SB Nation - Valtteri Filppula

Cleary out for up to four weeks...great

MrNorrisTrophy — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:43:05 -0000

7 months ago: Detroit Red Wings' Dan Cleary celebrates his goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first period of a first-round NHL hockey playoff game Thursday, April 23, 2009, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)

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As if those players already sitting in the stands weren't enough, add forward Dan Cleary to that group. Cleary will join Johan Franzen, Niklas Kronwall, Jason Williams, Valtteri Filppula, and Andreas Lilja on the injured list. Cleary separated his shoulder in last night's 1-0 loss to the Blues and is expected to miss a month at the most of the season.

Here's pretty much what this will mean for the Red Wings until either Cleary or Filppula returns:

1. No call ups will be made (according to Babcock) so everyone available will play
1a. An injury to a forward within that time span will likely result in a call up but don't expect one for insurance
1b. If there is another injury not only will I assuredly curse, we could POSSIBLY see Tomas Tatar called up. Unlikely but he has shown in a short amount of time that he is an explosive scorer. Don't bank on it but don't be surprised either.

2. Dan Cleary is invaluable to this team. Sure he doesn't put up the offensive numbers to warrant the same respect of a Marian Gaborik or Evgeni Malkin but he's a huge part of this offense by positioning himself very well, passing at the right times, and having a pretty good shot. Along with the offense, he is a crucial defender and is probably the third best defending forward that the Wings have.

3. Cleary's 7 goals and 16 points will surely be missed but it may mean that Ville Leino will have to produce in the absence and can improve his game while playing on the second line in Cleary's spot.

Hopefully Cleary will be back sooner rather than later but that void is going to be hard to fill with the lack of production from a lot of guys that were expected to be big time secondary players on this team.

Wednesday Links: Pretending the game tonight is in Sweden edition

averagejoe — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:00:21 -0000

by Tom Gannam - AP

Listen Polak, the puck goes in the net, not the player. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

View full size photo »

All games are exciting, but games against the Red Wings carry that little something extra. That something? Pure, unfiltered hate. I won't be wearing anything red tomorrow. Let's go Blues.

Blues news

For your viewing pleasure: Blues vs. Wings. Tonight. Hopefully, there will be blood. [CBS Sports]
Unreal: "You get a chance and you start thinking about it and trying to pick a spot. That's when you get into trouble." -- Brad Boyes about the Blues struggling offense. Shockingly, the team is going to try putting the puck ON net tonight. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
Columbus and the Blues made a trade yesterday. In case you missed it, the Blues have acquired the new Trent Whitfield. Odds Pascal Pelletier even sniffs this NHL this year? [Belleville News-Democrat]
Kick-ass read on Wendy Pleau and her battle with cancer. Only downside to this argument, I kind of think less of Larry Pleau. How do you not know how to use the microwave or washing machine? Come on, man. [ESPN]

Scouting the Enemy

Detroit forward Valtteri Filppula got his wrist cast off, but is still a few weeks away from coming back. [Freep]
Even though he's a Wing, I gotta admit Justin Abdelkader has a cool name. He's playing a bigger role for the Wings. Oh and Ville Leino will be scratched tonight. [MLive]
To find more about the Wings, feel free to check out Winging it in Motown. If you want to fit in, just say things like "Steve Yzerman is a god." or "Our goaltending sucks." Or, you could just say nothing at all since that seems to be the norm over there. [Winging It In Motown]

Hockey news

Results from Tuesday. [Yahoo! Sports]
Oh, Wednesday is another full slate of games. [Yahoo! Sports]
In an investigation that won't change shit, Marc Savard' contract is being looked at by the NHL. Just like Chris Pronger and Marian Hossa before him. What happened to those guys? [Stanley Cup of Chowder]
The Hurricanes Cam Ward is back. [ESPN]
Montreal forward Ryan White was called up from the AHL, but the Canadiens didn't report it properly forcing his removal from the game. [ESPN]
Team Canada (hockey) will be announced on Dec. 30. [CTV Olympics]
Brendan Witt is a bad, bad man. [Puck Daddy]

Other links

I have a good friend whose facebook updates 80 percent of the time about how awesome he is. He is, a facebrager. [facebraggers]
MTV has a new show called "Jersey Shore" that has some of the most incredible (and not in a good way) people. Anyway, apparently (I don't watch the show) the characters all have some stupid nickname. If I were on this site, my name would be DJ Douchebag. What's yours? [Unlikely Words]

Video

This video is simply amazing. This is sexism at its finest, and by the I mean holy shit is this sexist.

Bonus video

Anyone know the weather forecast for tonight in Detroit?

Gametimelinks(at)gmail.com. I'll be working tonight so I won't be at the GDT, but you guys should still kick ass without me.

Did you find the hidden message in today's links?

2010 Olympics Preview: Detroit Red Wings

MrNorrisTrophy — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:00:13 -0000

The folks at SB Nation hockey have been running a pre-Olympics features for each NHL team. Basically, we're all making guesses at which players from each team, who's close to making it, and all of the other types of assumptions that could be made towards the Olympic rosters. With a little over 70 days until the puck drops in Vancouver, we're going to look at the Detroit Red Wings side of the Olympics.

I covered Sweden, Russia, and the good ol' Stars and Stripes while Michael covered Finland, Slovakia, and Canada. We're going to do things a little differently than the others and do it based by country so why don't we start with the big chunk of the Detroit roster?

Sweden: 2006 Gold Medalists
Group C: Sweden, Finland, Belarus, Germany

Nicklas Lidstrom- Pack your bags
On the heels of an official announcement about playing for Team Sweden, Lidas can now be officially added to this list. Lidstrom will be on the top pair for sure but the question of who his other partner will be still remains.

Henrik Zetterberg- Pack your bags
No doubt about Zetterberg being on the final roster, one of the best players in the NHL will surely be on top line for Team Sweden. Zetterberg is will likely be a set-up man for either winger and be able to contribute a great bit defensively and in the faceoff circle.

Tomas Holmstrom- Nearly a lock
Homer will likely be a third or fourth liner on the talent rich Swedish roster but can still provide a much needed service to the team: big body + crease= screen.

Jonathan Ericsson- In a battle
The only reason Big E is still in a battle is because of his youth and the fellow Swedes that could take his spot. My guess is Ericsson is in the third pairing or the next man in, depending on injuries (ie Niklas Kronwall)

Daniel Larsson- Work to do
Not that many expected Danny to take over Henrik Lundqvist's throne, but at least he was on the orientation roster.

The injured: Johan Franzen, Niklas Kronwall, Andreas Lilja. All three were likely candidates to start or be reserves until injuries hindered progress.

Finland: 2006 Silver Medalists
Group C: Sweden, Finland, Belarus, Germany

Valtteri Filppula - Work To Do
Prior to his wrist injury, he was as good as a lock. But, he's missed just over half of the games this season, which means he's got some catching up to do. He's expected back in mid to late December, which is only a few weeks before the Olympic teams announce their rosters. He's going to need a heck of a showing, assuming he's even back on schedule.

Ville Leino - In a Battle
The one-time Calder candidate has certainly disappeared this season, having only scored 3 goals and 2 assists in 22 games (compared to 5 goals and 4 assists in only 13 games as a call-up last season). He's looked a tad out of place on the Red Wings this season, even serving a game as a healthy scratch, in an effort to wake him up. But, many times the Scandinavian Olympic squads feature players more well-known in the homeland than to NHL fans. Leino certainly fits that description, winning the Lasse Oskanen Trophy in 2008 as the SM-Liiga's player of the year.

::Russia, Slovakia, USA, and Canada after the jump::

Russia: 2006 4th place
Group B: Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia

Pavel Datsyuk- Pack your bags

Perhaps one of the most terrifying rosters in all of the Olympics, Russia is absolutely STACKED with talent. Pavel Datsyuk will join fellow Russians Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Alexei Kovalev, Alexander Semin, Sergei Gonchar, plus three high quality netminders Simeon Varlamov, Ilya Bryzgalov, and Evgeni Nabokov. Datsyuk can be placed on any line at any position and flourish with his linemates. Pavel will likely play the same role that Zetterberg does, defending primarily but setting up the superstars on both sides of him.

Slovakia: 2006 5th place
Group B: Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia

Tomas Tatar - In a Battle
Red Wing fans should get excited about Tomas Tatar. He had a great camp and earned himself a place on the Griffins roster and is there to stay. He's a teenager, so at first glance he would seem to be a long-shot. However, it's no secret Tatar came alive during his last international experience: the 2009 World Junior Championships. In that tournament, he scored 7 goals and 4 assists in 7 games. H:e was rewarded for that effort with an invitation to Slovakia's pre-Olympic camp. He might still be a little green, but he's on the radar.

Canada: 2006 7th place
Group A: Canada, USA, Switzerland, Norway

Dan Cleary - Work To Do
There's a good chance that the only folks associated with both the Red Wings and Team Canada are off the ice. Steve Yzerman, Ken Holland, and Mike Babcock all have prominent roles in forming and running the Canadian Olympic Squad, but Dan Cleary was the only player invited to Olympic camp. That's an insanely deep squad - and by all accounts, Canada could ice two Olympic teams - and Cleary's going to need some luck to make the cut. That's not to say he wouldn't be a valuable addition, because we all know what he brings to the table, but there's just so much talent available to the hometown town.

Todd Bertuzzi- Moving down
Bertuzzi has done little for his chances of joining the 2010 team other than be on Babcock's team. As mentioned above, there is just too much talent on the Canadian roster and likely no spot for him.

United States: 2006 8th place
Group A: Canada, USA, Switzerland, Norway

Brian Rafalski- Pack your bags
The Dearborn, MI born defenseman will most likely be on the top line. Rafalski is an elite defender and will be able to be a crucial part of this team. As a well balanced defenseman, the Stars and Stripes can look for some offensive production from Rafalski as well as expecting him to clamp down on the defensive end. Rafalski will likely be alongside Ryan Suter or maybe even the young Jack Johnson--no, not that Jack Johnson.

Jason Williams breaks right fibula

MrNorrisTrophy — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:21:14 -0000

More photos » by Jerry S. Mendoza - AP

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As if a 5-1 loss wasn't bad enough, the Wings will now be without Jason Williams for at least two months. Williams had his right leg buckle underneath him in the second period and it was caught underneath the weight of his body as he fell. The injury is apparently to the lower part of the fibula which probably means the "at least two months" part will be closer to 4 months before he can fully recover. Here's what Babcock had to say following the game:

"Losing Willy was a blow to us," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "He's playing more minutes and in more situations than we anticipated. But that's just the way it's gone."

Williams was indeed playing more minutes and starting to adjust to the system again during his second stint with the team and was on one of the power-play units with his rocket of a shot. Detroit has already lost Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula to injury and the depth that was the strong point of the team last year is starting to show as the weakness in this season's team. When the Red Wings announce a call-up replacement for Willy, we'll be sure to fill you in.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Jason Williams	15	2	5	7	-5	4	2	0	1	0	36	5.6

Don't Look Now...

MrNorrisTrophy — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:39 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

Pavel Datsyuk has started to get going.

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Actually, do look now. Things are starting to return to normal for this team as the season progresses. Following a 3-4-2 start, the Red Wings have turned it around by going 4-0-1 in their last five games contests. Four of the five teams they've played in those games were playoff teams last year, including knocking off last year's regular season conference champions in both the East and West. In fact, Detroit has earned points in 8 of its last 10 games--totaling 13 of a possible 20 points. What's behind the reason for the recent winning ways? Let's take a look at a few things:

Coaching: You had to know that Mike Babcock could only tolerate the poor performance for so long before whippin' the boys into shape. To me, the biggest sign of this was yanking Chris Osgood from the net against Vancouver after surrendering two quick goals. Babcock showed that it doesn't matter how Cups you have; if you don't play well enough to be in there, you won't be. Same has been true as line-ups have been juggled very often to accommodate the up and downs of the players.
Better execution: The first half of the season so far was filled with sloppy passing and ineffective chances in the offensive zone. The stars have stepped up following the loss of guys like Valtteri Filppula and Johan Franzen to injury and others to illness. In the past five games, Pavel Datsyuk has 8 points and is really finding his stride while carrying the team. That Henrik Zetterberg guy isn't that bad either...
Just a matter of time: The least statistically tangible of the bunch, this is more for our own personal sanity. This team is too good to sit under .500 for too long so it's good to see that indeed the team is more on track than the beginning. A lot of new guys-so maybe the old saying that chemistry has to be built before you can win is ringing true. Bertuzzi's starting to factor into the equation and so is Williams. Datsyuk/Zetterberg can get the puck to these guys or benefit from their passing so it's good to see them getting going.
Tightening of defensive/goaltending: Don't know if I have to go further than saying the defense is playing much much better and so is Chris Osgood. Being pulled like that in Vancouver will do a lot for motivation and drive any sort of complacency out the window. Nick Lidstrom is solid as always and the other guys are starting to come around in his footsteps.
Hopefully it lasts is all I have left to say

What do you think about it?

Poll

What has been the reason for the turnaround?

Coaching

11 votes

Better execution

31 votes

Just a matter of time

50 votes

Tightened defensive/goalie play

85 votes

Other (comment below)

3 votes

180 votes | Poll has closed

Back on the grind...

MrNorrisTrophy — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:14:02 -0000

More photos » by Larry MacDougal - AP

Appropriate players for the title...(AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Larry MacDougal)

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Hey folks, sorry for the lack of content over the past few days. Halloween weekend takes more out of you than you'd expect I guess. Add on some surgery for me and various other things, I just wasn't able to get my mind in that mode. But after a brief break, we're ready to continue bringing you the Red Wings coverage and insight you've come to expect.

With that said, here are a few things for you to peruse prior to tonight's game against the Boston Bruins:

We've got a new layout! You may have noticed the subtle but good changes to the layout and design of the site. This is a SBN wide change and I personally think it looks great.
NESN (the FS-D of New England) did a Q&A with us and the link to that can be found here. Give it a read through.
The Wings went 2-1-2 over the West Coast road trip, earning 4 much needed points and now sit four points behind Chicago in the Central Division. Maybe this wasn't needed quite yet?
More than just four potential points were lost over the road trip as the Wings lost a crucial part of this year's offense with Valtteri Filppula being injured for 6-8 weeks following a broken wrist.
To add to the injury/inactive woes, three defensemen have come down with the flu. Niklas Kronwall, Brian Rafalski, and Jonathan Ericsson. We probably won't see until later in the day which players actually are fit enough to dress for the game tonight.
Don't look now but Pavel Datsyuk is starting to roll. Six points in his last three games as he finally starts to gain some momentum with his play heading into tonight's game against a banged up Bruins team. Speaking of those injuries, the Wings will get to go the whole night without having to think about Milan Lucic and Marc Savard.

Check back later for an abbreviated--and I mean abbreviated--look at the Bruins stats for the season.

Time for Some Encouraging Numbers (and a few depressing ones...)

mpetrella — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:23:42 -0000

More photos » by Jerry S. Mendoza - AP

about 1 month ago: Detroit Red Wings' Valtteri Filppula, right, from Finland, scores against the Colorado Avalanche during the third period of their NHL hockey game on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009 in Detroit. The Avalanche won 4-3 in overtime. (AP Photo/Jerry S. Mendoza)

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So what if the Red Wings have "3" in the loss column?! So what if Loss #3 didn't come until November 26th last season?! There's some encouraging trends to take note of despite the grim outlook. For one, the Red Wings also started 06-07 with a record of 3-3-1, and all they did was finish with 50 wins and the top spot in the Western Conference.

Some other numbers (warning: many are difficult to stomach) for your Tuesday hangover:

There's a grand total of three Red Wings on the plus side of +/- with Nicklas Lidstrom and Kirk Maltby co-leaders at +3. Brian Rafalski follows with +2. Niklas Kronwall is the low man at -4.

Thirteen different players have taken faceoffs for the Red Wings - and super-stud Kirk Maltby is dialing in at 100% (2-for-2). Valtteri Filppula has taken the most draws (107), while Pavel Datsyuk has the top percentage among actual, full-time centers (58.1%).

Filppula and Henrik Zetterberg are the only skaters to have played in all seven games who have not yet taken a penalty. Brett Lebda (4 GP), Darren Helm (3), and Patrick Eaves (3) have also stayed away from the sin bin. I'll be happy to start the WINGING IT IN MOTOWN PENALTY POOL, taking bets on who will be the last Red Wing to take a penalty. Take a look at the nifty little poll below...feel free to chime in your thoughts in the comments, as well.

Todd Bertuzzi, Val Filppula, and Hank Zetterberg are the blocked shots leader among forwards (4 each), which is a good clip behind the team leader (Kronwall - 13).

Speaking of Bertuzzi, he's the front-runner for the new MIKAEL SAMUELSSON AWARD (given to the player with the most shots missing the net altogether) with eight, including one that was fired about 50 feet over the net from no more than six feet away. Which might take skill. Maybe.

If the current trends continue (and, of course, they won't), Derek Meech and Patrick Eaves will each finish the season with 36 games in the press box as a healthy scratch. By comparison, Meech had 35 last season (which led the team), followed by Chris Chelios (28), Brett Lebda (9), Tomas Kopecky (3), Ville Leino (3), Kirk Maltby (3), Darren McCarty (2), and Kyle Quincey (the first two games of the season, prior to his being waived).

Of the 23 players currently on the roster (which excludes LTIR dwellers Andreas Lilja and Johan Franzen), the average salary is $2,343,193. Chump change.

On Saturday, the Red Wings lost in the shootout to the Avalanche - with only Jason Williams scoring in the post-game circus. Last season, the Wings took part in 10 shootouts, with Pavel Datsyuk converting five times (to lead the team in that category). The only other players to score during the shootout in 2008-09 were Jiri Hudler (3 times), Henrik Zetterberg (3), and Marian Hossa (twice).

Much has been made of Pavel Datsyuk's slow start, thanks to zero goals through seven games (two of which he didn't play in, due to injury), but it mirrors last season's start. His first goal in '08 came in Game #8, which was a 5-4 shootout victory against Chicago. Pasha also scored one of his aforementioned shootout goals.

Mikael Samuelsson is tied for 35th in league scoring. Kyle Quincey is 10th among defensemen. Jiri Hudler is 8th in KHL scoring (with 15 points in 16 games). Much of the rest of the KHL Top Ten reads like the rosters from the 1995 NHL All-Star Game: Alexei Yashin (2nd), Jozef Stumpel (3rd), Jaromir Jagr (6th), and Josef Vasicek (8th). Oh, and former irrelevant New York Islander Mattias Weinhandl (who actually leads the league with 19 points).

Poll

Who will be the final Red Wing to be called for a penalty (minor OR major)?

Brett Lebda

36 votes

Darren Helm

42 votes

Patrick Eaves

70 votes

Henrik Zetterberg

50 votes

Valtteri Filppula

75 votes

273 votes | Poll has closed

Wings Blow Two-Goal Lead, Lose In Shootout

joehass — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 02:20:26 -0000

More photos » by Jerry S. Mendoza - AP

Justin Abdelkader celebrates his first NHL goal.

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After two strong periods, the Detroit Red Wings looked like they were on fire against the Colorado Avalanche.

But two goals from Cody McLeod gave the Avalanche life, and put the game into a shootout. There, Ville Leino missed on the third shot to give the Avalanche a 4-3 win at Joe Louis Arena.

With Pavel Datsyuk out for the second straight night with an upper-body injury, the Wings got off to a strong start. Justin Abdelkader scored his first regular-season NHL goal early off of Darren Helm. The Wings extended that lead just 1:16 into the second period, when Todd Bertuzzi took advantage of a Matt Hendricks hooking penalty and fought off Adam Foote in front of the net, taking a Henrik Zetterberg pass and put it past Craig Anderson to make it 2-0 entering the third.

But Cody McLeod lit the lamp at 9:06 on a pretty shot through Chris Osgood's five-hole. Three minutes later, Matt Duchene scored the first goal of his NHL career when he put a 40-footer just past Osgood on the far side. The game was tied, and the Red Wings seemed to fall into a rut. Fortunately for them, less than two minutes after that, Valtteri Filppula takes advantage of a scrum in front of the net, finds the puck, and puts it into a wide-open net to give Detroit the lead back.

But McLeod wasn't done. With 2:32 left in regulation, the Red Wings were caught on a line change. Taking advantage, the Avs pushed the puck off the boards, and McLeod put it past Osgood to tie things up at three.

After both teams couldn't take advantage in overtime, Marek Svatos and Milan Hejduk each put backhanders past Chris Osgood. Zetterberg tried to go right but instead went into Anderson's left pad. Finally, Ville Leino's weak backhander was easily blocked by Anderson to give Colorado the win.

The Avalanche continued an interesting streak: they have been outshot in all eight of their games, but have managed to win seven of them. Detroit had a 31-29 shot advantage.

The Red Wings are off until Thursday, when they begin a five-game, west-coast road trip, starting with the Phoenix Coyotes.

Player Of The Game: Todd Bertuzzi. He gets his first goal as a Red Wings on four shots and a hit. He looked sharp thoughout the game, and seems to be finally settling into his role with the Red Wings

Open-Ice Hits

Hawerchuk — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:45:56 -0000

More photos » by FRED CHARTRAND - AP

2 months ago: Ottawa Senators' Daniel Alfredsson, of Sweden, is hit by Atlanta Thrashers' Zack Bogosian (4) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Ottawa on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand)

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Most hits occur along the boards. No big surprise there. But how many hits is "most"? I classified any hit inside the red area below as an open-ice hit:

Approximately 75% of all hits occur within 10 feet of the net or the boards, while less than 5% happen in "open-ice." After the jump, the league leaders in open-ice hits...

This table includes both 2007-08 and 2008-09. There isn't much overlap between the two lists - the hitters are big defensemen and aggressive forwards; the guys who get hit include a lot more playmakers and scorers. I was surprised to see both Darcy Tucker and Sean Avery in the top 12 for taking hits - perhaps there are a lot of players in the league who are gunning for them in open ice.

Hit For	#	Hit Against	#
Dustin Brown	47	Alexander Ovechkin	46
Douglas Murray	39	Evgeni Malkin	37
Keith Ballard	33	Sidney Crosby	31
Alexander Ovechkin	30	Dustin Brown	26
Garnet Exelby	28	Derek Roy	22
Brooks Orpik	27	Ales Hemsky	21
Dion Phaneuf	27	Ryan Kesler	21
Cory Sarich	26	Tuomo Ruutu	21
James Wisniewski	25	Alexander Semin	20
David Backes	25	Valtteri Filppula	20
Toni Lydman	24	Darcy Tucker	19
Ed Jovanovski	23	Sean Avery	19
Niklas Kronwall	23	Scottie Upshall	19
Ruslan Salei	22	Matt Stajan	19
Chris Phillips	21	Brooks Laich	19
Dan Girardi	21	Loui Eriksson	19
Martin Hanzal	21	Chad LaRose	18
Dan Hamhuis	20	Mike Richards	18
Freddy Meyer	20	Devin Setoguchi	18
Ryan Malone	20	Alex Kovalev	17
Brent Seabrook	20	Corey Perry	17
Anton Volchenkov	19	Mikhail Grabovski	17
Shane Doan	18	Mike Ribeiro	16
Hal Gill	18	Erik Cole	16
Brendan Witt	18	Patrick O'Sullivan	16
Andreas Lilja	18	Maxime Talbot	16
Colton Orr	18
Steve Ott	18
Tuomo Ruutu	18

Post Game Musings: Capitals/Wings Edition

MrNorrisTrophy — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:00:37 -0000

More photos » by Gary Malerba - AP

Gotta love the look on Leino's face as he scores his second of the year (AP Photo/Gary Malerba)

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Wings got the second win of the year, this time against a very good Capitals team. Here are a few of the things I've noticed in the game last night:

Osgood played pretty awesome last night. Sure, the first goal was kind of weak but Oz clamped down after that and had some incredible saves. Two huge saves during powerplay chances were probably the difference in the game, including the incredible desperation toe save on Ovechkin. The second goal was hard to put on Oz as Kronwall was screening him on the shot. Something must have switched his game to the "on" position since returning from Sweden and hopefully it continues at this level.
Since when does Valtteri Filppula hit like he did last night? Although not credited with any hits in the box score, Fil had at least two big hits. The first was against Tyler Sloan and Fil put him on his butt with a solid and clean hit. The second wasn't as big but any time you put a skater like Alex Ovechkin when you're the target is impressive. I remember two or three impressive hits in the Chicago game too, and I like it. Oh and he had two assists, no biggie.
Many of you may have seen that Brad May was wearing a different number last night. What number? 24. Gasp! Apparently, Chelios didn't care when May asked him though so my mood of "what in the crap?" went to "oh okay, well that's cool." I thought it was respectful of May to ask Cheli before assuming the number on the jersey. Also liked how May was the leader in hits last night with 5, second in the game to Ovechkin who had 10.
Derek Meech has been a solid fill in for Brett Lebda. The only real blunder I've noticed so far is a dangerous hit he put on Capitals Quintin Laing that resulted in a boarding penalty. Otherwise, Meech has played a smart, well positioned two games thus far. Meech and Ericsson seem to work well together and have a good sense for what the other is going to do defensively. Although on the ice for the Bradley goal last night, Meech played the puck well and forced the shot to the near post, something you often aim for, but it somehow squeaked through Oz. I'm starting to really like this switch on defense.
The more I see Jason Williams' powerplay goal, the more and more I like it. Although Theodore was screened, the shot was perfectly placed in the top corner of the net, no chance for a butterfly goalie on a shot that fast.
Hmmm...Kind of odd that we've scored 3 goals in all four games thus far. Oh well, I'll take it.
This is the one where I get tomatoes thrown and the big prop hook to pull me off stage. I like the way Todd Bertuzzi is playing so far. I don't think he's the same player he was during his first stay in Motown...he's better. He hasn't had all too many quality chances to prove that he still has the scoring touch but I like the game he is playing. He is hard skater and crashes the net often looking for rebounds. I liked the pairing with Zetterberg and Datsyuk last night because i think he gives them better protection than Holmstrom while still doing a similar job. I may change my mind in the future but I think he is doing a solid job so far in his second stint with the team.

That's it for me for today. Enjoy your Sunday and see you back here Monday for a Sabres preview!