Great win by the Wings tonight.  One of the more complete games I’ve seen them play this season.  Which begs the question: why can’t they play at least half as well for the others?  Is it just because they’re the Sharks?  We’ll never know, I suppose…

Goals were as follows:
Detroit: Pavel Datsyuk (unassisted); Patrick Eaves (Janik, Helm); Dan(ny) Cleary (Filppula, Miller); Darren Helm (unassisted)
San Jose: Patrick Marleau (Heatley, Boyle)

– Why on Earth would Sharks fans even think of booing Brad Stuart?  He was traded; it’s not like he asked to leave or anything.  Sure he went to Detroit and won, but still.  I don’t even pretend to understand what goes through the minds of the fans out in California.

+ Speaking of Stuart, another amazing desperation save, diving across the crease to keep the puck out.  Keating joked that they were going to nominate him for Vezina at this rate.  Keating may be a terrible interviewer, but he does make a point that Stuart’s had several such plays this season.

– Also, Sharks fans booing when Meech was holding onto the puck behind the Wings net, waiting for the change to complete.  I guess they got impatient and bored?  That’s what Ken Daniels hinted at.  Do they boo their own team when they do the same thing?  Seriously, they need to learn a thing or two about hockey.

– Wings didn’t seem entirely awake until Pavel scored their first goal.  After that they really seemed revitalized and started taking it to the Sharks.  Still would like to see them play an ENTIRE 60 minutes at some point.

+ Pavel’s goal was just a great all around play–picked off the pass from the Sharks in the Wings’ zone and zipped it into the twine at the other end.  Good things happen when you backcheck.

+ HEY we didn’t get shafted on a goal review!  Eaves’ goal was batted in, and immediately Nabokov was whining to Kerry Fraser that it was a high stick.  It went to review and thankfully stood.

+ Dan(ny) Cleary had an eventful evening: a goal and a quasi sort of fight with Devin Setoguchi, of all players.  He also had a wide open breakaway in which he didn’t get a great shot, and was stopped by Nabokov.  I was briefly worried that he might do something to his shoulder, but he was tussling with Setoguchi, who isn’t exactly a pugilist.  2 goals in as many games for Cleary, since his return.  Let’s hope he can keep it up.

+ Oh Helm.  He’s just completely made of awesome.  Made a move to clear the zone, without a stick, and then managed to score.  He’s really rounding into form, gaining a scoring touch and looking more and more like the guy we’ve watched in the playoffs the past two seasons.  He’s finally learning how to finish around the net when he’s flying in at a zillion mph.

+ Jimmy had a perfectly solid game.  He wasn’t called on to make a ludicrous amount of saves, or stand on his head, but he was simply confident.

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