I decided to go with something a little different tonight and just go with a stream of consciousness thing. So these were my thoughts as the game progressed.
I’m very nervous about this game. I think it’s a combination of the Wings’ recent play, the Bruins beating the Wings on the regular, and the fact that so many Wings are injured.
Dan Cleary is wearing an “A”?!?!?!
Fantastic shift by the Zetterberg/Nyquist/Abby line, but no shots on goal. Still, better than any shift in 65 minutes against Ottawa.
The Wings look fantastic early. Rask has nearly fooled a couple of times. Let’s see if they can take advantage, because Rask is a goalie that can get rattled.
For once it’s the Wings’ opponent that is one-and-done in the offensive zone. Quite the change from the last month.
Petr Mrazek tripped up by Brett Connolly, proving that the Bruins really have a template for players they want to acquire.
Gustav Nyquist buries that giveaway last year.
The number of stretch passes the Wings are attempting is terrifying. None of them have connected. And yet one of them leads to the first PP of the game when Zdeno Chara takes down Justin Abdelkader.
Wings on a first period PP against the Bruins in a scoreless game? What could possibly go wrong?
They didn’t score, but they didn’t get scored on. I believe that’s what’s called a “moral victory”.
Gustav Nyquist is going to score a goal tonight. And it’s going to be assisted by Zetterberg.
After posting a season-low 17 shots last game, Detroit already has 12 in the 1st period here with 5:36 remaining. #RedWings #Bruins
— Stefan Kubus (@SKubus) April 3, 2015
Zdeno Chara is not a good defenseman. He was, but the game has passed him by. If he was normal sized he’d be really exposed for how bad he is now.
Stephen Weiss needs to never see the PP ever again. Or, if he’s going to be out there, he needs to never enter the Wings’ zone. Just be the forward guy and let the play come to him.
One thing I loathe about the umbrella set up on the power play: only one defenseman at the point means that pucks are easier to get out of the zone by the penalty killers.
Early in the second Mrazek made one of those saves that could have been a killer because the Wings were dominating up to that point.
I wish Pulkkinen would shoot more, which is probably a weird thing to say.
I have no idea how Loui Eriksson didn’t score. That was after seeing the replay.
Wings killed the first Bruins power play. I can’t have been the only one nervous that the B’s were going to score.
Is the ice bad? Lots of bouncing pucks.
LUUUUUUUKE GLENDENING IS A BEAUTIFUL MICHIGAN BOY AND WE ALL LOVE HIM!!!!!!
Glendening now has many goals as … wait for this … wait for this .. Valtteri Filppula.
— Chuck Pleiness (@wingsfrontman) April 3, 2015
Hands up if you’re surprised that Claude Julien wouldn’t talk to Engblom because he was too busy bitching to the refs.
This is probably a jinx, which is why I’m currently typing it where only I can see it at the moment: the defense looks fantastic tonight. Like, every single one of them.
The difference between Emrick/Olczyk (and I’m an Emrick fan) and Strader/Engblom is night and day. Strader calls a game as good as Doc, but Engblom is miles ahead of Edzo as an analyst, and not just because of the subtle interference stuff.
The Wings are playing the smartest they’ve played in quite some time. Puck support is strong, decisions are being made timely.
Maybe they do play better in front of Mrazek. Oh right, Tuesday. Eh, every other game is ok at this point.
I had to put my kids to bed so I missed the Weiss goal, but I saw the replay just as I entered the room, and said out loud “HOLY SHIT WEISS AND GLENDENING IN THE SAME GAME? LOL BRUINS”
Too bad the Bruins won’t just go away. Kind of a lucky bounce off the rebound.
Now we’ll see what the Wings are made of. The month of March Wings would fold like a cheap table. Let’s see how the April Wings respond.
And as I finish typing that, the Bruins score to tie the game. That’s the kind of play where I wish Mrazek was just a little bit more patient and not so aggressive in his crease.
Oh no. This is not good. Wings get a PP right after the Bruins tie it and do nothing. Like, “1st half of the season on the PP nothing”.
Boy the game has sure tightened up in the last half of the third. Are both teams playing for the point? That’s dangerous if you’re the Wings because Boston was in this situation the other night and scored with just over a minute left to win.
For fuck’s sake, Mrazek. That was awful.
What a collapse. I won’t lie: if I was there, I’d boo the shit out of that team off the ice. That third period was as big a collapse as you’ll see in a long time. They were miles better than the Bruins for over 40 minutes, and one goal against turned them in to a peewee team. A defensive breakdown in front of the net for the tie game, and then a fucking horrific goal by Petr Mrazek to give up in that game in that situation. That should just about do it for him this year, because if that’s what you can expect from him, then you might as well go with the guy that makes a lot more and get your money’s worth.
For the first time all year, I’m legitimately afraid the Wings may miss the playoffs. This is as mentally weak a team as I’ve seen in years, from the goaltender on out. With Ottawa’s win, they’re only 3 points behind the Wings with the same number of games played. I know the math is on the Wings’ side, but recent play is not.
