Wandering in the desert
Henrik Zetterberg can't contain the great Sami Lepisto.
The Red Wings had everything going for themselves except themselves Sunday. They literally had the octopus by the tail.
And then they made a mess of things.
From the moment arena manager Al Sobotka made a mess of the octopus he was swinging traditionally at the start of the game to an uninspired performance that peaked in its listlessness in the third period, the 4-2 loss to Phoenix in Hockeytown that put the Wings in a 2-1 first-round hole was ominous.
The Wings were home after splitting two games in the desert. In the second period, Coyotes’ meanie captain ran himself silly into the boards and never returned. Vernon Fiddler, who was making the faceoff circle his own private Arizona, didn’t play.
Yup, the Coyotes were ripe for a victory, and the Wings accommodated them.
Quote: “They just got better. With no Fiddler and no Doan, they had the puck more than we did.” — Mike Babcock.
What I liked about the game: Not much. I’m still looking for a silver lining and have’t found one. Oh … I’ve got one. The Coyotes. Credit where credit is due.
What I didn’t like about the game: The Wings best players were their worst players. Nick Lidstrom had a bad game. I hate to say it: He looked 40. He finished minus-3. His defensive partner, Brian Rafalski, was minus-2. So was Pavel Datsyuk. Henrik Zetterberg tried. It wasn’t good enough. There wasn’t a plus-Wing for the game.
Also: A goal 29 seconds into the game? A goal with 32 seconds left in the second period? A goal less than 2 minutes after clawing back to within one goal of tying the game in the third period? UN-Winglike.
The BIG question: Where’s Johan Franzen? (Yes, I know he scored a goal.)
Quote II: “When you turn over pucks, you look like you have no energy.” — Mike Babcock
Try, try again: Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. ET. Must win.
Mood meter: Sour.
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