DEFEAT (SO)
5 : Colorado Avalanche @ Detroit Red Wings : 4
Some Notes From The Game:
We welcome the Dive to the oldest venue in the league, the mighty JLA. For the curious, this is the 103rd meeting between these two teams.
We're rocking the Versus feed this game. Edzo is usually a moron, but I've got no announcing beef with VS.
Raffi gets arthroscopic surgery this afternoon. Good luck, Raffi.
Also, Uncle Mike signed a 4 year extension yesterday.
Yup.
Lidstrom has 11 goals and 41 assists for 52 points career against the Avs, for those of you who like random statistics. I know VS thinks there's a lot of you out there...
The First Period:
The announcers start off by letting us know that the JLA has active boards. Really? Who knew?!
Nothing much until Franzen opens up the scoring:
Franzen's goal:
Nothing too spectacular here. Bertuzzi on the fore-check, and a loose puck off those 'active' boards is scooped up by Franzen and snapped in.
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| Feed the Mule |
Sorry about the crap quality. Versus is one of those people that don't believe in slow-mo.
Budaj robs us a few times.
A break grants us an interview with Malts, who just retired.
He's going to be a scout for the Wings. We reminisce about the Grind Line for a bit.
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| Glory |
Bye Malts... /sniffle...
Back to the game. There's a good battle in front of our net that sends Stuart to the box for hooking.
Some gold digging in front of the net on behalf of the Avs, but nothing too serious. Fairly easy penalty kill.
Quick interview with Mike Babcock.
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| Triple gold, bitch |
Next there's a random fight between McLeod and Janik. It was.. um... yup.
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| Wanna dance? |
Some punches are thrown. They both nab fighting majors.
An Av shoves Lidstrom into Jimmah, who goes sprawling behind the goal. No penalty.
The 4th line throws a serious party in the offensive zone, drawing approval from the announcers.
During a scramble in the crease, the Avalanche finally get on the board by scoring a goal.
The Eurotwins have a good shift before we exit the period tied at one.
The Second Period:
We come back to the second at the tail end of what could only be a conversation about Zetterberg's wedding.
During a party in the offensive zone the Wings draw a delayed penalty. Jimmah books it to the bench for the extra man.
Chaos reigns. Blood is drawn, but no scoring.
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| Fond memories... |
Penalty is a weak hold by by Yip. Modano's stick caught the other Av in the face, but no double minor is called.
Power play time. This power play encompasses a grant total of 17 seconds, and is all the power play time we log this game.
Datsyuk's goal:
Lidstrom has it on the left point. He goes in along the boards, dishes it to Zetterberg on the right. Zetterberg executes a shot-pass to Datsyuk, who deflects it in. Perfection.
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| Never gets old |
Goal number 200 for Datsyuk, making him the 15th to do so wearing the Winged Wheel.
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| Eurotwins observe their handiwork |
We throw our post-goal energy 4th line at the Avs. They have some good times.
Next Lidstrom does something I haven't seen him do in a long time, and that's stick handle his way into the zone past some defending pylons, one of whom drops to the ice to block, but Lids whips out a forehand-backhand and dishes the puck behind the Av's leg to Homer, who has a wide open net for a one-timer... but he fans on it.
Shmuck.
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| He can deke, too! |
This is a pretty sickening shift by Lidstrom, who then goes on to make several disgustingly perfect plays in the defensive zone, not the least of which is anticipating a pass, stealing the puck, and giving it to a passing Tuzzi before heading to the bench for a shift change. Tuzzi gets a shot on goal that Budaj gloves.
VS is impressed enough to give us a replay of Lidstrom undressing the defending Av pylons.
Filppula follows this up by going to the box for hooking. Killjoy
Easily killed off.
Next break we get a short interview with Ken Holland.
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| For my first question: Is my close proximity to you unnerving? |
They ask him how odd it was to start a year without Stevie, as Stevie and Ken both joined the Wings in '83 and this marks the first year they wont work together.
Ken admits it's strange, and he's saddened, but wishes Stevie well.
Back to the game, where we have one of those shifts that looks like a power play but isn't.
They accidentally call the Av coach Joe Sacco, Joe Sakic this game. Totally caught it.
Cleary knocks someone over. Just because he can.
Franzen's goal:
After Jimmah makes a nice save, Filp has the puck along the left boards. He dishes it across ice to Franzen, who snaps it top shelf over Budaj's left shoulder.
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| A second kick from the Mule |
To close out the period, some Avalanche absolutely snipes one in past Jimmah.
Jerk.
The Third Period:
Cleary knocks someone over. Again. Ah, Cleary...
There's a funny bit where a scramble in the crease causes the puck to rebound into the air and fall on top of the net, with a very confused Jimmah scrambling around trying to find it.
In the ensuing chaos, Danny goes to the box for interference.
We easily destroy it.
We follow up the penalty kill with a good shift by the first line. Zetterberg gets a good shot on goal.
An Avalanche completely blows by Kronwall and banks a goal off of Jimmah's shoulder.
Tie game.
Sigh...
Budaj robs Stuart.
Salei goes to the box for hooking. Dammit, Salei...
This turns out to be perfectly fine, because we respond with-
SHORTHANDED GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL~
Eaves and Helm's goal:
Faceoff in our zone. We lose the faceoff, the Avalanche get it on the line and shoot it on goal. It's tipped wide and Lidstrom ends up with the puck behind the net. He sends it along the left glass. The Avalanche on the point attempts to stop it, but the puck is scooped up by Helm.
Helm races down the left, mirrored by Eaves on the right. Helm dekes a few times, dishes it across to Eaves, who snaps it in. Ahahahaa... congrats on your first goal of the season, Eaves.
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| Suck it, Dive! |
Some hockey for a few minutes, and then the Avalanche score through Jimmah's five hole.
God daaaaaaaaammit.
The Red Wings can't hold onto a lead to save their lives. We're in the waning minutes of the third period against a team in the last half of a back-to-back, you shmucks... this should be cake!
The first line responds with a good frustrated shift. Budaj robs Datsyuk and Lidstrom in rapid succession, followed by Holmstrom moments later.
After the play is whistled to a stop, we're treated to five seconds of watching Holmstrom fix his pants. Good stuff.
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| Datsyuk helps him out with the back |
Filppula gets high-sticked, but the refs miss it. The JLA makes its displeasure known.
We forecheck the living daylights out of the Avs. It was hilarious to watch.
There's a lot of frantic hockey in the waning moments of the third. Modano fans on a good chance, and Hudler gets robbed on a good one-timer.
The last 30 seconds sees the Avalanche taking their time-out.
In the final play of the game we lose the faceoff in their zone, and some Av attempts to take the puck up the left side against Lidstrom. The Av's bright idea is to try to chip it in past Nick.
Nick swats it out of the air with his stick, because he's Nicklas fucking Lidstrom.
The Av attempts to stop and go back for the puck but wipes out. Shmuck. Datsyuk picks up the loose puck but loses it in the offensive zone. The puck is tossed around for the remaining few seconds.
Overtime:
We completely dominate this overtime. No joke. It's like an overtime clinic.
I stopped counting our goal chances after three of them in the first 30 seconds. The entire Red Wing team gets at least one good chance per player. And if you think I'm kidding... you're wrong.
The first line completely embarrasses the Avs. Datsyuk undresses a few defenders. Nick wrecks havoc on any attempt by the forwards to set up some sort of offense.
Nick comes the closest when he hits a goal post. Despite our complete and utter domination, Budaj commits Highway Robbery about 20 times, and we head to the dreaded shootout.
Shootout:
I though about nabbing a shot of each Red Wing's goal attempt, but that turned out to be next to impossible. Plus, it dragged on forever...
Pavel Datsyuk. Career Shootout: 24 for 50 (48%)
A few dekes, fakes Budaj into thinking he's going glove side, and then goes for the stick side. He's unable to elevate the puck and Budaj stops it with his pads.
Save.
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Milan Hejduk. Career Shootout: 16 for 41 (39%)
Tries to backhand stick side. Jimmah blocks.
Save.
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Jiri Hudler. Career Shootout: 7 for 18 (39%)
Tries to backhand glove side. Budaj knocks it aside.
Save.
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Christ Steward. Career Shootout: 3 for 8 (38%)
Shoots it right into Jimmah's chest. Not sure what he was attempting.
Save.
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Todd Bertuzzi. Career Shootout: 9 for 26 (35%)
Same as Datsyuk, but opposite side. Can't elevate on the glove side, or he might've been trying to slide it under the pads - hard to tell. Budaj stops it with his pads.
Save.
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Matt Duchene. Career Shootout: 2 for 7 (28%)
A few dekes, goes glove side. Jimmah stops with his pads.
Save.
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Johan Franzen. Career Shootout: 2 for 5 (40%)
Nothing fancy. Drags the puck in, tries to snipe it top shelf. Hits the crossbar. Badaj pats the crossbar and thanks it. Shmuck.
Save.
-David Jones. Career Shootout: 0 for 2 (0%)
Breaks his stick shooting the puck into Jimmah's chest. 0% indeed.
Save.
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Mike Modano. Career Shootout: 8 for 28 (29%)
Carbon copy of Franzen. Off the crossbar as well. Ricochettes into the back of Budaj, but Budaj snaps his legs together and traps it.
Save.
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Ryan O'Reilly. Career Shootout: 1 for 3 (33%)
Shoots it into Jimmah stick. Yup.
Save.
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Henrik Zetterberg. Career Shootout: 11 for 38 (29%)
Dekes and tries for a backhand through the five hole. Nope.
Save.
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Brandon Yip. Career Shootout: 0 for 1 (0%)
A few dekes and nails it glove side, top shelf.
Goal.
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Congrats on your first shootout goal ever, Dive.
... Jerk.
Don't Think We Didn't Notice:
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| Happiest fucker on the ice. Always. |
No one served with pride.
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