Wings fall to Blues 4-3 after rallying late
by Casey Richey on Feb 10, 2010 12:17 AM CST
in Game Recaps
14 comments
In a game in which the Red Wings should have gone home empty handed based on their play, they earned a point. In a game in which all expectations pointed to a Detroit win, they lost. It was a nice paradoxical night, huh?
Kris Draper scored his first goal in 30 games off the face-off close to the midpoint of the first period. Darren Helm drew the puck back to Jonathan Ericsson who tossed it at Chris Mason. Mason couldn't find the handle and the puck ended up going off Draper's skate and in. The goal was reviewed but stood and the Wings were off to a lucky 1-0 start.
Then the wheels fell off in the second period as Paul Kariya tallied back to back goals late in the second period. The first came after David Perron exited the penalty box and joined Kariya on the rush. Perron's shot went off the stick of Valtteri Filppula and then Kariya to tie game. Later, Kariya was hooked behind the net by Todd Bertuzzi but eventually put the puck past Jimmy Howard while the defense stood and watched.
Andy MacDonald deflected an Erik Johnson pass through Howard's five-hole on the power play early in the third for a 3-1 St. Louis lead. Seemingly game over at the time.
Call it scrapping out a point if you want, but I call it luck. Pavel Datsyuk's skate became a target for a Henrik Zetterberg pass and the puck banked off into the net at 14:26 of the third. The second Wings goal scored via an inadvertent boot. A few minutes later, a loose puck sat in the crease until Valtteri Filppula poked at it and tied the game up at 3. The Wings held on for the much needed point as the game headed into overtime.
Overtime saw plenty of chances both ways but no bigger play was made than the incredible Jimmy Howard save on what looked like it was going to be a game-ending tip-in on a fast break for St. Louis. On to the shootout where MacDonald misses, Datsyuk fumbles the puck, T.J. Oshie five-holes Howard, and Williams dangles then backhands Mason. One shooter left each, Brad Boyes skated in and deked Howard into committing hard to the stick side before bringing it back to the glove slide and scoring easily. Zetterberg was the last shooter for Detroit and with the extra point hanging on his stick, he simply fired a shot straight on Mason blocker side high; resulting in the conclusion of the shootout.
Six goals in regulation; 2 by deflection, 2 by skate, and 2 by tap-ins. Another 3-point game the Wings were involved in and again to a team chasing them. Analysis on the game and the return of Johan Franzen in the morning.
Player of the game: Jimmy Howard. I know, he gave up 3 goals and 2 shootout goals. But without him playing the way he did tonight, it could have very easily been a blowout. Two of the three goals Howard allowed were deflections, something that is always hard to truly fault a goalie for. Jimmy moved well in net all night and faced several barrages of shots from St. Louis.
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I’d have picked Pavel Datsyuk for player of the game since he was the only Red Wings player who consistently looked like he wanted to play, he was on the ice for most of overtime (which seems to translate to a shootout miss), and Howard couldn’t make a single save in the shootout. Also, I’m pretty sure he intentionally directed the puck in the net—legally, since there was no distinct kicking motion.
The Red Wings performed as projected on their final Tuesday away game.
Franzen is back!
I want to point out that Franzen looked great. Anybody that said he came back too early should be eating their words right about now. He was hitting, chasing, and shooting just like he always has. In the first period he just about flipped a Blues player over and into his own bench he checked him so hard. I also remember someone from the Wings dumping the puck and Franzen trailing at first then nearly beating a defender down the ice to the puck. And i don’t know how many shots Franzen ended up with but it had to nearly be double digits. His wrist shot was snapping any chance it got. I was glad he ended up with an assist but there were times that it just seemed like he would score last night which would have gotten the whole team pumped. His assist charged the comeback. Glad to have Johan back!
Franzen did look good
He’ll probably struggle for a few games after the adrenaline rush runs out and before he gets his conditioning back where he wants it to be, but it was very nice to see him back after so long.
I didn’t think he would come back too early (meaning before the doctors said he was okay to play), but I didn’t think he’d heal without any setbacks because, well, that is just what happens to the Red Wings. They have setbacks in rehabbing so if you hear “four to six months recovery” I automatically think six because there is no way everything will go well and he will be ready near the four month time frame.
"While there's life, there's hope." --Cicero
I'm dangerously close to becoming apathetic
Every time they lose I just get too down. I think I just have to face the music that the playoffs are probably going to be pretty quiet around Hockeytown. Not like the players give a shit anyways.
by eight_legged_freaks on Feb 10, 2010 7:28 AM CST reply actions
The Versus announcers
actually made some good points about the Wings vis-a-vis their injury plagued season. Namely, that there has never been a point where the team has been able to cohere because everybody is running at different levels. We’ve got guys gassed because they’ve been playing extra time to make up for injured players, and we’ve got injured guys coming back trying to get up to speed; the team has no rhythm because it can’t establish any consistent rhythm. Line combinations are being reworked nearly every game due to players returning, leaving, or Babs’ attempt to spark something.
Their question was when things would start to come together for the Wings, when some level of consistency will return so they can get back to their winning ways. But I really don’t like the suggestion made by one of the announcers; that is, what if things just don’t come together for the Wings this season? I’m getting more worried this might be the case. We just can’t get healthy. And we’re running out of time for injured players to get up to speed, conditioning, etc.
My main hope right now is that the Olympic Break can have a kind of leveling effect, getting everyone on the same page. We should be mostly healthy after the break and everyone (mentally and physically) will be closer as a team than we’ve been all year. I think if things don’t come together right away after the break we’ll have to come to terms with the reality that the post-season isn’t happening.
But hey, on the positive side, Tiberius had a good bounce back game, Franzen looked fab, and we never have to worry about Leino playing. Not to mention Franzen’s stache is just amazing.
it’s definitely starting to look like that maybe that day of coherence just might not come. Some of the guys will be rested at Olympics while guys like Hank, Lids, and Pavel could be gassed completely by the time it’s necessary to really make a push and put some points together.
by Casey Richey on Feb 10, 2010 8:53 AM CST up reply actions
Fatigue
Couldn’t agree more, the guys that truly need the rest are certainly not going to get it. Nick and Raffi looked totally exhausted last night and Hank and Pav are being played to death, on the other hand Fil and Mule(if he goes) could certainly benefit from Olympic play having missed most of the season while Kronner and Homer will probably receive some sort of injury in Vancouver(sorry, I’ve just come to expect that this season). Here’s an idea though, during the break have the rest of the team practice for shootouts and lets mix it up because I can’t remember the last time Hank scored in a shootout. Goalies have become wise to the moves of the shooters we use over and over although Pav can still bury one most of the time, lets change it up!
Franzen
I completely agree with what the announcers were saying (I couldn’t hear them because I had to go to a bar to watch VS because I have Direct TV – Which reminds me, FU Comcast and VS!!!). I’ve watched about 55 Red Wing games this year and haven’t seen many times this year where a Red Wing just has that spark. Unfortunately, that’s the 2009-2010 Red Wings. Last night, i saw the first 2008-2009 Red Wing play this year and that was Mr. Johan Franzen. He just looked hungry for points. We need him more than ever right now which is why i’m a little scared about him playing in the Olympics. If he ends up playing in the Olympics, which I’m sure he will now, please oh please don’t let him get injured!
They are stealing my idea :)
I mentioned a couple times that this team has really only looked really comfortable with each other for a handful of games all year. So often the lineup isn’t set before the warm-up, and someone is always getting hurt or coming back and not at full speed (or coming back too early because they aren’t as hurt as other players) so the team is constantly having to adjust to changes.
More than physical, it has to mentally tiring. The team has played an additional six months more than most other teams just over the last three years, and that is on top of multiple other playoff runs and the regular wear and tear of a NHL season.
I’m not going to be one of those people who says “they don’t care about winning” because if they didn’t care about winning they wouldn’t play so hard, and the effort is there, but I don’t think they are capable of focusing the way they need to because they are run down. Poor guys are trying their best, I’m sure, but sometimes all the wanting in the world doesn’t help when the other team is healthier than you are.
"While there's life, there's hope." --Cicero
One more thing
I’m over any pro-Tuzzi moments I’ve had. Taking a penalty before the game even begins, giving the puck away, taking a penalty, then virtually helping get that puck to Kariya for St. Louis’ second goal made my head explode.
He has a knack for killing momentum…unfortunately, it’s our momentum he’s always killing.
Doesn’t help that the Blues couldn’t stay on their skates at the beginning of the game. That first penalty was just weak. Both fighting for position and one guy falling like a ton of bricks.
As for things that I am over… I am over Zetterberg in the shootout. He’s something like 2 for 20 this year and about the same for his career. Flip, Bert and Mule are all better options.
You know
I havent been on any game threads for awhile thinking I needed to change things up for awhile to maybe see a wings turn around. Dosent look like that is the case, we just have been completely dead this year and I am starting to wonder if we will even be in the playoffs. I dont know about anyone else but I can not handle seeing them not even making the playoffs. I would be happy if they could just go one or two rounds. They have got to be exhausted though… I mean they have had the longest seasons, not getting much of break.. and then the injuries . So if they just make the playoffs I would be cool with it as long as the next year we come out the typical red wings. However i can not deal with breaking our streak to the playoffs. AND WHY IN THE HELL CAN WE NOT WIN A DAMN SHOOTOUT!!!!…. its not just with the shooters… jimmy howard is terrible in the shootout.
as others have probably mentioned
i think once everyone is back. and this team can finally get some consistency with the lines and some chemistry back with each other i think we can put in a good run. im just hoping its not too late when that happens. i too am worried about some of our players getting hurt in these olympics. i think these olympics will either benefit us with some rest or really hurt us. but we will see
draft micah johnson
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