I don’t know if there’s something wrong with this updated version of WordPress or what, but it keeps messing up my entries…

I was at the Prudential Center for the game. It’s funny, because I haven’t really been a fan in “enemy territory” so to speak, very often. Because the Red Wings really never come through this way, I usually just end up going to Rangers games and cheering them on. So that was an interesting experience.

A random comment that popped into my mind as I watched warmups… watching Nick Lidstrom skate backwards is kind of jaw-dropping. I know George recently talked on Snapshots about Nick never really having that quick first step going forward, but that he does skate faster backward. I’m always impressed with the skating ability of most hockey players, but Nick’s underrated in that regard, and watching him up close was a small, but incredible thing.

Goals were as follows:
Detroit: Kris Draper (Helm, Eaves); Tomas Holmstrom (pp; Stuart, Zetterberg); Patrick Eaves (Abdelkader)
New Jersey: Jamie Langenbrunner (Parise, Zajac); Johnny Oduya (unassisted); Rob Niedermayer (Zharkov, Pandolfo);
Shootout: DET: Datsyuk; NJD: Parise, Elias

Pluses
+ Loved to see how Eaves came out after being run face-first behind the net in the first period. He returned to the ice with a full cage on his helmet, so I wonder if he broke his nose or something. But he was one of the best players, tipping in the 3rd goal, and also being named the first star of the game, which was a pleasant surprise.
+ For the first half of the first period, Oz was awesome. My friend jokingly wondered if Oz thought it was the playoffs, because he was playing so well.
+ Brad Stuart had the save of the game. Ozzie got extremely lucky on several chances in the 2nd and 3rd, as Stuart swept the puck out of the goal on one, and the Devils either hit the post or just missed on others.
+ Always good to see the Circus line back together, and though they only converted on the power play, I thought Pavel looked better than he has recently. Khan claims that Datsyuk is frustrated, and I wouldn’t disagree. I don’t know if my heart would totally be in it if I knew I had to play with Bertuzzi every night, either.
+ Holmstrom got his 200th career goal, and it was typical Homer fashion, standing right on the crease and tipping it in. I’ve now been privy to Cleary’s 100th, and Homer’s 200th.

Minuses
- To Devils fans, for the sheer number of Jersey Fouls. I saw this one first, in the beer line:
But there were several more. Among those, a girl with 50 and “Ray Ray,” another with “Rangers Suck,” and a guy with 666 “Iron Maiden.”
– Also the Devils fan who sat near by and yelled “Datsyuk Sucks.” You know you’re jealous.
– The first period. Following the trend, no one except Osgood showed up in the first period. And I thought the second goal was a little on the soft side, as Oduya was able to come down the wing from end to end and score. Shots after 1 were 10-5, in favor of NJ.
– Way too many heart-attack inducing moments, including the Stuart save, there was a shot off the side post in OT, and a couple of gaping wide open nets.
– The converted power play went swimmingly, as Holmstrom netted the goal. But the last one, with the game tied and Bryce Salvador in the box, the Red Wings went right back to their old ways of too much pretty passing around the perimeter, looking for the perfect shot. They have got to stop doing that if they want to actually improve their PP%.
– Osgood is not good in the shootout, and it makes me nervous. Not for the first time I’ve wondered if Babcock would ever consider putting Howard in cold for a shootout. We’ve seen Ron Wilson do it by swapping out Vesa Toskala for Curtis Joseph. It didn’t have the expected effect. I’m not advocating it, really, because he actually did quite fine overall.
– I don’t even want to know what Bertuzzi was thinking in the shootout. I also saw him “Bertuzzi” (read: to fumble or miss completely) the puck at least twice during warmups, which made me want to simultaneously laugh and cry.
– And why send Leino out in the shootout? Trying to get him off his schneid? Nice thought, but a win would have been better. I’d have rather seen Eaves, or even Abdelkader.
- As a Red Wings fan, it was a little irritating to have the Devils celebrating their 1995 Stanley Cup sweep over Detroit tonight. They handed out posters when we were leaving. I gave mine to a friend to line the litter box with it.

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