On Red Wings

Going nowhere.

— noun
1. Not like the Wings … prone to blow 2-goal leads regularly and 3-goal leads on occasion … injury prone … aging … tends to get outworked along the boards … has trouble scoring goals but can hit goal posts like laser beams … misses the playoffs.

Game #58: 64 points, 9th place in the Western Conference and sinking fast 24 games (48 points) remaining.

Score: Kings, 4, Wings 3

What I liked about the game: The Kings. They outworked the Wings along the boards, never stopped working, and earned their ninth-straight victory. Credit where credit is due. Henrik Zetterberg scored twice in a 3-0 first period and hit a goalpost in the third. Nick Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski each were plus-three, but they couldn’t stay on the ice all the time (56 minutes between them), which meant Brad Stuart and Jonathan Ericsson were on the ice (see: What I didn’t like about the game).

What I didn’t like about the game: Long list. Wings keep getting injured. Nick Kronwall didn’t dress (again). Tomas Homstrom suffered a lower-body injury (again). Patrick Eaves and Drew Miller got hurt, too. Jimmy Howard had a terrible second period, but guess who was on the ice for all four goals against (yup, Stuart with a big minus-4, rivaled only by Ericsson‘s minus-3. At least Ville Leino didn’t have to watch from the pressbox (he was traded for next to nothing earlier in the day).

Quote: “I was very disappointed with the way I played.” — Jimmy Howard. Me, too.

In search of: The Olympic break in a week.

What is: The standings are beginning to look bleak — 2 points out of 8th with one more game played, 3 points out of 7th with a game in hand, 6 points out of 6th with one more game played; only 3 points up on 12th place. I hope the Wings’ scouts are working hard.

Mood meter: Ready for some Tigers baseball?

Henrik Zetterberg: Looks good, tastes lite.

Well, you can’t beat a Sunday afternoon with Wings-Penguins for a main course and the Capitals for … an appetizer? An after dinner drink? Whatever. It’s five-plus hours of hockey on a lazy afternoon.

Game #55: 62 points, tied for 8th again with Calgary with 27 games  to go (that’s 54 points). But four teams ahead of the Wings are playing later today.

Score: Penguins 2, Wings 1 (SO)

Quote: Niklas Kronwall — “We were on our heels a little bit, I think we gave them too much respect. We have to do a way better job. It’s going to be a tough year if we keep letting 40-plus shots go past us. He (Howard) is keeping us in games.”

Unquote: Uh, you think? Too much respect? My how the worm has turned. Why do the Wings look like the teams that used to look up to them the last decade?

What I liked about the game: Jimmy Howard. I keep saying that, don’t I? But when you get outshot 47-24 (that’s 2-to-1 for you non-math majors), if you don’t like your goalie, you probably didn’t win the game. Oh, the Wings didn’t win the game. But escaping with a point hardly felt like a loss.

What I didn’t like about the game: Why does Herik Zetterberg look tired to me? Even clumsy at times. Something we don’t know?

In search of: Scoring.

What is: Wings are hanging on to playoff contention as their players return to the lineup. But just because players return, that doesn’t mean the Wings are a better team. We’re waiting for the to happen.

Mood meter: Oddly not terrible. It took Crosby and Malkin to beat the Wings on Sunday. They beat a lot of teams. Of course, that’s the Wings this year: Like a lot of teams.

Guess who didn't score?

When I was in high school, I used to write down the NHL standings on a corner of the blackboard of my home room in Trumbull, Conn. This was 1963, and there were only six teams in the league at the time: Montreal, Toronto, New York, Boston, Chicago and Detroit. So it didn’t take long, and no one seemed to mind (or care?). I was the hockey guy, and it was just Steve doing his hockey thing.

It’s 47 years later (who can believe it!). There are 30 teams in the NHL now. Rather than a blackboard in home room, we’ve got blogs. Welcome to On Red Wings.

Here’s what I have in mind (like there aren’t enough blogs about the Detroit Red Wings out there):

Game #: 51, 31 to go (that’s 62 points)

Score: Kings 3, Wings 2

What I liked about the game: Not much. The Wings led 2-0 after the first period.

What I didn’t like about the game: Do the math after the first period. The Kings scored the last three goals, two of them in the third period. Derek Meech missed on a breakaway (didn’t surprise me). Todd Betruzzi missed on a breakaway (or am I thinking of some other game?).

Quote: “They’re right behind us in the standings, and just to push them a little further down, it definitely makes a difference. “Hopefully it’s going to pay off in the end.” — Anze Kopitar

In search of: Offense from Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.

What might have been: The Wings in sole position of 8th place with 60 points, 1 point ahead of the Kings (with 59).

What is: The Wings are tied for 8th place with Calgary with 58 points, 3 points behind the Kings and Predators (with 61).

Mood meter: Dark.

Editing: Improved with input from my Sports Writing & Reporting class!