The Detroit Offices: Red Wings @ Oilers

VICTORY

5 : Detroit Red Wings @ Edmonton Oilers : 3

Some Notes From The Game:

Well, enemy feed. We start off with props to Ozzie and his 400. And then, of course, props to Nicklas Lidstrom for being 40. And awesome. We're playing the Oilers tonight, so I'm required to appended Nick's age to his name. It's a rule.

There's a Datsyuk and a Zetterberg sitting behind the Oiler's bench. I smiled.

The First Period:

I hate the Oiler's feed, if only for the fact that the camera isn't facing the benches. So weird.

The Wings open up the scoring a few minutes in.

Zetterberg's goal:

Miller collects the puck behind the net and passes up to Lidstrom (age 40) on the left point. He dishes to Zetterberg, who's at the center point. A slapshot from him on goal, with Holmstrom providing the screen.

Thanks for not stealing my goal, Homer. I appreciate it.

Eight game point streaks for Zetterberg and Lidstrom (age 40). They've both collected 12 points in that span.

There's a three-on-one break for the Oilers when Lidstrom (age 40) fumbles on the point and falls to the ice. Luckily, the Oilers suck and Stuart is the man back.

People are falling everywhere. Does the ice suck, or something?

After Helm nets one of those ridiculous breakaways of his, the announcers spend some time discussing the fact that Helm might just be the fastest guy in the NHL.

The Oilers tie the game when an Oiler passes from behind the goal to an incoming friend that nobody decided to pick up. Blah.

Zetterberg gets blatantly tripped.

Oiler announcer compares Holmstrom to a homing pigeon. Really. I wish I could be more specific about the conversation, but I can't quite bring myself to rewind the game.

Raffi fans on a shot on the point and chaos ensues as players go sprawling all over each other in an effort to nab the loose puck. I laughed.

Ozzie gets bored and goes on a field trip for a loose puck, trying to catch the Oilers on a shift change.

Takin' a walk

Bertuzzi goes looking for garbage and gets at least three whacks at consecutive rebounds. Bulin denies all of them.Sorry, Todd.

The announcers comment on the fact that Bertuzzi has the loosest chin strap in the NHL.

Is there a rule regarding this?

Lidstrom (age 40) makes a nice defensive play. As usual.

In the closing seconds, an Oiler checks Bertuzzi into the boards. Bertuzzi loses his helmet, drawing some jokes about the chin strap.

Todd shows off his haircut

The Second Period:

Holmstrom and an Oiler jaw at each other on the opening faceoff.

He started it, ref! I swear!

Power play time for the Wings. Bertuzzi gets very frustrated that he can't score. Nothing other than him whacking away in the crease. C'mon, Bertuzzi, don't give up!

Eaves, who's missing another game due to his elbow issues, leads the NHL in shooting percentage. He's got 11 goals on 58 shots.

Abby heads to the box for tripping.

Don't mind me...

Immediately following the faceoff, Helm gets his usual breakaway. No joy, of course.

Filppula gets the next breakaway. The Oilers probably aren't pleased with their power play. We get Abby back from the box and play continues.

Stuart gets hit with a puck. Seriously, Stu... stay healthy.

And then... Todd Bertuzzi finally scores a goal. Sweet justice.

Bertuzzi's goal:

Bertuzzi and Hulder are mucking around behind the goal to retreive a Filppula pass along the boards. Bertuzzi gets held into the boards, and Hudler scoops up the loose puck. He passes back to Bertuzzi, who executes a wrap-a-round that Bulin can't catch.

It's only been a month since you last scored...

I remember another reason I don't like games at Rexall Place - there's ridiculous glare from the arena lights on the ice. Ugh.

Draper's goal:

Rafalski gives the puck to Draper, who skates into neutral. Drapes passes to Helm for the entry. Helm drives up the right, Drapes shadows him down the middle, and Helm makes the pass. Drapes uses a forehand-backhand to knock it in past Bulin.

Yup. He's still got it.

The Oiler coach uses his timeout, probably to tell his team to get their shit together.

Get your shit together, boys

While we wait for the Oiler kids to calm down, the broadcasters show us the morning skate, where Drapes is showing Abby how to win faceoffs with his glove. McCrimmon drops the pucks and supervises.

Back to the game. The Oilers try very hard this time. They generate a little fun in our crease, but Ozzie is on his game and Lidstrom (age 40) saves a sure goal.

Don't worry. I got it.

Mursak gets a breakaway. Doesn't score, though. Keep your chin up, kid. It'll come.

A break as Ozzie sends his mask to the bench to get the throat protector fixed. The announcers joke about getting mask parts off eBay.

It's okay. It's not like this piece of plastic is all that stands between me and a crushed windpipe...

The fourth line throws a party.

Big E turns the puck over and Ozzie has to make a save. Rafalski gets sent to the box for trying to bail Big E out by hooking on the breakaway.

Whatever. We employ Nicklas Lidstrom (age 40). The penalty is easily killed off.

And then the Oilers take a penalty for... well, not sure what to call it. The refs call it holding, but I think 'riding Hulder like a horse' is more appropriate.

Not cool, man. Not cool.

About thirty seconds into the power play an Oiler nabs the puck and gets a shot on Ozzie. The puck is deflected up into the air and lands back down in the crease. The goal light goes off, but the puck stays out as an incoming Franzen gets his stick on it as the puck sits on the goal line.

Don't worry, I've got this.

No luck on the power play.

The Third Period:

Right off the bat Lidstrom is sent to the box for a chintzy interference call. In my humble opinion, it looked like Hall had his head down and ran into Lidstrom, who actually attempted to move out of the way, but whatever.

Not sure what the Oilers were trying to accomplish, but if it was nothing... they succeeded. They get one minor gasp from the crowd as some gold digging occurs in the crease, but nada else.

Salei elbows Hall in the face. Apparently. I didn't see it, but the Oiler announcers assure me it happened.

Then an Oiler scores by driving down the middle and one-timing a nice pass. He then celebrates by jumping into the plexiglas. A Wing missed an assignment somewhere... there was a delayed penalty to the Wings pending, so that's erased.

Miller crashes into the net. At least he doesn't hurt himself this time.

Franzen, Holmstrom, and Zetterberg throw a party.

I'm pretty sure these Oiler announcers will talk about just anything. I dunno if it's because the Oilers don't generate enough interesting stuff a match, but for whatever reason... we get some discussion about- and I shit you not- the way Big E comes off the bench.

Yes. His entry into the field of battle is thus:

No one leg dangling over the boards for this guy. He goes for the all-or-nothing two-leg hop.

Someday he's gonna slice someone's arm off. Mark my words. You heard it here first. That, or his feet are gonna catch and he's gonna plop face-first onto the ice. Either or.

Hoping for the latter, of course.

Salei and Hall get into a traffic jam as Hall chases a breakout pass.

Whatev.

We lose a faceoff in our zone and the Oilers score. Again. And whoever scored the goal jumps into the plexiglas to celebrate. Again. Kinda soft goal by Ozzie, who gets nailed five-hole.

Franzen absolutely wrangles some upstart who tries to check him. I laughed.

Someone in the crowd throws some little mini octopus onto the ice. They pause the game to clean it up.

While I appreciate the effort, this isn't the playoffs. But apparently the Wings are tricked into thinking it is.

I'll take it.

Bertuzzi's goal:

Whoops. Bertuzzi drives behind the goal, and as he comes out the left side he dishes a pass through the crease intended for Filppula. Instead, the puck bounces off a defenceman's skate and in.

Totally meant to do that. Totally.

And then a few moments later...

Helm's goal:

Lidstrom (age 40) breaks up the Oiler's attempts to generate a response, and passes to Abby. Abby gives it to Helm for the entry. Helm does some fancy stuff, twirling around defenders and such, and lofts it on goal. Bounces off the post and in.