent,but Philadelphia has the edge in grit,and overall nastiness,as a team... Brian Boucher holds NHL record for longest shutout streak,in history,when he shut five different opponents,before being scored upon,when he played for Phoenix,a few years ago,but now he is a very ordinary goaltender... Leighton took the Flyers,last year,to within two wins,of the Stanley Cup,before losing to the Chicago Blackhawks... Bobrovsky has had a very good rookie season,but has very little experience,in the playoffs... can Philadelphia beat Boston,again,or can Boston avenge a historical seven game loss,to the Flyers? a rather nasty,surly,and bone crunching series,to boot... flip a coin,because both teams do not like each other,and with Chris Pronger(voted by players,in 2008,and 2009,as the dirtiest player,in NHL)playing for Philadephia,anything can happen,but honestly i feel it may come down to who is in goal,for Philadelphia,and who is in goal,for Boston,and that edge goes to Boston...

commentary...

Ovechkin vs Stamkos... people may think that this is a series of high offense,and no defense? Wrong!!! Alexander Ovechkin may be the most talented offensive player,in the NHL,right now,but Steven Stamkos is right behind him in that sort of talk... Tampa Bay has many players,who can "light the lamp"(score),and so does Washington,but the simple key,is,"stop Ovechkin,or Stamkos",both teams have the upper hand,if they do that... however,both teams have improved on team defense,in Washington's case,they even have fewer goals scored than last year,and their goaltending tandem(Michal Neuvirth,Semyon Varlamov)are two very young,but very good goaltenders,and Washington has a little edge,in offense,and goaltending,but also has a very big chip on their shoulders,after winning the President's Trophy(best in NHL),last year,and then losing to Montreal,in a,for them,total embarrassment,because they dominated the regular season,last year,and they got kicked in the teeth,by the Canadiens... so they are not going to let that happen again... Tampa Bay can win series,but have to do one thing to do it-irritate Neuvirth,and get Washington off their game,mentally... good for Tampa Bay,a divisional opponent,so they know how to play them,and bad for Tampa Bay,Washington knows how to play them,and knows how to beat them... interesting series!!!!!!

Red Wings' history...

Red Wings have reached the second round,of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs,for the thirteenth time,in the last sixteen years,winning four Stanley Cups,and finishing second two other times,losing to New Jersey,in a sweep,in 1995,and losing to Pittsburgh,in seven games,in 2009,and twenty consecutive years,overall...

NHL score...

Vancouver 1,Nashville 0...

commentary...

last year's series,between the Sharks,and the Red Wings,came down to actually five major turning points in each game(one or two bad turnovers,missed penalties,or like in game one,the Sharks scored three goals,in 1:10 of time,in first period,of game one,missed penalties,in late second period,and into third period,of game two,that turned a 3-2 Red Wings' lead(going into third period),into a 4-3 Sharks' win... the three goals in first game turned that game into Sharks' favor,and the Red Wings played a good third period(in game three),but gave up two goals,with simply great shots,and two turnovers,in their own defensive zone,in front of Jimmy Howard,and basically San Jose made one of the most beautiful stretch passes across the rink that i have ever seen,at Joe Louis Arena,to take game three,4-3,in overtime... all three of San Jose's wins,to go up,3-0,on the Red Wings,were by the score of 4-3... so,last year,may read San Jose four games,Detroit one game,but honestly,Detroit could have won that series,and actually out-played San Jose,in most of that series,but being honest again,at critical times,San Jose took advantage,and came through with great shots,and great goaltending also in game five,to win series,four games to one... grudging respect,i give the Sharks... only question is:can they do that again,against Red Wings? answer:who knows? that is why they play the games...

commentary... Predators-Canucks...

Nashville plays a basic defensive game,hoping for mistakes,to score goals,but Vancouver is aiming higher in the playoffs than a seven game loss to Nashville... Pekka Rinne has to steal,at least,two games from Vancouver,but he is the better goaltender,overall,but Nashville does not have a edge anywhere else... Roberto Luongo is the known name,but Rinne is a very,very good goaltender,and both are Vezina Trophy finalists,which means you are a top-tier goaltender... if Rinne was on the Detroit Red Wings,they would win the Stanley Cup,hands-down,this year... he is that good,in net,period... Vancouver has way too much fire,in the Sedin twins(Daniel,and Henrik),and others,that they play very well normally,to basically blast you away,from a win... Nashville has to clamp down on defense,and hope that Vancouver does not get going on offense,but that is not going to happen,at all,because Vancouver is just too offensive-minded to be stopped,over a total of four games(Nashville wins-ha ha),or even seven games... Nashville can win,only if Rinne plays like Martin Brodeur,in his prime,and he steals some games(low-scoring,er,2-1,type),for the Predators...

commentary...

if you look at my analysis of the first round,i hit the every series on target,picking every winner,including Philadelphia,who went to game seven,and finally dispatched Buffalo,and Nashville beating Anaheim(see blogpost:April 12th,Pekka Rinne being better in net)... so you may be very surprised to hear that the key of the series,between Detroit,and San Jose may be very simple,and may be in goal... both starting goaltenders are equal,except for Antti Niemi,winning the Stanley Cup,for Chicago,and who is in goal,for San Jose,but Jimmy Howard is a very good goaltender,and can carry a team in series,like he did carry the team,in series with Phoenix,and he was the difference in that series... firepower is equal,with a slight edge with San Jose,but defense is Detroit's key to winning in series,because they are best puck possession team in NHL... the key to this series is who has best power play,and who can stay out of the penalty box,at critical times... San Jose will try to rough up,and irritate the Red Wings,into stupid penalties,but the discipline,the percentage of power play goals,and even strength goals will be key to series,because the talent is very equal... if either team can play their own game(Detroit,being disciplined,and San Jose being gritty,and with an edge),they will win series in fewer games than people may think... the Sharks played their game last year,and won series,but Red Wings remember last year,and hated losing not playing their game,being irritated,almost to the point of mugging the Sharks... for most part,that will not happen,but Sharks,and Red Wings do not like each other,at all... in fact,they despise each other,and either team can win,quite handily,with strong goaltending,discipline,and a timely power play goal,or two... season series was Sharks,3-1,but the regular season is much different,than the Stanley Cup playoffs... Detroit has to keep disciplined,and if ahead,in game,need to step on gas pedal,and do not stop,because Sharks will not stop coming back,until you put a stake in their beating heart,and if overtime happens,the Sharks have three of the four wins they had,against the Los Angeles Kings,were overtime wins,and were,3-0,in overtime,but the odds say that they can not win them all,in overtime,but they are a very good team,offensively,but you can get them off their game,by ignoring their antics,keeping out of penalty box,and be strong on penalty kill... if San Jose rolls,and out-plays Detroit,in both games,in San Jose,it will be a short series,but if Red Wings steals game in San Jose,which they did,when both teams were relatively healthy(the other three games were when Detroit had major injuries,to key players),it will be a tough series... San Jose did out-play Detroit in season series,no argument,but the same thing can be said of the Rangers-Capitals regular season series,in which Rangers beat Capitals,three games to one,but as you know Capitals dispatched Rangers,four games,to one,in Stanley Cup playoffs' first round,so regular season does not matter,so it may go down to game seven,weird goal bounce,or a goal to get either team going into series,and an simple out-played,and better team wins,because two series(last year,and this year)are much different... it may come down to last team standing,and fighting for the fourth win... if disciplined,Detroit,and if rough,it will be San Jose... it may be a steel cage match of hockey(in WWE parlance,the Elimination Chamber)... love the wrestling reference!!!!!

Happy Birthday,Nick....

Nicklas Lidstrom turns 41 today!!!!!!!!!

NHL news...

Red Wings/Sharks,Friday night...

Eastern Conference 2nd round opponents...

Tampa Bay Lightning/Washington Capitals
Boston Bruins/Philadelphia Flyers(rematch of last year's historical series,in which Philadelphia won,4-3,after being down 0-3,in series,in seven games)

commentary...

i will probably know when the Red Wings play the Sharks,after tonight's game sevens,between Montreal/Boston,and Tampa Bay/Pittsburgh... the NHL has not released schedule of when they play,or anyone,for that matter... side note:Dwayne Roloson,of the Tampa Bay Lightning,is 5-0,in elimination games,in his NHL career...

Eastern Conference game sevens...

Montreal/Boston,game seven,tomorrow...
Tampa Bay/Pittsbugh,game seven,tomorrow...

Western Conference second round opponents...

Red Wings/Sharks...
Predators/Canucks...
home ice is second team noted...

commentary...

i will give a breakdown of all second round series,when all are completed first round series... i will do Western Conference playoffs,first,because Boston/Montreal may go seven games,if Boston loses to Montreal,tonight,in game six...

commentary...

if Chicago beats Vancouver,in game seven,after being down,3-0,in games,they play higher seed,because they are the eighth seed,in Western Conference,so they may play San Jose,instead of Red Wings,and on SJSHARKS.com,the fans wanted to play the Blackhawks,instead of Red Wings... what a bunch of chickens,as fans!!!!!!! that is my opinion,because you should want to see the best teams play each other...

NHL news...

Red Wings/Sharks,2nd round.... what day,i do not know,at this time... i suspect,Wednesday,or Thursday...

NHL news...

Boston Bruins' Zdeno Chara,Nashville Predators' Shea Weber,and Detroit Red Wings' Nicklas Lidstrom are Norris Trophy finalists...

commentary...

Sharks may lead,3-2,in games,against Los Angeles,but they are very beatable,in this series,because their overall goaltending has sucked,throughout this series... coming back from 4-0 deficit,in one of those games has saved Sharks,in this series,but going back to Los Angeles,for game six really does not help Sharks... last night,Sharks went down 3-0,in first period,and Jonathan Quick stopped 51 shots last,in a Kings' 3-1 win... Sharks are the better overall team,but remember the 1993 series between Red Wings,and the second year Sharks,in which the Sharks won,in seven games,in which goaltending was the key in that series,and one Jamie Baker had series winning goal,for the Sharks... that series is noted as one of the top sixty-four moments,by the NHL,in their history... if Quick gets hot,for the Kings,the Sharks are in deep trouble,because he can steal a game,in net,for the Kings,and he has not stolen a game for them,yet... if they(the Kings)get somehow to game seven,it will be a toss-up,but the Sharks have talent to win,in six games,but if they do not stabilize their goaltending,they do not go anywhere near the Stanley Cup,period,because defense normally wins championships...

NHL scores...

Kings 3,Sharks 1... back to Los Angeles,for game six,Sharks up,3-2,in games...
Capitals 3,Rangers 1.. Capitals win series,four games to one...
Lightning 8,Penguins 2... Penguins up 3-2 in games...
Bruins 2,Canadiens 1... Bruins lead series,3-2,in games...

commentary...

i love the true beautiful game of hockey... it is a game of true athletic beauty,but a tough,and brutal game to master,because to be in the NHL,means you are the best players on the planet... it is the same with MLB,NFL,and NBA,but you can win after a bad year,by buying players that have talent,in those sports,while the NHL,and pro hockey in various places in the world dilutes the talent pool for pure hockey players,and the minor leagues in the United States do not have players who have pro-level talent,right away,so they are not ready for the NHL,but seeing hockey played on the river,in Ottawa,in front of the Canadian Parliament building,on a five mile frozen piece of river ice,is a true sight to behold,or see it played in backyards throughout the states,up near the Canadian border,and throughout Canada is a sight also to behold,because it is the toughest game to honestly play,and the Stanley Cup is the toughest championship trophy to win,because it is won by teams that seem to be lucky to win,like the Tampa Bay Lightning,in 2004,and the Carolina Hurricanes,in 2006...
History of the Stanley Cup: the Stanley Cup was bought as a decorative punch bowl,by the Lord Stanley of Preston,from a London silversmith G.R. Collis,and company(now Boodle and Dunthorne Jewellers),for ten guineas(equal to two,and half pounds sterling)or $48.67USD then,or 1,186 now... at first,it was meant to be to awarded to the top amateur team,in Canada,and was awarded to teams throughout Canada,and the northern United States,up to the NHL's formation,in 1926,which made it the only league to challenge for it,when the WHL(Western Hockey League)folded,making it the de-facto championship trophy...
it takes sixteen games to win Stanley Cup,and not every team,in the NHL,has a chance to win the Stanley Cup,unlike the MLB,NFL,and NBA,whose teams tend to surprise teams more often than NHL teams do,because stopping a puck takes much more skill than throwing,and hitting a baseball,throwing,and carrying a football,and shooting baskets,because a puck is a three inch,by one inch piece of vulcanized rubber,that can break faces,hands,and is tough to stop at speeds of over 105 mph,or so,and doing it all,on skates...

Red Wings' news...

Henrik Zetterberg,and Johan Franzen are expected to play for the Red Wings,when they open the second round,of the Stanley Cup playoffs... Zetterberg missed last two games,of regular season,and first round series,against Phoenix,with injured right knee,and Franzen missed part of game two,and all of game four,against Phoenix,with a injured ankle...

update...

if San Jose finishes off Los Angeles(up 3-1,right now),guess who the Red Wings play in second round? you are correct,a series against Sharks... if Los Angeles beats San Jose,we play winner of Anaheim/Nashville... home ice would be with San Jose,and if they play Anaheim/Nashville,the Red Wings would have home ice...

hockey fun...

trivia time starts tomorrow,until second round opponent are found out...

commentary...

Phoenix played very well for two periods,but did not score,after 1:09,into second period,to go up,3-2,then Red Wings took command,by scoring last four goals(including an empty-net goal),but the goal of the playoffs,so far,was scored,by Dan Cleary... a goal from behind the goal line,or on the goal line,from the corner of the ice... i mean no angle,on the shot,and he had about six inches,to make the shot,because Ilya Bryzgalov left a gap between the post,and his left shin pad... it(the puck)found the very top of the shin pad,and trickled over into the goal,for the series winning goal to make it,4-3,and then Todd Bertuzzi shot the puck,and it pinballed into the goal,off a Coyote,to make it,5-3,and then Patrick Eaves,who had two goals,scored an empty-net goal,for the final score,of 6-3... honestly,Phoenix came out physical in first period,but Detroit scored first on a beautiful,but blind pass,from Pavel Datsyuk to Tomas Holmstrom,who shot the puck,past Bryzgalov,on a soft slide of the puck... Phoenix then scored twice,in four minutes,to take lead,2-1,almost into the locker room,when Eaves scored his first goal,with 13 seconds left,in first period,to knot game at 2 after one period... Phoenix then scored their final goal of series,and their season,at 1:09,of the second period,when Martin Hanzal put a wrist shot,past Jimmy Howard,on a Phoenix power play,then Niklas Kronwall fired a rocket,past Bryzgalov,(on the top shelf,where they hide the cookies,as the Buffalo Sabres' play by play man,Rick Jeanneret,puts it,when Sabres scored high up,on opponents)... a rather famous call on television,or radio,in the NHL... HAD TO TELL ABOUT,"THAT CALL"... that is hockey history... well back to the third period,when Detroit played perfect defense in their defensive zone,and took advantage of Phoenix mistakes,and scored three goals,in last 6:19,of game to sweep series... Phoenix just ran out of petrol,in basically last two periods,to score,and Red Wings came on like a high powered engine,and played near-perfect defense,in last thirty-eight minutes,and sealed the deal,and onto second round...

correction...

Wayne Gretzky scored 894 goals,in NHL career,not 893,as April 6th blog indicated...

BROOMS OUT!!!!!!!!!!

the only NHL team to sweep first round,of playoffs---DETROIT RED WINGS... 6-3,OVER PHOENIX...

Red Wings' news...

Red Wings/Coyotes,game four,tonight...

Sharks are tough to beat....

Sharks 6,Kings 5... overtime... only fourth time,in NHL history,a team came back from a 4-0 deficit,or more,to win a game,in playoffs...

Blackhawks-Canucks,game four...

Chicago 7,Vancouver 2... Vancouver still up,3-1,in games... before you make too much of score,remember the 7-1 stomping,of Sharks,in game four,last year,in Detroit... who won game five? San Jose,so i will say that Chicago has to beat Vancouver four straight times,not just once,and twice,in Vancouver... TOUGH TO DO!!!!!!!

NHL news....

NHL,and NBC Universal/Versus signed a ten year deal,reportedly worth $2 billion,according to the Globe and Mail(Toronto,Ontario newspaper)...

commentary...

Red Wings scored twice,in first 2:41 of game,then scored very early,in all three periods,and then clamped down,and shut up the "White Out" crowd,in Phoenix... they were disciplined,in giving Phoenix a total butt kicking,in the way of team defense,and Jimmy Howard played his best overall game... let us talk about domination even strength---Coyotes have only one even strength goal,and only one lead,in the entire series,both happened at the same time---2:16,into game one---every other goal has been on power play,for Phoenix,in the entire series,so far... that is reason why Coyotes is down 3 games to none,in series... Red Wings scored every goal,in this game,in first three minutes,of every period,or less,then played disciplined defense the rest of the game... except for Johan Franzen,the goals came from the third,and fourth line(Ruslen Salei,Drew Miller,Valtteri Filppula,and of course,the Mule)... Pavel Datsyuk,and Nicklas Lidstrom played superior defense most of the game,by blocking shots and absorbing the Coyotes' grit,and taking and flicking pucks away,at critical times,breaking up Coyotes' rushes,and peppering Ilya Bryzgalov,with rubber,early in every period,and took the momentum,from the Coyotes,and silenced the sellout crowd,who wanted to cheer,but basically sat on their hands,for three periods... Red Wings actually scored on their very first shot of game,and then it went downhill quickly,for the Coyotes,when the Red Wings scored their second goal,only 2:41,into game,and then their third goal,of game,2:50,into second period,and then finally they scored their fourth goal,only 45 seconds into the third period,to make it 4-1,Red Wings... they beat Phoenix to every puck along the boards,and refused to get goaded into the rough stuff,by the Coyotes... they played with discipline throughout the game,and just put it on the Coyotes,when they made mistakes,and when they turned the puck over,in the neutral zone,and they simply played their best game,in about a month,and tell you the simple truth,they will need to play better,during the rest of the playoffs,because the teams will get tougher to play,and beat... simply put,Coyotes will have to play their best to beat the Red Wings,because they are playing their best,for this series,so far... down three games to none,the Coyotes are in deep trouble,and i have told you what they need to do,to make it a series,but Red Wings are simply determined to make this a short series,and they have simply refused to give,or even budge an inch in the way that they are playing,and they are playing well,and dominating the Coyotes,period....

game score...

Red Wings 4,Coyotes 2... Red Wings up,3-0,in games...

Red Wings' news...

Red Wings/Coyotes,tonight,in Phoenix...

April birthday...

Nicklas Lidstrom turns 41,on April 28,2011...

Vancouver beat Chicago,3-2;up 3 games to none...

Chicago Blackhawks are down three games to none,to Vancouver... Blackhawks' record,when down three games to none all-time,is 0-26... i really despise the Blackhawks,so i am loving the beatdown,of the defending Stanley Cup champions!!!!!!

game score,and commentary...

Red Wings 4,Coyotes 3... Red Wings out-played Coyotes,for first two periods... the biggest ovation,of game occurred,when Johan Franzen stepped onto the ice,midway into the game,and the funniest moment of game happened,when Franzen sat on bench,and Mike Babcock asked the trainer,if Franzen needed a visor,by waving his hand over his face,and the trainer told him that Franzen would not want,or wear,the visor,so Babcock asked Franzen if he wanted or needed a visor,and he shook his head,"no",emphatically,and Babcock looked flummoxed,and amazed... the Mule(his nickname) received twenty-three stitches in a fall,and getting hit,by Shane Doan,early in first period,and he smashed his face into the boards... he had cotton in his right nostril,and a loose band-aid over his brow,and still had what looked like dried blood,from his nose to his lip... Coyotes did score three power play goals,to make it close,but honestly,a little more discipline,on Red Wings' part,and game would not been that close,because Red Wings could,and should,have even more goals,but Ilya Bryzgalov stopped a ton of shots,in first two periods,because Pavel Datsyuk had a goal,and three assists... Shane Doan had two power play goals,in third period,because of stupid Red Wings' penalties,in 2:48,of third period,and after that,the Red Wings played very good defense... honestly,i have to give Coyotes much credit,because they played tough,went down 4-0,scratched and clawed their way back into game,and played very well,in third period... Shane Doan is a rough,and tumble player(and not a dirty player),who does not give up,at all... the Coyotes have,as a team,the same attitude,and grit,but if you do ignore their antics,because they irritate teams,with trash talk,and pure grit,they are very beatable... they have firepower to score,but they are much more successful,if they throw off teams with their rough stuff,but if they do not do that,they do take penalties,and a team like the Red Wings can take advantage of them,and beat them rather handily...

Doan hit on Franzen...

the Shane Doan hit,on Johan Franzen,early in first period,was not a penalty,because just Franzen got hit,by Doan,he tried to brace himself for the hit,and caught his left skate in toe pick move,and was falling just before Doan hit him... it looks like stitches for Franzen,for third straight game,but he was holding the nose area,of his face,as he was going off the ice...

Red Wings' news...

Coyotes/Red Wings,today... analysis tomorrow

Red Wings' news...

Coyotes/Red Wings,game two,tomorrow...

commentary...

Red Wings simply out-played Coyotes in game one... Pavel Datsyuk,and Johan Franzen both scored,and played big on defense,throughout the game... after scoring 2:16,into game,Phoenix had chance to go up,2-0,after five penalties,in first period,and a two-man advantage,of about 1:30,the Red Wings killed all the chances of the Coyotes,on their power play,for the night,and four goals,by the Red Wings,in between goals,by the Coyotes... they played shut-down defense for last two periods,even though the Coyotes tried to ruffle their demeanor,in third period,but Jimmy Howard,and the Red Wings out-worked the Coyotes... the two goals,by the Coyotes,were very good shots,but the Coyotes could not get enough men in front of Howard to bother him... that must change for the Coyotes,in game two,because the Coyotes do have more grit overall,but the Red Wings may have reputation,of a finesse team,but they will not back down,if challenged... ask Claude Lemieux,whose big malicious hit,in the 1996 playoffs,on Kris Draper,virtually started the decade-long war,between the Red Wings,and the Avalanche,when Darren McCarty pounded him into the ice,at Joe Louis Arena,during a 1997 regular season game... McCarty even said recently,during an autograph session,with Lemieux,that he would do it again,if need arises... to score only two goals,during that type of game,in which Red Wings are playing that superb,you have no chance,unless you start throwing bodies in front of Howard,to block his vision,and get garbage goals,with tips of the puck,around net,because Red Wings are going to harass their opponents into mistakes,and going to score goals,and will keep digging for goals... the Coyotes do not have the firepower,but are a team who wins when they scrap,and claw,for goals... Dave Tippett(Coyotes' coach) needs to steal a game,in giving his goaltender(Ilya Bryzgalov) more support,in solving the Red Wings' penalty kill,with a more potent power play,and give a better back check,and harass the Red Wings,into mistakes,in front of Howard,because going nearly 200 feet every time,will not work on the Red Wings... basically,they really need to shorten the distance,between the puck,and shooting it at Howard,over,and over... Howard will get better,so the Coyotes need to upset,ruffle,and throw him off his mental game,by bumping him some,and not interfere,with him... if Coyotes do not improve on those areas of concern,Red Wings will go up,2-0,in series,and be tough to beat,in this first round....

NHL score...

Sharks 3,Kings 2,overtime...

NHL scores...

Montreal 2,Boston 0...
Buffalo 1,Philadelphia 0...

hockey update...

Sharks scored 28 seconds into game,against Los Angeles Kings(Dany Heatley)....

Red Wings' news...

publicly,Red Wings say that Henrik Zetterberg(knee injury)is day to day,but from two Michigan state blogs that cover them,privately,they say that he is out until game six,against Phoenix,or the next round of playoffs...

NHL scores...

Canucks 2,Blackhawks 0...
Predators 4,Ducks 1...
Capitals 2,Rangers 1,overtime...
Penguins 3,Lightning 0...

Griffiths' news...

Grand Rapids Griffiths finished 36-34-2-8,in sixth place in North Division,of the Western Conference,of the American Hockey League...

game score...

Red Wings 4,Coyotes 2... game two,Saturday afternoon,on NBC... analysis tomorrow...

commentary...

Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh:without Sidney Crosby,and Evgeni Malkin,Penguins have to rely on Marc-Andre Fleury,and their defense,to beat the Lightning,which have a goaltender,who has playoff experience,in Dwayne Roloson,and can score in bunches,with Martin St. Louis,Vincent LaCavalier,and Steven Stamkos,who was second,with 45 goals,in the NHL,behind Corey Perry's 50 goals,for the Anaheim Ducks... Pittsburgh has some very good offensive players,but honestly,it has been a real team effort,to get them this far,with Crosby,and Malkin,both of whom have been out most of the season,with major injuries... both teams have the team to win this series,and the key to the Penguins' success,is whether they can score in bunches,on Roloson,who is so-so,in playoff career,and is very beatable with long shots(soft goals),and if both teams can light up each other's goaltender,this series,has potential to be a high scoring shootout,of a series... Fleury has been to two Stanley Cup Finals,against my beloved Red Wings,in 2008-2009(one win-2009,and one loss-2008),so can Penguins shut down Stamkos,and company,over a possible seven games? the answer is no,but can he steal a game,or two,in this series... the answer to that question,is yes... can Penguins win series? yes,but Fleury has to play,like he did in 2008,and 2009... if he can,the Penguins will win series,but if he does not play lights-out,the Penguins are in deep trouble...

commentary...

Montreal at Boston:probably the best overall series,in the NHL,at least,in first round... Tim Thomas set a record for best save percentage,in NHL history(.938),this season,for Boston,and yet Montreal have Carey Price,in net,who is very good,and has had a very good season,for Montreal... basically,old-time hockey... both teams do not like each other,but they have had games that have had fights,injuries,and rather bad nastiness,this year... both offenses are very good,and both teams play very good defense,and both teams would love to put a stake into each other's playoff hopes,and Boston desperately needs to get rid of the taste of their horrible playoff loss to the Philadelphia Flyers,in which they lost a 3-0 games lead,and a 3-0 game lead,in the seventh game,in losing,to the Flyers,last year...

commentary...

Buffalo at Philadelphia: Sabres have goaltending edge,with Ryan Miller,who won silver,with team USA,in 2010 Vancouver Olympics,but with Jason Pominville,Tyler Myers,and Thomas Vanek,and grit,they still do not enough to beat the defending Eastern Conference champions,in the Philadelphia Flyers,who have a rookie in goal,but recently their goalie from their playoff run(Michael Leighton)has cleared waivers,and on playoff roster,right now... Sabres need to steal game,or two,with defense,and they have a very good overall defense,and a goaltender who has shown his mettle,under pressure,and is one of the best goaltenders,in the NHL,but the Flyers have a mission to reach the Stanley Cup Finals,which means Buffalo has to play their best,and yet,they can play well,but the Flyers have enough firepower to win,but so does Buffalo,with an overall offense,but if Flyers can shut Myers,Pominville,and Vanek down,the Flyers can win,but if the three Sabres can light up,and get hot,the Flyers will be in trouble,with a rookie goaltender who has not proven his worth to the Flyers,who has suffered in goal,since Pelle Lindgren,died in a car wreck,on November 10,1985...

goaltender update...

Roberto Luongo,of the Vancouver Canucks,playoff career record is as follows:17-17,2.46 goals against average(G.A.A.),with a save percentage,of ,919,with one shutout...

commentary...

New York Rangers at Washington:Capitals were 16-3-1,over last twenty games,but Rangers won three of four games,from Capitals,this season... goaltending is another edge that the Rangers have,with Henrik Lundquist(nicknamed,"the King")and Martin Biron,as a veteran backup... offensive edge goes to Washington,but how can you depend on Alex Ovechkin,over and over? honestly,they have much more than Ovechkin,and they can score,with the best of them,but the difference is their defense,which has improved greatly,over last year,when they won President's Trophy,but got tossed in the first round,when their defense was nowhere to be found,and their offense was simply shut down,by Montreal,last post-season... Rangers have a good offense,and a very good goaltender,but they do not have enough grit,or depth,to stop the offensive onslaught,or the improved defense,of the Capitals... Marian Gaborik has to light up the Capitals,and they have to chip in,with garbage goals,to try to win series,but over the possible seven games,Lundquist has to be what his nickname is,because he will have to stand on his head to steal a game,in series,to have a real chance to win this series...

NHL news...

i just found out that Justin Williams is going to try to play for Los Angeles,against San Jose,but he has a dislocated shoulder,and will try to play with a harness,to protect the shoulder... good luck,Justin...

commentary...

Phoenix at Detroit:a rematch of first round,from last year... both teams have very good goaltenders(Jimmy Howard,and Ilya Bryzgalov)... both teams have enough firepower to blast each other out of the playoffs,quickly,with Phoenix having a slight edge,overall... Detroit has the team that could beat anyone in the playoffs,but honestly,their defense around the net,and Howard,has been shoddy,at best,recently... they have treaded water,for about a month,and have embarrassed themselves,a few times,to boot... can Detroit deal with a team,who has a very bitter taste in their mouths,about the series,and the loss to the Red Wings,last year? can Howard be the rock in the series,for Detroit? can the Red Wings tighten up their defense around their goal,which has been the weakest point,in the last month,and basically throughout this strange season? can Phoenix take advantage of the Red Wings,in stealing a game,or two,in this series? can Red Wings tighten up their overall defense,and play like they are very capable of playing,like a team who can take a series,or two,or will they play like they have been all season,and very inconsistently,i may add? right now,it will be a major fight,because both teams have major things to prove,to each other,and to the NHL...

commentary...

Nashville at Anaheim:this series is a tossup,but defensively,the Predators have the edge,in goal,unless Jonas Heller plays,in goal,for the Ducks,but he has had vertigo for about two months,and has played only a few games,since the All Star game,so he is very rusty... Pekka Rinne is simply one of the best goaltenders,in the NHL,and the Ducks,and Predators are two of the most evenly matched teams,in NHL,this season,but it(the series)will be won in net,so if Anaheim can penetrate,and burn Rinne,in a game,or two,then Nashville should win,but i can see Anaheim winning this series,by turning Pekka Rinne into a ordinary goalitender,which he is not,period...

commentary...

Los Angeles at San Jose:both teams have a great defense,but San Jose has firepower to blast Los Angeles out of the building... Los Angeles is simply missing too much firepower,with two major injuries(Anze Kopitar,their top scorer-broken ankle),and Justin Williams,who adds grit,and a scoring touch... Jonathan Quick better play on his head in series,in net,because the Sharks will pound him with rubber,and get garbage goals,,and simply win the series,quite easily,unless Quick steals a game,or two,in goal,for the Kings...

commentary...

Chicago at Vancouver:Defending Champions versus President's Trophy winner(best in NHL,in 2010-2011)... Chicago just got in,after Dallas lost in last game,of season,against Minnesota... Chicago has the slight edge,on the blue line,with Manny Malhotra's eye injury,which takes out one of the best face-off men,in NHL... Vancouver was best in NHL,on power play,penalty kill,goals scored,and least goals allowed,in regular season... Chicago does have talent,but not much depth,and were gutted,by trades,and free agent signings,over the last off-season... Chicago tried to strengthen their goaltending,by signing Marty Turco,but he was a major bomb in net,so they have a rookie,in net(Corey Crawford)... they are not the 1986 Montreal Canadiens(and won Stanley Cup),who had Patrick Roy in net,as a rookie,or even they are not last year's Blackhawks,who had major grit,and depth,and a rookie,in net(Antti Niemi),who took the goaltending job,in San Jose... guess whom i am going with i,in this series? even with a so-so goaltending playoff record,Roberto Luongo will get by in this series...

injury update...

Henrik Zetterberg ruled out for game one,against Phoenix Coyotes...

Red Wings' news...

Coyotes/Red Wings,Wednesday night

first goal of season,and last goal of season...

who scored the very first goal of this 1,230 game season,and who scored the very last goal of this 1,230 game regular season?
answer:first goal of the season:Gulliaume Latendresse,of the Minnesota Wild,against the Carolina Hurricanes,in a 4-3 loss,to the Hurricanes,on October 7,2010,in Helsinki,Finland...
last goal of the season:Pierre-Marc Bouchard,of the Minnesota Wild,against the Dallas Stars,in a 5-3 win,on April 10.2011...

Western Conference playoff seeds...

Chicago Blackhawks at Vancouver Canucks
Los Angeles Kings at San Jose Sharks
Phoenix Coyotes at Detroit Red Wings(again,first round opponent)
Nashville Predators at Anaheim Ducks
Canucks,Sharks,Red Wings,Ducks are top four seeds...

commentary...

Red Wings 4,Blackhawks 3... if Dallas wins,in regulation,or in overtime,tonight,Blackhawks will be the fifth team,in NHL history,to win Stanley Cup,one year,and not make playoffs the next year... analysis,tomorrow,along with recap of top four teams in playoff seeding,in both the Western Conference,and in Eastern Conference... i then will run down the rest of the playoff teams,on Tuesday...

game in progress---2nd intermission

Red Wings 2 Blackhawks 1... Johan Franzen got cut by stick,of Duncan Keith,or his own stick,forced up,by Keith,which is a four minute power play,but the referees missed call... it reminds me of Franzen getting cut,by Sharks,in game two in their playoff series,last year... one of the referees,in both games,was Paul Devorski... the Red Wings have not had a power play,so far,which is typical Devorski game,who normally calls more tic-tac fouls,on the visiting team than the home team..i am not saying that the Red Wings have had any penalties,but to miss a high sticking penalty,on the Blackhawks,that cut Franzen,is a crime,period... do you think that i have no respect for Paul Devorski,as a NHL referee? well,you are absolutely right...

top four seeds in Western Conference...

Vancouver Canucks,San Jose Sharks,Detroit Red Wings,and Anaheim Ducks are the top four seeds in Western Conference... who they play will be known Sunday...

Griffiths',and Toledo Walleye(ECHL)news...

Toledo Walleye finished 33-33-4-2 in the North Division,of the Eastern Conference of East Coast Hockey League(ECHL)... Grand Rapids Griffiths' season has one more game left in season,and both missed their respective playoffs... will give final record,Monday...

Eastern Conference playoff seedings...

New York Rangers at Washington Capitals
Buffalo Sabres at Philadelphia Flyers
Montreal Canadiens at Boston Bruins(Original Six matchup)
Tampa Bay Lightning at Pittsburgh Penguins
second team listed on game is number one to number four seeds...
Capitals,Flyers,Bruins,Penguins,are top four seeds

NHL news...

New York Rangers are the eighth seed in Eastern Conference...

RIP E.J. McGuire...

NHL scouting director E.J. McGuire died earlier this week... he was 58 years old...

1,000 points for Joe Thornton...

Joe Thornton scored his 1,000th career point,with a goal,in San Jose's 4-3 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes...

Eastern Conference playoff teams...

Washington,Philadelphia,Boston,Pittsburgh,Tampa Bay,Montreal,and Buffalo are in the playoffs... Carolina and New York Rangers are fighting for last seed... seedings will not be known until Sunday...

Western Conference playoff seeds...

Vancouver,San Jose,Detroit,Nashville,Los Angeles,Phoenix,and Anaheim are in the playoffs... Chicago and Dallas are fighting for the last seed... seedings will not be known until Sunday...

commentary...

to mask my disappointment,Red Wings did play two solid periods to end game,but were pathetic in first period,giving up awful,disgusting turnovers,and giving shots from 20 feet in,and allowing three goals,in first 8:45,of first period,and looking like they were disinterested,in first period... one Blackhawks player (Ben Smith)got the puck from defender less than six feet,from Jimmy Howard,and scored his first NHL career goal,after a deflection to him,by Patrick Kane,who,with a cousin,beat a Buffalo cab driver,about two years ago,over a twenty cent tip... i call him,"20 cents" (had to make you laugh,but that is true)... Red Wings have looked rather bad,recently,and i am very disappointed... if they do not come out like champions,in the playoffs,they are in deep trouble... that is all i will say about that,right now...

game score...

Blackhawks 4,Red Wings 2...

Red Wings' news...

Blackhawks/Red Wings,tonight... game score,after game... analysis,tomorrow morning...

commentary...

basically,the Red Wings have to play 120 strong minutes of team offense,and strong defense,to beat the Blackhawks,over the last two games,of season,and simply fine tune their game,for the playoffs... a split,of games,will put Red Wings into third,in Western Conference,and two wins,most likely,will give Detroit second in Western Conference,and if they tie,with the Sharks,in points,they get tiebreaker(less shootout wins,than the San Jose Sharks)...

injury to Pacioretty update...

Max Pacioretty is still on the Montreal Canadiens roster,but on injured reserve... the Canadiens hope he plays during the playoffs,after hitting the post,and ice,after hit,by Zdeno Chara,of the Boston Bruins....

injury update...

Henrik Zetterberg will miss last two games of season,but should be ready for playoffs... he is listed day to day,by the Red Wings...

recap of playoff teams...

after the season,i will give a quick recap of every team in playoffs,in between end of season,and start of playoffs,which starts,in six days...

commentary...

scoring fifty goals in a season is a benchmark of the players,not many players achieve that feat... Corey Perry did it last night,with a hat trick... great feat,i may say,but Wayne Gretzky did it(50 goals,in 39 games),which is remarkable in its own way,but that season,he scored four goals,in his 38th game,to get to 45 goals,in 38 games,and people,around the NHL,said that he would get there shortly,thinking that he would get there somewhere near game 45,or so,to get 50,in 50 games... no one would believe that he would score another five goals,in game 39,which would shatter the 50 in 50 window that people thought about... Wayne Gretzky scored 92 goals,in 1981-1982,and scored an amazing 1,219 points,from 1981-1982,to 1986-1987,including four 200-point seasons... every season in that realm of six years,he scored over 180 points every season....

comment...

basically,i am a true fan of the game of hockey;that is reason that i gave Sharks' score to tell you about Corey Perry,of the Ducks,getting his 50th goal of the season,but this is a blog about the Red Wings,normally...

commentary... strange game for Sharks...

Ducks 6 Sharks 2... made a mistake in reporting that Anaheim scored five goals,but OOPS,they scored only four goals,in second period... BIG DEAL!!!!!! same thing,as 10-3 loss,to the Blues that Red Wings had last week,Sharks did sucketh tonight... one of eighty two,but coaches do have work to do on penalty kill,(23rd,or 24th in NHL),and giving up four goals,tonight(on first four power plays,for the Ducks),and was four,of six,overall...

correction...

Anaheim 6,Sharks 1,with five goals,in second period,for Anaheim...

50th goal of season,for Perry...

Corey Perry,of the Anaheim Ducks,scored his 50th goal of the season(with a hat trick),against the Sharks,and Anaheim leads San Jose,5-1,in second period...

injury update...

Henrik Zetterberg was hurt in first period with lower body injury,and will be looked at,by Detroit's doctors,tomorrow... he was not helped off the ice,and did skate to dressing room... replays showed that he was tangled up with a player,and not near the boards...

game score,and commentary...

Hurricanes 3,Red Wings 0... after first period,Red Wings did not come out of dressing room,and played,"let's go skating",the rest of the game,and actually hung Jimmy Howard out to dry on last two Carolina Hurricanes' goals,and the first Carolina goal was just a great shot off the goal post that simply beat Howard... very good defense,by Carolina,the whole game,keeping Red Wings to the outside of their offensive zone,clogging up the middle,and batting away passes,and any shots that got through to Cam Ward(Carolina Hurricanes' goaltender)were stopped... Jimmy Howard played solidly,and the last two goals came from a Red Wings' turnover(by Tomas Holmstrom,at the Red Wings' blueline),and a great reverse wrap around by the Hurricanes,and a breakaway,by the Hurricanes,after a double minor(four minute) penalty kill,to end their scoring... Red Wings need to break even,against the Blackhawks,in a home,and home series,to end the regular season,this weekend...

commentary...

today is game number 80,and i have watched 77 games... missed opening day,against Anaheim,because of Fleet Week,and a memorable yacht ride,and my turn at the helm... i have watched every game,except one live,but listened to game,on XM,because of a severe migraine,but knew that the Red Wings had won game,and watched it on replay,that night... this blog is my pleasure to do,most days,because it teaches you something about a game that dearly love... to tell you my thoughts,and feelings,about hockey is a joy that i simply love... it is not just the Red Wings that i love,but the real and true game of hockey,and to sit through games that actually mean nothing to other people,is just for the love of the game,because you really have no idea that maybe that night,that a player may score five goals,in a game,and,or that same player scored four goals in a playoff game,against their toughest playoff rival,but team loses four of five games,and yet out-scored winning team,overall,in series... for your information,Johan Franzen did both,against Ottawa(scored five goals in game),and scored four goals,in a 7-1 stomping of the Sharks,who won four games,by a goal,in that series,and were out-scored in series,but won(i do not say that they beat Red Wings)series,four games,to one,in that series,last year... i still feel that the referees gave every critical call,in that series,to the Sharks,especially game two,which i shall never forget,and Red Wings gave away game three,after being up,3-1,in third period,before losing that game,in overtime,in Detroit. i gave a hat tip to the Sharks for taking advantage,in that series... that is all that you can get from me---a grudging respect... you can also see a player have a ten point game,like Darryl Sittler had one game,for Toronto,against Philadelphia,years ago,or teams come all the way from a 0-3 deficit,to win seven game series,like Flyers did to the Boston Bruins,last season,or see Wayne Gretzky score 893 goals in his career,with Edmonton,Los Angeles,St. Louis(a cup of coffee),and New York,or see Saku Koivu,and Mario Lemieux come back from cancer,and get bone chilling ovations,from the fans of Montreal,and Pittsburgh,respectfully... that is true blue hockey...

Red Wings' news...

Hurricanes/Red Wings,tonight,in Carolina...

nuggets of trivia...

Red Wings/Carolina Hurricanes,tomorrow night... Carolina Hurricanes came from Hartford,and were the Hartford Whalers,originally,and was one of the teams that NHL absorbed in 1979-1980,when the WHA(World Hockey Association) merged with the NHL... before they came to the NHL,they were known as the New England Whalers,based in Hartford,too... Quebec had a real nasty rivalry with Hartford,in both the WHA,and the NHL... Quebec Nordiques moved to Colorado,in 1995,as the Avalanche,and you still see Nordiques' jerseys around,even in Denver... only one of the four teams that merged into NHL(Hartford,Quebec,Winnipeg,and Edmonton)are still in their original cities... Winnipeg(Jets) moved to Phoenix,in 1997,as the Coyotes... there is a drive to get the NHL to go back to Winnipeg,and Quebec,and in Winnipeg,they do have an AHL(American Hockey League)team(Manitoba Moose),but in Quebec City,they honestly need a new arena,which what forced the NHL to move from Quebec City,in the first place...

commentary...

back to 2002,going in that season,i knew that the Red Wings had the team to beat... they had Steve Yzerman,Brett Hull,Luc Robitaille,Sergei Fedorov,Brendan Shanahan,Nicklas Lidstrom,Pavel Datsyuk(rookie season-not the Datsyuk,of today),Igor Larinov,and Dominik Hasek... most of those players are in the Hockey Hall of Fame,or will be in the Hall of Fame,when they retire... no one beat that team that year,and i knew it,guaranteed....

commentary...

simply said,once the Red Wings got a two goal lead,in the first period,the Wild did not have enough firepower to combat the Red Wings,in Detroit,on this day... Jimmy Howard played solidly,and Pavel Datsyuk got a point,with an assist... Henrik Zetterberg,and Brian Ralfalski,both had two assists... Nicklas Lidstrom,Darren Helm,Johan Franzen,and Tomas Holmstrom scored goals... when the whole Red Wings team fired on all cylinders,like today,and Minnesota being a defense-minded team,they were in trouble,after first period,down 2-0... taking nothing away from Minnesota,but they are not a offensive juggernaut... as a team,if you can put enough pucks past their goaltenders early in games,you can disturb their rhythm,and game plan,so they have to speed up their offense,and they make mistakes(turnovers),so you can take advantage of them... it is the Red Wings' ninth Central Division title,in last ten years,and 14th,in last 20 years... right now,they are second,in Western Conference,with 102 points... for your information,San Jose play the Los Angeles Kings,the Anaheim Ducks,and a home and home series,against the Phoenix Coyotes... the Red Wings play the Carolina Hurricanes,and a home and home series,against the Chicago Blackhawks... Sharks are in for a tough series of games,but so are the Red Wings,so the last week of the season is going to be very,very hard for both teams...

commentary...

Red Wings 4,Wild 2... Red Wings win Central Division,and one of top three playoff spots,in Western Conference,either second seed,or third seed...

commentary...

Dominik Hasek,still playing in Russia,at age 46,and Jose Theodore,of the Minnesota Wild,are the only goaltenders,to win the Hart Trophy(MVP),and the Vezina Trophy(best goaltender),in same season,since 1962... Hasek played for the Red Wings,won Stanley Cup,but won six Vezina Trophies,as goaltender of the Buffalo Sabres,and also the Chicago Blackhawks... Theodore played for the Montreal Canadiens...

Red Wings' news...

Minnesota/Red Wings tonight... game score,late tonight... analysis,early tomorrow...

Griffiths',and Toledo Walleye(ECHL)news...

Grand Rapids Griffiths are 35-30-2-8,sixth place in North Division,of the Western Conference,and Toledo Walleye,of the ECHL(East Coast Hockey League)are 33-32-4-2,fourth place in North Division,and ninth place,in Eastern Conference...

Red Wings' news...

Red Wings are officially in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs,with 4-3 overtime win,over the Nashville Predators,today,for the 20th straight season-tops in professional sports...

commentary...

Red Wings came out real nasty,and when both teams had eight penalties,and a fight,in first period,Predators built up 3-0 lead,early in second period,scoring two goals,in 55 seconds,and Red Wings had disallowed goal,in first period(Tomas Holmstrom,again),and had at least two two-man advantages,against them,in first half of game,plus another fight,in the second period,so the Red Wings was up against the wall,down 3-0,when the Red Wings scored two goals,in 1:25,to get within,3-2,midway through the game... so Red Wings played defense,(what is that?)the rest of second period,to go into second intermission,down 3-2,and 3:59,into third period tied game,at three,when Justin Abdelkader scored his second goal... Todd Bertuzzi had two fights,with Shane O'Brien,of the Predators,both early in first period,and second period... Jakub Kindl scored his second goal,as a Red Wings player,and Dan Cleary scored game-winning goal,in overtime,and even Pekka Rinne complained about interference,and there was no interference on replay,just a dejected goaltender stalking off the ice... i have been looking for some spunk in the Red Wings,for some time,and Nashville(whose team slogan,is Smashville,this year)got smashed,finally,by the Red Wings,in a rather nasty game,but one that Red Wings had to win,rather badly,after being embarrassed,by St. Louis,10-3,last game... i loved the game,because the Red Wings simply refused to be pushed around,and literally fought,to win game,and i am very,very happy,to see them with some bruises,and a win...

game score...

Red Wings 4,Predators 3... overtime win...100th point for the season-eleven years in a row...

hockey history...

Jarome Iginla scored his 1,000 point,tonight,in NHL career,in Calgary Flames' victory,over St. Louis Blues,3-2,by scoring two goals,and an assist... Congrats to an all-time great Calgary Flames' player,and actually,an future Hall of Fame member,if he is not there,after he retires,it will be a crime... funny story:there is a hilarious Scotiabank commercial,that he is in,that plays in Canada,making fun of himself...

good news...

Jimmy Howard will start,against Nashville,tomorrow afternoon...