Big Red Machine

A major improvement over the pasting received by the Islanders.  They were able to play much more of a game typical of the Red Wings.

And wait, do I see what I think I see?  Do mine eyes deceive me?

Ladies and Gentlemen, let it be known that Nicklas Lidstrom, The Perfect Human, has scored a goal.  On the Power Play.

The the goals were as follows:
Detroit:  Nicklas Lidstrom (pp; Filppula, Miller); Drew Miller (pp; Filppula, Cleary); Henrik Zetterberg (Bertuzzi)
Carolina: Tom Koustopoulos (Sutter, Tlusty)

+ Nick’s first goal in 42 games was exactly the type that we needed–it kicked off the goal scoring, after being shutout last game, and it was a classic bomb from the blueline on the PP.  Vintage Lidstrom.

+ Two power play goals!  We’re going to get spoiled at this rate.  Miller was awesome on the PP, assisting then perfect in screening Ward on Nick’s goal, and scoring the second himself.  Miller hadn’t played on the PP until this point, so maybe he’s the spark it needed.

+ Staying on the special teams theme, what a kill by Eaves.  He’s a beast.  He got hit up high with a puck and just popped right back up to block another shot and later clear the zone.  I want this kid resigned as soon as possible.

+ Defense was much improved.  Drastic difference in the speed, the willingness to go after pucks.

- With that said, they still let up 38 SOG.  Wings need to cut down on the amount of shots allowed–it’s been extremely high as of late, and they can’t keep relying solely on Howard to save all of them.  The weird part is that I honestly don’t even remember that many shots by the Hurricanes.

- Oh, Jimmy.  That goal was not a good one.  The minute I saw him fumble the puck I knew it was going in.  He still needs to work on not coughing up big rebounds like that.

+ Datsyuk didn’t hit the score sheet, and ended the night with 0 shots, but he made several great passes and moves, along with his usual backchecking and defensive awesomeness.  Which brings me to my next point…

- Ken Daniels commented that Bertuzzi’s become more of a pass-first guy these days, looking to defer the shot to Datsyuk or Zetterberg.  Well, that’s problematic because we all know that Datsyuk loves to pass, and looks to do that before shooting.  And while Z should be the sniper on that line, he’s not doing it.  He hasn’t really looked like himself yet, after returning from that shoulder injury, so it’s possible he’s still being plagued by it.  So with the three of them just passing until the chance is gone, they’re turning into a glorified checking line–great defensive play (yes, even by Bertuzzi), but no finish and not enough points for a top line.

Lastly, it appears that Howard will be starting on Saturday against Dallas.  Does this mean he’ll be playing back to back in Dallas and then against Chicago?  It’s an interesting can of worms.

First, I feel like I’ve been a little slack recently in the blogging, but unfortunately work is kicking my ass.  So this will be short and to the point.

To start with some good news, Jonathan Ericsson is back in the lineup, as per McLeod.

Finally returning back to the Joe after a rather successful West coast swing, and a 0-6 absolutely burning at the hands of the Islanders, the Wings will take on the Worst Team in the NHL tonight in the Carolina Hurricanes.

Jimmy gets to start again, and I hope that he hasn’t had his ego bruised by getting yanked on Tuesday.  It clearly wasn’t his fault (either goaltender, really) that the defense hung him out to dry.  But I am hoping to see him come back with confidence.

I’m looking for fresher legs, and more energy because the Wings looked old and tired against a fast Islanders team.

We can’t lose again, against the worst team in the league.  Seriously.

…Patrick Eaves and Jason Williams.

I actually really like the Eaves signing. I was unsure what to think until I heard the terms of the deal: 1 year, $500,000. He’s a right-hand shot, which makes up for Samuelsson’s departure. A former first-round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators, I think most Red Wings fans are hoping that he turns out to be a Dan Cleary type success story. He had 20 goals in 58 games his rookie season, and has seriously tapered off since. He’s had to deal with injuries the past few seasons, and hopefully he get himself back on track in Detroit and rediscover his scoring touch.

Here are his 2008-2009 stats with the Carolina Hurricanes:

Jason Williams on the other hand… well let’s just say he has skeptics in Detroit. He’s a defensive liability, and tends to show up only occasionally. From earlier reports that the Red Wings had offered him a 1 year deal, he didn’t sound overly enthusiastic, which worries me. If he’s not motivated, how often will he bother to show up? I have to wait until I hear the price tag on this before deciding how I feel about this.

Here are his 2008-2009 stats, spent with Atlanta and Columbus: