Canucks @ Red Wings

VICTORY (OT)

4 : Vancouver Canucks @ Detroit Red Wings : 5

Some Notes From The Game:

The First Period:

Livonia's Ryan Kesler to start things off. You just can't help yourself, can you Ken?

We start off briskly with Zetterberg creating some action in the crease.

Afterward we get a delay because Luongo complains about the ice in the crease. The refs and Al come out and do some damage control.

Good work, Al

Jimmah goes diving for a puck. Big E plays emergency goalie. I may have been a little scared. It looked cool, though.

Jimmah on a field trip

Franzen nails a goal post. The Canucks shove Homer around. Jerks.

Hudler rails someone into the boards. This draws a 'huh' from Mick. I'll include a pic because I find it funny.

You all saw it

Cleary's goal:

Holy shit. Amazing break-out pass from Rafalski in the defensive zone (he's in the left faceoff dot, for reference) to Bertuzzi, who's hovering just outside the offensive blue line. He enters on the left with Cleary shadowing him on the right. He makes the cross-ice pass to Cleary, who wrists it in. Sickening.

SHAKE AND BAKE!

The Canucks follow this up by creating some havoc in our crease. They nail a goal post, and when Jimmah gloves the puck there's some shoving to be had. The refs break that shit up before it becomes anything. Aww.

Jimmah makes a reassuring save.

Hudler fans on a puck in front of the net. Ugh. The hockey gods have cursed this guy. There's no other explanation.

A funny play where Bertuzzi loses his stick and skates to the bench for a new one, just as Lidstrom collects the puck and feeds to it him. Bertuzzi enters the zone on the right, drops a spin-o-rama pass to Zetterberg, who backhands it on goal. The puck gets stuck in Tambellini's glove. This doesn't stop Zetterberg from getting a few whacks at Tambellini in an attempt to dislodge it. The Canucks were not as amused as I was.

Ryan Kesler just had a son last week. Congrats, dude. He apparently named the kid 'Riker'.

Star Trek fan?

Eaves has a daughter named Norah. They're about to celebrate their first Christmas. Aww...

There's compete chaos in our zone following a faceoff. Geez. Way to be on your toes, Jimmah. Kronwall makes a nice skate save.

Bertuzzi manages to get a chance at a loose puck all alone in the offensive zone, but fans on the shot. Damn.

Jimmah denies Burrows with a pad save.

Franzen blocks a shot.

Holmstrom gets checked.

Jimmah, you totally played that outside the trapezoid. Totally.

Datsyuk gets tripped in front of Luongo by that asshat Samuelsson. He lands awkwardly. And he's slow to get up.

Not good

He's tended to on the bench by Piet.

Bertuzzi offers some much needed emotional support

The Sedins attempt the throw a party in our zone in the final few minutes, but Jimmah denies the fun.

The Second Period:

Well, we've lost Pavel Dastyuk to a hand injury. Lovely. Fuck you too, hockey gods.

We finally get nailed with a penalty after Cleary gets freight-trained by a Canuck and Raffi cross-checks the guy in the face in retaliation. Kinda stupid, but I also kinda liked it.

Shmuck

Whatever. We load up the penalty kill.

It takes them about ten seconds to score. Sedin to Kessler to Other Sedin. Fuck.

Then Filppula draws an interference penalty.

We try our hand at the power play.

A puck deflects out of play on a Canuck, but the refs want to bring the faceoff outside. Zetterberg argues the hell out of that, and the faceoff stays inside. Shmucks.

We play catch with the puck. Shoot it, for chrissakes...

Holmstom goes to the box for nailing a Canuck in the face.

Thirty seconds of an uneventful 4-on-4. We move on to a Canuck power play. They have the best in the league on the road, and 3rd in the NHL overall. I could have lived without knowing that, Ken...

We kill it off.

Filppula's goal:

Raffi, on the point, dishes across to Big E, who slap-passes it over to Cleary in the right faceoff dot. Cleary wrists a weak one on Luongo, who gives up the rebound. It reaches Filpulla, who puts it into a wide open net, as Luongo is still trained on Cleary.

Glad to see you on the score sheet, Filp. Now stay there.

Eaves draws an interference penalty when he gets dumped to the ice and loses his helmet. Owch.

Power play time.

We squander it.

Trevor lets us know not to expect Datsyuk back in the game, as he's out for the remainder with the ominous 'upper body injury'.

Shiiiit.

Filppula goes to the box for closing his hand on the puck. The hockey equivalent of traveling. The crowd is vastly amused.

The Canucks score with their patented Sedin to Kessler to Other Sedin. Ughhh...

Tie game.

We play some even hockey for the waning minutes of the period.

In the last 30 seconds, the Canucks score.

Of course they do.

Abby and Torres get into a shoving match, but the refs break it up and the period closes.

No fun to be had here

The Third Period:

The Canucks try to rain on the parade in the opening minute of the period, but Jimmah denies the fun with a sickening arm save and a snow angel. A few Wings help out with the effort.

Dedication in action

Zetterberg's goal:

Well, this is all Zetterberg. He enters the zone along the right boards and lets one go as he skates behind the net. Luongo tries to make the stop, but it trickles through his arm and in. Whoops.

Can't stop it!

Tie game, bitches.

The fourth line gets another attempt, and after Luongo makes the save there's some shoving to be had. Eaves loses his helmet. Again.

Don't mess with the fourth line

Some crazy good hockey for the next few minutes. Ken lets us know that they're re-airing the Big Chill at the Big House. And that fans can get another look at Mick's hat. Which they have dubbed 'Redmondov'.

Holmstrom draws a high-sticking penalty

Not the face!

Power play time.

The opening ten seconds are kind of ruined by a power surge in the JLA. Lidstrom has the puck at the time, and he skates with it in the defensive zone until things settle down. There's some loss of sound from the booth, but that's all.

Last time that happened, the other team scored five seconds later. Luckily, nothing like that happens this time.

Kronwall goes deep at an inopportune time. That could have been incredibly unfortunate.

We squander the power play.

Kronwall steals a puck in the offensive zone and gets a shot on goal. It was very Datsyuk.

Ken makes sure that we know the Canucks are 2nd in the NHL in third period goals, with a +23 differential that is good for 1st in the conference.

Awesome. A blistering ray of sunshine, that Ken Daniels...

After Jimmah gloves a puck and the play is whistled to a stop, Burrow tries to pick a fight with Lidstrom by shoving him with a cross-check. Seriously.

In what universe is this a good idea?

Cleary then takes Burrows aside and lets him know exactly what the Red Wings think of that. Stuart and Bertuzzi hover on the outskirts of the skirmish, waiting to see if a fight is to be had. The refs break that shit up.

A Canuck narrowly dodges an ass-beating

Seriously, Burrows? Shmuck. You would have had better luck shoving around Bertuzzi if you wanted to pick a fight. But I guess if you're a pussy, you shove around a guy who has exactly one fighting major in 19 years of NHL hockey. Asshat.

Then, a minute or two later, the Canucks score. Are. You. Kidding. Me.

We get a few more minutes of good hockey before Burrows heads to the box for cross-checking.

If there was ever a time for a power play goal, this is it.

Luckily, we employ some guys who're pretty good at that sort of thing.

Lidstrom's goal:

Lidstrom taps a loose puck over to Holmstrom behind the goal. Homer gets absolutely dumped, but manages to smack the puck over to Zetterberg on the left. Z passes to Raffi on the point, who walks the line. Everyone rotates with Rafalski, with Zetterberg taking Raffi's spot on the right point, Raffi moving to Lidstrom's spot on the left point, and Lidstrom going in deep.

Raffi passes back to Zetterberg, who shoots it on goal. Luongo makes the save but gives up the rebound, which rolls straight over to Lidstrom.

Lidstrom sweeps it in.

Nicklas "Right Place At The Right Time" Lidstrom

Tie game, bitches.

We wreck some awesome havoc in the offensive zone as the period winds down to a close.

This needs to be decided in overtime.

Sidebar: You know what I'd like to see? Both teams pull their goalies in the final minute, and we have 6-on-6 hockey.

Overtime:

Zetterberg's goal:

A Canuck looses control of the puck along the left boards when pressured by Zetterberg, and Helm retreives it. Helm passes the puck to Rafalski on the point, who shoots it on goal. It bouces off a Canuck defenseman straight to Zetterberg, who's still at the left boards. Zetterberg one-times the rebound in.

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!

 And that's game.

Don't Think We Didn't Notice:

Holmstrom didn't get on the score sheet, but he worked his ass off. A fine example: just prior to Lidstrom's tying goal in the third, Holmstrom gets freight-trained into the boards, but immediately climbs back to his feet and takes position in his office. He gets whacked, shoved, and beaten up the entire game, but he always jumps right back into the play.

Holmstrom... we appreciate you, man.

Dedication

No one Served with Pride.