Vancouver Canucks at Detroit Red Wings: The Live Blog

No Pre-Game Skate for you tonight as I was, truth be told and I always do my best to tell you the truth, goofiing off down in the press room when I should have been doing my job.  Sorry (not really).  Tonight come the Vancouver Canucks here to take on a Red Wings team which has been--somewhat surprisingly--struggling of late.  After going 17-4-2 (.783) to start the season, the Wings have won only three of their last nine.  They do have points in 5 of those 9 games, 3-4-2 (.444), but the drop off of late has been somewhat impressive.  After being on pace for 128 points in their first 23 games, Detroit has played at a 73-point pace in these last 9. Maybe I wasn't goofing off as much as I thought, no?

I've missed the last couple of games and it's good to be back.  I had to go back into the hospital last week as my heart (once again) began beating irregularly.   The episode lasted for only a few hours but they kept me for a couple of days to infuse a medication via an IV stuck in my arm.  I'm fine now, thanks.  In fact, I was back on the ice yesterday and--aside from a gross inability to stop the puck (WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU?  YOU'RE A GOALIE!  YOUR ENTIRE JOB CONSISTS OF GETTING SOME PART OF YOUR BODY--ANY PART, IT DOESN'T MATTER--IN FRONT OF THE DAMN PUCK AND YOU CAN'T EVEN DO THAT)--I had no problems whatsever.  So, again, I am fine.  I am probably being a little hard on my (lack of) goaltending ability.  I've been playing with a torn post-tibular tendon.  And here I didn't even know I had one.  It turns out I do--we all do.  It's in the ankle.  While it sounds bad, it doesn't hurt much, but it does impair my skating: I'm sort of one-legged out there.  But, you didn't come here to hear about my health issues, now did you?  It's the Wings and 'Nucks so we shall turn our attention to that, forthwith.

7:55pm:  We've played a little over 7 minutes--no score.  Vancouver has had the two best scoring chances in a game in which they have been out shot 8-4.  I wonder if this is going to turn out like it did the last time I was here, a week ago Monday where the Wings outshot the Kings 51-26 and lost 5-0.

7:57pm:  It won't.  Dan Cleary just finished a 2-on-1 taking a nice cross-rink feed from Todd Bertuzzi and burying one high glove on 'Nucks netter Roberto Luongo.  Cleary has now scored 15 goals and has moved into the team lead, breaking a tie with Johan Franzen.   Cleary came into the game with only 2 goals in his last 9 games.  Hmmm.  We just outlined the Wings difficulty winning games in their last 9.  Coincidence, or no?  You be the judge.

8:20pm:  The period ends with a Vancouver flurry.  There were, in point of fact, a lot of those Vancouver flurries in the first, a period which saw the Canucks outshoot Detroit 17-14.   END OF THE FIRST PERIOD:  DETROIT 1, VANCOUVER 0.


8:39pm:  They called a crosscheck on Brian Rafalski that wasn't (I mean it was a really, really weak crosschecking call and I wouldn't say that if I didn't think it because, really, I don't care who wins.  Indeed, as a highly skilled broadcast journalist I'm not allowed to care) and it takes Vancouver 0:15 to cash on on this bit of largess from referees Chris Rooney and Don VanMassenhoven.  There were no penalties in the whole first period and we've had three called in the first 3  minutes here of the second.  The Vancouver goal is scored by one of Sedin brothers (Henrik in this case, but Daniel got an assist) at 1:11 of the second period.  DETROIT 1, VANCOUVER 1.


8:47PM:  Valtteri Filppula goes hard to the net--they always tell you to go hard to the net--and because he does he is right there (Johnny-on-the-spot as the old-time broadcasters would have said) to bang in the rebound of a Cleary shot.  The goal is scored at 6:29 and is the 8th of the year for Filppula:  DETROIT 2, VANCOUVER 1.


8:59PM:  Another cheesy call (Filppula, closing hand on puck) and another power play goal for Vancouver. It, again, takes them less than a minute to score it (penalty: 10:33, goal: 11:21, elapsed time: 0:48) and again Sedin is the goal-getter.  It's Daniel, this time though and that's about the only difference.  DETROIT 2, VANCOUVER 2.


9:04PM:  I forgot (and  this is a heck of a thing to forget) that we were just informed that Pavel Datsyuk has sustained an upper body injury and will not return to tonight's game.  Datsyuk, dumped in front of the Canucks net in the first period, fell on the stick of a Vancouver defenseman.  I noticed him getting some medical attention on the bench a few moments later. I hope its not a case of a broken rib or two.  (This is not because I want Detroit to win--we covered that.  It's because I enjoy watching Datsyuk play.  He's one of the best players in hockey.)

9:13pm:  Twenty seconds to go in the period (okay sticklers, 20.2) and the 'Nucks take the lead when Brad Stewart flubs an easy (EASY) hold-in at the Vancouver line and an odd-man rush against Detroit ensues.  Adding insult to the injury (the injury in this case is two-fold as you (1) hate to give up a goal in the last minute of a period--especially when it's (2) the tie-breaking goal) is the fact that former Red Wing Mikael Samuelsson scores it.  The Sedin who figures in the scoring this time is Henrik.  That's 3 Vancouver goals tonight--and 4 points by a Sedin.  The period ends and this time the Wings hold 'em to 13 shots on goal, down from 17 in the first.   But, they give up 3 goals.  AFTER 2: DETROIT 2, VANCOUVER 3.


9:32pm:   Less than 0:40 into the 3rd and Wings goalie Jimmy Howard makes two of the best saves I've seen him make all year.  He stopped a slot shot by Henrik Sedin (him, again) with his toe and then made a brilliant glove save on Sedin who swooped in for his own rebound.

9:33pm:  Detroit gets a huge break.  Henrik Zetterberg is actually behind the Vancouver red line when he tries to backhand the puck out in front and it hits Luongo and bounces into the net at 1:54.  A softy for Zetterberg (11) and the Wings have the thing tied on a fluke at 1:54.  DETROIT 3, VANCOUVER 3.


9:52pm:  At least the Sedin twins weren't in on this one: Howard overplayed a shot by Jeff Tambellini from the circle to his left and Tambellini rang it off the post and crossbar loudly enough that we could hear it way up here.  Howard moved a little too far to his left and went down a little early and, while he didn't give Tambellini much net, he gave him enough and now he and the Wings trail.  Under 6 to play, now.  DETROIT 3, VANCOUVER 4.


10:00pm:  Nick Lidstrom sneaks in from the left points and by going to the net he's right there (Johnny-on-the-spot, even) to fire in a rebound and tie the game with 3:54 to go.  Rafalski shot from the right point and Lidstrom just cruised in from the line to hit the back of the net on the power play.  Detroit had been oh-for 3 on the power play in this one, but not anymore. We approach the final minute of regulation time:  DETROIT 4, VANCOUVER 4.


10:07PM:  Overtime.  The Wings--outshooting Vancouver 15-6 in the third and getting those 2 great Howard saves on Henrik Sedin in the opening minute of the period--have forced overtime and so will get a point tonight when a few minutes ago it looked as though they almost certainly would not.  A great goal on a great play, a smart play, by Lidstrom late in the third gets them the point.

10:10pm:  Henrik wins it, but it's Zetterberg, not Sedin.  A nice hold at the line by Darren Helm precedes a blocked Rafalski shot which caroms right to Zetterberg in the left circle and he one-times it by the startled and late-to-react Luongo.   The second goal of the night and 12th of the year for Zetterberg comes at 2:59 of overtime.  It is the only shot on goal in the OT for Detroit, who outshoot the Canucks 45-39 in the game.  Detroit is off to St. Louis tomorrow--the rest of us are off to get in some last-minute shopping.  Detroit's next home game comes on New Years Eve and we will talk to you then.  Merry Christmas and good night from Joe Louis Arena.  FINAL:  DETROIT 5, VANCOUVER 4 (OT).