Warm-Up: Round 1, Game 4

Warm-Up:

Well, here it is. Game 4. What some call the toughest game to win. The Wings have everything lined up perfectly for them to sweep the series tonight against the Coyotes and send them back home to Winnipeg. Tonight's game is sure to be physical right from the start.

Reckless Shane Doan showed us in game 3 that he's more than willing to try and take out our Captain... The Wings better not put up with that tonight... unleash the power of the Tuzzi and Abby.

And hopefully the Wings will continue to take advantage of the poor play of Ilya Bryzgalov... Bryzgalov looked like he was on a different planet Monday night, not even moving or attempting to block shots that came his way.


Injuries/Scratches:

Henrik Zetterberg - Lower Body Injury
Chris Osgood- groin

Jakub Kindl and "32 year old" Mike Modano are the healthy scratches tonight.



Other Notes:

Hopefully our Wings learned a few lessons from the Canucks last night on what NOT to do in game 4.

Predictions:

Final Score-
Stef- 5-3, Wings
Danielle- 4-1, Wings

Player of the Game-
Stef- Danny Cleary
Danielle- Pavel Datsyuk


Here's to hoping we get to bring out the brooms tonight. Go Wings!

The Rundown: Abdelkader.

With the win today, the Wings clinched their spot in the playoffs. 20 years.... simply amazing. It's also the 11th straight season where the Wings have reached the 100 point mark.


After today's game I can tell you:

-Shane O'Brien is a little bitch.
-Abdelkader is hot, hot, hot.
-We needed that win, terribly.

Anyways, onto the Rundown.

• This game was intense.

• The Wings came out ready to play. It's nice to see that they realize the predicament they're in.

• So right off the bat, Shane O'Brien thought it would be cute to start a fight. Abby wanted to go after him but was pulled off by the refs. Not to worry though because Todd Bertuzzi gave the fans not one, but two fights with Mr. O'Brien.

• The name of the game today was, "How Many Bad Calls Will Be Made On Homer?"

(answer: too many)

• After going down by three... Babcock called a time out, rallied the troops, and hey, it worked. After that time out... all the magic happened.

• It was all about the young guns today...Kindl got the Wings on the board with a beautiful goal from the blue line. Shortly after, Abdelkader closed the gap a little more to make the game 3-2, Nashville.
  

• Justin Abdelkader was by far the best man out on the ice today. 2 goals, many hits, and great plays... Abby definitely showed his team mates and everyone else what he is made of.

• Jimmy Howard played exceptionally well today too. Howard made some HUGE saves in the third to keep the Wings in it.

• That overtime goal celebration by Cleary was priceless. You could just tell that a ton of weight was lifted off his (and the team's) shoulders.

• The Wings needed this win bad and hopefully only good things are to come from it.

• Tomorrow the Wings play Minnesota. Go Wings!
  

Warm-Up: Detroit @ Nashville

Warm-Up:

After that horrendous game on Wednesday night, the Wings look to find their dignity and win today against Nashville. Nashville has been a tough competitor all season long so it should be interesting how things play out.

Tonight is the 6th and final regular season match-up for these two teams. Nashville has won 4 of the 5 games in the series.


Injuries/Scratches:

Pavel Datsyuk - Lower Body Injury
Chris Osgood - ...
Niklas Kronwall- Sore Shoulder

Drew Miller is the scratch

Other Notes:

If the Wings win today or get the game to over time, they will clinch a playoff spot.

Jimmy Howard is back between the pipes.

Predictions:

Final Score:
Stef: 5-2, Nashville
Danielle: 3-2, Wings (please win, please win, please win!!)

Player of the Game:
Stef- Danny Cleary
Danielle- Johan Franzen


Go Wings!

The Rundown: Don't Call It A Comeback

Well, the Penguins prevailed, but the game was awesome. Tonight's game got me way too excited for the play-offs, especially with the comeback that the Wings almost successfully pulled off. I was also told to leave Joe Louis Arena via text message so that the Wings wouldn't lose. But just so everyone knows... I wasn't at the game anyway. So you can't blame me.

The Rundown:

• The first period saw two Penguin goals by Pascal Dupuis and Chris Kunitz. Every time I heard the name Kunitz, it reminded me of a friend of mine with the last name Kubitz... thinking out loud now...

• During the first it seemed like Modano was the only one attempting to shoot the puck, yet nothing got behind Brent Johnson.

• The second period wasn't looking too bright for the Wings... or for Jimmy Howard. Jimmy let in 2 more goals in the second. Another goal by Dupius and then one by Tyler Kennedy. After that, Jimmy was out. JOEY MAC in.

• Zetterberg took the opportunity to rally his troops and get them motivated. Z scored a goal late in the 2nd which was just the beginning of a comeback.

• The third period started and Detroit came out hitting and playing a lot better. Wings scored 3 goals. Filppula, Cleary, and Modano. Fil and Mikey Mo were feeding off of each other all night, if these two stay together in the line-up only good things can happen.

• After the Wings tied things up at 4, over time came... then the shoot out. Joey Mac looked pretty solid until he had to face some random guy off the street named James Neal. I have no idea who this guy is, but he was the only one to score in the shoot out. Pens win 5-4.

• Side Note: I just googled Neal... apparently he was traded not too long ago to Pittsburgh from Dallas. hmph.

• This was a pretty good game for both sides. I was excited for this match up all day today, and both teams definitely delivered.

• Mike Modano tied Guy Lafleur for career goals tonight... which made him start trending on twitter. haha. Way to go, Mikey Mo!

• Tomas Holmstrom also recorded his 500th career point with an assist tonight.

• Up next, the Vancouver Canucks, Wednesday night.

Go Wings.

Warm-Up: Detroit @ Columbus

Warm Up:

The Red Wings will hopefully be feeling the luck o' the Irish tonight when they face off against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Wings are coming off a nice win from last night when they took down Ovi and the Capitals. The Wings won playing some good ol' fashioned Red Wings hockey... which was nice to see again. Hopefully the Wings aren't too tired from last night and will be able to get another W.

The Blue Jackets and Wings have met 5 times already this season. Tonight will be their last match up for the season. The Wings have the upper hand on the series, 3-2.

Injuries/Scratches:

Ruslan Salei will be out tonight, his wife just had the couples 3rd child.

Don't know yet what's going on as far as the "Miller/Draper/Eaves/Hudler/ whoever else shouldn't be scratched but probably will be" rotation.

Other Notes-

Osgood isn't starting in net tonight, like he probably should have been because he's still "sore." So that means that we'll be watching a presumably drunk Irish goalie tonight in Joey MacDonald.

Predictions-

Final Score-
Stef: 4-1, Wings
Danielle: 4-2, Wings

Player of the Game-
Stef: Drew Miller
Danielle: Danny Cleary

Go Wings!


P.S. I can't promise a Rundown tonight...

Run-Down: There goes the win streak

It was a 4-3 loss against the Sharks tonight in Detroit. I was really hoping that the Wings could pull it off in the final minutes. If there is any team in the league that could tie it up and force an overtime, it would be Detroit. But they didn't go down without putting up a fight.

The Rundown...

First Period-

So I missed much of the first since I was busy doing domestic type things like grocery shopping and laundry. However, once I sat down and had a chance to watch the game, I was all smiles. See, I turned the game on right when a penalty was called on Mr. Penalty Box himself, Johnathan Ericsson. Ericsson received a high sticking call and shortly after, Lidstrom got one too. San Jose had a 5 on 3 for what seemed like an eternity, but not to worry my friends. JIMMY HOWARD DOMINATED. He made some GREAT saves during that 5 on 3 which made me do a little dance. It things like that that make me appreciate how spoiled I am being a Red Wings fan.

I thought we were going out of the first period scoreless, but then with 7 seconds left, San Jose scored. I absolutely hate when we let in a goal with less than a minute left, when that happens, it usually doesn't end well for the good guys.

I should also note too, while coming home from the grocery store I called my friend Mike and mid-conversation he was amazed at a play that Datsyuk made that he had to rewind it and watch it again. Turns out it wasn't Datsyuk, it was Eaves. Once again, another reason why us Wings fans are spoiled. All of our guys, no matter what line they're on are capable of making mind-blowing plays with the puck. Love it.

Second Period-

Well hello, Danny Cleary. You owned this period. Cleary scored 2 goals in the second proving once again that the Cleary-Datsyuk-Hudler line is a force to be reckoned with. Cleary now has 22 goals this season, making it his highest scoring season in the NHL. Congrats Cleary!

Patrick Eaves also left the ice very slowly during the 2nd. He didn't return for the third due to a "lower-body injury." Hopefully it's nothing serious. But if it is, at least its before the playoffs.

Second period ended 3-2 San Jose.

I also heard this conversation take place during the game...
"Why is there a semi-truck in there?"
"It's a zamboni."

Third Period-

San Jose made it 4-2 in the third. Needless to say, I wasn't too pleased.

Hank tried to make a comeback on a power play to make it 4-3 and I was praying that the Wings would be able to pull it off and tie the game. They had a few great shots during the last 2 minutes leading me to believe that it would actually happen.

Then. My heart broke. Franzen had a great shot and somehow Niemi saved it. I thought it was in. It wasn't. Sigh.

The win streak is over. San Jose wins, 4-3.

Broadcaster Quote of the Game:

I had one, didn't write it down. But Murph said it. I'm really slacking in the quote department. Sorry guys.

Stef wins the player prediction for tonight's game.


Next up, the Stars. Thursday Night.

Here's an injury update too:
Osgood should be returning next week after his sports hernia surgery. He's been taking shots in practice. Modano will be back on Saturday after that horrifying lacerated wrist and Filppula is skating in practice but is still day to day with a knee injury.

Warm-Up: Detroit @ Florida

After winning the Yzerman Bowl last night, the Wings and their Dads travel further south to face off against the Florida Panthers tonight. The Wings always make me nervous with these back to back games, but with the recent return of Stuart, Datsyuk, and Cleary, I think the Wings will come out fighting. Here's to hoping they keep the momentum going from last night.

By the way, does anyone remember when Florida Panther fans threw rubber rats on the ice? Do they still do that?



Game Predictions-

Player of the Game-
Stef- Henrik Zetterberg
Danielle- Danny Cleary (yep, for a second game in a row)

Final Score-
Stef- 4-1, Wings
Danielle- 5-2, Wings


Go Wings.

The Rundown: Get him some SPF 40, he is glowing!

Well the Wings were in good ol’ Tampa Bay tonight with the Tigers (minus one drunk Miguel Cabrera) and what seemed to be the rest of Hockeytown. I knew right from the start that we would be seeing a lot of Stevie Y tonight, so much so that I said something about a Stevie Y drinking game. Thankfully that didn’t happen because I would have been passed out by the end of the first period. Seeing as he was shown or talked about 42509325824392013 times within the first 10 mintues of the broadcast. The Wings wound up with the win tonight, 6-2.

Anyways, on to The Rundown…

First Period-

So I started the game listening to my roommate provide excellent commentary. It really caught on when Darren Helm Kronwalled a guy. Awesome. The first period was pretty boring for the first 6 minutes, so I spent the time thinking about when I witnessed a wings game in Tampa. I had gone into the St. Pete Times Forum with a sign that said “Fire Millen!” Needless to say, I had the entire building chanting “FIRE MILLEN!” by the time the game was over.

The Wings went on a power play and Danny Cleary had a nice tap in off of a shot by Nick Lidstrom. Wings up 1-0. The Wings were looking very good and didn’t show any signs of shopping. These are the Wings that make me excited for the playoffs.

The Red Wings then took a high sticking penalty. Kindl was called for the high stick, though I’m 99% sure Franzen was the culprit. Oh well, just goes to show that the refs really are blind.

Datsyuk got the good guys another goal. 2-0, Wings. Right before this goal, the crowd was chanting “Let’s Go Red Wings!” I love hearing that sound, especially when its not at the Joe. Red Wings Fans 1, Tampa Bay Fans 0.

Second Period-

Let’s be honest. Those of you who know me, know that I was way to excited when I saw Ozzie in the broadcast booth with Mick and Ken. No joke, I couldn’t even pay attention to what was going on, on the ice.

It was also pointed out that the head coaches of both teams were wearing matching ties. How cute.

Tampa tied wit up pretty fast with 2 quick goals. The first one off of Jonathan Ericsson’s stick, the second was a quick shot into a pretty wide open net. 2-2

No worries though. Kronwall scored with Abdelkader following suit. 4-2. Abdelkader’s goal was pretty nice, a pass across the ice and between some legs to Abby’s stick. He had a nice clear shot right into the net. He was all smiles after that.

2^nd period ending with Ericsson in the Penalty Box, the big guy isn’t having the best game.

Third Period-

Lots of wings are having multi-point nights through 2 periods, Kronwall, Zetterberg, Lidstrom, and Cleary all have 2 points.

Okay, Pavel had a BEA-TI-FUL goal. The Hudler, Datsyuk, Cleary line has been so fun to watch. They’re clicking, they’re having fun, they’re playing hard. Not to mention, they’re producing goals. 5-2

Darren Helm! FINALLY, your hands caught up with your legs. Nice breakaway by Helm to end the game.

Mikey York just called this game the “Yzerman Bowl.” I said it in the warm-up, I’ll say it again. We all know about Steve Yzerman. All the hype leading up to this game was ridiculous, lets save it for the playoffs.

I guess Stef wins tonight’s Player of the Game Prediction with Dangles. He had two goals and he was “pick-pocketing” (thanks, Mickey) all night long.10 more points? I think so.

Broadcaster Quote of the Game:

“Oh yeah, you can only grab that baby for so long.” – Mickey Redmond

and for good measure, “Good job Ron Howard, not only can you make movies but you can stop pucks too.” -Chet Pflugrad.

Go Wings!

Lidstrom: The One and Only Wings All-Star

Captain Nick Lidstrom

Red Wings Captain Nick Lidstrom has been named one of the captains for the 2011 NHL All-Star Game.

This will be Lidstrom’s 12^th appearance in the All-Star Game and his first time as captain. Unfortunately  for Wings fans, Lidstrom will be the only Red Wing to play in the NHL All-Star Game.

On a positive note, this should assure that the Wings will be rested during the All-Star break. In addition, injured Wings Dan Cleary, Pavel Datsyuk, and possibly Tomas Holmstrom are expected to return in the first game back from the All-Star break.

The NHL All-Star Weekend will take place January 28-30^th.

2011 NHL All-Star Schedule:

Friday January 28^th: Fantasy Draft at 8 pm (ET)
Saturday January 29^th: Skills Competition at 7 pm (ET)
Sunday January 30^th: NHL All-Star Game at 4 pm (ET)