Is it just me, or do the Wings seem to keep coming up against hot goalies recently?  Or at least goalies who really grab the opportunity by the throat.  Recently it’s been Auld, Price, Clemmenson, and now Rinne who have had really good games against the Wings.

Also, news that Georges Laraque got a 5 game suspension for his knee-on-knee hit.  I don’t think that’s really sufficient enough if the league wants to “make an example” of Laraque.  Nor does it even really punish the Habs–in fact, it probably helps them because he’s been dead weight the entire season.  So they get temporary relief while we lose our 3rd best defenseman.  Awesome.

Goals were as follows:
Detroit: Drew Miller (Cleary, Ericsson)
Nashville: Jason Arnott (pp; Sullivan, Weber); Martin Erat (pp; Ward, Legwand); Martin Erat (Tootoo, Hamhuis)

Pluses
+ Darren McCarty was a guest studio analyst on Versus.  After looking nervous for the first segment, he was smooth and did a great job.  I hope they have him back–he’s certainly more lively than Brian Engblom (who must get dressed in the dark), and Keith Jones.  That suit was a definite minus, though.  Draper joked that he must have rented it.
+ Chris Osgood played extremely well.  It’s unfortunate that the defense didn’t really get up for this game, because he’s the reason the score wasn’t worse than 1-3.
+ Hooray for Drew Miller, who scored his first goal of the season, and his first as a Red Wing.  He’s been playing well, albeit not all too noticeable, but he’s a solid 4th liner, and it’s great to see him contribute.  He was rewarded by being moved up mid-game to play with Zetterberg and Cleary.
+ I love it when Pavel decides he’s going to play physical and dish out a few hits.  He had two nice ones, an open ice shoulder, and another along the boards.
+ This isn’t really plus or minus, but it was entertaining so I’m putting it here.  Pekka Rinne tried to come out of the crease and slide-tackle Darren Helm.  It looked like he was channeling his inner Hasek.  Except he missed.
+ And a plus for Nashville, for pretty much smothering Pavel Datsyuk.  He got one shot on goal and missed on another.  They really made an effort to shut him down.

Minuses
- I haven’t the faintest idea what the PK thought they were doing on that first goal by Erat:

via Fanfeedr

– John Forslund and Darren Eliot were horrendous as the Versus announcers.  Forslund does play by play for Carolina and Eliot is the color guy for Atlanta.  Maybe you need to make obvious, pointless comments for those markets, I don’t know, but this was one of the worst broadcast games I can recall.
– Nashville fans are hilarious.   They do the “Os~good” chant like every opposing arena does, but they also add the collegiate “You suck, it’s all your fault” part.  Someone also threw a hat onto the ice after Erat got the 3rd goal of the game, and his 2nd of the night.  I mean…
– Todd Bertuzzi.  You need to move to a different line.  Unfortunately I don’t know where.  Just take a seat on the bench for a while.  I get the feeling that Babcock was trying in a way to replicate the Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom line from last year, but the major, glaring difference is that Franzen has finish.  Lots of finish.  And of the clutch variety.  Bertuzzi?  Not so much.  Damnit, I miss having the Mule in the lineup.

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