Dear Graham, J.J., Editors, Staff Writers, Photochop Guru, commenters, readers, lurkers,
I’m through being a sad little water boy for your sad little blog that I keep writing for and commenting on and willingly doing features and occasional recaps and other stuff too. Seriously, how could you stay awake long enough to watch through that whole BORING hockey game between the Los Angeles Kings and Detroit Red Wings?
*record scratch*
OK, that’s enough. I can’t do this for an entire recap.
I’m still trying to process everything that just took place on my television screen. Not even high definition could prepare me for the turn of events that transpired in the last minute of that third period and overtime.
I mean, really, the Red Wings won a shootout? At home? I thought that was against the rules or something.
- I’ll nip this in the bud: As the guy on this blog who’s been doing a series on the NHL rulebook, I feel obligated to just jump to Rule 38.4 on Situations Subject to Video Review right here in this recap. I won’t do that though because you can read for yourself. (Downloads as PDF.)
- Suffice it to say that I don’t think the situation of a puck going out of play will be subject to video review in the future because Matt Duchene’s goal didn’t produce a rule change saying we should review offsides if a goal is scored immediately on the same sequence. That is essentially the light in which I view this situation because Rule 38.4 deals exclusively with methods of propelling the puck into the net (kicking motion rule, high stick, etc.), time of the game (did time expire?), and the integrity of the goal frame. If the referees miss a sequence like that again, it will unfortunately bite another team in the ass in the future.
- Onto the actual game, I will go to sleep tonight still giggling to myself because of this whole sequence because wow did the Red Wings ever get a lucky bounce to get their second goal. After the Rangers‘ game-winning goal on Thursday, and after not being able to score against Anaheim despite playing a great game against them, I guess the Red Wings are even on bounces. Maybe.
- Even more voodoo-y is that the game-tying goal was a power play goal. You just knew the worst storybook ending for the Red Wings was in the offing when they failed to score on a power play to take a 2-1 lead midway through the third, then Jeff Carter put the Kings up on the power play with 2:15 to go in regulation. Then Niklas Kronwall created the crazy bounce that will have everyone talking until the next thing for us to be outraged over happens.
- A battle of Team USA goaltenders who likely won’t get playing time in Sochi occurred when they bumped into each other at center ice during the second period. Kyle Clifford crashed Jimmy Howard’s crease, and Howard took his bald eagle talons and snipped at the Big Red Dog. Then Mike Richards skated around the net to confront Howard before he used his huge beak and incited a scrum that somehow left the teams 4-on-4.
- Of all the unlikely one-on-one battles you would have predicted at the start of the game, none of you predicted Luke Glendening vs. Jarret Stoll. No, you put your hand down you liar in the back.
- My contract says I have to mention that the Red Wings finally scored goals in this game after not doing so for 152:21. Who else but the captain Henrik Zetterberg would break the shutout streak off a sweet backhand feed from Gustav Nyquist?
The Red Wings had some scary moments in the game, especially when Nyquist and Danny DeKeyser had great chances to shoot the puck but opted not to. The young guns are making compelling cases for their place in the NHL lineup once the injured bodies make it back on the ice. Riley Sheahan and Tomas Jurco look to have bright futures in Detroit, but the thing to focus on is right now as the Red Wings need points in a bad way. Against the best defensive team in the league, though, the Red Wings got those two points, so now it’s time to run away and hide until we welcome our old pals the St. Louis Blues to Joe Louis Arena on Monday.
RED WINGS WIIIIIIIIIINNNNN!!!!!!
