SB Nation - Todd Bertuzzi

Post Game Analysis: Bertuzzi wins it again

MrNorrisTrophy — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:22:21 -0000

More photos » by Kate Humphrey - AP

4 days ago: Detroit Red Wings right wing Todd Bertuzzi (44) backhands a shot past Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, of Finland, for the winning goal in the overtime period of an NHL hockey game on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009 in Nashville, Tenn. The Red Wings won 3-2. At right is Predators defenseman Kevin Klein (8). (AP Photo/Kate Humphrey)

Browse more photos »

Todd Bertuzzi wins it again in overtime. Yes you read that right, Todd Bertuzzi won it AGAIN. If he keeps this type of production up then we will be in good shape. Do I expect it to stay like this? No, not really but I'll take it for now. Detroit needs secondary scoring and he's starting to get the confidence needed to do so.
Chris Osgood had some pretty sick saves last night. To quote Winston Churchill (sort of), Osgood is "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." There are nights when he can't stop the easiest of shots but then there are nights when he looks like he should have about 8 Vezinas on the mantle. He wasn't really either last night (why he's an enigma) but he was solid and kept the game within reach for the Wings with some incredible saves.
Remember the time when the Red Wings were absolutely dominant in the circle? I miss those days. We did better last night--winning 29 to Nashville's 28--but I sure miss the days of winning about 75% of the draws taken. Can't wait for Fil to get back in the circle that's for sure.
Drew Miller, you were a quality find. Out shadowed by Bert's 4 in 2, Miller had a goal and an assist last night in 12 minutes of play. Sure, he only has 4 points on the season but he brings more than just points. He has been great on the forecheck, PK, and in the corners. Unfortunately, I don't know if there's room for him when Filppula, Franzen, Williams and Cleary come back.
I'm glad I didn't play a drinking game last night for everytime I heard the word "Smashville" used. I was forced to watch the Nashville broadcast (thanks Center Ice) and every commercial break there was someone saying something or other about Smashville. Yeah, I get it. It's a cool nickname but you can't over do it. If I had played a drinking game for that, I surely would be in the ICU or morgue right now.
Bertuzzi's second goal was a thing of beauty. The play started with Datsyuk forcing a turnover and giving Bertuzzi a great outlet pass. He was neck and neck with Nashville defender Klein and protected the puck on his stick before sliding it past Rinne's poke check attempt and then a backhand into the net for the second straight win for Detroit. Highlights of the goal below.

Nashville Predators battle back before falling to Detroit in OT, 3-2

Dirk Hoag — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 06:06:14 -0000

More photos » by Kate Humphrey - AP

Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber, right, checks Detroit Red Wings center Kris Draper off the puck in the second period.

Browse more photos »

Tonight's game had all the drama of a roller coaster for the Nashville Predators; lots of ups and downs, and unfortunately the excitement ended all too early, as Todd Bertuzzi scored his second goal of the night, the game winner, just 24 seconds into the overtime period in a 3-2 loss.

It wasn't all bad news, however, as the biggest crowd of the season (16,673) saw the home team fight back from a 2-0 deficit to force the OT. Follow after the jump for video highlights, the recap, and advanced even-strength statistics...

This was an odd game for a number of reasons. Sometimes, the officials called things by the book, while at other times they let a lot of back & forth stuff go. We had Dan Hamhuis swiping a puck off the goal line that got behind Pekka Rinne, and Jordin Tootoo limping off the ice after taking a Shea Weber shot off the foot.

You have to love the NHL's non-disclosure rules about injuries, by the way. In the post-game press conference, all Barry Trotz would say about Tootoo was "somewhere on the body, hopefully not broken." Way to narrow it down, coach!

Anyways, the story of the game was that the Red Wings, even though they played an overtime game the night before, came out blazing, outshooting the Preds 14-5 in the first period, but miraculously not scoring. Early in the second they took the lead on spinning backhander by Todd Bertuzzi, then followed it up later when Drew Miller batted in a puck that bounced off the crossbar, and made it 2-0.

From that point on, however, the Preds battled back. A power play goal by Ryan Jones (his first of the season, in what was by far his best game) got Nashville on the board a couple minutes later, and they ended up outshooting Detroit 19-8 in the second period. Early in the 3rd David Legwand tied it up by gathering in a loose puck as J.P. Dumont carried it through the slot and created havoc for the Red Wings defense.

That was good enough to get Nashville to overtime, but a bad turnover by Leggy just inside the Detroit blueline gave Bertuzzi a rush the other way, and Kevin Klein never could catch up well enough to stop his shot. Before folks even had time to settle in for the OT, it was all over, just 24 seconds in.

All in all, though, the Preds should consider themselves fortunate to get the single point in the standings for the OT loss. Over the course of the season, a team needs to eke out a few points on nights when they don't play their best, and tonight they just dug themselves too deep a hole in what was often an emotional game between bitter rivals.

Shea Weber, in particular, seemed especially charged up for Detroit, perhaps a bit too much so. He took 3 penalties on the night, which may not sound unusual for such a physical defenseman. Those were his first penalties, however, since October 22nd at Ottawa, a span of 20 games without sitting in the box. That's a remarkable achievement for a guy who consistently plays anywhere from 22 to 25 minutes a night against elite opponents. A hallmark of the Predators' success in recent weeks has been their ability to avoid needless penalties, and tip the special teams balance in their favor.

Despite taking the loss, Rinne was excellent in stopping 26 Detroit shots. The first Bertuzzi goal looked bad but the shot clearly caught both he and defenseman Ryan Suter off-guard, and he stopped several other dangerous chances for Detroit to make up for it.

Looking at the stats from tonight, Patric Hornqvist and Ryan Jones jumped out as having excellent nights. Not only did they create a number of good scoring chances, but their pure hustle created 3 of Nashville's 4 power plays as Jones drew two calls, and Hornqvist one. Dumont also had a good night helping to set teammates up for shots as he drew the attention of the Red Wing defense constantly.

The Preds' next game is in Columbus on Monday, before returning home to face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.

Even Strength		Individual Totals					Team Totals While Player Is On Ice
Player	Pos	EV TOI	Shots	Shts Blkd	Missed Shts	Blocks	SOG For	SOG Ag	SOG +/-	Tot SF	Tot SA	Corsi
Martin Erat	R	14:37	1	0	1	0	10	8	2	15	17	-2
Jason Arnott	C	15:11	3	2	1	0	12	10	2	18	18	0
Steve Sullivan	L	14:51	4	0	0	0	12	9	3	16	16	0
David Legwand	C	12:58	1	0	0	0	8	5	3	11	9	2
Jerred Smithson	R	11:29	0	0	0	0	2	4	-2	3	10	-7
Joel Ward	R	12:38	0	0	0	1	2	4	-2	2	12	-10
Marcel Goc	C	11:52	2	0	1	1	6	4	2	7	12	-5
Jordin Tootoo	R	1:19	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	1	2	-1
J P Dumont	R	11:06	1	2	0	0	11	5	6	14	9	5
Patric Hornqvist	R	9:06	3	0	0	0	9	4	5	13	5	8
Ryan Jones	L	12:16	2	1	0	0	12	5	7	15	9	6
Dave Scatchard	C	6:13	0	0	0	0	5	1	4	6	3	3
Shea Weber	D	17:15	3	0	0	2	15	6	9	21	16	5
Ryan Suter	D	16:57	4	1	0	0	15	6	9	21	15	6
Dan Hamhuis	D	18:15	1	1	0	1	7	9	-2	11	18	-7
Kevin Klein	D	17:57	1	0	0	6	5	9	-4	9	18	-9
Cody Franson	D	8:43	2	0	0	1	8	5	3	8	8	0
Francis Bouillon	D	10:42	1	0	0	0	11	5	6	11	8	3

Poll

Who is your Predator of the Game?

Ryan Jones, 1 G, 1 A, 2 penalties drawn

42 votes

Pekka Rinne, 26 saves

17 votes

59 votes | Poll has closed

Post Game Analysis: Wings 3-Ducks 2 in OT

MrNorrisTrophy — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 13:00:21 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

5 days ago: Detroit Red Wings right wing Todd Bertuzzi stands in front of Anaheim Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere (35) during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks in Detroit, Friday, Dec. 11, 2009. Bertuzzi scored two goals, one in overtime, to defeat the Ducks 3-2. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Browse more photos »

Here are a few things I noticed from the game and hopefully you'll chime in on these with your thoughts as well.

The first one is the most important: this team didn't roll over and die. I've often wondered if there are nights when the guys kind of mail it in after getting down and are being shut down offensively. I didn't wonder that in this game though. The Wings scratched and clawed its way to a victory--even without the scratchiest and clawiest of the them all Dan Cleary--after going down 2-0 at the end of the second period. Usually goals at the end of the first or second period can be killers but if anything it seemed to serve as motivation as they scored early in the third period. This is a great game to look back at and be proud of the way they finished.
A two goal game doesn't make everything better on the Todd Bertuzzi front. BUT, it does do a lot for things and hopefully will do wonders for his confidence. This was Bertuzzi's first point in four games and first goal in five. You can only hope that he is starting to come to life and produce on a consistent basis. No matter you position on Bert, if you're a Wings fan you want and need him to produce for the good of the team.
Ville Leino needed that point so badly. It was Ville's first point since the 3-1 loss to Dallas on November 18--part of the reason he's drawn much ire. That crisp pass will placate calls for his head temporarily though and maybe will shake him out of the slump.
Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk are starting to miss shots that they absolutely buried last year without hesitation. What gives? Supposedly Datsyuk's been tinkering around with what model stick to use but I don't know if that's what is causing problems or if it is more of a mental barrier. Zetterberg on the other hand had three or four great chances that he shanked and was well wide with the shots on. Hopefully its a just a hiccup right now and they'll get things figured out.
Tomas Holmstrom is clutch. That's about all I need to say. Homer's coming through big time in a year many expected him to fall off during (me included). Quick hands were vital on receiving and putting the shot past Giguere to get the Wings on the board.
Jimmy Howard is really starting to play effectively. Sure that second goal was a garbage goal that he shouldn't have given up but sometimes that just happens. What matters is that he is facing the quality shots very well and his positioning and angles improve with every game. Most importantly, Howie gets another win and his GAA creeps down after a solid night stopping 25 of 27.
The Penalty Killing has improved greatly over the past handful of games. The Wings have killed off 32 of their last 35 penalties and a total of 22 consecutive. This progress has greatly improved and for that to continue to happen, the Wings need to continue very solid and disciplined defensive play in their own end.
Power Play scores twice on 10 chances. 1 for 5 is a number I'll take on the man bonus after following a horrible 0-6 in St. Louis. Get the 1st and 2nd lines rolling of the man bonus and this team could be dangerous.
Defensive play has improved greatly with Howard in net for the following reason: there's somewhat of a system to his play. Howard gives up rebounds plain and simple but the defense can adapt to that and clear the pucks out after Howie stops the initial shot. With Osgood you never really know what's going to happen and I think that kind of makes for chaotic play on the defensive end. As odd as it sounds, the Wings are being rewarded by a goalie that gives up rebounds.
Corey Perry, what a piece of crap you are. In the same shift you 1.) viciously elbow a player in the jaw 2.) knowingly turn your back into a hit from Abdelkader 3.) chase down Abdelkader for what you likely saw as a dirty play (that you set yourself up for) 4.) try to fight because of that play. My main beef with this is: if you're gonna play dirty and then set yourself up for a hit by turning your back at the last second, don't complain and then seek revenge.
Justin Abdelkader, nice physical game fella. Teach that Duck a lesson! 4 hits and a fight are good, just gotta improve that 1 for 5 in the dot--ouch.
Saku Koivu is probably the only Duck that I don't inherently despise.
Duck to keep an eye on: Dan Sexton. Sexton had a goal and assist tonight and had two goals the previous game against Dallas.

Bertuzzi leads Wings comeback win 3-2 in OT

MrNorrisTrophy — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 05:20:34 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

5 days ago: Detroit Red Wings right wing Todd Bertuzzi, second from left, celebrates his goal with teammates winger Patrick Eaves (17), defenseman Brett Lebda, second from right, and defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom (5) of Sweden during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks in Detroit, Friday, Dec. 11, 2009. Bertuzzi scored two goals, one in overtime, to defeat the Ducks 3-2. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Browse more photos »

Who of you guessed Todd Bertuzzi would have guided the Wings to a victory? Probably not many, right? Bertuzzi scored twice to lead the Red Wings from behind to beat the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night. The game was an intense physical game that saw numerous power plays for both teams with the Red Wings going 2 for 10 on the man advantage and killing off all four of the Anaheim chances.

Saku Koivu scored at 8:05 into the second period to put the Ducks ahead 1-0. Dan Sexton was credited with the primary assist and added a goal of his own within the last minute as he slipped a shot past Jimmy Howard from a bad angle to put the Ducks up 2-0 heading into the third period. The shot barely squeaked through Howard's pad for the Ducks advantage.

Tomas Holmstrom scored his 12th goal of the season on a great pass from Ville Leino. The Wings were on the man advantage after a Ryan Getzlaf hooking call and Leino carried the puck below the goal line before feeding Holmstrom at the low slot. Holmstrom put the shot off to the right side of the net, just beating Jean-Sebastian Giguere.The goal was a huge boost to Detroit to start the third period and helped to build confidence going forward in the waning minutes of the game.

Bertuzzi's first goal wasn't a thing of beauty as he put the puck in off of Giguere's skate but the Red Wings haven't had many of those "pretty" goals this year. Bertuzzi's first goal came halfway through the third and a late penalty call on the Ducks provided the Wings with a handful of quality chances as regulation time ticked off the clock.

On carry-over from the penalty at the end of regulation, Detroit ended the game and earned the full two points. Bertuzzi got the puck down low and Giguere blocked all but maybe eight inches of the upper corner of the net. It would require a perfect top-shelf shot and that's what Bertuzzi provided to end the game at 3-2. Brad Stuart and Henrik Zetterberg were credited with the helpers on the goal which was Bertuzzi's sixth of the campaign.

Some more post game analysis will be up later on.

MrNorrisTrophy's Wing of the night: Todd Bertuzzi. Big Bert put a pair in and was actually a big factor tonight as he played a decent physical game (although not credited with any hits) and was well positioned at times during the game. His two goals on two shots helped the Wings over his former club for a much needed win.

Sedins Climbing The Canucks Charts

Sean Zandberg — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:07:14 -0000

The Sedins may be accused of getting too fancy with their plays, especially when the Canucks lose, (or go through a goal-scoring drought), but when they are clicking and "on" they make opposing teams pay, right Atlanta? It's great to see them not only putting up numbers in the first year of their new 5-year lucrative contracts, but also being on pace to exceed what they have done in the past.

Only once has a Sedin exceeded 82 points in a season, and that was Daniel in 2006-07 where he scored 84 points. Henrik, if he can remain healthy, looks poised to hit the 100-point plateau or exceed it. He is averaging 1.225 points-per-game. Daniel is averaging 1.231 points per game. Gee, how identical. This was brought up last night in the comments thread:

Henrik is currently in 3rd spot in NHL scoring, 1 point ahead of Sidney Crosby and 1 point behind Marian Gaborik. However, his average ice-time per game is considerably less than any NHL player in the top 20 League leaders in points. He gets around the same amount of shifts on average but less time on ice. More to his credit!

The consistent brothers are continually surpassing some of all-time Canucks players' stats. I've posted about this before but thought I'd give you some updates. Keep in mind that these are all regular season stats.

HENRIK

-needs 2 more points to reach 500 in his career. Get ready to cheer!

-this season he has passed both Tony Tanti and Pavel Bure in career Canuck points for sole possession of 5th spot, 52 points behind Thomas Gradin and 258 points behind all-time Canucks leader Markus Naslund (756).

-his current 375 assists ranks him 4th on the all-time Canucks list, 40 assists behind all-time leader Trevor Linden (415). It took Linden about 16 seasons to accomplish that. Hank is in his 9th season.

-his 123 goals has moved him past Cliff Ronning, Darcy Rota and Andre Boudrias for 16th spot, 10 goals behind Patrick Sundstrom.

-his 3 game-winning goals now gives him 20 on his career, and that has bumped him past 6 Canucks and in a tie for 9th overall with Stan Smyl. Clutch.

DANIEL

-had he not suffered the foot injury, both brothers could have celebrated the 500 point plateau on the same night. Wouldn't that have been crazy? Dank needs 22 more points to hit that mark.

-his 478 career points has him tied with Pavel Bure for 5th overall on the all-time Canucks scoring list.

-he recently passed Dennis Kearns (290) in the all-time assist category for sole possession of 6th spot (293).

-Dank has 185 career goals. He will soon pass Don Lever (186) and Todd Bertuzzi (188). That is still 161 goals behind Markus Naslund, who had 346 career goals.

-his 3 game-winning goals gives him a career total of 39, which is 10 behind all-time leader Markus Naslund.

It is quite possible that a Sedin could hold every major Canucks record (goals, assists, points) and it's going to take some schmuck forever to catch them. It's also amazing to think the the Sedins began their careers here and started slow offensively, and then were the Canucks' second line in the West Coast Express years. Now as they hit their prime as #1 line players, devastation is ensuing.

Canuck stats source: Canucks Library. Keep in mind that the Library site has only updated up to the end of last season, so some minor math was required.

December 8 :: Numbers and Awards

mpetrella — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:25:56 -0000

More photos » by Paul J. Bereswill - AP

Even in a draft-centric team re-creation, here's your backup goaltender. (AP Photo/Paul J. Bereswill)

Browse more photos »

Much is made of the Red Wings' ability to built a championship team while never selecting very high in the draft (**cough**Pittsburgh**cough**). People point to Jonathan Ericsson (the 291st and final selection of the 2002 Draft), Henrik Zetterberg (210th in 1999), and Tomas Holmstrom (257th in 1994) are glowing examples of a draft science that has been perfected by the organization. Sometimes, they pick up guys that haven't lived up to their draft pick, like Dan Cleary and Patrick Eaves, but have you ever wondered what the Red Wings would look like if the team was formed -- and the line combinations were made -- based solely on their draft selection? Well, it would look like this:

Cleary (13) -- May (14) -- Bertuzzi (23)
Eaves (29) -- Ferraro (32) -- Emmerton (41)
Abdelkader (42) -- Tatar (60) -- Draper (62)
D. Axelsson (62) -- Maltby (65) -- Nestrasil (75)
TOP CALL-UPS: Joakim Andersson (88), Valtteri Filppula (95), Johan Franzen (97)

Stuart (3) -- Kindl (19)
B. Smith (27) -- Kronwall (29)
Lidstrom (53) -- Lilja (54)
TOP CALL-UPS: Doug Janik (55), Gleason Fournier (90), Max Nicastro (91)

McCollum (30)
Osgood (54)
TOP CALL-UPS: Jimmy Howard (64), Daniel Larsson (92)

AFTER THE JUMP, some more numbers and award updates

Justin Abdelkader is going to get the opportunity to center the second line against the Blues, but he's the only Red Wing faceoff-taker with a percentage below 50 (minimum 100 faceoffs). He's currently winning only 42.8% of his draws.

The Red Wings have only scored the first goal of a game ten times this season, with Tomas Holmstrom and Dan Cleary each netting that goal twice. Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Kris Draper, Brad Stuart, Drew Miller, and Justin Abdelkader each have the distinction once.

Kris Draper and Niklas Kronwall co-lead the team in goals against division opponents (3 each). Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom co-lead in goals against opponents from other divisions (9 each). Henrik Zetterberg leads the team in points at home (16) and on the road (14).

The only players to have negative +/- both at home and on the road are Dan Cleary, Derek Meech, Brett Lebda, and Todd Bertuzzi. On the contrary, the only players to be positive both at home and on the road are Kris Draper, Patrick Eaves, Brian Rafalski and Nicklas Lidstrom.

Kirk Maltby is the only Red Wing with a point while shorthanded -- an unassisted goal.

Justin Abdelkader leads the way with 78 hits, followed by Brad Stuart (75), Darren Helm (73), Dan Cleary (50) and Patrick Eaves (50).

CHRIS CHELIOS AWARD Update
*Given at the year's end to the Red Wings defensemen with the fewest goals scored in the most games played. The player must have played in at least 3/4 of the team's games. The award is named for Chris Chelios, who scored 23 goals in his final EXACTLY 600 games as a Red Wing (regular season and playoffs).*
1. Nicklas Lidstrom (1 goal in 29 games)
2. Brett Lebda (1 goal in 26 games)
3. Brad Stuart (2 goals in 29 games)
4. Brian Rafalski (2 goals in 26 games)
5. Jonathan Ericsson (3 goals in 27 games)

DANNY CLEARY "SACRAFICE YOUR FACE" AWARD Update
*Given at the year's end to the Red Wings forward with the most blocked shots. Award is named for Dan Cleary, who is used to becoming synonymous with "black eye" and/or "broken jaw."*
1. Darren Helm (20)
2. Danny Cleary (15)
3. Henrik Zetterberg (14)
4. Pavel Datsyuk (13)
5. Justin Abdelkader (9)

DEREK MEECH AWARD Update
*Given at the year's end to the Red Wing with the most games spent in the press box. Award is named for Derek Meech, who was a healthy scratch 35 times last season.*
1. Derek Meech (15)
2. Brad May (8)
3. Patrick Eaves (7)
4. Kirk Maltby (5)
5. Brett Lebda (3)

GREG STEFAN AWARD Update
*Given at the year's end to the Red Wings goaltender that makes you question how they're in the NHL and you aren't. Award is named for Greg Stefan, who played nine seasons for the Red Wings, but only three that had a goals against average under 4.*
1. Chris Osgood (6-5-4, 2.75, .896)
2. Jimmy Howard (8-5-1, 2.55, .910)

MIKAEL SAMUELSSON AWARD Update
*Given at the year's end to the Red Wings forward with the most shots to miss the net. Award is named for Mikael Samuelsson, who literally must have been aiming for the 11th row.*
1. Henrik Zetterberg (52)
2. Todd Bertuzzi (29)
3. Tomas Holmstrom (28)
4. Ville Leino (27)
5. Pavel Datsyuk (21)

PAST AWARD WINNERS
Patrick Eaves Goodfellas Award: Patrick Eaves (last player to be penalized)
Aaron Downey Award: Derek Meech (last player to score a goal)

Bertuzzi's two points, Howard's 29 saves leads Wings over Stars 4-1

joehass — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:18:15 -0000

On a night that saw the Red Wings snap a 157-minute scoring drought at home, have a balanced scoring attack, a stretch of 10:18 without a stoppage in play, and their first opening goal in five games, what may be the most interesting takeaway from their 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars was the 29 saves of Jimmy Howard, making back-to-back wins for himself.

While his four-game stretch earlier in November showed what he could do with Chris Osgood out of commission, it's in the last two nights, where head coach Mike Babcock had the option of going with either goalie but has chosen Howard, where Howard has shone, putting Babcock in an embarrassment of riches situation heading into Thursday night's game against Edmonton.

In addition to the balanced scoring attack, the Red Wings penalty kill continued their streak, with eight straight penalties killed including the four tonight.

In the first period, after going over 10 minutes without a stoppage in play, the Red Wings shot a puck down the ice in what appeared to be an icing call. But the Stars miscommunicated, failing to touch the puck. Drew Miller, who was skating down the ice at the time, quickly jumped on the untouched puck and took a shot, that went off Trevor Daley's arm and past Marty Turco to make it 1-0 Red Wings.

With 15 seconds left, just after Tomas Holmstrom left the penalty box, Stephane Robidas fired a 60-foot shot that went off Brenden Morrow and got past Howard to tie the game at 1. It was Morrow's 11th goal of the season.

In the second, Kris Draper got Turco to go down on his shot, only to pass the puck to Darren Helm. With a wide-open net, Helm didn't miss, and the Red Wings were back on top 2-1.

Later in the period, Henrik Zetterberg put the puck on Dan Cleary's stick behind the goal line. Cleary brought the puck up in front of Turco, then put the puck into the net to make it 3-1 on his sixth of the season.

Finally, in the third period, Todd Bertuzzi came in to the left of Turco and fired a 35-footer that bounced off Daley. That turned the puck into a knuckler, which just went off the elbow of Turco and into the edge of the net to wrap up the scoring.

Player of the game: Todd Bertuzzi. With his goal and assist, he seems to be awakening very nicely.

There Are Moral Victories

Brad Lee — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:22:24 -0000

More photos » by Bill Boyce - AP

Dammit. (AP Photo/Bill Boyce)

Browse more photos »

I saw the postgame press conference with head coach Andy Murray after Saturday's shootout loss to the Red Menace and could see the disappointment on his face. I heard David Backes talk in hushed tones. I know the team took Todd Bertuzzi beating Chris Mason hard. And yeah, I was pissed off right after the game ended.

How they played against a Red Wings team desperate for a win was just another positive sign in a string of many. The game-tying goal off of Barret Jackman's arm pit was a fluke. A bad break. Not indicative of how the Blues played even in the waning seconds when they gave up the lead.

Let's be realistic, the Blues seem to be back on track at the moment. They've won some games they wouldn't have three weeks ago and they're playing hard in most facets of the game, probably for a couple reasons.

I think most evident is that Mason has elevated his game and the players in front have responded. A goaltender on his game behind his teammates can be a calming influence. It's easier to play in front of a hot goalie. I have no facts or evidence to back this up, mind you, but I think it's probably true.

The Jay McClement and B.J. Crombeen Rejuvination Machine is still working its magic. David Perron found his game and has kept going. Patrik Berglund forgot he was scared of his own shadow and has shown some improvement. I believe the rotting corpse of Paul Kariya saw some time with McClement and Crombeen before coming back to life in recent games.

And in the end, I don't think anyone panicked. Other than the fans and all of the crazies who comment around this place and the people who write for the Game Time paper and Towel Boy. He had to be pissing his air-brushed jeans thinking all his autographed towels would never seen the outstretched hands of his fans. But the guys on the ice and the front office didn't lose their shit. And suddenly the Blues are again a dangerous opponent every night. Go figure.

An NHL season is so damn long. If the Blues can keep this intensity and play with some balance and dare I say confidence and we might forget at the end of the season about late October and early Novemeber. Hopefully.

So fine Game TIme readers who continue to grace us with your presence, have the Blues really turned the corner? Is this the real Blues? Or will we be seeing the team from a couple weeks ago resurface? Tell us down below.

And don't forget to come back for the GDT when the Blues travel to Columbus.

So How Those Other Guys Doing?

Yankee Canuck — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:10:54 -0000

These. Long. Breaks. Between. Hockey. Games. SUCK.

So much so I caught myself watching other games and seeing some old faces in new places. Curious what's up with some former 'Nuckers out there? Take a spin with me then.

Mattias Ohlund - Ah, 'old Matty. Maybe his departure is why Edler sucks so far. Baby bear missing papa bear perhaps? Six points in 17 games (only one PP point) doesn't leave much to be desired for Ohlund though. He did blow up Kessel, that was good for a laugh. His new baby bear - Victor Hedman - has five points in 20 games. Ohlund has been nursing a lower body injury the past few games which perhaps means more ice time for...

Lukas Krajicek - Poor Luke. Once projected to be very much what Blastoff is for the Canucks now, he was deemed expendable for SOB last year and, though he had some injury problems, finished up as the second best scoring defenseman for Tampa. I don't know where he is on the depth chart now, but he's only played 12 games this year, has a single point and somehow has 19 PIMs. If it makes him feel any better, SOB has only played 17 games, has no points and 32 PIMs. Everyone collectively sigh in 3...2...1...

Taylor Pyatt - Old pretty eyes took his act down south to Phoenix, upsetting female fans...everywhere? However, he's only getting a shade over 13 minutes a game (close to a minute and a half off his average TOI last year) and - in 18 games - only has three points. He has been getting a decent amount of time on the PK so he's still got that working for him. OK fine, here puck bunnies, don't say we're not looking out for you and your squeeeeee's. And as long as we're in the desert let's go find...

Jason LaBarbera - Our metalhead back-up from last season is 1-3 behind a rather stellar Ilya Bryzgalov. Many of us didn't want to see Barbie go, but consider Raycroft has more wins, a better GAA (2.19 to 2.66) and a better S% (.916 to .907). So Vancouver did pretty well on this end so far, but we remain confident that Barbie has better musical sensibilities and, at nearly 70 lbs heavier than Raycroft, could probably use him as a tooth pick if he was so inclined.

Mats Sundin - He's doing this. Over and over and over again. Yup, feel bad about yourself. It's cool.

Curtis Sanford - The Sandman basically went from Manitoba to Hamilton of the AHL and is now backstopping the Bulldogs. Just for comparison, Sanford has a better GAA (1.78) and a better S% (.934) than Cory Schneider, though the red had has more wins. And he looks strange without the fan helmet. Or, you know, in general.

Jason Jaffray - When Vancouver went through their hilarious string of injuries last month, it would have been nice to call up Jaffray. The former Moose standout has only played one game for the Flames so far and had no points. But down in Abbotsford he's doing just fine with nine goals which is good enough for fifth best in the AHL (note: both Shirokov and former Canuck Jeff Cowan also have nine goals).

Ossi Vaananen - Ossssssssi! The vowel master wasn't given a second thought by Gillis, so instead he followed his (money) nose to the KHL where he's playing with HC Dynamo Minsk where he has two points and is -7 in 26 games. Yikes. But nevertheless, he'll also be the #1 waiver wire pick up in our hearts (no offense Kris Beech).

Rob Davison - Remember him? Me neither. But his 23 game campaign with Vancouver has been followed up by starting with AHL's Lowell Devils where he has eight points in 16 games. Not bad at all, but I suspect he's a long shot to make the Devil's (NHL) roster and may be destined for Europe at the end of the year.

...and, sure, while we're at it let's kick ourselves and check out the WCE...

Brendan Morrison - As Sean noted, B-mo is like a slightly more expensive Wellwood who, in contrast, has a spine, drive and points in the double digits. Fifth on the Caps in points in fact. Pudge is tied for 18th on Vancouver. Fuck.

But, all in all, couldn't happen to a better guy. Go B-mo go.

Todd Bertuzzi - Let's see: Bert has the lowest shooting percentage on the Wings, leads Red Wings forwards in giveaways (18) and has nine points in 22 games. To quote one commentator from the A2Y crowd: "I can’t possibly imagine that there isn’t a single other healthy player out there that couldn’t fill or exceed Bertuzzsi’s current role." Wow.

Markus Naslund - He's at Sean's house, baking fluffy, fresh muffins daily before Sean goes to work. And Sean could NOT be happier!

Wings down Habs 3-2 in SO

MrNorrisTrophy — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:26:31 -0000

More photos » by Graham Hughes - AP

25 days ago: Montreal Canadiens' goaltender Carey Price, right, is scored on by Detroit Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk, of Russia, during an overtime shootout during an NHL hockey game in Montreal, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Graham Hughes)

Browse more photos »

Detroit got back in the win column after a loss to Dallas and an overtime loss to Florida as they beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in a shoot-out.

Brad Stuart started the scoring for both teams on a power-play goal at 12:41 of the first period. Stuart put what seemed to be a rather innocent shot past Montreal netminder Carey Price for a 1-0 Detroit lead. Price was screened by Todd Bertuzzi and his own defender, leaving little chance to find the puck until it was already in the net. Dan Cleary and Brett Lebda assisted on Stuart's second goal of the season. The powerplay resulted after Montreal's George Laraque took six penalty minutes on one shift, including a tripping call that put Niklas Kronwall for the remainder of the game and possibly a long stretch afterwards.

"You know it's something that shouldn't happen in hockey," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "A guy shouldn't hang his leg out there and hurt another guy. It's unacceptable and it's disappointing, obviously. We just lost a good player for a period of time. Our doctors will look at him, but he's out for a chunk for sure."

Pavel Datsyuk would add another Red Wings power-play goal as he tipped a Brian Rafalski shot past Price for a 2-0 Detroit lead, only 2 minutes after the first goal by Stuart. Datsyuk scored his sixth goal of the season as he was camped out to Price's right before Rafalski's shot from the blue line. Datsyuk's goal came on a five-on-three as Laraque was still in the box, now joined by Paul Mara.

Jimmy Howard, starting his 5th game in the past 6 stopped numerous quality chances from Montreal during the second period en route to his 4th win of the year. Howard stopped 16 shots in all as Detroit out-shot Montreal 35-18, making Price work all night and leaving Howard with a much more manageable work load.

Mike Cammalleri scored his tenth and eleventh goals of the season as he lead the Canadiens back to a tie in the third period. Cammalleri's first goal came just nine seconds into the 3rd period as he fired a drop pass from Andrei Kostitsyn into the net behind Jimmy Howard. Cammelleri's second goal was the result of a beautiful pass from Kostitsyn, who blazed the puck across the goal mouth from the sideboards to the tape of Cammelleri's stick; tying the game at 2 with under 9 minutes gone in the 3rd period. Howard has little hope of stopping the shot and the pass was near perfect as the Canadiens capitalized on a rare miscue from Nicklas Lidstrom.

Overtime ended with out any goals being scored so the teams prepared for the shoot-out. Cammelleri was stopped by Howard on the first attempt of the shoot-out. Pavel Datsyuk did one of his patented "Datsyukian dekes" to beat Price and ultimately win the game. Henrik Zetterberg sealed the win with a pretty special move of his own as the team departs Montreal with a 3-2 win and 2 more points in the standings.

Detroit's next game is on Monday against Nashville, a game that will be seen on Versus.

MrNorrisTrophy's Wing of the Game: Pavel Datsyuk. Pavel scored the second goal of the game and had an incredible move to beat Carey Price and win the game. He added 6 shots to his 20:35 of ice time and 81% success rate in the faceoff dot.