Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Red Wings @ Stars

VICTORY
7 : Detroit Red Wings @ Dallas Stars : 3

Patrick Eaves



Some Notes From The Game:

Well, we enter this game having lost both of the meetings with this team this season. Lets turn that around, eh? Stars broadcast on the recap - and the Stars are one of the few teams that actually have a decent broadcasting team.

The First Period:

Nothing until Ott goes to the box for tripping Zetterberg. 

Ott has the nerve to look surprised at the call
Power play time. It takes us about 10 seconds to score.

Hudler's goal:

Lidstrom centered on the point, lets a slapper go towards Lehtonen. The puck gets stopped by some traffic in front and the puck lands right in front of Bertuzzi, who's providing the screen. Bertuzzi passes it over to Hudler on the right, who bangs it in. Perfection.

Hudler scored. Again. The world may be ending...
There's some pretty decent hockey in both ends before Miller heads to the box for slashing and breaking a Star's stick. Lovely.

So now we try our hand at the penalty kill.

Lidstrom gets the first clear following the faceoff. There's some fun in front of the crease, but no joy on that for the Stars. Stuart gets the next clear and gets drilled by Morrow immediately after. They exchange pleasantries.

The Stars get a few more shots on goal, including a breakout pass that leads to a breakaway, but Jimmah stones that.

Salei manages to lay an outstanding hipcheck on a Star. It was lovely.

Who needs to score goals when you can do fun stuff like this?
Bertuzzi does a spin-o-rama in the offensive zone and finishes with a pass to an empty corner that Hudler skates over and retrieves. The announcers laughing state that Bertuzzi does the spin because he doesn't know how else to stop.

Then Rafalski follows this up by dishing a pass across the blue line to Lidstrom which is way off the mark. Lidstrom hustles to retrieve while being hounded by a forechecker. Rafalski is not pleased with himself.

To offset this, Nick makes a string of solid defensive plays.

Next we have Franzen going to the box for roughing. No replay of that by the Stars, but knowing Franzen... it was probably a deserved penalty.

Helm gets a breakaway in the dying seconds of the power play, but the puck is poke-checked away by Lehtonen. Nothing else of note during the penalty kill.

Franzen nearly kills a Star coming out of the box, but misses. Hah.

Helm gets another breakaway. Not joy. Eaves tries to help out. Nope.

As the period comes to a close, there's some nice chaos in our end. After the buzzer sounds, Stuart exchanges some words with Ott.

What'd you say to me?
The Second Period:

We start off with Hudler having a lovely conversation with a Star as we're setting up for the opening faceoff. There were a lot of smiles. He's the enemy, Hudler! Talk smack!

Stuart and Ott exchange further words behind the play.

Please drop the gloves, Stuart. Just once.
Franzen and Ott have an exchange as well.

Abby and Mursak have some fun in the crease. Mursak almost scores. Damn. You'll get your first soon, kid.

Lidstrom, for the millionth time this game, uses his stick to disrupt Dallas' entry into the Wing's zone. Seriously, Stars. You're not getting past him. Even the Star announcers think it's a lost cause.

14:21 of the period. Richards receives a breakout pass for a breakaway and dumps it topshelf past Jimmah. Tie game.

Kronwall denies a Star on a 1-on-1. Kronwall has some words.

13:36. Faceoff in our zone, which the Stars win. Fistric retains it on the point and immediately shoots it on goal. It deflects off Bertuzzi's stick and over Jimmah's shoulder. Damn.

2-1 Stars.

13:07. There's some chaotic traffic around our net. Jimmah hugs the goalpost as the puck travels behind the net and emerges on the other side. A shot on goal bounces off the side of the net straight to Benn, who quickly smacks it in past the adjusting Jimmah.

3-1 Stars.

... fucking lovely.

Three goals in 74 seconds.

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

Uncle Mike throws the first line on the ice to see what they can stir up. Nothing from them, and we go with the fourth line. Nada. Okay, lets try something else.

Lidstrom's goal:

Bertuzzi shoots on goal from the right. Bounces off the shin pads of a Star defenseman straight to Filppula. Filp brings it around behind the goal. Lidstrom is heading in deep along the left, and Filp makes the pass. Lidstrom one-times it in.

Thank god...
Awesome.

We're back to 3-2 Stars, which isn't quite so disastrous.

The Stars immediately after the faceoff manage to get a 2-on-1. Lidstrom is the man back, however, and he breaks that shit up.

Holmstrom intercepts a pass in neutral and gets a shot on goal. I smiled.

Salei makes a good diving play.

Here's a look at the ridiculous Western Conference.


On our next foray into the offensive zone, a Star does something off camera that nets a delayed penalty to the Stars. We regroup in our zone and send Jimmah to the bench for the extra man, but Bertuzzi is offside on the entry and the play is whistled down.

Immediately Stuart and Ott mix it up. Bertuzzi shows up for fun.

Get 'em, boys!
We get a look at the original penalty, which is to Ott for roughing. He mixed it up with Stuart on the blue line behind the play, who throws a little embellishment into the shoulder smack Ott gives him.

I approve.

We have some trouble setting up, but eventually gain the zone about thirty seconds in. We don't generate much. The first line throws a party but Homer can't quite nail the tip.

Eaves' goal:

Rafalski passes to Franzen for the entry. The Mule twists past all the defenders and enters on the right, drawing pretty much everyone to him, and then passes across to a wide open Eaves on the left, who one-times it in with 1 second left in the power play.

Uncle Mike throwing the lines into a blender.
Tie game.

Nothing much in the final two minutes of the period. We throw a party in the offensive zone with Zetterberg, Filppula, and Bertuzzi. It was a lot of fun.

The Third Period:

Bertuzzi is offside. Again. The Dallas announcers are vastly amused.

The announcers spend quite some time comparing the Patriots to the Red Wings, and the penchant for picking up players off of waivers and turning them into successful and effective competitors.

Stuart's goal:

Miller maintains possession of the puck as he skates along behind the goal. He passes to Hudler as he comes up the left, and Hudler dishes it over to Stuart, who is centered on the point. Stuart with the slapshot, and the Wings retake the lead.

The Wings laugh at your three goals in 74 seconds.
Queue some comments from the announcers about defensemen scoring in the NHL. The Wings are the clear leaders in that category.

Superiority

There's a lot hitting and a lot of board battles and a lot of getting knocked down. Drapes loses his helmet. The game moves back and forth pretty steadily.

Rafalski heads to the box for hooking.

No joy for the Stars on their power play. We disrupt just about everything they try to set up.

We get Rafalski back from the box and there's a solid minute of passing in our zone. That's it. Just passing and stealing the puck. For a minute. It was ridiculous.

Draper's goal:

After finally emerging from the chaos in our zone, Helm uses his speed to chase down a puck wobbling its way into the offensive zone after a dump-in by Bertuzzi for a line change. Helm wins the puck battle behind the Star's goal and taps it back along the left boards to Eaves, who dishes to an incoming Draper for the one-timer past Lehtonen.

Old men can contribute, too
 Drapes and Eaves get a little excited in their celebration.

I love you, man
Eaves' goal:

God, I love hockey. Eaves in a puck battle along the left boards taps it to Zetterberg. Zetterberg retains the puck until he passes to an incoming Franzen. Eaves is now sitting at the top of the crease - Franzen makes the pass and Eaves with the nice one-timer past Lehtonen before he can adjust.

A little deep aren't we, Lehtonen?
It's funny how quick a hockey game can turn on you.

Franzen mucks it up with a couple Stars after a whistle. He heads back to the bench without his helmet.

Just fight someone already, Franzen. Geez.
The announcers note the perfection of the Wings tonight - 2 PP shots for 2 PP goals for a flawless power play, complete with a flawless penalty kill... Eaves has two goals and an assist...

We're probably annoyed that we've been beaten by the Stars twice already this season. Enough is enough, eh?

Then Kronwall nabs a penalty for interference, matched by a penalty to Morrow for driving by afterward and knocking Kronwall to the ground.

4-on-4 time.

The Stars send Lehtonen to the bench for the extra man. The Wings ice the puck immediately following the faceoff in an attempt to nail the open net. No joy.

Eaves is on the ice, for obvious reasons. Uncle Mike is pretty good about letting players chase those curly fries.

The Hat Trick:

The Stars have pulled their goalie. Jimmah makes a save (earning him an assist) and Big E picks up the rebounded puck along the boards. He passes to Eaves, who twists and lofts one towards the open net. It sails down the ice and rings straight off the back bar to seal the curly fry deal.

Eaves with the try, is it gonna go iiiin....?
You all saw it
 Curly fries for everyone!!!!!! Congrats on your first ever hat trick, Eaves.

Happy. As. Shit.

It's now 7-3 Wings. Not bad for being down 3-1 in the second, eh?

We finish off the remaining minute of the 4-on-4 with no real action.

The period winds down to a close, and we bank our well-earned two points.

Bitches.

20 wins for Jimmy Howard - 1st in the NHL. Take that, Carey Price.
Don't Think We Didn't Notice:

There was a lot of hacking and slashing and rough-housing, but nothing notable outside the play. Don't worry, I'm sure there will be something next game.

No one Served With Pride. We may never see this penalty again...


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