Let's Watch the Wings and the Sharks!

Everything feels wrong.  We say, "Hi again, everybody!  And we greet you from the Joe Louis Arena..." but it's the noon hour and we feel out of place.  But, here we are and here too are the Detroit Red Wings--looking once again to set a new NHL record.  No team has ever won 23 straight home games.  The 1929-30 Boston Bruins won their final 20 homes games and won their first two at home the following season to run their streak to 22 home wins in a row before losing.  Today, Detroit, in their 60th game of the season, looks to win their 23rd straight on this ice surface and again, if they do, they will have done something never before accomplished in this history of this league.

Has there ever been a better playing in a Detroit jersey than Pavel Datsyuk?  Yes, I'm asking.  And, yes, I saw Howe in person.  And Yzerman for his whole career here.  But I'll tell you something.  I don't think I've ever seen a player play a better game than Datsyuk did here Friday night in that thrilling 2-1 win over Nashville and it was pretty much how he plays every night.  I'm amazed at what he can do.  And I'm thinking, in his prime, which is where he is right now, he might be the best ever.

A late-arriving crowd for this early start and we'll be back with the opening face-off in a few moments...

The Wings were having all kind of trouble finding open ice in the attack zone, great defensive zone coverage by the Sharks in other words,  but finally, at 6:30, Henrik Zetterberg fired a backhand high into the net past Antti Niemi for his 13th of the year and a 1-0 Detroit lead.  Zetterberg looked like he was going to slide a pass back to the blue line and it was that fake on the pass that I think fooled the goalie.

I'm sitting next to Nick Polano today.  He used to coach the Red Wings and General Manage the Red Wings and he therefore used to be the guy to whom I would put my impertinent post-game questions/accusations, etc.  Good guy.  I was asking him who he thought was better in his prime, Datsyuk or Yzerman, and he's all Yzerman.  He points out that Yzerman scored 39 goals as an 18-year-old 155 pound rookie and he made an interesting point which I had not considered.  Back when Yzerman was playing, there was all kind of holding and slashing going on that wasn't being called.  You had to fight through all that stuff.  Today in the modern NHL, they call it much closer for the simple reason that the league reasons, and correctly so, that the game is better is the stars are freed up a bit to show off their skills.  Good point, Mr. Polano.  Here at the rink, the first period is over and the score is that same as it was the last time we checked in with you.  Shots favor Detroit, 8-6.  First Intermission: Detroit 1, San Jose 0.


Detroit 2, San Jose 0.  Drew Miller (12) just knocked in his own rebound at 10:40 of the second and Joey MacDonald should have gotten an assist but he didn't.  MacDonald made a kick save and a beauty and the Wings took the rebound and went down the ice and scored.  They awarded only an assist to Justin Abdelkader, but I'm telling you, MacDonald should have got one, too.  The goal came just a couple of minutes after Polano said, "If Detroit gets the next goal, it's over."  Well, the Wings have just scored the next goal...8:20 left, 2nd Period: Detroit 2, San Jose 0.


We are waiting the review of an odd San Jose goal to see if it is in fact a goal.  It is.  The puck bounced on top of the Detroit net and either Drew Miller with his glove or Abdelkader with his stick knocked it into his own net.  It's a power play goal for the Sharks, credited to Logan Coture 14:33.  Late second period: Detroit 2, San Jose 1.


Periods over and of note is the fact that the Sharks had 19 shots on goal in it.  Detroit had the same as they had in the first, 8.  The Sharks got that fluke goal, that own-goal scored by the Wings into the wrong net, while the goal by Miller stands right now as the difference in the game.  End Second Period: Detroit 2, San Jose 1.


Marc-Edouard Vlasic of San Jose just had to leave the game after being struck in the face with a puck.  I've never seen it happen this way though.  The puck hit Vlasic under his visor (the poor guy is smart enough to wear a shield and he still gets it) after it caromed off the goalpost.  The thing hits the post and still has enough  juice on it to hurt a guy.  That's how hard they shoot it here in the National League.  Early 3rd: Detroit 2, San Jose 1.


Another Shark took a puck to the face, this time in a more conventional fashion, but to the same effect.  Joe Pavelski, only a minute or two after Vlasic got his, went down to block a shot and put his head in front of it.  And if he wasn't wearing a helmet, he'd be dead.  Instead, he's back on the bench.

Detroit 3, San Jose 1.  It's Darren Helm (6) with a slot slapper off a Miller feed at 7:01 and it's a two-gaol Detroit lead again and you have to like their chances of running this thing to 23 now.

We're at 5 to play and the place is roaring because a couple of the boys have decided to have a go.  It's Abdelkader and San Jose's Ryan Clowe which is a fair fight.  And now it's over and they head for the box and the fans deliver a standing "O" because this is hockey!  Still 3-1, Detroit in other news.

Detroit 3, San Jose 2  The Wings got a little sloppy with a clear and the puck stayed in the zone and wound up in the net when Patrick Marleau got his 23rd off a rebound at 15:16.  So, this one will now go down to the wire.

Sharks pull goalie but Wings keep puck in their end and the game ends.  FINAL DETROIT 3, SAN JOSE 2.  Off to the room we go.  Thanks for playing along!