It was Miller Time once again at the Joe as Drew Miller scored the game winning goal midway through the third period. He has four goals in four games against the Oilers this season in with three of them were game-winners. Miller set a career high for goals in a season with his 11th.

Johan Franzen, Cory Emmerton and Henrik Zetterberg also scored for the Red Wings while Sam Gagner scored both goals for the Oilers.  With the hottest stick in the NHL, Gagner has eight goals and six assists over his last four games.  If he’s available in your fantasy hockey league, you better get him, like, right now.

Filling in for an injured Jimmy Howard and replacing a struggling Ty Conklin, Joey MacDonald stopped 15 of 17 shots for his first win of the season.  He has ones across the board in the three games that he’s played in by posting a 1-1-1 record.

With the man-advantage, Franzen scored the lone goal for the Red Wings at 13:18 of the first period when he parked himself in front of the Oilers’ net and tipped-in an Ian White shot past Nikolai Khabibulin. It was Franzen’s team-leading 21st goal of the season and 11th on the power play.

Emmerton made it 2-0 when Abdelkader shot the puck from the short side, but Emmerton hustled for the puck and put home the rebound for his sixth goal of the season.

Sam Gagner got the Oilers on the board when he went on a breakaway and used the backhand and went top shelf to beat MacDonald. With 13 points over his last four game, Gagner hasn’t cooled off just yet. He tied the game at 2-2 at 8:23 of the third period with another backhand on the power play.

The Red Wings regained the lead when Miller went in front of the Oilers’ net and poked in a loose puck past Khabibulin to make it 3-2.  Zetterberg reached double-digits in goals with his 10th of the season at 14:44 to close out the scoring. It was Zetterberg’s second goal in his past 24 games.

Despite starting the game on the sluggish side, the Red Wings got their legs back as the game progressed. Great to see the third and fourth lines contribute offensively again by combining for five points. Brad Stuart and Niklas Kronwall both led the team tonight with a +3 rating.

Justin Abdelkader stood out tonight for the Red Wings. Besides the two-assist/+2 night, he policed the Joe Louis Arena ice by scrapping it out with Ryan Jones early in the first period and drilled Taylor Hall with a hit in the third period. It’s a hit that should make it to Don Cherry’s Rock Em Sock Em DVDs for this season.

If there was an incident would drive even the biggest Red Wing fan crazy was when Jonathon Ericsson, who just got on the ice after a line change, wanted to duke it out with Ben Eager, who took out Danny Cleary with a hit in front of the Red Wings bench. It’s good to stick up for your teammate, but the problem was that he was the last defenseman back. He didn’t pay attention to Gagner, who had the puck and went in on the breakaway to put the Oilers on the board. Ericsson has to pay attention to the play on the ice.

The Red Wings look to make it 19 straight on home ice when the Anaheim Ducks come to town on Friday.

Joey MacDonald, who made his first start of the season, certainly can’t be singled out as he kept the Red Wings in the game by stopping 20 of 22 shots.  Johan Franzen scored the lone goal for the Red Wings and became the first on the team to reach the 20-goal plateau.

For the first time this season, the Red Wings couldn’t solve Coyotes’ netminder Mike Smith, who made 30 saves, including 13 in the second period.

The Coyotes jumped out to a 1-0 lead at 7:22 of the first period when Boyd Gordon scored a short-handed goal.  The Red Wings looked to cash in on their first power-play opportunity, but Gordon took advantage of a player miscommunication and went in on a breakaway and undressed MacDonald to get the Coyotes on the board.

In the second period, both teams exchanged power-play goals as Martin Hanzal gave the Coyotes a 2-0 lead, but Franzen got the Red Wings on the board late in the second period when he was in front of Smith and picked up a pass from Henrik Zetterberg.

The Red Wings had their chances to tie the game in the third period, but Smith stopped everything that they threw at  him. With MacDonald pulled for an extra skater, Hanzal scored the empty-net goal with 29 seconds left.

The Coyotes are playing for their playoff lives, while the Red Wings are desperately looking for a goalie.

With Jimmy Howard out for 4-6 weeks with a broken pinky, MacDonald is the number one netminder for the time being. How do you think Ty Conklin feels right about now?  He’s the backup goalie to someone who’s spent this season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, which is the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate.  Expect the Red Wings’ front office to be actively shopping for a number two goalie and so far the names that are surfacing are Evgeni Nabokov and Antero Nittymaki.

To quote Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, “There’s no place like home” because the next six games for the Red Wings will be at the Joe Louis Arena. This is the perfect remedy for a team that is sporting a 20-2-1 record and a 17-game winning streak on home ice . They start their homestand with a familiar opponent as the Edmonton Oilers come to town this Wednesday. Their last encounter was this past Saturday when the Oilers edged the Red Wings 5-4 in a shootout.

Team Leaders:

Goals: Johan Franzen-19

Assists: Pavel Datsyuk-39

Points: Pavel Datsyuk-53

Plus/Minus: Ian White-+31

Penalty Minutes: Todd Bertuzzi-48

Power Play Goals: Johan Franzen-9

Game-Winning Goals: Johan Franzen-9

Short Handed Goals: Brad Stuart/Valtteri Filppula-1

Shots on Goal: Henrik Zetterberg-161

Shooting Percentage: Jiri Hudler-23%

Average Ice Time Per Game: Nicklas Lidstrom-23:52

Goalie Stats:

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

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

Joey MacDonald-0-0-1; 1.33 goals against average; .957 save percentage

Game 51:  Detroit Red Wings 3  Calgary Flames 1

The Red Wings began the second half of the season with a win on the road at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Jimmy Howard held down the fort by stopping 28 shots while Cory Emmerton, Jiri Hudler and Drew Miller scored for the Red Wings. The third and fourth lines made solid contributions in the win. Both teams tied the season series at 2-2.

Game 52:  Detroit Red Wings 4  Vancouver Canucks 3 (SO)

The Red Wings got goals in the shootout from Pavel Datsyuk and Jiri Hudler to get by the Canucks, who received stellar goaltending from Roberto Luongo who made 40 saves. The Red Wings controlled the tempo for the first two periods, but the Canucks stormed back in the third period. Hudler, Danny Cleary and Drew Miller scored goals in regulation for the Red Wings, who remained perfect in the shootout (6-0).

Game 53:  Detroit Red Wings 4  Edmonton Oilers 5 (SO)

Joey MacDonald replaced starter Ty Conklin to begin the second period and was sharp between the pipes, but the Oilers only goal that went past MacDonald was the deciding goal in the sixth round of the shootout by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.  With RNH’s game-winning tally, the Red Wings suffered their first loss in the shootout this season. The hottest stick in the NHL belonged to Sam Gagner who scored two goals and added an assist in his encore performance from his eight point night on Thursday.  The Red Wings rallied from 3-1 to take the lead with 3:41 left in regulation when Todd Bertuzzi scored his second of the game, but Jordan Eberle scored his second of the game to tie it with 39 seconds left in the third.

Red Wings’ Three Stars of the Week:

1. Drew Miller-three goals, +1 rating

2. Danny Cleary-one goal, three assists, +1 rating

3. Henrik Zetterberg-two assists, +5 rating

Team Transactions:

February 3: G Joey MacDonald recalled from Grand Rapids (AHL)

This Week’s Games:

The Red Wings wrap up their five-game road trip on Monday when they head to the desert and face the Phoenix Coyotes.  Wednesday, they return to Hockeytown and start a six-game homestand by hosting the Edmonton Oilers in a rematch from Saturday night’s game at the Rexall Place. Friday, the Anaheim Ducks pay a visit to the JLA. The Red Wings will end the week with the Philadelphia Flyers in town for a Sunday matinee affair.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who missed the last 13 games with a shoulder injury, scored the deciding goal in the sixth round of the shootout. Danny Cleary had a chance to tie it and send it to round number seven, but not only did Oilers’ goalie Devan Dubnyk denied Cleary, he denied the Red Wings their seventh straight shootout win.

The biggest story in the NHL for the past couple of days was the red-hot Oilers’ forward Sam Gagner. Coming off an eight-point performance on Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks, Gagner’s didn’t disappoint in his encore as he followed up with a two-goal, one assist effort, all in the first period.

The Oilers played like the Red Wings normally do on their home ice in the first period.  The Red Wings trailed after 20 minutes 3-1 and before the start of the second period, Red Wings starting goalie Ty Conklin was replaced by Joey MacDonald who was sharp for the next 20 minutes by stopping all 13 shots that went his way. MacDonald kept the Red Wings in it and after 40 minutes, the Oilers kept the lead at 3-1.

The Red Wings got their offense going early in the third period as Todd Bertuzzi scored his first of the game and his 300th of his NHL career when he picked up the rebound after Henrik Zetterberg tried a wraparound.  Drew Miller scored his third goal in his last three games to tie the game at 3-3 when he buried a rebound past Dubnyk.  Bertuzzi gave the Red Wings the lead when he skated around Andy Sutton and fired a shot and picked up his own rebound to beat Dubnyk to make it 4-3 with 3:41 left in regulation.

With Dubnyk pulled for an extra attacker, Jordan Eberle, who has a flair for the dramatics (i.e. ’09 WJC against Russia) scored his second of the game with 39 seconds left to tie the game at 4-4. The game was sent to overtime and with no one lighting the lame, the game had to be decided by a shootout.

Gagner beat MacDonald in the second round for the 1-0 lead in the SO, but Bertuzzi tied it up in the third round with a howitzer of a shot.  No one came through until Nugent-Hopkins stepped up in the seventh round and beat MacDonald cleanly. Cleary had the door slammed on him by Dubnyk and that’s how it ended.

The hit of the night belonged to Niklas Kronwall when he delivered his trademark hit on Ales Hemsky, who had his head down. Not a good idea when you’re on the ice against number 55 wearing the red and white. Hemsky got ‘Kron-Walled” and that drew the ire of the Oilers’ players, especially Corey Potter, who seeked revenge but ended up with a four-minute penalty for roughing Kronwall.

The Red Wings left Edmonton with a point in the standings and were lucky at that. They weren’t ready and it showed. The young Oilers team were the ones that wanted it more and what they showed against the Red Wings is a sample-size of how good they’ll be in the near future.  They’re still green and beating the NHL’s best team will give them a huge boost of confidence. The untouchables of this team are Eberle, Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall, their top pick of this summer’s NHL Draft and for now Sam Gagner.

Speaking of now, for the first time this season is a Red Wings goalie controversy and it doesn’t involve Jimmy Howard. The All-Star netminder is out for up to two weeks with a broken finger and simply put, his understudy, Ty Conklin isn’t getting the job done. He showed it tonight after giving up three goals in the first 20 minutes (one in the last second to Eberle) and was pulled for Joey MacDonald, who was steller despite the loss.

MacDonald, who was recalled from Grand Rapids on Friday, should be the starting goalie for now until Howard comes back. Once when Howard is back between the pipes, the backup goalie situation should definitely be addressed.  Howard is no doubt the team’s (and arguably the league’s) MVP and losing him is very crucial.

There are some viable options out there besides Conklin, who can’t be trusted, and the one that comes to mind is the Islanders’ Evgeni Nabokov. Nabokov’s contract for this season is $570,000 and that would be perfect for the Red Wings’ room for the salary cap. The asking price for Nabokov would be a second or third round pick and that might pull Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland away from the bargaining table.

The Red Wings final game of their five-game road trip is this Monday as they face the Phoenix Coyotes at the Jobing.com Arena. All fingers are pointing to the direction of Joey MacDonald. He was sharp against the Oilers and he could get the start on Monday and if the “Mac Attack” plays like he did tonight, he could be the man until Howard comes back.

Although they have the best home record in the NHL with a 20-2-1 record, the Red Wings need some of that home magic away from the Joe Louis Arena (13-14-0). Their next four games will be on the road and this will be their most crucial road trip this season.

Team Leaders:

Goals: Johan Franzen-19

Assists: Pavel Datsyuk-33

Points: Pavel Datsyuk-53

Plus/Minus: Ian White +26

Penalty Minutes: Jonathon Ericsson-43

Power Play Goals: Johan Franzen-9

Game-Winning Goals: Johan Franzen-9

Short Handed Goals: Brad Stuart-1

Shots on Goal: Henrik Zetterberg-152

Shooting Percentage: Jiri Hudler-21.7%

Average Ice Time Per Game: Nicklas Lidstrom-23:43

Goalie Stats:

Jimmy Howard- 30-10-1; 1.98 goals against average; .924 save percentage; 5 shutouts

Ty Conklin- 3-5-0; 3.20 goals against average; .886 save percentage, 1 shutout

Game 49:  St. Louis Blues 1  Detroit Red Wings 3

In an old-school Norris Division battle, the Red Wings got goals from Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen, and Niklas Kronwall, while Jimmy Howard held the fort by stopping 21 of 22 shots for his league-leading 30th win of the season. The Red Wings matched the Blues with grit and toughness and then some. The Blues’ emotions got the best of them and it showed as the Red Wings cashed in on two power-play opportunities. It was another home ice win for the Red Wings, who won their 17th straight at the Joe Louis Arena.

Game 50:  Detroit Red Wings 2  Montreal Canadiens 7

The Red Wings’ last game before the All-Star break was a very forgettable one as the host Canadiens jumped out to a 4-0 lead after 20 minutes and chased Jimmy Howard out of the game. Replacing Howard with Ty Conklin didn’t change the outcome for the Red Wings, who played without Nicklas Lidstrom. He sat out with the flu and they sure missed him all right. The only highlight was a two-goal effort from Jiri Hudler.

All-Star Game: Team Chara 12 Team Alfredsson 9

Jimmy Howard and Pavel Datsyuk represented the Red Wings at the All-Star Game in Ottawa and both played for the winners, Team Chara. Datsyuk had three assists and Howard stopped 11 of 14 shots, including a penalty shot by Steven Stamkos.

Team Transactions: None

This Week’s Games:

This Tuesday, the Red Wings travel to Calgary for a night with the Flames. Thursday, they head to Vancouver to face the Canucks and Saturday, they end the week with a date with the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place.

The trade deadline is more than a month away and the Red Wings should look at making adjustments to their roster before February 27.  They have the cap room to do it and can land a top name or two. Players like  Bobby Ryan, Zach Parise and Tuomu Ruutu or Ales Hemsky have mentioned in trade rumors and any of them would be great additions to the Red Wings’ roster.

Team Leaders:

Goals: Johan Franzen-18

Assists: Pavel Datsyuk-38

Points: Pavel Datsyuk-51

Plus/Minus: Ian White +26

Penalty Minutes: Jonathon Ericsson-39

Power Play Goals: Johan Franzen-9

Game-Winning Goals: Johan Franzen-8

Short Handed Goals: Brad Stuart-1

Shots on Goal: Henrik Zetterberg-148

Shooting Percentage: Jiri Hudler-19.7%

Average Ice Time Per Game: Nicklas Lidstrom-23:40

Goalie Stats:

Jimmy Howard- 29-10-1; 1.98 goals against average; .926 save percentage; 5 shutouts

Ty Conklin- 3-5-0; 3.10 goals against average; .892 save percentage, 1 shutout

Game 45:  Buffalo Sabres 0  Detroit Red Wings 5

Pavel Datsyuk had three assists,  Todd Bertuzzi netted a goal and two assists and Jimmy Howard stopped all 26 shots for his fifth shutout of the season. With the win, the Red Wings tied the 1965-66 club for the franchise record with 15 straight home wins and did so in convincing fashion.  The Red Wings scored all of their goals in the first 25 minutes of the game and chased out Sabres’ netminder Ryan Miller after his brother, Ryan, assisted on Darren Helm’s goal to make it 5-0. Datsyuk reached another milestone by becoming another member of the Red Wings’ 700 club as he became the eighth member in team history to reach 700 points for the franchise. Henrik Zetterberg scored a goal and ended a 14-game scoring drought.

Game 46:  Detroit Red Wings 3  Dallas Stars 2 (SO)

Jiri Hudler scored a goal in regulation and also scored the game-winner in the shootout to stretch their winning streak to four games.  The Red Wings were getting dominated on the ice in the first period, but got a break early in the second period when Hudler attempted a cross-ice pass in the Stars’ zone, but it went off a Stars’ player and went past an un-prepared Richard Bachman.  Backup goalie Ty Conklin stood tall for the Red Wings by making 25 saves for his third win and played better as the game went on.

Game 47:  Detroit Red Wings 3  Phoenix Coyotes 2 (SO)

It was the same scenario as it was exactly a week ago, but this time the game was played on Phoenix’s home ice.  Both teams were tied at 2-2 after 60 minutes and they couldn’t settle the score in overtime so it had to be decided via the shootout.  This time, it was Todd Bertuzzi who was the hero as he won it  by doing a spin-o-rama move to beat Mike Smith, who probably had nightmares of allowing shootout goals to Red Wing players. With the win, the Red Wings reached the .500 mark on the road with a 13-13-0 record.

Game 48:  Columbus Blue Jackets 2  Detroit Red Wings 3 (SO)

The Red Wings set the franchise record with their 16th straight home win at the Joe Louis Arena and did so against the NHL’s worst team. It was thought to be an easy win and two points in the standings, but instead, it was the Blue Jackets that started out strong.  The Red Wings either trailed by one or were tied, but the only time that they led was in the shootout when Valtteri Filppula scored the first goal in the fourth round.  Ryan Johansen attempted to tie things up and go to a fifth round, but Jimmy Howard shut the door and sealed the win for the Red Wings as they won their sixth straight game.

Red Wings Three Stars of the Week:

Jimmy Howard: 3-0-0, 1.27 goals against average, .949 saver percentage, 1 shutout

Todd Bertuzzi: two goals, two assists, +3 rating, 1 game-winning goal in a shootout

Pavel Datsyuk: five assists, +3 rating

Team Transactions: None

This Week’s Games:

This Monday, the Red Wings host the St. Louis Blues in a battle for first place in the Central Division and they head to Montreal for their final game before the All-Star break as they face-off against the Canadiens in a rare matchup of two “Original Six” clubs.

With the win, the Red Wings have sole possession of first place in the Western Conference (for now) with 61 points and they hold a one point lead in the ever-so tight Central Division.

With Jimmy Howard getting the night off, his understudy Ty Conklin made 25 saves for his third win of the season; all of them have been on the road. Conklin looked a little shaky in the first period, but was in a groove after that.  As of now, the Red Wings don’t need to shop for another number two goalie.

The Red Wings got the scoring started when Tomas Holmstrom scored his first even-strength goal and his eighth of the season. Jan Mursak used his speed to get the puck from behind the Stars’ net and got it over to Holmstrom, who ripped it past Stars’ goalie Richard Bachman at 6:31 of the first period.

With Ian White in the sin bin, the Stars tied it midway through the first when Alex Goligoski blasted a shot from the top of the slot, which was stopped by Ty Conklin. Brendan Morrow was right at the doorstep to put home the rebound to make it 1-1. Loui Eriksson made it 2-1 when he scored on a backhand and broke his stick in the process.

After 20 minutes, the Stars led 2-1 and were beating the Red Wings at their own game.  The Red Wings were out-hit and out-hustled for most of the period. The Stars out-shot the Red Wings 11-5

The Red Wings got the break that they needed early in the second period when Hudler attempted a cross-ice pass from the left face-off circle, but instead, the puck hit Goligoski’s skate and it went into the net to tie the game at 2-2.  The Red Wings took control of the tempo of the game in the second period and out-shot the Stars 12-5.

The third period provided no scoring, but both teams had their chances to get ahead.  The Red Wings had two power-play opportunities, but failed to convert on both of them.  The Red Wings out-shot the Stars 11-8.

The Red Wings had a chance to win it in overtime as Stephane Robidas was sent to the penalty box for a careless tripping call with 17 seconds left, but didn’t get a shot on net.

The only goal in the shootout came from Hudler as he did his best Henrik Zetterberg impression (who did his Peter Forsberg circa. 1994 impression; well you get the idea) and beat Bachman.  Michael Ryder and Trevor Daley had their chances to beat Conklin, but they failed.

It looks as if the Red Wings brought some of their home ice magic on the road as well as some extra elbow grease to get by the Stars and are now one game below .500 with a 12-13-0 record away from the Joe Louis Arena.

Nice game from Jan Mursak tonight. He’s showcasing his speed at the NHL level and it showed by drawing an assist to Holmstrom’s goal in the first period.  Ian White led the team in ice time with 27:26 and Niklas Kronwall was the only Red Wings’ skater with a +2 rating.

The Red Wings have one more stop before they head back home.  Their next game is Thursday night when they face the Phoenix Coyotes at the Jobing.Com Arena.

The Red Wings’ record at home is a sparkling 18-2-1. If only they can only bring that on the road.

Pavel Datsyuk put on another clinic tonight with three assists; Todd Bertuzzi scored a goal and had two assists; and Jimmy Howard stopped all 26 shots for his fifth shutout of the season, stretching his league-leading wins total to 27.

After the first 20 minutes of play, the Red Wings jumped out to a 3-0 lead with goals from Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen and Nicklas Lidstrom.  The shots were even at 11-11. The Red Wings took advantage of the Sabres’ mistakes and capitalized on them. Even though they didn’t take full control of possessing the puck, the Red Wings were in ahead in the scoreboard.

Bertuzzi made it 4-0 at 4:19 of the second period and by doing a Denis Savard impression. He spun around the Sabres’ goal and hit a backhand shot to beat Ryan Miller.  Thirteen seconds later, Darren Helm extended the lead to 5-0 and chased out the Sabres’ netminder,  ending Miller’s nightmare. He was replaced by Jhonas Enroth.

The Sabres played uninspired hockey and the only thing missing was their head coach Lindy Ruff pulling a Roger Neilson (circa 1982 Stanley Cup Finals) by waving a white flag. They looked totally flat tonight.

Give this round of “Miller Time” to the Red Wings’ Drew Miller.  He had an assist to Helm’s goal to make it 5-0 and helped chase his older brother, Ryan, out of the net. The billboards in the southeast Detroit area advertised this game as a battle of the Millers, but the way it turned it out, it was like a UFC Main Event that lasted 90 seconds.

With his three-assist night, Datsyuk notched his 15th mulit-point game this season. Also, Datsyuk became the eighth player in team history to reach 700 points and did so his 706th NHL game. He has a decent chance to pass Ted Lindsay (728 career points) for seventh all time by the end of the season.

By scoring the first goal of the game, Zetterberg ended a 14-game scoring drought for his ninth goal of the season, but has contributed with 10 assists during that span. Not counting his game-winning goal in the shootout last Thursday, his last goal was December 17 against the Los Angeles Kings. This should be a confidence-builder for “Z.”

Jimmy Howard is proving he is worthy of being an All-Star. Out of his 38 starts this season, Howard has given up two goals or less in 26 of those starts.  He is on pace for a 40 plus-win season and should be nominated for the Vezina Trophy.  He’ll be in some tough company though—other netminders like Tim Thomas, Henrik Lundqvist and Jonathan Quick are having Vezina-worthy seasons.

During the Red Wings’ home dominance, they have outscored their opponents 67-21.  They did play an injury-depleted Sabres team who have lost their last nine games away from home to acheive the home record. The Red Wings have a chance to make it 16 straight wins this Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

But first, the Red Wings have to focus on the first game of their two-game road trip.  Tomorrow night, they head back to Dallas and do battle with the Stars.  Their previous encounter was on January 3rd when the Red Wings won 5-4.

Team Leaders:

Goals: Johan Franzen-17

Assists: Pavel Datsyuk-33

Points: Pavel Datsyuk-46

Plus/Minus: Ian White +23

Penalty Minutes: Jonathon Ericsson-39

Power Play Goals: Johan Franzen-9

Game-Winning Goals: Johan Franzen-8

Short Handed Goals: Brad Stuart-1

Shots on Goal: Henrik Zetterberg-139

Shooting Percentage: Valtteri Filppula-20.5%

Average Ice Time Per Game: Nicklas Lidstrom-23:44

Goalie Stats:

Jimmy Howard- 26-10-1; 2.04 goals against average; .924 save percentage; 4 shutouts

Ty Conklin- 2-5-0; 3.28 goals against average; .888 save percentage, 1 shutout

Game 42: Detroit Red Wings 1  New York Islanders 5

After his stellar performance in Chicago, Ty Conklin was rewarded with another start in Nassau County, but instead he was the sacrificial lamb for a lackluster Red Wing team.  The Islanders’ top line of John Tavares, Matt Moulson and Kyle Okposo played like the Hall of Fame-line of Bryan Trottier, Clark Gillies and Mike Bossy out there as they combined for four goals and four assists. For some reason, the Red Wings can’t seem to figure out why the Islanders always have their number.  Other inquiring teams would like to know, too.

Game 43: Phoenix Coyotes 2  Detroit Red Wings 3 (SO)

Henrik Zetterberg scored the game-winning goal that was headed directly to the highlight reel as the Red Wings won their 13th straight home game.  Congratulations were in order to Mike Babcock for his 400th win as an NHL head coach. Jimmy Howard notched his 100th NHL win and made 25 saves in order to reach the milestone.  Prior to the game, Howard and Pavel Datsyuk were selected to play in this year’s All-Star Game, which will take place in Ottawa on January 29.

Game 44: Chicago Blackhawks 3  Detroit Red Wings 3 (OT)

Todd Bertuzzi scored twice, including the game-winner in overtime as the Red Wings won their 14th straight game, tying a franchise record set in the 1965-66 season. The Red Wings were on fire in the first period, jumping out to a 2-0 lead and firing 21 shots on Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford.  They let the foot off the gas pedal just a bit and it caught up with them when Jonathan Toews scored the game-tying goal with 52 seconds left in regulation.  Out of the 25 saves by Jimmy Howard, 15 of them were in the final period.  Pavel Datsyuk and Ian White had two assists each for the Red Wings.

Red Wings Three Stars of the Week

Jimmy Howard- 2-0-0, 1.86 goals against average, .926 save percentage

Todd Berzuzzi- two goals, one game-winning goal, +2 rating,

Pavel Datsyuk-three assists, +1 rating

Team Transactions:

January 12: F Jan Mursak recalled from Grand Rapids (AHL)

This Week’s Games:

This Monday, the Red Wings have a shot to set the franchise record of 15 straight home wins as they welcome the Buffalo Sabres to town.  Tuesday, they start a two-game mini road trip in Dallas and then face a familiar foe in Phoenix on Thursday.  Saturday, they head back to the JLA to host the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Red Wings almost had the game won in regulation, but Jonathan Toews scored with 52 seconds left in the third period to send the game into overtime.  Since the Blackhawks lost in the extra period, they receive a point giving them a temporary hold on first place, ahead of the Red Wings in the Central Division.

Jimmy Howard was sensational between the pipes for the Red Wings by making 25 saves for his league-leading 26th win of the season. Howard was money in the third period by making 15 saves.

The Red Wings were firing on all cylinders in the first period by blasting 21 shots on Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford (40 saves).  A power-play goal by Tomas Holmstrom finally got the Red Wings on the board at 12:56 by tipping in Ian White’s shot from the left point.  It was Holmstrom’s seventh goal of the season, all of them coming from the PP.

A line change led to Pavel Datsyuk’s backhand pass to Bertuzzi’s breakaway to score on a backhander for a 2-0 lead.  After the first 20 minutes of play, it looked like the home team was going to skate away with a win. The Blackhawks only had four shots on Howard in the first period.

The Blackhawks clamped down defensively in the second period and had a few more scoring chances, which got them back in the game. The lead was cut in half to 2-1 when Howard attempted to clear the puck from behind his net, but it trickled off the heel of his stick and Andrew Shaw was right there to put the puck in the open net. After 40 minutes, the Red Wings were holding on to a 2-1 lead.

The Blackhawks started out the third period doing their impression of the Red Wings’ first period play, but Howard stood tall by stopping everything that they threw at him. Early in the period, Drew Miller was sent to the sin bin for a four-minute high sticking call which gave the Blackhawks their best chance to tie the game. Allowing only two shots on the PK, the Red Wings killed off the double-minor penalty, which was a huge bonus.

Right after the penalty expired, the Red Wings had a chance to regain the two-goal lead when Miller jumped out of the penalty box and went in on a breakaway, but was denied by Crawford.  Henrik Zetterberg and Danny Cleary also had chances, but they also failed to convert.

With Crawford pulled for an extra skater, the Blackhawks were relentless and it paid off when Toews got the puck from Marian Hossa and one-timed it past Howard to tie the game and force overtime.

The Red Wings out-shot the Blackhawks 9-0 in the extra period, with their final shot coming from Bertuzzi as he grabbed Valtteri Filppula’s rebound and put it past Crawford to end the game.

The first period play of the Red Wings was one of their best so far this season, but Crawford did more than hold his own to keep it 2-0 after 20 minutes. If it wasn’t for the Blackhawks’ netminder, it would have been a Red Wings blowout.  The visitors adjusted their game plan to go toe-to-toe with the Red Wings and got a break from Howard’s miscue to keep them in the game. Even though the Red Wings killed the double-minor penalty to Miller in the third, it was the Blackhawks’ period.

The Red Wings won the game, but to put it bluntly, they had opportunities to blow the game in the final two periods.  They eased off by taking the foot off the gas pedal a bit and that’s something that they can’t afford to do against a Blackhawk team that has three dangerous players in Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa (who gets the Sergei Fedorov Treatment by getting booed every time he touches the puck on JLA ice).

The one that probably made head coach Mike Babcock pull his hair out (which he shouldn’t do since he has the best locks among NHL personnel) was his team allowing 11 shots in the first six-plus minutes of the third period.   If it weren’t for Jimmy Howard, or should I say ‘All-Star’ Jimmy Howard, more than likely it would have been a Blackhawks win.

The Red Wings’ sticks were finally blazing again in overtime.  They had more shots in less than five minutes (nine) than in the second (eight) and third periods (five).

The star of the game was Todd Bertuzzi, who opened and finished the scoring this afternoon.  Playing on the team’s top line alongside Pavel Datsyuk (two assists) and Johan Franzen certainly does help.

This coming Monday, the Red Wings have a chance to set the franchise record of 15 straight home wins as they welcome a struggling Buffalo Sabres team to the Joe Louis Arena.

Thanks to Henrik Zetterberg’s game-winning goal in the shootout, the Red Wings winning streak on home ice reached a Baker’s dozen; it was their 13th straight win at “The Joe”, which matches their previous high in the 2006-07 season.

It was a game of milestones for two members of the Red Wings’ brass;  Mike Babcock got his 400th win as a head coach, while netminder Jimmy Howard stopped 25 shots for his league-leading 25th win of the season and the 100th of his NHL career. Before the game, Howard, along with Pavel Datsyuk, were selected to take part in this year’s All-Star Game which will take place in Ottawa later this month.

It was a different Coyotes team that came to Detroit than the one that played on December 8 when Red Wings chased Mike Smith out of the net and scored five goals in the first period.  This time, Smith made it through the first 20 minutes.

The Coyotes opened the scoring when Radim Vrbata carried the puck from the neutral zone and blasted a shot from the top edge of the left face-off circle and through the five-hole for the 1-0 lead.

Just like his jersey number, Valtteri Filppula tied it with 51 seconds left in the first period with a rocket from the slot, beating Smith on the glove side to tie it at 1-1.

Both teams exchanged goals in the first, but the second period was the penalty period as both clubs drew two penalties each, but ended up 0-for-2 on the power play.  After two periods, both teams were deadlocked at 1-1.

It went back to scoring mode in the third period as Taylor Pyatt scored early to give the Coyotes the 2-1 lead.  Just like a seamstress sewing a fine garment, Datsyuk threaded a needle of his own by making a sweet cross-ice pass to Johan Franzen who skated to the front of the net to score his team-leading 17th goal midway through the third period to tie the game at 2-2.

It remained tied 2-2 after 60 minutes and went to overtime.  In the extra period, there was no scoring so it went to a shootout.

Datsyuk and Vrbata each scored through three rounds, so it was up to Henrik Zetterberg to keep the Red Wings in it.  Zetterberg went in on Smith and made some finessed moves, similar to Peter Forsberg’s shootout goal on Corey Hirsch in the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, and gave the Red Wings the lead.  Howard slammed the door on Lauri Korpikoski to seal the win for the Red Wings.  Zetterberg’s goal is one definitely for the highlight reel.

Jan Mursak, who has been out since the preseason with a fractured ankle, made his season debut for the Red Wings and played well despite the limited ice time that he was given.  He replaces Todd Bertuzzi who sat out tonight’s game with a lower-body injury.

It was a hard earned win for the Red Wings and it was a nice rebound from Tuesday’s lackluster performance against the New York Islanders.  It was two points that they had to have and it paves the way for a Saturday matinee affair at the Joe Louis Arena when the Red Wings host the Chicago Blackhawks.

Team Leaders:

Goals: Johan Franzen-16

Assists: Pavel Datsyuk-30

Points: Pavel Datsyuk-43

Plus/Minus: Ian White-+24

Penalty Minutes: (tie) Jonathon Ericsson/Todd Bertuzzi-37

Game-Winning Goals: Johan Franzen-8

Short Handed Goals: Brad Stuart-1

Shots on Goal: Henrik Zetterberg-130

Shooting Percentage: Valtteri Filppula-21.2%

Average Ice Time Per Game: Nicklas Lidstrom-23:49

Goalie Stats:

Jimmy Howard- 24-10-1; 2.05 goals against average; .924 save percentage; 4 shutouts

Ty Conklin- 2-4-0; 3.01 goals against average; .897 save percentage, 1 shutout

Game 39: Detroit Red Wings 5  Dallas Stars 4

The Red Wings started off 2012 with a win in Dallas thanks in part to the second line of Valtteri Filppula, Henrik Zetterberg and Jiri Hudler, who combined for eight points in the first period alone.  Jimmy Howard stopped 31 shots for his league-leading 24th win of the season and it was his first when giving up four or more goals.

Game 40: Detroit Red Wings 3  Toronto Maple Leafs 4

The Maple Leafs quickly went ahead 3-0 before the 12-minute mark in the first period, but had to fend off the visiting Red Wings for the win.  After the Leafs’ third goal, a time out was made and Mike Babcock told them to remember who they were (not really, but you get the point). The pep talk seemed to work until a turnover from behind their own goal by Niklas Kronwall led to Joffrey Lupul’s breaking a 3-3 tie early in the third period.

Game 41: Detroit Red Wings 3  Chicago Blackhawks 2 (OT)

The Red Wings quickly trailed 2-0 early in the game, but rallied to beat the Blackhawks in overtime thanks to Pavel Datsyuk’s game-winning goal. Backup goalie Ty Conklin made 29 saves for his first win in exactly three months and his second of the season.  This win not only boosted the confidence of Conklin, but the rest of the team as well.  It was a statement game and what better way to do it than on their division rival’s home ice.

Red Wings’ Three Stars of the Week:

Pavel Datsyuk-1 goal, 3 assists, +3

Johan Franzen-1 goal, 3 assists, +4

Henrik Zetterberg-6 assists

Team Transactions:

January 2:  F Chris Conner activated off injured reserve, sent down to Grand Rapids (AHL)

January 4:  F Joakim Andersson sent down to Grand Rapids, F Chris Conner recalled from Grand Rapids

January 8:  F Tomas Holmstrom and F Darren Helm both activated off injured reserve,  F Gustav Nyquist sent down to Grand Rapids

January 9:  F Chris Conner sent down to Grand Rapids

Waiting in the Wings/2012 WJC Update

Congratulations to Team Sweden who won their first Gold Medal in the World Junior Championships since 1981, beating Russia 1-0 in overtime. The lone Red Wing for the Swedish team was Mattias Backman, who was taken with the 146th pick in last summer’s NHL Draft.  Backman played very steady in the tournament, finishing with three assists and a +5 in six games.

Another possible future Red Wing who had a strong series was Finland’s Teemu Pulkkinen.  The 116th pick in the 2010 Draft, Pulkkinen finished third in tournament scoring with six goals and four assists.  Two of the team’s prospects from Slovakia, Tomas Jurco (one goal, five assists) and Marek Tvrdon, had decent showings.

Despite not making it to the Gold Medal Game, Czech Republic goalie Petr Mrazek’s stock rose after the WJC. His 52-save performance in the upset win over the United States was his breakthrough game. Mrazek finished with a 3-2-0 record with a 2.49 goals against average and a .928 save percentage.

This Week’s Games:

The Red Wings finish their four-game road trip with a stop in Nassau County as they pay a visit to the New York Islanders. The Red Wings return to the Joe Louis Arena as they host their first home game of 2012 against the Phoenix Coyotes. The Red Wings will have a Saturday matinee home affair with the Chicago Blackhawks to close out the week.

The Red Wings are now in a three-way dance for first place in the Central Division with the Blackhawks (who got one point for the overtime loss) and the St. Louis Blues.

The other story was the play of backup goalie Ty Conklin, who stopped 29 shots for his second win of the season and his first in exactly three months.  Conklin’s last win was a 3-0 shutout win in Colorado on October 8.

On consecutive nights, the Red Wings fell behind early in the game.  Dave Bolland and Patrick Sharp scored goals 44 seconds apart early in the first period.  The difference between last night’s game in Toronto and tonight’s game was that after the Blackhawks went ahead 2-0, Red Wings’ head coach Mike Babcock didn’t call a timeout to settle his players down.

The Red Wings cut the Blackhawks lead to 2-1 at 13:29 of the opening period when Henrik Zetterberg made a slick pass from the left face-off circle to Valtteri Filppula, who tapped the puck past Blackhawks’ goalie Corey Crawford.

With no scoring in the second period and both teams giving it their all, it looked like the makings of an interesting third period.

The Blackhawks almost regained their two-goal lead early in the third period, but Tomas Holmstrom (along with Darren Helm, who was just activated off IR earlier today) attempted to cover the puck at the goal crease. However, since the goal couldn’t be reviewed, the call was that no goal was scored, and the Blackhawks were awarded a penalty shot.

Jimmy Hayes was the player chosen for the penalty shot at 7:53 of the third period, but Conklin kicked out his left pad to stone Hayes and kept the score at 2-1.  The save on Hayes was Conklin’s biggest of the game.

Danny Cleary tied the game at 2-2 when he shoveled the puck during a wild scramble past Crawford and that’s how it ended after 60 minutes.

After a wild skirmish in front of the Blackhawks’ net, Datsyuk netted the game-winner in OT as he grabbed the rebound and shot the puck off Nick Leddy’s chest and into the net to end the game.

This was a much needed win for the Red Wings, especially after last night’s lackluster effort in Toronto.  Going into the United Center was the perfect remedy for the Red Wings as they faced the Blackhawks, who had gone winless in five of their six games going in.

It looked as if things were going to get worse after the Blackhawks jumped to a 2-0 lead and it wasn’t even five minutes into the game.  Conklin’s record since his last win three months ago made the scenario much scarier for the Red Wings.

Even though Conklin made his sixth start and seventh appearance this season, this was his best game that he played in 2011-12.  He kept his team in there and the complexion of the game changed for the Red Wings when he stopped Jimmy Hayes on the penalty shot.

After doubts of him being a reliable understudy to Jimmy Howard, he solidified the number two position, for now. This win was a definite confidence booster for not only Conklin, but for his teammates.

Despite going pointless in the scoresheet over his last five games, Nicklas Lidstrom led all skaters with a +2 rating.

The Red Wings will end their current four-game road trip this Tuesday as they pay a visit to Nassau County for a clash with the New York Islanders.

In a first stop of a four-game road trip, the win gives the Red Wings a record of 10-11-0 away from the Joe Louis Arena.

The Red Wings’ second line of Jiri Hudler (two goals), Henrik Zetterberg (three assists) and Valtteri Filppula (one goal, two assists) did all of their damage in the first period combining for eight points.  Right now, this line is as good as any top line in the NHL.

After 20 minutes, the Red Wings jumped out to a 3-1 lead, but the way they were skating around the Stars, it would have been 5-1.  Both starting goalies were like ducks in a shooting gallery in the first period; Red Wings’ goalie Jimmy Howard faced 14 shots in the opening period while the Stars’  Kari Lehtonen faced 15 shots.

Jamie Benn answered the bell for the Stars 64 seconds into the second period, but the Red Wings regained their two-goal lead 2:47 later as Cory Emmerton scored his fourth goal of the season with a bank shot from a tough angle off of Lehtonen’s right pad.

Michael Ryder cut the Red Wings lead to 4-3 at 7:25 of the second period by firing a shot from the right face-off  circle, which Howard stopped, but the puck trickled in. It was a goal that Howard would want back.

Pavel Datsyuk stole the puck from behind the Stars’ net, passed it to a wide-open Johan Franzen, who one-timed the shot that went top shelf past Lehtonen, giving the Red Wings another two-goal lead.

The red lamp was only lit once in the third period with Ryder scoring his second goal of the game at 14:07 with a shot from the left face-off circle, but that’s all the Stars could get.

After the first 30 minutes of the game already played, you would think with all the scoring, Steve Yzerman, Gerard Gallant, Neal Broten and Brian Bellows suited up for tonight’s game.

Congratulations to Red Wings rookie Gustav Nyquist, who played in his fourth game, for registering his first NHL point on an assist to Cory Emmerton’s goal early in the second period.  It’ll be the first of many for the native of Halmstad, Sweden.

It was more than helpful that the “Euro-Line” of Filppula-Zetterberg-Hudler did their job in the first period, otherwise the game may have had a different outcome.  Eight points coming from the Red Wings’ second line—you have to shake your head on that one.

It was the first time this season that Jimmy Howard gave up four goals and won the game.  Even though he stretched his league-leading total to 24, he’ll take it despite tonight’s performance.

It was ugly, but the Red Wings will take the all-important two points in the standings and it’s only going to get tougher as the season moves along.  The Red Wings’ next game will be this Saturday as they travel to Toronto for an “Original Six” clash with the Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre.

Pavel Datsyuk continues to lead the team in scoring with 39 points (12 goals and team leading 27 assists), while Johan Franzen leads the team in goals with 15.  Nicklas Lidstrom leads the defense corp with 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) with Ian White leading the club with a plus minus rating of an impressive +24.

Jimmy Howard continues to lead all NHL netminders with 23 wins and is also sporting a 1.93 goals against average and .929 save percentage with four shutouts.

Henrik Zetterberg leads the team with 120 shots on goal while Todd Bertuzzi and Jonathan Ericcson lead all Red Wings in time spent in the penalty box with 35 PIMs. Nicklas Lidstrom, who after all is 41 years young, averages a team-leading 23:44 minutes of ice time per game.

Game 35:  Detroit Red Wings 4  Nashville Predators 1

The Red Wings came to the “Music City” to give the Predators some music of their own, which was in the form of  some “Sweet Chin” tunes.  Valtteri Filppula led the Red Wings’ offense with two goals and Jimmy Howard stopped 29 shots for the win.  The PK unit for the Red Wings had the Arby’s special by going a perfect five-for-five against a deadly Predators’ PP unit which ranked second in the NHL.

Game 36:  St. Louis Blues 2  Detroit Red Wings 3

With the Blues’ winning both times on their home ice against the Red Wings, they were looking to extend their winning streak at the JLA and it looked that way for a little over 39 minutes.  Nicklas Lidstrom got the Red Wings on the board with 63 seconds left in the second period and the duo of Pavel Datsyuk and Niklas Kronwall scored  twice in 56 seconds midway through the third period to beat the Blues for the first time this season.

Game 37:  Detroit Red Wings 2  Chicago Blackhawks 3

The Blackhawks beat the Red Wings in the first meeting between the two teams thanks to goals by Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa and Brent Seabrook, who scored the game-winner early in the third period.  Despite goals from Justin Abdelkader and Todd Bertuzzi, the Red Wings’ top forwards Pavel Datsyuk, Valtteri Filppula, Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg all combined for zero points and only one shot on goal.

Game 38:  St. Louis Blues 0  Detroit Red Wings 3

The Red Wings closed out 2011 with their second win over the Blues on home ice in five days.  The home team did all of their scoring in the second period with goals from Johan Franzen, Justin Abdelkader and Jiri Hudler, while Jimmy Howard stood on his head by stopping all 31 shots for his fourth shutout of the season. The win gave the Red Wings sole possession of second place in the Central Division.

Red Wings’ Three Stars of the Week

Jimmy Howard-three wins, 1.51 goals against average, .951 save percentage, one shutout

Pavel Datsyuk-two goals, two assists, +4, one game-winning goal

Valtteri Filppula-one goal, two assists, +2

Team Transactions:

December 27: F Tomas Homstrom placed on injured reserve (strained groin)

December 27: F Joakim Andersson recalled from Grand Rapids (AHL)

December 28:  F Jan Mursak activated from injured-reserve and sent down to Grand Rapids for conditioning stint.

December 29: F Gustav Nyquist recalled from Grand Rapids.

Red Wings Prospects Stats- 2012 World Junior Championships 

Petr Mrazek (Czech Republic); two wins, two losses, 2.75 goals against average, .917 save percentage.

Teemu Pulkkinen (Finland); five goals, three assists, +5

Tomas Jurco (Slovakia); one goal, four assists, +1

Marek Tvrdon (Slovakia); two goals, one assists

Mattias Backman (Sweden); zero goals, three assists, +5

The talk of the WJC so far isn’t Team Canada with a perfect 4-0 and demolishing every team that they’ve faced—it’s been the play of goaltender Petr Mrazek.  Don’t let his stats in the tournament fool you. His stock rose dramatically after he led the Czech Republic with a 52-save performance, leading them to a 5-2 upset win over the United States.  Mrazek’s biggest save was stopping Josh Archibald on a penalty shot with more than eight minutes left in the third period and his teammates responded by scoring three times to knock out the Americans.

While Canada and Sweden await who they will face in the semi-finals, Slovakia will face Finland in the Quarterfinals Monday afternoon and all eyes will be on Mrazek and his Czech Republic teammates as they face Russia in the other Quarterfinal match later that night.

This week’s games:

The Red Wings will start 2012 with two games on the road. Tuesday night, they head to Dallas for a night with the Stars.  Saturday night, they head to Toronto for an “Original Six” clash with the Maple Leafs in a rare regular season matchup.

The Blackhawks deserved the victory as they held the Red Wings’ skill players in check. This was a big win for Chicago beyond the rivalry factor. The Hawks were able to play faster than the Wings which exploited Detroit’s defense. Red Wing defenders were caught hooking and holding. Unfortunately the Hawks could not capitalize on power play chances or this game wouldn’t have been so close.

Marian Hossa and Jonathan Toews each had a goal and were the two best skaters on the ice. On the Detroit side of the ledger Pavel Datsyuk didn’t have a shot on goal. The Wings other big gun, Henrik Zetterberg was also held scoreless. Zetterberg had only one shot and finished the night a minus two.

It wasn’t only Chicago star players which helped defeat Detroit as others contributed to the victory.

Daniel Carcillo returned to action with four hits, a fight and a nice assist. In his first NHL game, right winger Jimmy Hayes made his presence felt. The 6’6”- 220 lb. Hayes had four hits in the first period.

Carcillo and Hayes set the tone as the Hawks recorded 13 hits in the opening frame. Hayes was credited with two shots on goal and hit the post with his first attempt on Jimmy Howard. With the help of Hayes, the fourth line outplayed their Detroit counterparts.

Goal tenders Corey Crawford and Howard both had very good performances. Crawford was a little more fortunate as the Red Wings hit iron on more than one occasion. In total he was also a little sharper than Howard.

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Next article will be posted on Tuesday.

Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa also scored for the Blackhawks, who extend their lead in the Central Division by five points (52 pts, which leads the NHL) over both the Red Wings and St. Louis Blues.

It was the first of four meetings between these two “Original Six” clubs.

The Red Wings got on the board first for the 25th time this season (which leads the NHL) on Justin Abdelkader’s first goal in 19 games, midway through the first period.  Drew Miller shot the puck from the left point toward the Blackhawks’ goal, but Abdelkader crashed the net to put the rebound past Crawford for the 1-0 lead.

Toews went in on a breakaway late in the first period, but was hooked by Nicklas Lidstrom and instead of the Red Wings’ Captain spending two minutes in the sin bin, the refs called it a penalty shot.  Toews went in all alone in and beat Red Wings’ goalie Jimmy Howard with a sick wrist shot between the wickets to tie the game.

Todd Bertuzzi gave the Red Wings its second lead of the game at 5:25 of the second period by tipping-in Mike Commodore’s shot from the right point, but the lead was short-lived.  Two minutes and 50 seconds later, Marian Hossa tied it by undressing the Red Wings, figuratively.  Hossa picked up the puck along the boards and skated across the top of the Red Wings’ zone, blazing past Valtteri Filppula, and blasted one past Howard for the 2-2 tie.

At 1:52 of the third period, Seabrook’s goal put the Blackhawks ahead with a 3-2 lead and that’s how it stood.

Simply put, the Blackhawks were the better team and their best players were just that, their best players.  Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa proved that they are dominant.  Patrick Kane drew an assist to Seabrook’s deciding goal and Corey Crawford (26 saves) stepped up and is steering the number one goalie position away from Ray Emery.

As for the Red Wings, Lidstrom’s first hooking call that led to Toews penalty shot goal was questionable.  As he was being hooked, Toews moved his right arm on his own and it should have been two minutes in the penalty box.  Despite that, it was a pretty nice goal by the Blackhawks’ Captain.

Johan Franzen, Henrik Zetterberg, Valtteri Filppula and Pavel Datsyuk combined for zero points. Even worse, they had only one shot between them and that was by Zetterberg with about seven minutes left in the game—but it hit the post. The Red Wings aren’t going to win too many games with a stat like that and as the season goes on, they can’t afford to.

Hossa’s goal was bothersome just by the fact that no one was on him.  The closest to Hossa was Filppula, but that’s where Hossa used his speed to blow past him.

One of the bright spots for the Red Wings was that they were five-for-five on the PK.  Not bad for playing in the United Center, which is still one of the toughest buildings to play for a visiting team.

The other was the play of the third and fourth lines. The third line of Drew Miller, Justin Abdelkader and Danny Cleary have played solid as of late and they combined for the first goal of the game.  It looks like we have the Red Wings’ version of the “Kid Line” as Cory Emmerton centered the fourth line along with Joakim Andersson and Gustav Nyquist, who was recalled from Grand Rapids on Thursday. For the limited ice time that they saw, the Emmerton line played very well.

The Red Wings will close out 2011 on Saturday night at the Joe Louis Arena with the St. Louis Blues coming back for a rematch. They recently met this past Tuesday at the JLA with the Red Wings clipping the Blues 3-2.

Valtteri Filppula lit the lamp twice and added an assist for the Red Wings (22-12-1), while Jimmy Howard made 29 saves as he stretched his win total to a league-leading 21. Pavel Datsyuk and Danny Cleary also scored for the Red Wings , who ended their two-game losing skid.

The Red Wings finished their road trip with a 2-2-0 and are now one game below .500 with a 9-10-0 record away from the Joe Louis Arena.

The Red Wings started the scoring midway thru the first period thanks to a turnover by Martin Erat, which led to a two-on-one break for the Red Wings. Henrik Zetterberg took the puck into the Predators’ zone and found an open Filppula who shot the puck from the right circle beating Predators’ goalie Pekka Rinne.

It wasn’t exactly Owen Nolan calling his own shot on Dominik Hasek at the 1997 All-Star Game, but Pavel Datsyuk scored on a wraparound  squeezing the puck between Rinne and the right goal post midway through the second period to make it 2-0. Datsyuk claimed it was a goal, but the call had to be made to Toronto to see if it did go in—and it counted. Datsyuk’s goal eventually was the game-winning tally for the Red Wings.

Thirteen seconds later, the Red Wings made it 3-0 as Rinne tried to clear the puck along the boards, but was recovered by Drew Miller.  Miller went to the back of the Predators net and found a wide-open Cleary, who put the puck past Rinne to extend the lead.

Filppula saw an open net and made it 4-0 after Rinne was barely out of the the blue paint and had challenged Justin Abdelkader who had just shot the puck.

Howard was sensational, espcecially making highway robbery-like saves on Martin Erat in the second period and Jonathan Blum early in the third period.  Blum got his revenge by scoring his third goal of the season with 2:12 left in the game, ending Howard’s bid for his fourth shutout of the season.

Before the final whistle was blown in Nashville, the St. Louis Blues beat the Dallas Stars 5-3, so it was two points that the Red Wings had to have before they head back to Detroit.  The Blues are in second place in the Central Division with 46 points and are one point ahead of the Red Wings.

The Red Wings were perfect on the PK by killing off all five of the Predators’ power-play opportunities.  The Predators entered the contest with the second best power-play in the NHL since they were shut-out on the PP, this was a major boost for the Red Wings.

It certainly didn’t help the Predators that they missed Shea Weber for tonight’s game, but they got a glimpse of their future as Ryan Ellis was called up from Milwaukee for their contest against the Red Wings.  The former Windsor Spitfire graduate got some power play minutes to go along with his 17:19 of total ice time, but he will give teams like the Red Wings fits in the near future.

It’s “Home Sweet Home” for the Red Wings tomorrow night, but it’s going to be a tough test as they will host the St. Louis Blues at the JLA.

The key match-up going into the game was a battle between two of the top goalies in the NHL. Roberto Luongo won this round by out-dueling Jimmy Howard.   Luongo made 39 saves, including 16 saves in the third period for his 14th win of the season, while Howard stopped 21 shots for the Red Wings.

The Red Wings had given up 16 first-period goals going into Vancouver, but they quickly trailed 2-0 midway through the first as the Canucks jump-started their offense with goals by Chris Higgins and Cory Hodgson 21 seconds apart.

Todd Bertuzzi got things going for the Red Wings by scoring his fourth goal of the season off of a rebound, but the Canucks didn’t let up.  Alex Burrows must have studied the Red Wings offense because was in front of Howard and tipped-in a Daniel Sedin shot to make it 3-1.

Burrows is a fortunate player by playing alongside two of the leagues’s gifted offensive forwards in Daniel and Henrik Sedin.  The line has combined for 10 points in the last two games.

Drew Miler got the only goal in the second period, cutting the Canucks’ lead to 3-2.

In a play that hoped to swing the momentum for the Red Wings, Ryan Kesler got “Kronwalled” as he was leveled with a clean hit by Niklas Kronwall.  Kesler reacted to the hit by retaliating and was given a roughing penalty, giving the Red Wings an opportunity to tie the game. Maybe Kesler should have kept his head up.

Unfortunately, the momentum favored the Canucks when Jannik Hansen, who was trying to fight off Henrik Zetterberg, crashed the net and took out Howard, while Alexander Edler put the puck into the net for a shorthanded goal sealing the game for the Canucks. Howard, who was upset and thought the goal shouldn’t have counted, jumped on Hansen after the Edler goal, but was separated by the referees.

The Red Wings had chances on the power-play, but went 0-for-4 with the man-advantage.  With the Canucks having home ice advantage, they took a page out of the Red Wings’ playbook by outscoring their opponent in the first period. The Canucks jumped to a 2-0 lead and didn’t look back, but the Red Wings had their chances to score on Luongo.

While Luongo has reclaimed his position as the Canucks’ number one goalie for the last eight games, Howard tried to keep his team in the game, but the Red Wings made mistakes with turnovers and poor play in the neutral zone. With Howard playing a heavy workload this season, Red Wings head coach could give him a well-deserved night off and give Ty Conklin some playing time in their next game.

The Red Wings will try to get their second win on their current road trip as they do battle with the Calgary Flames Thursday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

With the win on the road, the Red Wings have a .500 record away from the Joe Louis Arena at 8-8-0.  Their home record is a sparkling 13-2-1, but they have to turn it up a notch on the road if they’re going to keep up with teams like the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues, who have found new life since Ken Hitchcock came aboard.

The Red Wings got the scoring started early in the first when Jakub Kindl’s shot from the right circlet was tipped in by Danny Cleary, who scored his eighth goal of the season.

The Oilers tied it up early in the second when Sam Gagner found an open Ryan Jones, who went in alone and beat Howard  through the five-hole  for the 1-1 tie; but Jiri Hudler gave the Red Wings the lead with 4:24 left in the period as he tipped-in a Henrik Zetterberg shot.  With less than a second left in the period, Jordan Eberle scored a power-play goal from the slot and tied the game at 2-2.

With 4:15 left in regulation, a Nicklas Lidstrom shot from the left point was redirected by Miller and gave the Red Wings the lead for good.

With players like Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk being on hot streaks as of late, Danny Cleary has followed suit.  Over his last eight games, Cleary has scored four goals and five assists with a +10 during that span.

The best line of the night was the third line combination of Cleary, Drew Miller and Darren Helm.  Whenever the top six forwards can’t produce, their role players step in and pick things up.

Even though they lost, Nikolai Khabibulin, who made 25 saves and kept the Oilers in the game.

Despite going 2-7-1 over their last 10 games, the Oilers didn’t play like their record indicated and they gave the Red Wings a run for the money.  They are the best young team in the NHL and show a lot of  promise with guys like Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins leading the way.

Their scenario resembles the Quebec Nordiques of the late 1980s/early ’90s when they relied on the NHL Draft to get their young talent and put them out there to learn on the job.  They could be headed for a Top 5 selection once again in next year’s draft and could probably use that pick on help from the blueline.

The Red Wings continue their west coast trip as they head to Vancouver to face the Canucks at the Rogers Arena on Wednesday night.

Pavel Datsyuk currently leads the team in scoring with 10 goals and 23 assists, while Johan Franzen is now in second with 14 goals and 16 assists.   Valtteri Filppula is third (10 g, 25 a) and Henrik Zetterberg is climbing the ladder as he is now in fourth(8 g, 14 a).

Nicklas Lidstrom leads the team’s defense corp in team scoring with seven goals and 14 assists, while Ian White (4 g, 11 a) leads the team with a plus/minus rating of +21.

Jimmy Howard’s play in goal has slipped “just a little bit,” to quote Robert DeNiro, with a 1.91 goals against average and a .929 saver percentage, but he still leads the NHL with 19 wins.  All kidding aside, this is his breakout year, folks, and don’t be surprised if he’s nomintated for the Vezina Trophy this season.

Game 29:  Detroit Red Wings 4  Pittsburgh Penguins 1

Pavel Datsyuk led the offensive charge with a goal and an assist, while Jimmy Howard stopped 25 shots as the Red Wings invaded the Consol Energy Center with a 4-1 win.  Danny Cleary scored twice in the third to help put the game away for the Red Wings.  Johan Franzen scored the game-winning goal as he shot a rocket from the left circle past Marc-Andre Fleury early in the third period.

Game 30:  Detroit Red Wings 3  Nashville Predators 4

The Red Wings let one slip away in the Music City as they took a two-goal lead in the third period, but Shea Weber scored the game-tying goal on the power-play and scored the winner late in the third period.  Pekka Rinne was brilliant in goal as he stopped 37 shots and outdueled his counterpart Jimmy Howard, but his hooking call in the third period led to Weber’s game-tying goal.  A couple of the bright spots for the Red Wings was that they went a perfect two-for-two on the power play.  One of them was scored by Tomas Holmstrom and he passed Sergei Fedorov for fourth in team history with 118 goals with the man-advantage.

Game 31:  Los Angeles Kings 2  Detroit Red Wings 8

Cory Emmerton and Drew Miller led the team with two tallies each leading the Red Wings to an 8-2 drubbing of the Los Angeles Kings  at the Joe Louis Arena.  Out of the 18 skaters that suited up, 14 of them got at least a point.  Jimmy Howard stopped 27 shots to stretch his NHL-leading wins total to 19.  It was their third straight home game that they chased a starting goalie out of the net in the opening period as starting goalie Jonathan Quick didn’t escape the first half of the opening period.

Red Wings Three Stars of the Week

Pavel Datsyuk-two goals, three assists, +4

Danny Cleary-two goals, three assists, +5

Cory Emmerton-two goals, one assist, +2

Team Transactions:

December 15: F Chris Conner placed on short-term injured reserve, F Tomas Tatar called up from Grand Rapids (AHL)

December 16: F Tomas Tatar reassigned to Grand Rapids

This week’s games:

The Red Wings go back on the road to start a four-game road trip and will kick it off with a stop at Rexall Place for a date with the Edmonton Oilers.  After that, they will have back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday with stops in Vancouver and Calgary respectively and will take a few days off for Christmas.  They go back on the road next Monday for a rematch with the Nashville Predators at the Bridgestone Arena.

The Red Wings snapped their first one-game losing streak of the season as they blow out the Los Angeles Kings 8-2 on home ice.  Drew Miller and Cory Emmerton led the way with two goals apiece and Jimmy Howard stopped 27 shots for his NHL-leading 19th win of the season.

Out of the 18 skaters that suited up for the Red Wings, 14 of them had at least one point.  Not bad for a balanced attack, especially from the third and fourth lines.

Thanks to goals from Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart, the Red Wings now have a league leading 24 tallies from their own blueline.

The Red Wings started out like gangbusters by scoring two goals in a 15-second span early in the first period.  Miller got things going at 1:45 as he was in front of the net and scored off the rebound to make it 1-0; 15 seconds later, Emmerton tipped-in a Jonathan Ericsson shot past Kings’ goalie Jonathan Quick (four saves on seven shots) and things were quickly going (no-pun intended) the Red Wings way.

After Kronwall ripped a rocket of a slap shot from the right circle that made it 3-0, Quick was given the hook and was replaced by Jonathon Bernier.  Bernier didn’t fare any better as he stopped 15 of 20 shots.  The rest of the first period saw goals being exchanged by the Kings’ Davis Drewiske and Emmerton, who got his second of the game.

Jarret Stoll cut the Red Wings lead to 4-2 midway through the second period, but that was all the Kings could get past Howard.

The Euro-Twins activated their goal-scoring binge as Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk each lit the lamp as the Red Wings took a 6-2 lead after 40 minutes.  Both goals were in the form of wicked backhands.

It was “Miller-Time” as Miller made it 7-2 with a snap shot that went past Bernier’s glove side and Stuart turned off the red lamp as he scored the team’s final goal midway through the third period.

The Red Wings rebounded nicely from their heart-breaking loss in Nashville on Thursday night.  They took out their frustrations out on a hapless Kings team who have 3-7-0 in their last 10 games and have averaged an NHL worst 2.16 goals a game.

Even though he was chased out of the net early in the first, Jonathan Quick has been one of the few bright spots for the Kings this season. If it weren’t for his team’s play in front of him and playing on a team in the east coast, he’d be ranked among the league’s elite netminders.  Quick and Howard are two of the best american-born goalies in the NHL and they could be the front-runners to represent Team USA in the upcoming 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Props to the Red Wings’ third and fourth lines.  The third line combination of Drew Miller (two goals), Darren Helm (two assists) and Danny Cleary (three assists) and the fourth line of Cory Emmerton (2 g, 1 a), Tomas Holmstrom (2 a) and Justin Abdelkader (1 a) were a huge reason tonight’s win.  The line of Emmerton, Holmstrom and Abdelkader played that well, they were rewarded with some time on the power-play.

After the Kings scored their first goal of the game, it didn’t sit well with Red Wings’ head coach Mike Babcock as he gave it to them before the ensuing face-off.  He pressed the right buttons and his team responded rather quickly.

The Red Wings go back on the road to begin a four-game road trip and their first stop will be at the Rexall Place as they face the Edmonton Oilers Monday Night.

The loss snaps the Red Wings three-game winning streak.  The Red Wings have done their share of streaking this season, but not in a “Frank The Tank” kind of way (thank goodness). Not once this season has the team had a winning or losing streak that lasted one game.

The game was fast-paced and provided plenty of action that resembled a playoff atmosphere.

David Legwand and Jordan Tootoo also scored for the Predators.

One of the few bright spots for the Red Wings was from the power play unit as they they went two-for-two with goals from Tomas Holmstrom and Henrik Zetterberg.  Holmstrom scored his 118th career power-play tally, which ranks fourth all-time in team history passing former Red Wing great Sergei Fedorov.

Nicklas Lidstrom scored the Red Wings’ lone even-strength goal while Pavel Datsyuk and Ian White both chipped in with two assists apiece.

Jimmy Howard stopped 17 shots in the loss, but was called for hooking at 15:14 of the third period and that led to Weber’s game-tying goal.  It was the only Red Wing penalty in the game and it was a very costly one as the Predators’ scored a power-play goal in their last seven games.

Weber scored the game-winner 2:48 later as he blistered a shot from the right point in which Howard was screened.

Predators’ goalie Pekka Rinne was brilliant between the pipes as he made 37 saves.

Brad Stuart and Niklas Kronwall both posted a team-worst -3 rating.

The four goals that Howard gave up were the most since the 5-2 loss in San Jose back on November 17.  He can’t be at fault for the loss; He made a brilliant save on Legwand in the first period, but Legwand quickly recovered the rebound and put it in for the 1-1 tie.  Tootoo had just got on the ice when he scored his goal, but a Red Wing player didn’t cover him.  Weber’s game-tying goal from the left point was a rocket and Howard was partially screened.

Even though Shea Weber was the player of the game, wouldn’t he fit in well with the Red Wings?  He’s a free agent next summer and with Pekka Rinne signing a long term deal with the Predators, there won’t be much salary cap room for Rinne, Weber and Ryan Suter to play in Nashville.  Even though Nicklas Lidstrom is not showing his age, he can’t play forever.  Would you like to see Shea Weber play for the Red Wings?

The Red Wings hope to end their first one-game losing streak of the season as they head back home to host the Los Angeles Kings this Saturday.

The Nashville Predators faced the Detroit Red Wings at Bridgestone Arena in a contest that required the Predators to persevere, fight, and claw their way to a 4-3 win for their fourth straight win and even their season series with the Red Wings at one game each.

The Predators faced a significant test against the Red Wings, who had been red hot and playing some of the best hockey of any team in the NHL. Everyone knew this one would be a tough test for the Predators.

It was that, and then some.

Pekka Rinne got the start in net for the Predators, while Detroit countered with Jimmy Howard. Rinne was tested early and often throughout the contest, as the Wings fired a total of 40 shots at the Nashville net. Jimmy Howard faced 21 shots from the Predators.

Detroit opened the scoring on the power play as Ryan Suter was called for a weak hooking call and was in the box. Ian White sent a shot toward the net that pinballed off several sticks and legs, eventually coming to Tomas Holmstrom alone at the side of the net. Holmstrom had an easy tap in to give the Wings a 1-0 lead.

The Predators answered the Wings score at 10:09 of the first period as David Legwand took a shot from the left side of the net that Howard stopped with his pad. The rebound came right back to Legwand, and he lifted the puck over a sprawling Howard to knot the game at 1.

Tied going into the second period, the Wings asserted themselves. They outshot the Predators 15-5, controlled the puck for long stretches, and thoroughly stymied the Predators offensive effort. Oh, by the way, they also scored two goals.

The first of those goals came at 10:03 of the second with the Wings on another power play. Jerred Smithson was in the box for hooking, and the Wings got control of the puck down low. A nice tic tac toe pass from Todd Bertuzzi to Juri Hudler to Henrik Zetterberg found Zetterberg alone at the side of the net and he had a virtually empty net in which to shoot the puck to give the Wings a 2-1 lead.

Nicklas Lidstrom made it 3-1 Detroit at 11:30 of the period as he beat Rinne with a shot from the blue line at even strength. For Predator fans, things looked grim. Detroit was 18-0 when they had a 2 goal lead and the Predators offense was virtually invisible, having failed to record a shot on net for 11 minutes in the period.

The Predators would show some signs of life as Jordin Tootoo tallied off a rebound of a Kevin Klein shot to beat Howard and make it 3-2 Detroit at 17:22 of the period. Tootoo continues his strong play with his 9th point in the last 10 games, and he has brought a spark and a scoring touch to his line that the Predators have long expected out of him and that they have desperately needed.

Detroit is strong on the puck, and in the third period, they continued to control the puck and keep the Predators hemmed in their own end. With the clock melting away, it appeared as if the Wings would strangle the life out of the Predators.

The momentum would turn toward the Predators at the 15:14 mark of the third period, as Jimmy Howard was called for hooking, the only Detroit penalty of the night. The Predators would make the Wings pay for this transgression at 15:36 of the third as Shea Weber unleashed a blast from just inside the blue line. Patric Hornqvist was screening Howard, and the puck flew past the Detroit netminder to tie the game at 3.

That goal energized the crowd, who was in full throat in support of the Predators, and the home team responded.

The Predators got the puck into the zone, and Jordin Tootoo got the puck to Weber at the blue line. He took a wrist shot that bounced about 10 feet in front of Howard and skipped over his shoulder to give the Predators a 4-3 lead.

The Predators were able to hold off the final push by the Wings with Howard out of the net and the extra attacker on the ice. As they horn sounded, the crowd erupted, and as improbable as it might seem, the Predators had the 4-3 win over their rival.

After the game, I heard someone say that the Predators “stole” that game from Detroit. Here is the aspect that one should keep in mind: the Predators kept themselves in a position to win that game- “steal” it if you insist- by persevering. It would have been easy to quit, to let Detroit continue to dominate and choke the life out of the Predators. The fact that this team didn’t quit and kept fighting is telling.

The bottom line is that they put themselves into a position to win the game.

Here is a blinding flash of the obvious: Detroit is talented. They are well coached. They are experienced. Those characteristics overshadow the fact that the Predators faced adversity and they were in a 2 goal hole, but they continued to push, they continued to skate, and there was no quit in them.

This is a young team that is growing up right before our eyes. They are learning to fight, to scrap, and to persevere.

More importantly, they are learning to win.

This is the result of a total buy in of what the coaching staff has been teaching. It is a result of believing in the coaches and the teammates on the ice.

There will be more tests of this young squad, and more chances to persevere.

This contest with the Wings shows this team that they are never out of a contest.

Just keep persevering.

My three stars:

1. Shea Weber

2. Jordin Tootoo

3. Nicklas Lidstrom

Nicklas Lidstrom leads the Red Wing blueliners with 20 points (6 goals, 14 assists), while Ian White leads the team with a +17 rating.  Jimmy Howard remains a rock between the pipes with a league-leading 17 wins,  a sparkling 1.85 goals against average (in which he ranks second), and a .931 save percentage.

The Euro-Twins’ powers have been re-activated and are out of their scoring slump.  After both Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg started the season on a rare scoring slump, they have caught on fire as of late.  Over the last 12 games, they have picked up the pace as Datsyuk has netted six goals and 12 assists, while Zetterberg has found the net three times and has 10 assists.  While the other set of Euro-Twins, Franzen and Filppula, are off to hot starts, Datsyuk and Zetterberg help make the Red Wings lineup much more dangerous than it was at the start of the season.

Game 26: Detroit Red Wings 2  St.Louis Blues 3

In a battle of the goals against average leaders, Brian Elliott out-dueled Jimmy Howard as the Blues beat the Red Wings at the Scottrade Center.  Brad Stuart, the on-ice backup to Howard, prevented the puck crossing the goal line and swatted it away, but Howard one-upped Stuart with a two-on-none breakaway early in the second period.  Johan Franzen scored the first goal of the game on the power play early in the middle frame, but quickly recovered and didn’t look back.  The Red Wings made the Blues earn a win with their tenacity toward the end of the game, but it wasn’t enough.

Game 27: Phoenix Coyotes 2  Detroit Red Wings 5

For the Red Wings, there was no place like home as they took out their frustrations on the visiting Coyotes by scoring five times in the first period.   The Red Wings got goals from Todd Bertuzzi, Valtteri Filppula, Tomas Holmstrom, Darren Helm, and Jiri Hudler.  Coyotes’ goaltender Mike Smith didn’t make it out of the first period, giving up four goals on 11 shots. His teammates in front of him didn’t do him any favors as they were out-worked on their own end of the ice.

Game 28: Winnipeg Jets 1  Detroit Red Wings 7

The Red Wings picked up where they left off in the first period on Thursday night.  It took them a while, but they began their offensive spark in the second period and chased another starting goalie for the second straight game.  The term “team effort” would be an understatement.  Jimmy Howard stopped 29 shots for his league-leading 17th win and Jiri Hudler scored twice to lead the Red Wings to a 7-1 win over the Jets.  Out of the 18 skaters in the lineup, 14 of them registered at least a point, while 15 of them had a rating of +1 or higher. Congratulations to Mike Babcock for his 391st win as an NHL head coach, passing Fred “The Fog” Shero for 25th all-time on the list.

Red Wings Three Stars of the Week:

Jiri Hudler-four goals, two assists, +4

Henrik Zetterberg-one goal, four assists, +3

Pavel Datsyuk-five assists, +2

Team Transactions: None

This Week’s Games:  The Red Wings travel to Pittsburgh for a main event battle with the Penguins at the Consol Energy Center.  Sidney Crosby has sat out the last two games for precautionary reasons and all signs are that he could be in the lineup against the Red Wings.  Thursday they travel to the Music City for a hoedown with the Nashville Predators, and close out the week back at the JLA as the pesky Los Angeles Kings come to town.