Pavel Datsyuk will play in his fifth IIHF World Championship tournament. Photo by Patxi64.

The Detroit Red Wings’ season ended a couple of weeks ago, but it won’t stop them from taking a trip to Europe. No, they won’t be taking a Griswold Family Vacation, but they will be lacing up the skates once again in the upcoming  IIHF World Championship to be held in Stockholm, Sweden and Helsinki, Finland.

Several Red Wing players will play for their respective countries in the tournament, which starts this Friday and concludes with the semifinals and medal round games in Helsinki on May 19-20.

Playing in the tournament is the next best thing for the players who aren’t currently in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For some of the Red Wing players who will take part, the opportunity to play for their country at this time of the year doesn’t come that often.

Valtteri Filppula hopes to continue his play from the regular season as he represents Finland, who are the defending champions. This is the first World Championships for Filppula, who represented his country in the 2002 World Under-18 Championships and is also a two-time participant in the World Junior Championships (2003, 2004).

Pavel Datsyuk is arguably one of the best all-around players in the world. Not only has Datsyuk displayed his skills for the Red Wings, he has also showcased his talents by playing for his home country, Russia. Datsyuk played in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and is a three-time participant of the Winter Olympics (2002, 2006, 2010).  In 29 World Championship games, Datsyuk registered 10 goals and 13 assists and will make his fifth appearance in the tournament.

Even though Tomas Tatar is only 21 years old and a top-five prospect in the Red Wings’ organization, this will be the second time that he will play for Slovakia in the World Championships. He looks to improve his stats from last year’s tournament, where registered two goals in six games.  Tatar has also participated in the World Junior Championships in 2009 and 2010, where he netted a total of 10 goals and seven assists in 13 games played. Tatar is projected to be a top-six forward and his stock could rise over the next few weeks.

As for last year’s runner-up Sweden, the additions of  Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, and Niklas Kronwall bolster their chances to reach the finals once again. Zetterberg and Kronwall, along with Nicklas Lidstrom, Tomas Holmstrom and then-Red Wing Mikael Samuelsson, were the team’s version of the Swedish Fab Five that captured the Gold Medal in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

Zetterberg began representing his country in the final European Junior Championships in 1998 and captured the Gold Medal in the process. He also took part in the 1999 and 2000 World Junior Championships as well as the Winter Olympics in 2002, 2006 and 2010. This will be the sixth time that Zetterberg will take part in this tournament. In 44 career games in the World Championships, Zetterberg tallied eight goals and 21 assists.

Like Zetterberg, Kronwall has had his fair share of international experience. The two were teammates in the final European Junior Championship as well as the 2000 World Junior Championships. Kronwall once again represented Sweden the following year for the World Juniors in 2001 and then reunited with Zetterberg at the World Championships in  2003 and 2005. His coming-out party was at the ’06 tournament, where he got two goals and eight assists in eight games, helping Sweden capture the Gold Medal, and raising some eyebrows among the Red Wing brass.

Franzen will participate in the tournament for the third time. During the 2004 and 2005 tournies, he found the net only once and had three assists in 13 games for Sweden.

Since he retired from international competition in 2010, Lidstrom will not take part in the tournament, but another Red Wing will take his spot. Jonathan Ericsson will play in his second international tournament as a member of Team Sweden.

Even though he’s not with the Red Wings just yet, Jarnkrok will get a small sample size of what the pro game will be like when he plays alongside many of the NHL’s best. Jarnkrok, the 51st overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, had a stellar season with Brynas of the Swedish Elite League, scoring 16 goals and adding 23 assists in 50 games. He is no stranger to international competition, representing Sweden in the 2009 Under-18 World Championships and in the 2011 World Junior Championships. Expect Jarnkrok to sign with the Red Wings and start his pro career with the Grand Rapids Griffins this fall.

Jimmy Howard will be between the cage for the U.S  for his first World Championship tournament. Howard played for the U.S. National Team’s Developmental program in the 2000-01 season and also represented the Red, White and Blue in the World Under 18 Tournament in 2002 as well as the World Junior Championships in 2003. Abdelkader will take part in the upcoming competition, but this won’t be the first time that he played for the U.S. as he represented his country in the 2007 World Junior Championships.

For those who are suffering from “Red Wings Withdrawal,” this will be the perfect remedy to see some of the team’s top players in international play over the next two weeks. They may not be playing for the Stanley Cup, but playing for their country is just as good. The tournament starts this Friday as the U.S. plays France at 5:15 am Eastern Time. Note that all of  Team USA’s games will be televised on the NBC Sports Network.

With the Red Wings out of the playoffs, has Nicklas Lidstrom played his last game? Photo by Bridget Samuels.

The Detroit Red Wings were the first team in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs to get eliminated in the opening round as they lost to the Nashville Predators 2-1 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals at the Bridgestone Arena.

It was the Red Wings earliest playoff exit since 2006 when they were ousted in the first round by the Edmonton Oilers in six games.

Jiri Hudler scored the lone goal for the Red Wings and Jimmy Howard kept his team in it, but it wasn’t enough, despite making 23 saves.

It was a repetitive pattern as the Predators scored first once again at 16:10 of the first period when David Legwand went along the boards and stripped the puck away from Kyle Quincey and then fed it to an open Alexander Radulov, who fired a one-timer from the slot and roofed it past Howard to take a 1-0 lead.

The Red Wings tied it at 13:45 of the second period when Henrik Zetterberg  started the play by carrying the puck into the Predators’ zone. He shot the puck at the net; Valtteri Filppula tried to deflect Zetterberg’s shot, but Hudler jammed home the rebound past Predators’ goalie Pekka Rinne (21 saves) to make it 1-1.

But the dagger that struck the hearts of Red Wings’ fans occurred 13 seconds into the third period when Radulov took the puck from Brad Stuart, who failed to clear the puck in the neutral zone. Radulov passed the puck over to Gabriel Bourque, who drew two Red Wings skaters, then drop-passed it  to Legwand, who fired a high-wrister past Howard.  The Red Wings had their chances, but at the final buzzer, the better team won.

Congratulations to the Nashville Predators, who came in and outplayed the Red Wings. If there was an MVP in this series, it would have to be netminder Pekka Rinne as he posted a 4-1 record with a 1.81 goals against average and a .944 save percentage. He stole Games 3 and 4 from the Red Wings and stopped 81 of 84 shots. Performances like that win playoff series.

There weren’t many highlights for the Red Wings in the five games that they played in the opening round of the playoffs. Only two players on the team were on the plus side as Cory Emmerton and Gustav Nyquist each posted a +1 rating against the Predators with five players ending up on the even side. Henrik Zetterberg and Jiri Hudler led the team with two goals each with Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk leading the team in points with three each. And that’s about it, which doesn’t say much.

Some of the best players didn’t play like the best players. Johan Franzen played his best in Game 5, but where was he in the first four games? Valtteri Filppula was held goal-less, while Todd Bertuzzi did little besides the scrap with Shea Weber in Game 2. Brad Stuart’s time in Detroit could come to an end, and his -5 showing with some turnovers on the side could help push him out the door.

As far as Jimmy Howard is concerned, he didn’t have the greatest of series as his 2.64 goals against average and .888 save percentage speaks for itself. He was hung out to dry on some of the goals that he gave up, but there were a few that he should have stopped. Next year, there will be a bigger bulls-eye placed on the Red Wings’ number one netminder.

As the players head home and ponder what could have been, some could possibly represent their countries in the upcoming 2012 IIHF World Championships in Sweden and Finland. But the most pressing questions will be answered this summer.

The main concern around these parts is regarding the Captain, Nicklas Lidstrom. Has he played his last game for the Red Wings?  As a fan who closely watches this team, I’m going to say it’s 50-50. Lidstrom will turn 42 next week and it would be great to have him back for another season. And yes, it would be awesome for him to take part in the 2013 Winter Classic against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Ann Arbor on January 1. At the end of the day, it’s his call and whatever decision he makes, we should all respect it. Hands down, Nicklas Lidstrom the best defenseman to have skated on an NHL rink since Bobby Orr.

Whether or not Lidstrom returns for the 2012-13 season, it’s time for Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland to roll up his sleeves and get to work. He can’t have this same lineup when the Red Wings start the season in October. Several players’ contracts are up such as Lidstrom, Ty Conklin (who won’t be back), Tomas Holmstrom, Jiri Hudler, Brad Stuart (all Unrestricted Free Agents), Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader and Kyle Quincey (Restricted Free Agents).

With the Red Wings’ cap space over $4 million and depending on who will or won’t re-sign with the team, there will be some star talent that will test the waters. As I’ve said in a couple of blogs this season, Predators’ defensemen Ryan Suter and Shea Weber will both be on the open market on July 1st. Either or both of them would bring a tremendous boost to the Red Wings’ lineup. Speaking of the blueline, Dennis Wideman (Capitals) and Matt Carle (Flyers) also would be viable options. Forwards Alexander Semin (Capitals), Zach Parise (Devils), P.A. Parenteau (Islanders) would also be nice fits on the forward lines.

We can’t forget about the kids down in Grand Rapids, especially defenseman Brendan Smith and forward Gustav Nyquist. Both had a combined 32 NHL games played (Smith-14, Nyquist-18) with each contributing a goal and six assists. It’s just a glimpse of what they can do and the future is bright for both future stars who could enter the 2012-13 NHL season on the Opening Night roster.

Even though the Red Wings were ousted early in the first round, it was a season of milestones for the franchise. We got to see the Red Wings set an NHL home record with 23 straight wins, as well as see Nicklas Lidstrom and Tomas Holmstrom play in their 1,500th and 1,oooth games, respectively. Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock was behind the bench for his 400th win against the Phoenix Coyotes. Let’s not forget the Red Wings playing in their 21st straight year in the playoffs, which is the longest active streak in all of the four major sports leagues.

Despite the Red Wings early exit in the first round, my rookie season covering the team at Hockey Independent was fun and entertaining. There will be no Stanley Cup parade, but let’s hope that some free agent signings will be as enjoyable and that the Red Wings can make another run at Lord Stanley. Until next time….

Jiri Hudler scored the Red Wings' lone goal in a 3-1 home loss in Game 4. Photo by JPowers65.

The Detroit Red Wings are on the brink of elimination after their 3-1 loss in Game 4 of the Western Conference Quarterfinal series Tuesday night against the Nashville Predators.  With a 3-1 series lead, the Predators are in the driver’s seat and are one win away from pushing the Red Wings out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Jiri Hudler scored the lone goal for the Red Wings, but Jimmy Howard had a less memorable game by giving up all three goals in the third period (on seven shots) and stopped a total of 14 shots.

It seems like the more shots the Red Wings fire at Predators’ goalie Pekka Rinne, the stronger he plays. That was the case again as Rinne made 40 saves with 17 of them in the second period.  Another player on the Predators who has been a thorn on the Red Wings side is Kevin Klein, who scored the deciding goal at 6:25 of the third period. Klein also provided tight defense by blocking some key shots for the Predators.

The game plan for the Red Wings was to take control from the get-go, which they did, but couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities. They also failed to cash in on the power play and went 1-for-7 with the man-advantage.

After a scoreless 40 minutes, it seemed that the Predators were going to take the lead at 1:28 of the third when David Legwand scored from a bad angle, but the whistle was blown at around the same time, but the goal was disallowed. It was thought to have given the Red Wings some momentum, but the Predators struck back 27 seconds later when Alexander Radulov skated from behind the Red Wings’ net and fired a shot that redirected off of Todd Bertuzzi’s skate, but Gabriel Bourque was there at slot and fired a shot that beat Howard on the glove side.

With a man-advantage, the Red Wings tied it up 79 seconds later when Niklas Kronwall fired a shot from the point which was redirected by Hudler, who was in front of the Predators’ net, making it 1-1.

The Predators regained the lead at 6:25 when Martin Erat skated coast-to-coast and drew the attention of three Red Wings’ skaters and Howard which led to Erat passing the puck to an open Klein and fired the puck into an open net.

With 55.8 seconds left in regulation and Howard pulled for an extra skater, Henrik Zetterberg took a penalty at the wrong time was sent to the box for high sticking which killed any chance of the Red Wings tying it up. That came true 17 seconds later when Legwand scored a power play goal as he stripped Danny Cleary of the puck in front of the Red Wings’ net and tipped it in, sending the Red Wings fans home.

The Red Wings had control for most of the game and after the outcome, it was a game that they deserved to lose. They even held the Predators without a shot for the first 9:44 of the second period.  They had their chances, but at the same time, they shot themselves in the foot, especially with the Klein goal when three skaters (including Nicklas Lidstrom) drew the attention of Erat. Howard overplayed the one-on-three rush by getting out of his crease, which led to an open skater and an open net.

How can the Red Wings solve Pekka Rinne? Besides firing high shots, (which they did in Game 2) they have to create traffic in front of the net just like Hudler’s PP goal early in the third. Despite Hudler’s size, perhaps have Johan Franzen or Todd Bertuzzi (who are bigger and stronger) than Hudler in front of the Predators’ goal. Wouldn’t putting either of them in front of Rinne (who is 6′ 5″ without skates) create a distraction for him?

Jimmy Howard didn’t have a great game and that will draw a bigger bullseye from the critics. In almost every NHL city a goaltender’s fate is decided if he helps bring home a Stanley Cup. Detroit is one of the few cities in the league that has the bar raised even higher and Howard has to raise his “A+ Game” sooner rather than later or he’ll be placed along with Curtis Joseph and Tim Cheveldae as Red Wing goalies who were labeled as scapegoats after not winning the Stanley Cup.

I hate to throw it out there, but have we seen Nicklas Lidstrom play his last game at the Joe Louis Arena? I would like to see the Red Wings return for Game 6 against the Predators, but we’re facing reality and if the Predators wrap up the series in Nashville on Friday, we may have seen the last of Lidstrom, who will turn 42 next week. Will he want to come back to go through another training camp and play another season? It’s premature to think this, but let’s hope that the Red Wings win Game 5 so we can host Game 6 and enjoy watching one of the best defenseman to have played the game.

It’s either win or enjoy tee time, possibly with the Pittsburgh Penguins, as they head back to Nashville for Game 5 on Friday at the Bridgestone Arena.

Carkner did his job effectively, when at 2:15 in the first period he jumped an unsuspecting Brian Boyle, who did not fight back, as retribution for Boyle’s game one rabbit-punching of Erik Karlsson in game one. It happened right in front of the referee, who puts his arm up, blows the whistle and just stands there rather than attempt to stop Carkner from using a prone Boyle as a human punching bag.

Seeing his teammate in trouble, Brandon Dubinsky (and everyone else for that matter) got involved and the referees, who seemingly let it get out of control, not only gave Dubinsky 2 minutes for roughing but tossed him out of the game for being the 3rd man in on the altercation. The 3rd  man in rule states that “a game misconduct penalty, at the discretion of the Referee, shall be imposed on any player who is the first to intervene (third man in) in an altercation already in progress except when a match penalty is being imposed in the original altercation. This penalty is in addition to any other penalties incurred in the same incident.”  Much to the chagrin of the Gatorade cooler at the Rangers’ tunnel, the referees used their discretion to assess that penalty and Dubinsky was lost for the game.

Carkner, on the other hand, received 2 for instigating, 5 for fighting and a game misconduct as well. Carkner did his job and was done for the night. There’s no way of knowing if the outcome of Saturday’s 3-2 overtime loss would have been any different with Dubinsky available, but it certainly did not help the Rangers’ cause.

On Sunday, Carkner, a repeat offender who has a history of such behavior, received a one-game suspension for his deliberate antics. Meanwhile, Rangers’ rookie Carl Hagelin received a 3-game suspension for his careless elbow to the head of Daniel Alfredsson. Seemingly the difference? While Carkner’s repeated blows to the head did not cause injury to Boyle, Hagelin’s elbow to the head did, at least in that game as Alfredsson did not return to play in game two. Alfredsson, however, has not yet been ruled out of Monday’s game.

Sunday evening, the Rangers issued this brief statement on the Hagelin suspension:

The New York Rangers accept the NHL’s three-game suspension of Carl Hagelin and will not pursue an appeal.

However, we are thoroughly perplexed in the ruling’s inconsistency with other supplementary discipline decisions that have been made throughout this season and during the playoffs.

We will have no further comment on this decision.

Perplexed? Yeah, join the party.

The message these suspensions send? That an action that may or may not cause a player to miss time is a far greater offense than a premeditated attack on a player that didn’t cause an injury. What next? Why not up the ante? If the Senators sent out a sacrificial lamb – a player that losing for a game or two has no real impact – do the Rangers send theirs out on Monday in John Scott and send him after Chris Phillips for his elbow on Ryan Callahan? Then who does Zenon Konopka, who promised “blood and stitches” in the series, target next? I am certainly not advocating it, but when the referees fail to step in  and properly control the situation (not just in the Rangers-Senators series) and the NHL itself fails to mete out discipline with some semblance of logic and reason (feel free to lump in Shea Weber slamming Henrik Zetterberg’s head, WWE-style, that only led to a fine), it lends itself to some of the vigilante justice that we’ve seen in the first week of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

There were expectations (at least I had them), that when Brendan Shanahan became the discipline czar, he was going to be a drastic improvement over his predecessor, Colin Campbell. Unfortunately, even with the video explanations, NHL discipline has remained a confusing, arbitrary justice system that leaves everyone scratching their heads.

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Pavel Datsyuk scored his first goal of the playoffs, but it didn't matter because the Red Wings drop Game 3 to the Predators. Photo by Dan4th.

The Detroit Red Wings failed to capitalize on their home ice advantage by dropping Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals to the Nashville Predators 3-2 at the Joe Louis Arena.

With the loss, the Red Wings now trail the Predators 2-1 in this best-of-seven series. Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg scored the team’s goals and Jimmy Howard stopped 19 of 22 shots and took the loss.

Pekka Rinne was a stone wall as he made 41 saves, with 18 of them in the third period, while Shea Weber, Kevin Klein and Sergei Kostitsyn found the net for the Predators.

After 12 straight Red Wing penalty kills in the series, the streak ended when Howard made a save on Sergei Kostitsyn, but Weber was right at the doorstep to pick up the rebound and put it on the top shelf, giving the Predators a 1-0 lead early in the first period. If it weren’t for Howard making some key saves in the first period, the Predators might have went to the locker room with a 3-goal lead.

Klein gave the Predators a 2-0 lead at 3:50 of the second period when he did a nice Bobby Orr impression; he started the rush from his own zone and passed the puck over to Martin Erat. Klein got the puck back and burst himself into the Red Wings’ zone, making Brad Stuart look silly in the process and used a wrist shot to beat Howard on the glove side.

Datsyuk got the Red Wings on the board when he stole the puck from Predators’ defenseman Roman Josi from behind the net and scored on a wrap-around to make it 2-1. It was Datsyuk’s first goal of the playoffs and it was one that the team needed.

The Red Wings threw everything, including the kitchen sink, at Rinne, but they couldn’t find the net. One of their better chances was early in the third period when Drew Miller and Cory Emmerton went in on a two-on-one, but Klein got back to his own zone and blocked the shot.

The Predators regained their two-goal lead when Sergei Kostitsyn went in on an odd-man rush and used a wicked snap shot, beating Howard on the stick side to make it 3-1 with 3:30 left, sending some of the fans home early. But there was still some hockey left and with David Legwand in the penalty box with 97 seconds left in regulation, the Red Wings pulled Howard for an extra skater, making it 6-on-4. The strategy worked when Zetterberg scored from the right face-off circle with 51.9 seconds left, making it a one-goal game, but that’s how it stood.

Maybe it’s just me, but wasn’t today’s game a repeat from Wednesday, but played at a different building and less penalties were called? Oh, and nobody’s head was rammed into the glass… just checking.

The way to beat Pekka Rinne is to shoot high; or perhaps the Red Wings should take a page out of Mr. Fuji’s handbook and throw Fuji Salt at the Predators’ netminder. He was downright clutch for the Predators, especially in the third period. I have to be blunt, especially being a Red Wings fan: goaltending performances like Rinne’s wins playoff series.

Howard played a good game, but he probably should have had the third goal that he gave up. He should know that there’s little room for error in the playoffs. I didn’t like the Klein goal simply because he split through the defense. Stuart put in a little hook, but it didn’t matter.

We need to see more of Johan Franzen on the ice scoring goals rather than spending time in the penalty box. He took two penalties in the middle stanza. One of them was when he reacted to spearing David Legwand (who was on the bench and swiped him first).

Shea Weber got the villain’s reception by receiving the chorus of boos every time he touched the puck at the Joe Louis Arena and will get that for some time… that is unless he decides to sign with the Red Wings this summer. Yes, it could happen because Weber will become an RFA (Restricted Free Agent) on July 1 and if he does sign with the Red Wings (or any other NHL team besides Nashville), it would cost said franchise multiple first-round draft picks, depending how how much he’ll sign for and for how many years.Weber for three or four first-round picks? How about five?

Let me ask a pivotal question: would you accept Shea Weber as a member of the Red Wings? As a fan, I would accept him wearing the winged wheel. He’s only 26 and he’s one of the top blueliners in the NHL, and with Nicklas Lidstrom’s pending retirement (whenever it will be), it would be a great coup for the Red Wings organization. If you think that you’ll still boo him if that were to happen, you’re only fooling yourself (i.e. Chris Chelios in 1999. ‘Nuff said).

Enough of the wishful thinking, because there’s still plenty of hockey yet to be played and the next date between the two teams is this Tuesday at the Joe for Game 4. Let’s hope that the Red Wings play like they did in the second half of today’s game for a full 60 minutes and go back to Nashville with the series tied.

The Nashville Predators faced the Detroit Red Wings at the Joe, a place where they had never won a playoff game, tied at one game apiece in their playoff series, and the two teams engaged in a back and forth contest that went down to the final seconds before the Predators captured a 3-2 victory.

Entering this game, the Predators knew they were going to be in a spirited contest, to be sure.

No, actually, it was going to a war.

The Predators knew they were going to need to come out strong, take the Wings and the crowd out of the game, and play a solid 60 minutes of hockey.

Oh yeah, Pekka Rinne had to be stronger than his counterpart for the Wings, Jimmy Howard.

Getting their dormant power play going was essential for the Predators, and they did that on their second power play opportunity. With Drew Miller in the box for goaltender interference, the Predators swarmed the Detroit net. Shea Weber, crashed the net and gathered in a rebound of an Andrei Kostitsyn shot and slammed the rebound past Howard to give the Predators a 1-0 lead at 2:48 of the first period. Finally, the Predators were able to convert on the man advantage, and the 0-12 monkey was off their back.

The first period settled down to playoff hockey, as both teams created some good chances. Both Rinne and Howard turned aside the shots that each team fired. Rinne in particular looked sharp and relaxed in net.

The first period ended with the Wings out shooting the Predators 11-9.

Just after a Jordin Tootoo penalty had expired early in the second period, Kevin Klein split the Wings D with tremendous speed and buried a shot over the shoulder of Howard to give the Predators a 2-0 lead at 3:50. Klein was sent into the zone off a nice pass from Marty Erat, and Klein’s speed into the zone surprised the Wings defense. More importantly, Klein finished the play, and that goal was huge for the Predators to give them some breathing room.

The Predators needed that breathing room as Pavel Datsyuk absolutely undressed Roman Josi and stole the puck from him behind the Predators net. He beat Rinne, who was looking the other way expecting the puck to go to his right. Datsyuk tucked the puck under Rinne’s pad before he could recover to make it 2-1 Predators at 15:03 of the second.

It goes without saying that Josi cannot let that play happen, As it was, the Wings now had life, and it was going to be important for the Predators to respond.

Sergei Kostitsyn took a penalty late in the period, and the Wings were swarming the Predators zone. Rinne fought off a shot by Nick Lidstrom and the rebound kicked out to Johan Franzen, and he made no mistake in depositing the puck into the back of the Predators net.

Just one problem.

The clock had just expired before the puck went into the net.

And the Predators had caught a huge break.

The Wings had out shot the Predators 13-9 in the second period, but they were energized and would have 1:49 of power play time to start the third period. It was going to be critical that the Predators respond, and especially not sit back on their heels in the third.

Detroit opened the third on the power play, and the Predators were able to kill off the penalty, but the Wings were rolling. They opened the third out shooting the Predators 7-0 and were dominant in the Predators zone. Rinne made some huge stops to keep the Wings off the board, but the Predators were going to have to begin to mount some offensive pressure. Sitting back like they were doing was going to be disastrous for the Predators.

The Predators finally got a couple of shots on net, but the Wings held a 13-2 shot advantage with just over 7 minutes remaining in the third period. The Predators tactic of sitting back and playing prevent defense was both frustrating and dangerous.

The Predators once again got some breathing room as Sergei Kostitsyn broke in on a 2 on 1 and instead of passing the puck snapped a shot over the shoulder of Howard to give the Predators a 3-1 lead at 16:30 of the third.

The Predators would need that goal as David Legwand was called for holding and the Wings tallied on the power play as Henrik Zetterberg walked into the zone and rifled a shot over the shoulder of Rinne short side to make it 3-2 with 52 seconds remaining.

Detroit came with the full court…uh, ice press in the remaining seconds, but the Predators did a good job of controlling and clearing the puck, and the Wings could not get a shot on goal.

The final horn had sounded and for the first time ever, the Predators had won a playoff game at the Joe.

It goes without saying that Rinne was magnificent in net. His play is so strong and it has to affect the Wings, leaving them wondering if they can get an even strength goal past him (Datsyuk’s flukey goal not withstanding).

How strong was Rinne? Detroit fired 43 shots on net. By contrast, the Predators managed just 22 for the game.

It is good to see Sergei Kostitsyn get on the board. He had been invisible up to this point, and finally getting on the board will hopefully get his game rolling.

The play of Kevin Klein was outstanding as he scored a beautiful goal and came up with a huge save when Rinne was out of position, stopping Cory Emmerton with a nice block of his shot. A very good game by Klein today.

The significance of this win at the Joe cannot be understated. For the Predators, it lifts that 800 pound gorilla of never winning there off their back. And for the Wings, it cracks their veneer of invincibility at home.

Yes, Detroit is a veteran team, and I expect them to come out flying in game 4. I also expect the Predators to be more calm and composed and their compete level to be extremely high. Now they know they can win at the Joe.

More importantly, they know they can win this series.

The time to take control is Tuesday.

My three stars:

1. Pekka Rinne

2. Kevin Klein

3. Sergei Kostitsyn

As the Detroit Red Wings were desperately trying to rally to tie the first game in their playoff series with the Nashville Predators, Shea Weber attempted to do just that- break glass- with Henrik Zetterberg’s face as he was trying to steal the puck from Weber behind the Nashville goal.

Here is the video of the final moments of the game from CBSSports Eye on Hockey blog:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Earlier today, the NHL announced that Weber would not be suspended for this incident, but fined the maximum amount allowed under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which is $2,500.00

Red Wings fans already had their knickers in a knot over the play, and after the announcement that Weber would not be suspended, went absolutely apoplectic.

And I don’t blame them.

If the situation had been reversed, and the Wings resident thug Todd Bertuzzi had done this to one of the Predators players, I would feel the same sense of outrage and anger that Wings fans feel. And I would have been on the phone to Greg Williams to discover the finer points of a bounty system.

Yes Weber plays on the edge, and what he did certainly stepped over the line. It was a type of play that we- the Predators and the NHL- did not need. When the casual fan starts to compare the play on the ice to the WWE, at the least the game has a perception problem.

Watch the video closely. Yes Weber was cross checked, but what really set him off was the knee on knee hit from behind by Zetterberg. That is when Weber lost it and retaliated.

Understand by pointing this out, I am not excusing his behavior. But there was a match to his fuse.

The focus in the hockey world has been on the act in the heat of the moment, and what mitigated Weber’s punishment is that Zetterberg is okay and will play in the next game.

Until the NHL changes the extent of injury as a criteria for punishment of players that commit egregious acts, we will continue to see those kinds of plays and continue to have the discussion about how to restore respect among the players and get those plays out of the game.

And the League is flirting with disaster.

Using the extent of an injury to determine the punishment of a player that engages in a dangerous play is ludicrous. The League runs the risk of seeing a player wheeled off on a stretcher with a career ending and possibly life altering injury because the standard for punishing those types of plays floats with the extent of the injury. In some respects, this gives the players who “play on the edge” license to continue taking these risks.

If the League is serious about taking these types of hits out of the game- and not just the hit that Weber delivered but the head shots and dangerous boarding plays- the punishment has to be consistent and had to be delivered regardless of the extent of injury or lack thereof. Only then will the players begin to consider their actions and limit those dangerous plays.

Consistent punishment that does not take into account the extent of an injury will not completely eliminate these plays. Some occur in a split second and are unavoidable. Consistent punishment regardless of injury will help to remove the retaliatory hits and the the dangerous hits along the board. Players will hopefully get the message that even if an opponent is not injured, engaging in a dangerous hit will have consequences that are not arbitrary or related to the injury suffered.

Maybe then Brendan Shanahan will not have so many pane in the glass plays to consider.

Henrik Zetterberg scored a goal in the Red Wings 3-2 loss in Nashville, but fell victim to a Shea Weber cheap shot at the end of the game. Photo by Dinur.

The Detroit Red Wings played a strong game, but it wasn’t enough as they fall to the Nashville Predtors 3-2 in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinal Series at the Bridgestone Arena.

Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Homstrom scored for the Red Wings while Paul Gaustad and rookie Gabriel Bourque (two goals) scored for the Predators.

Jimmy Howard kept the Red Wings in it with 23 saves, but Pekka Rinne came out of Game One the winner with 35 saves in which 30 of them were in the last 40 minutes of play. Rinne’s biggest save was on Zetterberg early in the third period when he sprawled out fromm one side of the net to the other without a stick and swatted the puck with his arm.

What happened towards the final buzzer was the bigger story as Shea Weber elbowed Zetterberg, who was trying to get the puck out of the corner, and then slammed his head into the ice. There was plenty of concern for Zetterberg, but he seemed fine and was irate about the cheap shot (as well as he should have been). Weber will get a call from the VP of Player Safety, Brendan Shanahan and could be the first player in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs to get the “Shanahammer”. Expect a one to two game suspension for Weber.

Darren Helm saw his first action in almost a month for the Red Wings, but it was short-lived because he suffered a lacerated wrist and was sent to a nearby hospital for surgery. According to Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock, it was “pretty severe”.

The Red Wings looked like they were trying too hard in the first period and it showed with their attempt to play their puck-possession game, but the puck was like a hot potato. They got a bad break on the first goal when Gaustad was skating behind the Red Wings goal and was going to clear the puck out, but the puck went off of defenseman Brad Stuart’s skate and went past Howard, giving the Preds a 1-0 lead.

They did get going in the second period when Zetterberg tied it when he found the loose puck in front of the Predators’ zone, to make it 1-1. The tie was short-lived when the Predators took the lead midway through the period when Matt Halischuk shot the puck from the blueline and Bourque delfected the shot tomake it 2-1. Bourque stretched the home team’s lead when he was wide open in front of the Red Wings net and buried the puck past Howard.

It was a one-goal game as the Red Wings were on a power play when Rinne stopped Kyle Quincey, but Holmstrom picked up the rebound to shovel the puck into the net.

Howard was pulled for an extra skater with 90 seconds left, but with Martin Erat called for holding with 23 seconds left, the Red Wings were back on the power play with having six skaters to the Predators’ four. At the end, they couldn’t get the puck in the net.

One of the things that I liked from the Red Wings was the PK unit. They killed off all six of the Predators’ power-play opportunities. Also, they scored two power play goals out of eight chances. Hey, even though they lost, they scored their goals with the man-advnantage, which was something that they were struggling with during the regular season.

Speaking of special teams, wouldn’t you like to see this series opened up a little more?  Let the players on both teams decide the series, not the officials. They way that the officials were calling penalties, I’m surprised that someone wasn’t sent to the penalty box for breathing the wrong way.

What is a given is that I’ll be listening to the local sports talk radio shows and callers will blame the refs and saying they won the game for the Predators. As a Red Wings fan, I’m so sick of hearing it. I’ve been listening to this crap for years and it’s so 1995. Seriously, that’s how long this has been going on. Here’s something to think about; all of the goals scored by the Predators were even strength.

The Red Wings look to even the series at 1-1 as they are back at the Bridgestone Arena for Game Two Friday night. Let’s not for get that one game does not make a series and there’ s plenty of hockey left.

It wasn’t easy.

The Predators committed 8 penalties and the Red Wings capitalized on 2 of their power plays. The Predators scored all their goals at even strength, and were 0-6 on their man advantage opportunities.

The Wings out shot the Predators 37-26, and Pekka Rinne made some huge saves for the Predators for the win. Jimmy Howard was in net for the Wings, and mad e some good stops as well, but not enough for the Wings to capture the win.

The Predators were the more physical team, and they punished the Wings throughout the game. Their physical play may come back to haunt them however, as Henrik Zetterberg hit Shea Weber from behind into the boards at the final horn and Weber responded by slamming Zetterberg’s head into the glass. Zetterberg was not hurt on the play, but acted as if he had been shot. It remains to be seen whether Weber will face any disciplinary action.

The Predators opened the scoring at 6:59 of the first period as Paul Gaustad retrieved the puck in the corner and walked out toward the net. He threw the puck at the net and it caromed off the skate of Brad Stuart and past Howard to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.

The Wings answered at 2:29 of the second period on the power play as Rinne gave up a rebound and Henrik Zetterberg beat Nick Spaling to the puck and banged it past Rinne to tie the game at 1.

The Predators regained the lead at 12:29 of the second period as Matt Halishcuk skated in over the blue line and fired a puck toward the net. The puck was re-directed off the stick of Gabriel Bourque and over the shoulder of Howard to give the Predators a 2-1 lead.

The Predators stretched their lead to 3-1 as Patric Hornqvist battled for a puck behind the net. Hornqvist won that battle and fed the puck to Bourque who was cruising down the slot. Bourque’s one timer beat Howard to give the Predators a cushion that they would need.

Once again, the Predators lack of discipline cost them as the Wings tallied their second power play goal. This score came with 2:07 remaining in the game as Tomas Holmstrom would bang home a shot to make the score 3-2.

The wings pulled Howard with 1:29 remaining for the extra attacker. The Predators made the final seconds more challenging as they committed their 8th penalty. Marty Erat was called for a weak holding call, but nevertheless the Wings were skating 6 on 4. The Predators were able kill off the power play and claimed a 1-0 lead in what will be a contentious series.

The Predators were extremely strong at even strength. In fact, I will venture to say that the Wings cannot beat the Predators at even strength. There is that matter of penalties, though.

Committing 8 penalties against the Wings is not a formula for success in this series. In is incumbent that the Predators play with more discipline and stop the march to the penalty box. The Predators were fortunate that they gave up only 2 power play goals. Sitting in the box against the Wings in the remaining games will bite the Predators.

The Predators did what they needed to do in game one, and that is get the win. The way they did it was, frankly, lucky.

They are the better team, top to bottom. But allowing the Wings the ability to play with the man advantage for much of the game will lead to problems- and losses- for the Predators over the course of a long series.

It is time for the Predators to evaluate their game and stop the unnecessary penalties. None of the penalties tonight were “good” penalties, that is, preventing a scoring opportunity. They were undisciplined penalties. Limit those, and this series is there for the Predators to capture.

The play of the third line, which I said would be pivotal, was just that tonight. Gabriel Bourque was outstanding, and played with a maturity and jump that belied his rookie status. I look for Bourque and his line mates to continue to have a positive impact in this series.

It will be important for the Predators to get their top two lines going in this series. They were for the most invisible tonight. They have too much talent not to produce quality scoring chances.

This will not be an easy series by any stretch, but it is a series that the Predators have for the taking.

It is up to the Predators to seize the opportunity.

My three stars:

1. Gabriel Bourque

2. Pekka Rinne

3. Paul Gaustad

Nicklas Lidstrom looks to hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2008. Photo by Sentrawoods

The Predators made wave at the trade deadline when they acquired Hal Gill, Andrei Kostitsyn and Paul Gaustad as well as getting back Alexander Radulov from the KHL, but making acquisitions at the deadline doesn’t guarantee a Stanley Cup, just ask the Red Wings circa the spring of 1999.

While the Penguins/Flyers matchup will be the most anticipated out of all the opening round matchups, the Red Wings/Predators is going to be a all-out battle. I think it will go seven games with the Red Wings coming out of the first round.  Winning the Stanley Cup is the toughest trophy to win in all of sports and the Red Wings know what it’s like because they’ve been there and done it.

1. The Goaltendng of Jimmy Howard

Winning the Stanley Cup is based on strong goaltending and Howard fits the bill. Howard was one of the top five goalies during the regular season before injuries derailed him and has gotten back his groove. Over his last four starts of the regular season, Howard went 2-1-1 with a  1.92 goals against average and a .927 save percentage and that’s a small sample size of what he can do in the playoffs. Howard almost single-handedly carried the Red Wings past the San Jose Sharks in last year’s playoffs and a repeat of his individual performance this spring will be key. Expect Howard to be a candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.

2. A Complete Red Wings Roster

The Red Wings were near the top of the NHL standings, but the injury bug struck several players on the team and each player missed a significant amount of time. The rash of injuries were well known with many key player were out of the lineup such as Pavel Datsyuk (knee surgery) Nicklas Lidstrom (deep bone bruise on his right ankle), Jimmy Howard (right pinky finger, groin injury). Jonathan Ericsson missed a month with a fracutred wrist, but since he returned to the lineup two weeks ago, he stepped up his game by displaying more of a physical presence on the ice. At this point of the hockey season, everyone isn’t 100%, but with everybody back on the team, they’re among the NHL’s best.

3. The Line of Zetterberg, Hudler and Filppula

Zetterberg’s stats have been impressive in the playoffs with 49 goals and 50 assists in 104 career playoff games. He’s among the top five among active players in those categories as well as taking home a Stanley Cup and a Conn Smythe Trophy in 2008.  Zetterberg’s linemates, Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula, have both enjoyed career seasons. After a brutal 2010-11 season, Hudler became the player that he was before he left for the KHL in 2009 by setting a career high in goals (25) and was out of head coach Mike Babcock’s doghouse. Filppula had the breakout season that everyone was waiting for by setting career highs in goals (23) and assists (43). Expect Zetterberg’s leadership and guidance to rub off on his linemates.

4. Scoring Balance

The Red Wings boast four quality lines and when one of their top two lines are targeted by the other team, the bottom six finds a way to score. Johan Franzen led the team with 29 goals with 10 other players in the double-digit range. Overall, the Red Wings ranked seventh in the NHL with 239 goals. Not too bad for a team that lost players like Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen, Todd Bertuzzi and Nicklas Lidstrom, who was the quarterback on the power play. We can’t forget the blueline corps as Red Wings defensemen helped out the balancing act by scoring 44 goals this season, which led the NHL. 

5. Rich in Experience

Nicklas Lidstrom leads all active players with 258 playoff games played and would need to play nine more games to pass former teammate Chris Chelios to set the all-time mark in that category. Lidstrom and Tomas Holmstrom (second on the active list with 175) and have been through all the battles for the last three decades and they know what it takes to win. When Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg entered the league in 2001 and 2002 respectively, they had the best teachers in Lidstrom, Holmstrom, Chelios, Brett Hull and Steve Yzerman, among others because they played with them and experienced the blood, sweat and tears they endured for weeks to reach the pinnacle. Now guys like Jiri Hudler, Valtteri Filppula and Niklas Kronwall are following suit and are on that journey to the holy grail.

It all begins on Wednesday in the Music City, so let the journey begin.

Henrik Zetterberg and the Red Wings drop their second consecutive game by losing to the Predators 4-1. Photo by Dinur.

With the loss, the Red Wings (46-27-5, 97 points) relinquished (for now) the fourth place spot in the Western Conference standings to the Predators (98 points), who got tremendous goaltending from Pekka Rinne. The NHL leader in shost against and saves stopped 31 more, including a highlight reel save on Henrik Zetterberg towards the end of the second period.

Congratulations to the only bench boss in Predators’ history as Barry Trotz registered his 500th NHL coaching win.

The Predators got goals from Gabriel Bourque, Francis Boullion, Alexander Radulov and Shea Weber while Jiri Hudler foiled Rinne’s bid for a shutout with 3:03 left in the game.

In his first game in 11 days, Jimmy Howard got the nod in goal, but he didn’t get much support as he gave up three goals on 26 shots. He kept his team in it, but got little support from his teammates.

Howard hasn’t had much luck since returning to the lineup on February 21 from a broken finger as he’s won only once in his last nine appearances (1-5-3). During that time, he has been in-and-out of the lineup with a groin injury.

Both teams played a stellar first period as it resembled a playoff-type atmosphere.  The Predators led the period in shots 9-7, but the Red Wings didn’t get their first shot on goal until 8:18 into the game.

The Red Wings almost took the lead with over five minutes left in the first period when Nicklas Lidstrom blasted a shot from the point, but the puck ricocheted off the left goal post and shot right back out to Rinne, who had to be alert to cover up the puck to keep it scoreless.

The Red Wings outshot the Predators 18-7, but found themselves in a 2-0 hole after 40 minutes with goals by Bourque and Boullion. Bourque opened the scoring at 13:05 in the middle stanza as he blasted a shot from the slot, beating a screened Howard. Boullion scored with 33 seconds left as he picked up the rebound in front of players in a mad scramble and roofed it past Howard, who had Todd Bertuzzi in his personal space.

At the 2:40 mark of the third period, the visitors extended the lead to 3-0 as Andrei Kostitsyn buzzed around the Red Wings’ net and fed a nice pass to a wide-open Radulov, who was right there for the one-timer from the slot. It was Radulov’s second goal in his fifth game since returning from the KHL.

It was too little too late when Hudler cut the Predators lead to 3-1 late in the game when he was alone when he got a pass from Henrik Zetterberg to put the puck past Rinne. Weber put the cherry on top when he scored an empty-net goal with 40 seconds left.

Putting the blame on Howard is ridiculous. He had traffic in front of him for the first two goals that he gave up and on the third goal, having a player like Radulov by himself  isn’t a good idea. Simply put, the Red Wings played sub-par defense.  The Red Wings had plenty of shots on goal, but Rinne was spectacular in net. He’s a good reason why the Predators will give teams fits in the playoffs.

If the season were to end today, the Red Wings and Predators would meet in the first round of the playoffs, with the Predators having  home-ice advantage. On Wednesday, they put in a lackluster performance and threw away two points against the worst team in the league, the Columbus Blue Jackets and tonight, they needed this game to better their chances of having home-ice advantage in the first round, but the Predators hard from start to finish.

If the Red Wings want to reclaim the fourth seed, they’d have to win the remaining four games in the regular season schedule but it’s not going to be easy. Their quest for home-ice starts on Sunday as they welcome the surprising Florida Panthers at the Joe Sunday afternoon.

The Predators faced a daunting task in their attempt to win at the Joe, where Detroit was 30-5-2 going into this game.

Consider the jinx at the Joe broken as the Predators dominated the Wings en route to a 4-1 victory.

The Predators had Pekka Rinne in net, while the Wings welcomed back Jimmy Howard, who had missed the last 4 games with a groin injury.

The first period was scoreless, but both teams had some quality scoring chances. The Predators out shot the Wings 9-7 in the first, but the real story of this period was that the Predators did a great job on the forecheck and pressured the Wings in their zone. The Predators used their forecheck to stymie the speed of the Wings through the neutral zone and did not allow them to enter the offensive zone with speed.

That level of play would continue throughout the game, as the Predators controlled the neutral zone. In addition, the Predators did a good job in the defensive zone of disrupting the Wings in the offensive zone, intercepting passes and thwarting the offensive flow that the Wings tried to establish.

The second period continued just as the first had played out, with both teams probing and trying to establish offensive zone presence.

It was the Predators that would break through first.

Gabriel Bourque would take a pass from Jordin Tootoo in the slot and slip a wrist shot past Howard to give the Predators a 1-0 lead at 13:05 of the second period. Bourque continues his solid play, as he goes to the tough areas and is strong on the puck, and he was rewarded for his efforts with a big goal.

The Predators tempted fate as they gave the Wings consecutive power plays. Nick Spaling was called for hooking at 14:04, and the Predators PK killed off the Wings power play.

Just 20 seconds later, the Predators were called for too many men on the ice, and once again, the PK unit came up big, killing off the Wings power play. The highlight of that kill was Rinne absolutely robbing Henrik Zetterberg with a glove save at the side of the net.

Just 23 seconds after that kill, the Predators put a dagger into the heart of the Red Wings.

With Alexander Radulov being mugged in front of the net- actually being tackled by Todd Bertuzzi- the puck squirted out of traffic onto the stick of Francis Buillon. Frankie buried the puck past Howard at 19:27 of the second period to give the Predators a 2-0 lead.

Detroit out shot the Predators 17-8 in the second period, but many of those shots were from the outside and were shots that Rinne easily handled.

The third period was one that everyone knew would have a push by the Wings. For the Predators, it was going to be important not to sit back and let the Wings take the play to them.

The Predators did anything but sit back, as they kept the pressure up on the Wings. Alexander Radulov took a very sweet pass from Andrei Kostitsyn, who moved up to the second line in the third period, and was alone in the slot. Radulov hammered the shot past Howard, who had no chance on the play, to give the Predators a 3-0 lead at 2:40 of the third period.

The Predators continued to limit the quality chances by the Wings through their forecheck and their play in the neutral zone. This was evidenced by the Predators holding the Wings to 8 shots in the third period, while the Predators had 10.

The Wings finally cracked the scoreboard at 16:57 of the third period, as Jiri Hudler took a pass from Henrik Zetterberg and found the open side of the net past an out of position Rinne.

The Predators iced the win with an empty net goal by Shea Weber at 19:20 of the third period.

For the Predators, this win allows them to take possession of 4th place in the West. With 4 games remaining, it is going to be imperative that the Predators take care of business. They have the advantage of 3 of those 4 games being in the friendly confines of Bridgestone Arena.

This game was also a milestone game for Barry Trotz and David Poile. This was Head Coach Barry Trotz’s 500th win, all with the Predators. Trotz becomes just the fifth coach to win 500 games with one team. General Manager David Poile becomes the first General Manager to have 500 wins with two different teams, the Washington Capitals and the Predators.

Congratulations to both of these gentlemen for this significant accomplishment.

Obviously this win feels good, but there is work left to do in the regular season, starting tomorrow night against Chicago.

Play like you did tonight, and home ice is yours for the taking.

My three stars:

1. Pekka Rinne

2. Alexander Radulov

3. Francis Buillon

Henrik Zetterberg scored his 22nd goal of the season, but it wasn't enough in Columbus as the Red Wings lose 4-2 to the Blue Jackets. Photo by Bridget Samuels.

Talk about your “trap games”. The writing was on the wall when the Detroit Red Wings (46-26-5) stepped inside the Nationwide Arena for the final game of a home-and-home series with the host Columbus Blue Jackets.

Add up the Red Wings’ torching of the Blue Jackets on Monday night and a goalie, who was brought up from Springfield of the AHL on an emergency basis, making his second NHL start and you’d figure it would be a Red Wings’ blowout, right?

Guess again, because the tables were turned on Wednesday night as the Blue Jackets stunned the Red Wings 4-2 and Allen York was the story as he stopped 29 shots for his first NHL win.

Ty Conklin wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t good either as he stopped 27 shots in his fourth straight start. His teammates, on the other hand, left their game at the Joe Louis Arena because they played flat. Even though the Blue Jackets have the worst record in the NHL, they played like they wanted it.

The onslaught started at 6:26 of the first period that started with a bad pass by Niklas Kronwall was intercepted by Rick Nash, who passed the puck over to Vinny Prospal, beating Conklin for a 1-0 lead.  It was later 2-0 in the first when Brad Stuart whiffed on a shot in the neutral zone and that’s where Ryan Johansen took advantage and passed it over to Derek Dorsett, who went in all alone as he beat Conklin with a backhand.

Henrik Zetterberg scored his 22nd goal on the power play late in the first period when he shot the puck from the top of the left faceoff circle that deflected off of Blue Jackets’ defenseman Jack Johnson.

But after that, the Blue Jackets took over again in the second period by stretching their lead with goals by Derick Brassard and R.J. Umberger, who scored 1:27 apart of each other.

The Red Wings started to get things going in the third period and looked more like a desperate team. Kronwall scored the team’s second power-play goal midway through the final stanza when he got a feed from Nicklas Lidstrom and with a one-timer from the left point, but that’s all the team could muster.

One of the very few bright spots for the Red Wings was the power-play where they went two-for-four with the man-advantage.  The other was the return of Johan Franzen and Jonathan Ericsson, but those were overshadowed by the team’s lackluster performance in Columbus.

Even though Conklin played so-so, his teammates failed him with the lack of continuity and a rash of bad passes, especially with the first two goals given up. Tonight’s game would have made Red Wings’ head coach Mike Babcock pull out his hair.

It was a game that the Red Wings had to have in order to secure the fourth seed in the Western Conference standings. Even though they remain fourth with 97 points, the Nashville Predators are pounding at the door with 96 points and it’s not going to get any easier.

The Red Wings’ next game is Friday night as they host the Predators at the Joe.  If the Red Wings play like they did in Columbus, they might as well hand fourth place over to the Predators.

Tomas Holmstrom scored two power-play goals for the Red Wings in a 7-2 over the Blue Jackets. Photo by jpowers65.

The end result was the Red Wings whipping the Blue Jackets 7-2 at the Joe Louis Arena. After going winless in six straight games, the Red Wings have a new streak of their own by winning two in a row.

Tomas Holmstrom ended a 28-game goalless drought as he led the team with two power play goals. It was vintage “Homer” on Monday night. Wouldn’t it be great to see more of that, especially in the playoffs?

Gustav Nyquist, Jiri Hudler, Nicklas Lidstrom, Brad Stuart and Pavel Datsyuk also found the net for the Red Wings.

Other offensive outputs included Henrik Zetterberg and Todd Bertuzzi with four assists each, while Bertuzzi led all skaters with a +5 rating.

Congratulations to Nyquist as he scored his first NHL goal and is now on a four-game point streak. Nyquist was buzzing around the net and found an opening when he was set up with a sweet blind pass from Datsyuk, which was one for the highlight reel.

Ty Conklin won his second straight games as he made 20 saves. Conklin’s bid for his second shutout of the season ended 19 seconds after Datsyuk finalized the Red Wing’s scoring early in the third period when Mark Lestestu scored. Rick Nash netted the other goal for the Blue Jackets.

Poor Steve Mason. The Blue Jackets netminder had no help in front of him, especially in the first period when Holmstrom scored twice, while Nyquist and Hudler scored before the 10-minute mark of the opening stanza. He showed his frustration by breaking his stick after the Hudler goal. Mason was finally replaced by Allen York after Stuart scored to make it 6-0 at 8:34 of the second period.

With the win, the Red Wings moved back into fourth place in the Western Conference standings with 97 points and are one point ahead of the Nashville Predators have 96 points. If the season were to end today, these two would meet in the first round of the playoffs, with the Red Wings having the home ice advantage.

Also, the Red Wings punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a franchise record 21st straight season. The previous team mark was 20 seasons in a row, which was from 1938-39 to 1957-58. The current incarnation of the team has ways to go in order to match the Boston Bruins who holds the NHL record as they reached the playoffs 29 consecutive seasons who made the postseason from 1967-68 thru 1995-96.

Congratulations to Tomas Holmstrom, who was nominated for the Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy by the Detroit media.  A player from each NHL team is nominated for the award, which is handed out each year at the NHL Awards and given to the player for his dedication, sportsmanship and perseverance to the sport of hockey.

Holmstrom has made a career out of taking a beating in front of the opposition’s net since entering the NHL in the 1996. Out of his 242 NHL goals, 121 of them were via the power play, ranking third in franchise history.

Over his last 24 games, Henrik Zetterberg has 12 goals and 19 assists and has been carried the hottest stick for the Red Wings. He stepped his game up when Pavel Datsyuk was recovering from knee surgery and his linemates, Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula are also cashing in.

Nicklas Lidstrom and Jakub Kindl returned to the lineup this past Saturday against Carolina and a couple of teammates might follow suit very soon. Jimmy Howard, Jonathan Ericsson and Johan Franzen could return to the lineup by the end of the week.

The Red Wings look to make it three wins in a row as they have another date with the Blue Jackets, but this time it will be at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus.

Nicklas Lidstrom returned to the Red Wings lineup on Saturday night after missing the previous 11 games with a deep bone bruise on his right ankle. Photo by Dan4th.

The Detroit Red Wings (45-25-5) rallied from a 4-1 deficit and stormed their way to a 5-4 victory over the visiting Carolina Hurricanes at the Joe Louis Arena. In the process, they snapped a six-game winless streak and won for the first time since March 9.

They avoided the team’s first seven-game winless streak since the 1990-91 campaign where they didn’t win a game from January 14-30, 1991.  It was the year before a third-round draft pick from the 1989 NHL Draft came into the league and if I remember correctly, his name was Nicklas Lidstrom.

Speaking of Lidstrom, the team Captain returned to the lineup after missing 11 games (longest stretch of his 20-year career) with a deep bone bruise on his right ankle. He played over 20:26 and registered an assist, four shots on goal and blocked two shots.

The Red Wings remain in fourth place in the Western Conference standings with 95 points and are one point ahead of the Nashville Predators and three points ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks. The Predators and Blackhawks will face each other in Chicago on Sunday night.

Henrik Zetterberg led the way with two goals while Valtteri Filppula had three assists and their linemate Jiri Hudler scored a goal and added two assists. Ty Conklin, who was recalled on an emergency basis this past Tuesday, stopped 20 shots to notch his first win since January 17. It was “Miller Time” once again at the Joe as Drew Miller scored the game-winning goal midway through the third period.

Many fans at the JLA hadn’t gone to their seats when the Hurricanes scored first. Jiri Tlusty scored his first of two goals in the game when he beat Ian White in a race for the puck and shot the puck from the left side of the Red Wing’s goal with a deflection off of White’s stick, past Conklin for a 1-0 ‘Canes lead.

Both teams exchanged three goals apiece in a wild second period and Fraser, Mi native Chad LaRose started the scoring 26 seconds into the middle stanza when he got a feed from Eric Stall and was all alone when he fired a shot from the slot to make it 2-0.

Zetterberg got the Red Wings going with a shot from the right circle and past Hurricanes’ goalie Cam Ward at 5:10 to make it 2-1. Later in the period, Jamie McBain scored at 15:38 to make it 3-1 and Tlusty scored his second of the game 17 seconds later and the fans at the Joe and those who were watching it on TV were restless.

It looked as if the Hurricanes were about to win their first game in Detroit since November 14, 1989 back when the franchise was known as the Hartford Whalers.

Just like their last game in New York on Tuesday, the Red Wings showed plenty of  fight. Sixty-three seconds after the second Tlusty goal, Zetterberg zipped a shot that knocked Ward’s mask off his head and into the net, making it 4-2. Just 18 seconds later, Todd Bertuzzi made it a one-goal game when he was in front of the Hurricanes’ net and swatted the puck past Ward to make it 4-3.

The game was tied at 4-4 at 8:10 of the third period when Brad Stuart picked up a juicy rebound and fired a one-timer from the top of the slot, with the puck deflecting off of Hudler’s leg to make it 4-4. Drew Miller scored the deciding goal right after Danny Cleary won the face off and Miller drove to the net and scored with a backhand shot, beating Ward to make it 5-4 and that’s how it stood.

The Red Wings fans’ cheered loudly when Nicklas Lidstrom was announced as one of the starting defensemen in the game. But, when the ‘Canes scored right off the bat, it looked like it was going to be one of those games thinking another Red Wings loss. The home team did have a strong first period and fired 16 shots on Cam Ward, who faced a lot of shots with 50 of them in the game.

After the Hurricanes took a 2-0 lead, it was getting a little restless, but after the Red Wings were trailing 4-1, it looked like it was going to be a route. The Red Wings showed grit and determination and it’s something that they will have to show on a regular basis if they’re going to go far in the playoffs, which is more than two weeks away.

One of the areas that the Red Wings have to improve on down the road is their penalty killing unit. It was dreadful, especially in the second period when they gave up two power-play goals in a 17-second span while the Hurricanes were on a 5-on-3. The first goal given up on the PK was with one-second left with the two-man adavnatage. That was the only time that the Red Wings’ PK unit were on the ice.

Getting Lidstrom back is a boost for not only the defense corps, but for the entire organization. His presence should help out on the power play which needs all the help it can get. Not only did the Captain return to the lineup, but Jakub Kindl also played and was on the ice for 17:42. Jonathan Ericsson should return to the lineup this week after missing 11 games with a fractured wrist. Goaltender Jimmy Howard should also return within the next few days after missing the previous eight game with a groin injury.

Rookie defenseman Brendan Smith was a healthy scratch and was returned to the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) after the game. In 14 games with the Red Wings, Smith scored a goal and added six assists with a +3 rating and also added a physical presence in the lineup. He will head back to Grand Rapids and log more minutes for the Griffins and it will be a better situation for him rather than sitting in the press box. However once, when the Griffins’ season ends, Smith will return to the team as a reserve for the playoffs. It won’t be much longer until he sticks with the Red Wings for good.

Another rookie with a decent showing was Gustav Nyquist, who played on a line with Pavel Datsyuk and Todd Bertuzzi. He drew an assist to Bertuzzi’s goal in the second period and even though he has some playmaking skills, Nyquist has to learn when to shoot the puck. He had a chance to tie it early in the third period, but when Nyquist learns to do that (and he will), he’s going to be a better player for it.

The Red Wings look to win their second straight game as they welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets to town on Monday night.

Dan Cleary scored his first goal in 15 games, but the Red Wings fall to the Capitals 5-3. Photo by JPowers65.

Kyle Quincey, Todd Bertuzzi and Danny Cleary scored for the Red Wings, who are now winless in their last five games. Jimmy Howard stopped 17 of 21 shots, but don’t let those stats fool you. He didn’t give up a bad goal, but his teammates missed their assignments.

With the Nashville Predators beating the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 last night, the Red Wings failed to take away sole possession of fourth place in the Western Conference standings from the Predators as both teams are tied with 92 points.

The Capitals, who were rocking the throwback jerseys, got two goals from Alex Ovechkin while Mike Knuble, Keith Aucoin and Jason Chimera also found the net. Braden Holtby made 30 saves for the win.

The Capitals started off sticks-a-blazing by scoring three goals over a 7:03 span in the first period with two goals by Ovechkin. Knuble, a former Red Wing, also scored in the opening stanza.

There was a Red Wings’ power play goal sighting at 5:15 of the second period when Quincey shot the puck from outside the right circle, beating Holtby. It was their first goal with the man-advantage in nine games, ending an 0-for-33 slump. It was their longest drought without a pp goal  since the 1996-97 season, which was they year they won the Stanley Cup.

Aucoin stretched the Capitals lead to 4-1 with a shot from the slot, beating Howard at 17:24 of the second period.

Bertuzzi scored 36 seconds into the third period when he was in front of the net and picked up the loose puck after it deflected off some skates to put it past Holtby.

We also had a Cleary sighting as he found the net for the first time in 15 games when he scored his 12th goal of the season, making it a one-goal game. The Red Wings had a chance to tie it up late in the game, but Henrik Zetterberg was sent to the penalty box a minute into their power play opportunity.

Chimera scored an empty-net goal with 21 seconds left, sealing a win for the Capitals.

Who could blame Jimmy Howard for being upset?  Howard stormed off the ice and straight to the locker room after the final buzzer. His frustration is justified. His team didn’t play well in front of him, especially in the first period as Ovechkin and Knuble were wide open as they scored for the Capitals in the first period.

The Red Wings were without Nicklas Lidstrom, Joey MacDonald, Jonathan Ericsson, Jakub Kindl and Johan Franzen and now add Darren Helm to the list. Helm will miss the next 4-6 weeks with an MCL sprain, which he suffered when he collided with Dominic Moore during the Red Wings’ 3-2 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks. He’s not quite Pavel Datsyuk or Henrik Zetterberg, but he’s an effective third-line player and the team will miss Helm’s speed in the lineup.

The Lidstrom watch continues as he missed his tenth straight game and is out indefinitely with a deep bone bruise on his right ankle.  A good sign is that he is skating, but they could sure use the Captain and the rest of the injured players in the M*A*S*H right about now as the team are 3-8-2 over their last 13 games.

We can say it until we’re blue in the face that the injuries are taking a huge bite out of the team, but the excuses are going to run out at some point. The injuries card can’t be played if they don’t play a full 60-minute game. Fifth place is a reality for the Red Wings right now. While the Nashville Predators are surging, the Red Wings are spiraling down a dangerous circle with their rash of injuries and their recent play.

One of the very few positives to come out of tonight’s game was the play of rookie defenseman, Brendan Smith as registered his first multi-point game in the NHL with two assists. On his second assist, Smith made a veteran move by keeping the puck in play and helped set up Danny Cleary’s goal in the third period.

The Red Wings will limp into Broadway on Wednesday as they have a rare “Original Six” matchup with the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden

Darren Helm scored the game-winning goal for the Red Wings late in the third period. Photo by Paige Kaitlyn.

Valtteri Filppula tied the game with 4:02 left in the third with his 22nd goal of the season and Darren Helm, who had to fight off Kings’ defenseman Drew Doughty in order to score the deciding goal with 73 seconds remaining, giving the Red Wings the first lead of the game.

The win halted the Red Wings’ mini two-game losing skid, but they had to fight off a Kings’ six-on-four power-play with 24 seconds remaining in the third as Brad Stuart went to the sin bid for tripping.

The Red Wings remain fourth in the Western Conference standings, but they trail the St. Louis Blues by two points in the race for the Central Division.

Henrik Zetterberg has carried the hottest stick blade as of late for the Red Wings by scoring twice against the Kings. As the offensive catalyst in his last six games, Zetterberg has five goals and seven assists.

Both of Zetterberg’s goals came from nice feeds from Filppula, but the one that drew ohh’s and ahh’s from those watching was a breathtaking spin-o-rama from Filppula as he skated to the Kings’ own zone that tied the game at 2-2. I had to go Matt Foley from Saturday Night Live when I saw that “I can’t see real good, but was that Pavel Datsyuk I saw over there?” All kidding aside, Filppula has come into his own and playing with his linemates has surely helped.

Joey MacDonald stopped 21 of 24 shots for his eighth win of the season. Despite giving up a weak goal to Justin Williams late in the first period, MacDonald was clutch down the stretch to help preserve the win. His biggest save was on Williams late in the third which was shortly before Helm’s game-winner.

Going back to Quick, the King’s all-star goaltender has been stellar this season and should be in the running for the Vezina Trophy. But, his record against the Red Wings in 2011-12 would make the 2006-08 Kings version of Dan Cloutier blush. Quick posted an 0-3-0 with a 5.16 goals against average and an .817 save percentage which is, by far, his worst line of stats against any NHL club this season. To Kings fans, my apologies for bringing up Cloutier.

The Red Wings played without many of their regulars. With Pavel Datsyuk, Todd Bertuzzi, Nicklas Lidstrom, Jakub Kindl, Jonathon Ericsson and Jimmy Howard out with injuries, add Justin Abdelkader to the list of the walking wounded.

Abdelkader, who was out with the flu, sat out Friday night’s game which prompted the team to callup another player from Grand Rapids as Joakim Andersson was recalled and inserted into the team’s fourth line along with Jan Musak and Tomas Holmstrom

With the remaining Red Wing players, two players who spent significant amount of time in the AHL contributed big in tonight’s game. Defenseman Brendan Smith is making a statement by trying to stick with the NHL club and is doing a good job at doing so. He lead the team with a +2 rating against the Kings and made an impact late in the third period. He jumped onto the ice after a line change and blew his way into the Kings zone and fed a quick pass to Filppula that tied the game at 3-3.

Gustav Nyquist, who was recalled from Grand Rapids on Thursday, drew the first assist to Helm’s game-clincher late in the third. With the helper, Nyquist got his second NHL point in his sixth game with the Red Wings. He has been tearing it up for the Griffins in his first full pro season with 19 goals and 35 assists in 53 games, but it won’t be that long until he sticks with the Red Wings for good.

The next game for the Red Wings is Saturday night as they head to the Music City for a Central Division clash with the Nashville Predators at the Bridgestone Arena.

Johan Franzen scored his team-leading 25th goal of the season, but it wasn't enough as the Red Wings lose to the Flyers 3-2. Photo by Bridget Samuels.

Once again, the Detroit Red Wings come up short as they lose their second straight one-goal game, falling to the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 at the Wells Fargo Center.

Ilya Bryzgalov showed last night why he’s worth $51 million for the next nine years as he stopped 37 shots, including Valtteri Filppula late in the third period. Jakub Voracek, Claude Giroux and Maxime Talbot scored for the Flyers.

Joey MacDonald stopped 20 shots for the Red Wings and was also a victim of some communication breakdowns in front of him. Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen scored goals for the Red Wings.

Zetterberg got on the board at the four-minute mark of the first period when he roofed a backhand from the bottom of the right faceoff circle past Bryzgalov for a 1-0 lead. Jakub Voracek capitalized on one of the Red Wings’ mishaps when MacDonald left the puck behind his net for his teammate Doug Janik, but Voracek was the first to get the puck and scored to tie the game at 13:50 . Giroux scored on a breakaway late in the first, giving the Flyers a 2-1 lead.

The Red Wings were unable to cash in on all four power-play opportunities, but the one that hurt them the most was when Ian White coughed up the puck from the left point and Giroux quickly recovered the puck and went to the races. Giroux was stopped by MacDonald, but Talbot, who was trailing on the play, picked up the rebound and scored to make it 3-1. That goal proved to be the deciding tally

Franzen scored his team-leading 25th goal for the Red Wings, but that was all that they could get past Bryzgalov, who was clutch in the remaining seconds of the game.

There was a “Kronwalled” sighting in the “City of Brotherly Love” as Niklas Kronwall layed out Jakub Voracek with one of his pattened hits. Voracek had his head down as he tried to get the puck along the boards and that’s something that an opposing player should never do when Kronwall is on the ice.

Voracek was down on the ice for a few moments, but was able to get up and skate on his own. The hit will likely be reviewed by the league’s office, but don’t expect a fine or suspension. Voracek didn’t return to the game and will be further evaluated later today.

Kronwall is the Ivan Drago of the NHL, because whatever he hits, he destroys.

Flyers forward Jaromir Jagr left with a hip injury and also didn’t return. The Red Wings should know all too well about injuries as they went into Philly without Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom, Jimmy Howard, Todd Bertuzzi, Jonathan Ericsson and Jakub Kindl. You could say that tonight’s lineup were a mixture of Red Wings and the team’s minor league affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Besides the team’s miscues and rash of injuries, the team’s power-play are also a mess as they went 0-for-4 against the Flyers. What’s worse is that over their last nine games, the Red Wings have gone 3-for-34 with the man-advantage. It doesn’t help if some of the team’s best players aren’t in the lineup, but what fans may not know is that the Red Wings are tied for third in the NHL with 211 goals scored. With the depth and balance of the roster, the Red Wings be able to convert more on the PP.

It’s now 15 years and counting since the Red Wings won in Philadelphia. Their last regular season win was on January 25, 1997 but their recent win (if you want to call it that), was months later when the two met in the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals, with the Red Wings winning Game Two on June 3 by the score of 4-2.

Before the game, the Flyers honored Hall of Famer (and former Red Wing) Mark Howe as number 2 jersey was retired. Howe spent 10 seasons in Philadelphia and was part of one of the best defensive corps in recent history as he played alongside Brad Marsh and Doug Crossman and the late Brad McCrimmon during the 1980s.

Though he had his best seasons with the Flyers, Howe had his best season with the orange and black during the 1985-86 season as he registered 24 goals and 58 assists along with a jaw-dropping plus/minus rating of +85 in 77 games played. Both teams sat behind their respective benches and watched the ceremony.

The Red Wings look to snap out of their two-game slide as they head back to the Joe Louis Arena this Friday as they welcome the Los Angeles Kings.

Niklas Kronwall was named the NHL's Second Star of the Week with two goals and five assists with a +3 rating over his last three games. Photo by JPowers65

Despite getting a serious case of the injury bug, the Detroit Red Wings (40-20-3, 89 points) are still near the top of the NHL standings as they are tied with their division rivals, the St. Louis Blues, for third overall in the league. With key members such as Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom, and now Jimmy Howard out with injuries, the Red Wings have to look to the rest of the team to step up.

Help is on the way as some members of the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, were brought up to play with the big club. We got to see a small sample size of what prospects Brendan Smith and Jan Mursak can do at the NHL level. Two of the three players who were recalled from Grand Rapids, Doug Janik and Chris Conner, each had a cup of coffee with the Red Wings this season and they already know what is expected of them. It’s all about seizing the opportunity.

Team Leaders:

Goals: Johan Franzen-24

Assists: Pavel Datsyuk-43

Points: Pavel Datsyuk-59

Plus/Minus: Ian White +30

Penalty Minutes: Todd Bertuzzi-58

Power Play Goals: Johan Franzen-11

Game-Winning Goals: Johan Franzen-10

Short Handed Goals: Brad Stuart/Valtteri Filppula-1

Shots on Goal: Henrik Zetterberg-201

Shooting Percentage: Jiri Hudler-22.2%

Average Ice Time Per Game: Nicklas Lidstrom-23:56

Goalie Stats:

Jimmy Howard- 33-13-2; 2.05 goals against average; .923 save percentage; 5 shutouts

Joey MacDonald-7-2-1; 1.69 goals against average; .933 save percentage

Ty Conklin- 3-5-0; 3.40 goals against average; .878 save percentage, 1 shutout

Game 64:  Detroit Red Wings 5  Columbus Blue Jackets 2

The Red Wings’ offense went to high gear in the third period as they scored four goals in a 10:09 span and blew past the last-place Blue Jackets. Johan Franzen, Niklas Kronwall, Henrik Zetterberg, Jan Mursak and Valtteri Filppula all scored for the Red Wings while Joey MacDonald posted 28 saves for his seventh straight win.

Game 65:  Minnesota Wild 0  Detroit Red Wings 6

The Red Wings won their first home game since February 19 by taking it out on the Wild. Valtteri Filppula score twice with an assist and Henrik Zetterberg scored and added two assists in the blowout. Brendan Smith scored his first NHL goal and Jimmy Howard stopped all 19 shots for his sixth shutout of the season and notched his first win since February 2.

Game 66:  Chicago Blackhawks 2  Detroit Red Wings 1

Niklas Kronwall scored the lone goal for the Red Wings and Brendan Smith won his first NHL fight against Andrew Shaw. Other than that, those were pretty much the highlights for the Red Wings who lost their third out of their last four home games. The injury bug bit the team as Jimmy Howard left the game after the first 20 minutes and was replaced by Joey MacDonald while Jakub Kindl left with an upper-body injury earlier in the first period.

Red Wings Three Stars of the Week:

Niklas Kronwall-two goals, five assists +3 rating

Henrik Zetterberg-two goals, three assists, +3 rating

Valtteri Filppula-three goals, two assists, +4 rating

Team Transactions:

February 27: Red Wings trade D Mike Commodore to Tampa Bay for conditional seventh-round pick in 2013, recall D Brendan Smith from Grand Rapids (AHL).

February 28: D Doug Janik recalled from Grand Rapids

March 2: Janik sent back to Grand Rapids

March 3:  F Chris Conner recalled from Grand Rapids

March 4:  Conner sent back to Grand Rapids

March 5:  Conner, Janik and G Jordan Pearce recalled from Grand Rapids

Team Injuries:

Pavel Datsyuk (knee surgery), Jonathan Ericsson (wrist), Nicklas Lidstrom (ankle), Jakub Kindl (upper body injury), Jimmy Howard (groin, listed as day-to-day), Todd Bertuzzi (groin), Patrick Eaves (concussion)

This Week’s Games:

The Red Wings/Griffins travel to the city of brotherly love as they take on the Philadelphia Flyers. Friday, the Red Wings return to The Joe and host the Los Angeles Kings and they finish off the week for a Saturday night clash in the Music City against their Central Division rivals, the Nashville Predators.

Valtteri Filppula led the Detroit Red Wings with two goals in a 6-0 win over the Minnesota Wild. Photo by Bridget Samuels.

You might want to check to see if the Detroit Red Wings (43-19-3, 89 points) lit the lamp once again. They brought their scoring prowess from Columbus back home to the Joe Louis Arena as they won their first home game since February 19 with a 6-0 whitewashing of the Minnesota Wild. Valtteri Filppula scored twice and added an assist, while linemate Henrik Zetterberg scored a goal and two assists.

Jimmy Howard stopped all 19 shots for his 11th career shutout and his sixth of the season, which ties him with St. Louis Blues’ netminders Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott for second in that category. It was Howard’s 33rd win of the season and his first since February 2 before missing eight games with a broken pinky finger.

As of now, the Red Wings have a two-point lead over the St. Louis Blues for first place in the Central Division. Both teams have played 65 games so far this season.

The Red Wing picked up where they left off on Tuesday when Valtteri Filppula scored 35 seconds into the game when was in front of Wild goaltender Josh Harding and picked up a rebound and scored to make it 1-0. After that, it was all Red Wings.

Welcome to the NHL, Brendan Smith! He scored his first National Hockey League goal at 16:04 of the first period when he got the puck in a goal-mouth scramble and tapped it in for a 2-0 lead.

The Red Wings opened up the flood gates when they netted three goals in the second period as Darren Helm, Filppula and Ian White each scored. With each goal, the back of Harding’s neck was getting sunburnt as the Red Wings kept on scoring.

After Zetterberg scored to make it 6-0 at 5:30 of the third period, Harding was finally given the rest of the night off and was replaced by Matt Hackett, who stopped all six shots that came his way. It’s a homecoming of sorts for Hackett, who played parts of four OHL seasons for both the Windsor Spitfires and Plymouth Whalers.

Valtteri Filppula now has a career-high 21 goals in 64 games, which will shatter his career best which was in 2007-08 when he had 19 in 78 games that season. Over his last four games, Filppula has four goals and three assists with a +5 rating. At the age of 27 and learning to shoot the puck more, he’s finally realizing his full potential. Playing alongside Henrik Zetterberg doesn’t hurt either.

Speaking of Zetterberg, he is another player that’s displaying some smoke on his stick blade over the last few weeks. Over his last 13 games, he has six goals and 13 assists. As Pavel Datsyuk recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery, Zetterberg is for now centering the team’s top line with Filppula and Jiri Hudler.

Brendan Smith played a solid game on defense and also netted his first NHL goal with a +1 rating. He was paired up with Jakub Kindl and played 15:08 of total ice time and with more on-the-job training, this kid will get better.

Ian White was the only skater with a +4 rating, which now ties him with the Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron for second in the NHL in that category with +29. Niklas Kronwall led all skaters with three assists.

Jokingly, it looked as if it was going to be a half Red Wings, half Grand Rapids Griffins roster going up against the Wild’s AHL affiliate the Houston Aeros (not in any affiliation of the WHA franchise in which Gordie, Mark and Marty played for in the 1970s).

In the end, the Red Wings showed why they are among the NHL’s elite. All four lines and the three defensive pairings played stellar.  They played better than they did in the third period at Columbus on Tuesday and it sets up an interesting Central Division battle this Sunday against Chicago.

Defenseman Kyle Quincey returned to the lineup after missing Tuesday’s game in Columbus with a slight groin injury.  With Datsyuk and Jonathan Ericsson (wrist) out with injuries, Nicklas Lidstrom missed his second straight game with a deep bone bruise in his right ankle and will be re-evaluated on Monday. Todd Bertuzzi left the game with a groin injury and is listed as day-to-day.

The Red Wings will try to improve their 27-3-2 home record as they host the Chicago Blackhawks this Sunday afternoon at the Joe Louis Arena.

Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall were two of four Red Wing players with multi-point games against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Photo by Bridget Samuels.

No Pavel Datsyuk? No Nicklas Lidstrom? No Jimmy Howard? It looked as if it was going to be a trap game, but the Detroit Red Wings had no problems for most of the third period as they got four goals in a 10:09 span as they stormed back to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 at the Nationwide Arena.

The win snaps the Red Wings’ three-game winless streak and are back at .500 on the road at 16-16-1. They are back again on top of the Central Division standings with a two point lead over the St. Louis Blues with 87 points and are now tied with the Vancouver Canucks for first place in the Western Conference.

The Red Wings got goals in the third period from Niklas Kronwall, Henrik Zetterberg, Jan Mursak and Valtteri Filppula. Johan Franzen scored the other goal in the first period. Joey MacDonald won his seventh straight game as he made 28 saves.

The Red Wings jumped on the board at 4:08 of the first period when Jakub Kindl shot the puck from the left point and Franzen was in front of the Blue Jackets’ net and put in the rebound past Curtis Sanford to take a 1-0 lead. It was Franzen’s team leading 24th goal of the season and also ended a four-game poinless drought.

The Blue Jackets tied it at 6:55 when Rick Nash, who creeped his way to the left side of the Red Wings’ net and jammed the puck past MacDonald to make it a 1-1 game. That’s how it stood until the third period.

A Red Wings’ miscue from the point during their PP opportunity led to the Blue Jackets scored a short-handed goal early in the third period. Derek Mackenzie quickly recovered the puck and went to the races, beating Darren Helm and then Joey MacDonald to make it a 2-1 game.

The Red Wings got back on the board ninety seconds later when Kronwall tied the game on the same power-play opportunity and it was time to open the floodgates. Zetterberg gave the Red Wings the lead when he shot the puck from a very sharp angle and it banked off of Sanford to make it 3-2. Mursak scored his first of the season (second of his career) 49 seconds later. Filppula closed out the scoring books with his 19th goal, which matches his career high.

It was good to see Johan Franzen to get back on the scoring track. Franzen had gone four games without a goal and now needs to pick it up. Solid games from the recent callups, Brendan Smith (+1 rating) and Doug Janik (+2). Joey MacDonald was sharp between the pipes and his biggest save was on Ryan Russell as he robbed Russell of a second short-handed goal to keep it tied at 2-2.

The Blue Jackets’ second goal early in the third period was a little maddening. Niklas Kronwall and Jiri Hudler crossed paths and Derek Mackenzie picked their pockets and sped past Hudler, beating MacDonald to take the short-lived lead. It was a good thing that MacDonald stopped Russell on the second shorthanded breakaway because Hudler, who was the only skater back, would have been the scapegoat.

After Mackenzie’s goal to make it 2-1 early in the third period, it was all Red Wings, all the time.  Curtis Sanford looked like Fred Sanford in the Blue Jackets’ goal as the Red Wings’ offense took it up a few notches. Instead of just one or two scoring lines picking up the pace, all four lines contributed to the cause.

Even though they played the Blue Jackets, it was a confidence-booster as four Red Wing players ended up with multi-point games. Niklas Kronwall led the offensive charge with a  goal and two assists while  Henrik Zetterberg , Johan Franzen  and Valtteri Filppula each had a goal and an assist.

Jimmy Howard got the night off (coach’s decision), while  Pavel Datsyuk sat out his fourth straight game following knee surgery and Nicklas Lidstrom was out due to an injured ankle that he sustained in Saturday’s game against Colorado. It’s not known if Lidstrom will return to the lineup on Friday. Earlier in the day, the team called up Doug Janik from Grand Rapids.

The Red Wings look to keep the momentum going as they head back to the Joe Louis Arena this Friday as they host the Minnesota Wild.

The Red Wings recalled rookie defenseman Brendan Smith from Grand Rapids. Smith was the team's first round pick in 2007. Photo by Bridget Samuels.

The Detroit Red Wings made a trade, but it wasn’t the blockbuster that we all wanted. The team sent defenseman Mike Commodore to a familiar dance partner, the Tampa Bay Lightning, for a conditional seventh round draft pick.

Last week, the two teams made a trade that resulted in the Bolts getting the Red Wings’ first-round pick in this summer’s NHL Draft for Kyle Quincey. Prior to the trade, the Lightning acquired Quincey from the Colorado Avalanche for forward Steve Downie.

Commodore, who last played with the Red Wings on February 6, played in 17 games this season with two assists, 21 penalty minutes and a +3 rating. He’ll be going to a team that needs depth on the blue line which means that he’ll have a fresh start and an opportunity to log in some minutes. Plus, playing on the same team as Steven Stamkos isn’t such a bad thing.

On the flip side, the Red Wings will be getting a seventh round pick, but it’s uncertain if the pick will be in this summer’s draft or in 2013. The team hasn’t done that bad considering their history of drafting players in the later rounds. Pavel Datsyuk was a sixth round pick in 1998 and Henrik Zetterberg was taken in the seventh round the following year so taking players toward the end of the draft is like a Cracker Jack box. You don’t know what prize you’re going to get.

With Commodore out of the picture, the Red Wings recalled defenseman Brendan Smith from the Grand Rapids Griffins (the team’s American Hockey League affiliate). Smith, who was the team’s first round pick (27th overall) in 2007, currently leads Griffins’ defenseman in scoring with 10 goals and 22 assists in 47 games this season.  He had a cup of coffee with the Red Wings earlier in the season by playing  in three games, registering two assists with a -1 rating and 4 penalty minutes.

This could be the last time that Smith will take the drive from I-94 in Grand Rapids to 600 Civic Center Dr in Detroit. He’s played his way out of the AHL so it’s up to him to play his way into becoming an NHL regular. If those three games that he’s played at the NHL is any indication of what he can do on a full-time basis, he’ll be a fixture in the Red Wings roster for the next 7-10 years.

Todd Bertuzzi will be with the Red Wings for two more years after signing a contract extension last Thursday. Photo by Bridget Samuels.

Despite All-Star goalie Jimmy Howard returning to the lineup, it wasn’t the best of weeks for the Detroit Red Wings (41-19-3, 84 points). Not only did they go 0-2-1 for the week, they lost fellow All-Star Pavel Datsyuk for up to three weeks as he recovers from knee surgery. The news didn’t get any better for the club when it was revealed that Jonathan Ericsson would be out for the next month with a fractured wrist.

The Red Wings brought back a familiar face in Kyle Quincey, who was acquired in a three-team trade with Colorado and Tampa Bay last week. As of now the defense corps is almost set. After the trade deadline passes, the Red Wings can call up prospects like Brendan Smith and not be penalized for doing so. It doesn’t hurt to bring for offensive spark to the club and can afford to do it.

While Rick Nash is far from the Red Wings’ radar, players such as Dustin Brown, Travis Moen, Teemu Selanne and Alexander Semin are reportedly on the block, but as long as the Red Wings don’t mortgage a lot of their top prospects and/or draft picks to land any of them, they should remain in great shape for another Stanley Cup run.

Team Leaders:

Goals: Johan Franzen-23

Assists: Pavel Datsyuk-43

Points: Pavel Datsyuk-59

Plus/Minus: Nicklas Lidstrom-+25

Penalty Minutes: Todd Bertuzzi/Justin Abdelkader-54

Power Play Goals: Johan Franzen-11

Game-Winning Goals: Johan Franzen-10

Short Handed Goals: Brad Stuart/Valtteri Filppula-1

Shots on Goal: Henrik Zetterberg-191

Shooting Percentage: Jiri Hudler-22.7%

Average Ice Time Per Game: Nicklas Lidstrom-23:56

Goalie Stats:

Jimmy Howard- 32-13-2; 2.09 goals against average; .923 save percentage; 5 shutouts

Joey MacDonald-6-1-1; 1.66 goals against average; .934 save percentage

Ty Conklin- 3-5-0; 3.40 goals against average; .878 save percentage, 1 shutout

Game 61:  Detroit Red Wings 1  Chicago Blackhawks 3

Despite Jimmy Howard’s return and becoming the last line of defense, the Red Wings’ six-game winning streak came to a halt. The Blackhawks got goals from Jimmy Hayes and Marcus Kruger while Valtteri Filppula scored the lone goal for the Red Wings.  The Red Wings are 14-15-1 away from the Joe Louis Arena.

Game 62:  Vancouver Canucks 4  Detroit Red Wings 3 (SO)

It looked as if the Red Wings were going to extend their NHL record to 24 straight wins on home ice, but Daniel Sedin had other plans as he blasted his second goal of the game with 16 seconds left to tie the game at 3-3. No one scored in overtime and it had to come to a shootout. None of the shooters from either team scored until Alex Burrows scored in the third round to end the Red Wings’ home winning streak, which should last for many years.  Jimmy Howard was once again spectacular between the pipes and the Grind Line 2.o of Justin Abdelkader, Drew Miller and Darren Helm were the team’s top line, but at the end, it didn’t matter.

Game 63:  Colorado Avalanche 4  Detroit Red Wings 3

Not even three minutes had gone in the game, a couple of bad breaks got the Avs on the board twice. The Red Wings rallied from a three-goal deficit, but didn’t get the equalizer as they started a different streak as they lost two in a row on home ice.  Gabriel Landeskog scored twice to lead the Avs while Jiri Hudler scored the first two Red Wing goals to start the comeback. Valtteri Filppula scored to make it a one-goal game, but that’s how the game ended.

Red Wings Three Stars of the Week:

Justin Abdelkader-one goal, two assists, +4 rating, 12 pim

Henrik Zetterberg-one goal, three assists, +1 rating

Valtteri Filppula-two goals, two assists

Team Transactions:

February 20: G Ty Conklin placed on waivers

February 21: F Dan Cleary off injured-reserve list, Conklin assigned to Grand Rapids (AHL), Red Wings acquire D Kyle Quincey from Tampa Bay for 2012 first-round draft pick and prospect Sebastien Piche

February 23: F Todd Bertuzzi re-signed with team for two-year extension

Team Injuries:

Pavel Datsyuk (knee surgery) out 1-2 weeks, Jonathan Ericsson (fractured wrist) out 1 month

This Week’s Games:

The Red Wings face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday in the Buckeye State.  Friday, they return to the Joe and face the Minnesota Wild and end the week at home with a Sunday afternoon affair with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Jiri Hudler's two goals weren't enough as the Red Wings fall to the Colorado Avalanche 4-2. Photo by jpowers65

The Detroit Red Wings started a new home streak, but not the kind that they were looking for as they lost their second straight game on their own ice to the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 at the Joe Louis Arena.

Jiri Hudler tallied twice and Valtteri Filppula scored the other goal for the Red Wings with Henrik Zetterberg registering an assist to all three goals. Jimmy Howard stopped 23 shots and has been tagged with three straight losses since returning to the lineup this week.

The Red Wings couldn’t contain the Avalanche’s line of Ryan O’Reilly, newly-acquired Steve Downie, and potential Calder Trophy candidate Gabriel Landeskog, who scored his 17th and 18 goals to lead all NHL rookies.

It seemed like Thursday’s shootout loss against the Canucks carried onto the first 2:43 minutes of the game when Landeskog and David Jones scored as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead.

Landeskog scored his first of the game when Downie was behind the net and attempted to make a pass, but the puck went off of Darren Helm’s leg and Landeskog picked up the puck and scored from the slot.  A Red Wings’ turnover from their own zone during a power play opportunity made it 2-0  for the Avs when Kyle Quincey was tripped up by Chuck Kobasew and Jones quickly picked up the loose puck to snap it past Howard.

The only goal in the second period came from Landeskog, who got a nice pass from O’Reilly to put it past Howard and it looked as if the Avs were to steamroll the Red Wings.

The Red Wings got on the board 44 seconds into the third period when Hudler went top shelf from the top corner of the left faceoff circle, giving the fans at ‘The Joe’ some glimmer of hope. But when Downie scored midway through the period to make it 4-1, the window of opportunity was closing pretty quickly.

Things got to be interesting when minutes later, Hudler netted his second of the game to make it 4-2 when he redirected a Zetterberg shot.  Ninety-one seconds later, Filppula made it a one-goal game when he was in front of the Avalanche’s net and got the pass from Hudler and got the puck past Avs goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere. That was all that the Red Wings could muster as they lose their third straight game.

Not the kind of start the Red Wings were looking for. They did get things going as the game went on as they got their legs back or that they fully recovered from the 23 straight home game winning streak hangover; take your pick. Don’t let Jimmy Howard’s stats for tonight fool you. Once again there was some bad breaks in front of him, especially the first two goals of the game, but he did keep his team in the game.

Through the first two periods, the third line of Drew Miller, Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm shined once again, but the latest ‘Euro-Line’ of Henrik Zetterberg, Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula combined for eight points and should enter their next game in Columbus as the team’s top line.

Johan Franzen and Todd Bertuzzi have combined for two points over their last five games and with their linemate Pavel Datsyuk out, they need to find a way to snap out of their slumps. Speaking of Datsyuk, the Red Wings are 12-13-5 without him in the lineup over his career. Datsyuk is more important than ever and his teammates need to find some answers.

Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson will miss the next month with a fractured left wrist. He suffered the injury when he was struck above the left glove by a Gabriel Landeskog shot early in the second period. Along with the acquisition of Kyle Quincey, the team does have a good amount of defenseman on the roster and could call on guys like Mike Commodore and Jakub Kindl.  Ericsson was one of five players on the team to have played every game this season.

The clock is ticking for the Red Wings as the trade deadline is 3pm this coming Monday. The ball is on their court as they have plenty of room in the salary cap and can afford to land a top-six forward.

The Red Wings’ next game is this Tuesday as they travel to the Buckeye State for a clash with the Columbus Blue Jackets

All-Star Jimmy Howard will be back in the Red Wings' lineup and is expected to start in goal this Tuesday in Chicago. Photo by Dinur.

After a successful homestand where they went a perfect 6-0-0, the Detroit Red Wings remain on top of the NHL Standings with a 41-17-2 record and 84 points. During their six-game stretch at the Joe Louis Arena, the Red Wings set the league record with 23 consecutive home wins (and still counting). The Red Wings have an astounding home record of 26-2-1, but would like to take some of that on the road, where they have a 15-15-1 record.

Joey MacDonald held down the fort while Jimmy Howard was out with a broken finger. If MacDonald is sent back to Grand Rapids, there should be an investigation. But if he sticks with the Red Wings, the duo of Howard and MacDonald would automatically be right there with the goaltending duos of the Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist/Martin Biron, the Canucks’ Roberto Luongo/Cory Schneider, and the Bruins’ Tim Thomas/Tuukka Rask as the best in the league.

Team Leaders:

Goals: Johan Franzen-23

Assists: Pavel Datsyuk-43

Points: Pavel Datsyuk-59

Plus/Minus: Ian White-+28

Penalty Minutes: Todd Bertuzzi-54

Power Play Goals: Johan Franzen-11

Game-Winning Goals: Johan Franzen-10

Short Handed Goals: Brad Stuart/Valtteri Filppula-1

Shots on Goal: Henrik Zetterberg-184

Shooting Percentage: Jiri Hudler-22.5%

Average Ice Time Per Game: Nicklas Lidstrom-23:55

Goalie Stats:

Jimmy Howard- 32-11-1; 2.03 goals against average; .924 save percentage; 5 shutouts

Joey MacDonald-6-1-1; 1.66 goals against average; .934 save percentage

Ty Conklin- 3-5-0; 3.40 goals against average; .878 save percentage, 1 shutout

Game 58:  Dallas Stars 1  Detroit Red Wings 3

The Red Wings made NHL history with their 21st consecutive home win, surpassing the 1929-30 Boston Bruins and the 1975-76 Philadelphia Flyers, who each previously held the mark with 20. Henrik Zetterberg, Brad Stuart and Jiri Hudler scored goals for the Red Wings while Joey MacDonald stopped 20 shots for the win.

Game 59:  Nashville Predators 1  Detroit Red Wings 2

Pavel Datsyuk showcased his talents and proved his worth as to why he’s one of the best hockey players in the world. He scored the game-winning goal with five seconds left in regulation, giving the Red Wings their 22nd straight home win. Johan Franzen also scored while Joey MacDonald made 20 saves for the Red Wings.

Game 60:  San Jose Sharks 2  Detroit Red Wings 3

The Red Wings got goals from Henrik Zetterberg, Drew Miller and Darren Helm as they halted a five-game losing streak to the Sharks.  Joey MacDonald made 31 saves (18 in the second period) for his sixth straight victory and made some key saves in the process.  All four lines did their job, but the third line of Helm, Miller and Justin Abdelkader were the best of the four.

Red Wings Three Stars of the Week:

Joey MacDonald-3-0-0, 1.33 goals against average, .947 save percentage

Henrik Zetterberg-two goals, one assist

Pavel Datsyuk-one goal, two assists

Team Transactions:

February 16:  F Tomas Tatar recalled from Grand Rapids (AHL), F Dan Cleary placed on injured reserve, retroactive to Feb 8.

February 18:  F Tomas Tatar sent down to Grand Rapids

This Week’s Games:

The Red Wings will take a breather from the Joe as they travel to the Windy City for a Central Division clash with the Chicago Blackhawks.  Thursday, they head back home for a matchup with the Vancouver Canucks and close out the week with a Saturday night date with the Colorado Avalanche.