Wings @ Senators

VICTORY

7 : Detroit Red Wings @ Ottowa Senators : 5

Johan Franzen (5 goals)

Some Notes From The Game:

The First Period:

Kronwall gets things started by heading to the box for slashing in the first minute. I think they'll notice if you snap a guy's stick in two, Kronner...

And then Jimmah gets caught down and a Senator buries it top shelf.

Whoops

Lovely way to start the game, boys.

CLEARY IS BACK!!!

Hudler turns over a puck in the offensive zone. Lets try to keep that to a minimum tonight, Huds...

A guy pretty blatantly holds Filppula, but no call. Awesome.

Franzen's goal:

Filppula passes to Salei on the right, who's just inside the point. Salei slaps it on goal, and the Mule buries the rebound.

Mmmm, garbage...

Awesome.

And then, a minute later...

Franzen's goal:

Kronwall gloves a puck in the defensive zone and passes to Bertuzzi, who's all alone in neutral. He waits for Franzen, and the two of them initiate a 2-on-1 break into the offensive zone. Zetterberg is coming up behind them, so Bertuzzi drops a pass to him. Zetterberg backhands it across the ice to Franzen, who wrists it in.

Somebody is gonna have a good night (hint: it's not Lehner)

Franzen follows this up with getting a shot on goal. He wants those curly fries.

And then the Senators score off a redirect in the crease. Ew... Back to a tie game. It's 2-2 and the period isn't even half over.

Whoops... again

The crowd is shouting. A lot.Not cheering - just shouting. Indecipherably.

And then the Sentators score.

Whoops... times three?

Okay. It's going to be one of those games.

Someone missed an assignment. I'll let you guess who.

... Franzen.

The fourth line comes out and throws their usual party.

And I swear to god the crowd is chanting OS-GOOD. But it's probably HOW-WARD.

Jimmah answers this by making a snow angel and denying a goal.

Commercial break - and of course, shout out to Lidstrom in the All-Star game. Here's a shot of his kids. I know off hand probably about 5 girls that'd kill someone to have natural hair like that.

Nice family, Nick

There's some joking about Phil Kessel being the last pick. Ken thinks he should have tossed the car keys into the crowd. Murph thinks he should have won MVP and two cars.

Franzen goes hunting in the offensive zone. Sends it wide.

That's the Mule I know...

In the last two minutes of the period, there is sweet chaos in our zone.

Sweet chaos

Thankfully, the period closes without further scoring.

The crew is awaiting Franzen for an interview, but Franzen ducks into the dressing room instead. Murph lets out a very funny, "But we need him!"

After an awkward silence, Ken finally sends it to Mickey York in the Call Sam Studios.

After a commercial break, the crew finally nabs Franzen for the interview.

The Second Period:

We start off to some chaos in our zone. The puck bounces around the crease. I add more rum to my coke.

The puck bounces on to the back of our goal. Salei gloves it off, but loses his glove in the process. This draws a chuckle from Murph.

A Senator backhands a puck across the crease. C'mon, boys...

This is followed moments later by some sweet chaos around Jimmah. The net is knocked off. Kronwall tucks a loose puck under Jimmah that was rolling towards the goal line. Did Kronner just make a sound defensive play? The world is ending...

Don't worry... I've got this?

And oh. my. god, they are playing Cee Lo Green's Fuck You over the loudspeakers.

Bwahahahahaha-

At 1574, Zetterberg gets his first and only shot on goal during the game. You know what that means... that ridiculous streak of at least two shots per game he had going finally ended.

Then Franzen attempts to bring the puck around behind our goal and gets tripped by Lidstrom's stick, which is torn out of Nick's hands. 

Who's perfect now?!

So Franzen gloves the puck over to Lidstrom who has no stick, so with nothing left to do and the Senators circling, Nick kicks it out of harm's way. Ken sounded amused.

Don't worry... I've got it.

The puck gets stuck on the back of the net. Again. A Senator manages to knock it off and attempts to wrap around and stuff it, but that fails.

More chaos in our crease. This game makes me very nervous.

Even more chaos in our crease. Can we move play to another zone, please?

Draper's goal:

So much garbage. A Senator attempts to bang the puck out of harms way behind the net. Instead, Draper is all alone there and scoops up the loose puck. He dishes it to a waiting Helm in the middle, who bangs it on goal. Goaltender makes the save, and the rebound flops out to Eaves, who bangs that one on goal. Another save by the goaltender, and this time the rebound goes to Draper, who smacks it in from his knees.

Someone's having a good year (hint: it's not Lebda)

Kronwall's goal:

Happened so quick I missed it the first time. We've dumped the puck into their zone, and a Senator attempts to clear it back into neutral. Lidstrom intercepts and dances along the blue line to the center point, taps it over to Kronwall on the right, who one-times it in. It bounces off, like, two defensemen's sticks and then hits the goaltender's stick and then bounces in. What a ridiculous, flukey goal...

Yup

Ottowa pulls Lehnor in favor of Elliot, the backup goaltender. Who has lost 11 consecutive games.

It's now 4-3 Detroit. I feel kinda better about this game, but not a whole lot better.

And then a few seconds later the Senators score.

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

Jimmah gives up a rebound and gets caught down low again as a Senator wrists it in top shelf.

I'm not nearly drunk enough for this shit...

Ugh. Anyways. Lets shake this off, boys.

The Senators get a 2-on-1 break. The man back is Kindl, who taps away the cross-ice pass like he's Nicklas Fucking Lidstrom. That's what I like to see.

"Kovalev tripped over his own stick", Ken says. Murph responds with, "Whoops."

How embarrassing.

Kronner gets denied on a drive by.

Then Filppula draws a tripping penalty.

Power play time. Faceoff win. Lids heads in deep, Hudler bangs away at a rebound.

Oh, Daniel Cleary... he had a WIDE open net, but instead of sending it top shelf he sends it into the crossbar and it jumps out of play.

Sorry, Danny... you'll get your scoring touch back. Just give it time.

And after that lovely final moment, the period ends.

The Third Period:

We're finishing up our power play.

The Hat Trick:

Zetterberg passes to Franzen in neutral for the entry. Franzen coasts down the left and wrists it in. Just like that.

Feed the Mule... curly fries

We pause for a moment to reflect and clean the hats off the ice.

Yay! Hats!

And then, 30 seconds later, the Senators score.

SGTDHUJG RGNEGHNJUETIG JOTGR JKLF JIMMAH FUCKIN HOWARD

I don't have the mental fortitude to handle this. We're now tied 5-5, for those unable to keep track.

Whatever. Shake it off, shake it off...

A few minutes of hockey.

Then Zetterberg gets crushed awkwardly into the boards. He takes his time getting back up.

Umm.. oh my god?

Eaves undresses a Senator and gets a shot on goal. Campoli gets a penalty for hooking in an attempt to stop him

Power play time.

Nothing until Phillips crosschecks Kronwall into the boards and we get a 5-on-3.

There's no way we're not scoring. Not during the All-Star Game Part 2.

Zetterberg's back out, so that's good.

Franzen's (fourth) goal:

Lidstrom and Rafalski switch sides. Lidstrom sets up Rafalski for the one-timer. Raffi sends it wide, and it bounces off the backboards straight to Franzen, who kicks it skate to stick and dumps it home.

Yeesh.

Now you're just being ridiculous

Thank god we're still on the power play, or I'm positive that the Senators would have immediately responded. Here's to hoping they don't get a shorty.

Nothing much on the remaining time on our power play.

In case it has somehow escaped your notice, Franzen is mostly a playoff goal scorer. He has three hat tricks in the post season.

Awesome

Salei hits a goal post. And then laughs and shakes his head. Keep your chin up, Rusty. You'll get your first of the season... eventually.

Kronwall trips someone. No call. Something I'd like to see - 2 mins for being Niklas Kronwall.

And then during some chaos in the crease, the Senators manage to bang a puck in past a sprawled Jimmah, but the ref waves it off due to our favorite 'intent to blow' clause. 

DENIED

Pierre is between the benches and gives the Sen coach some insider info. Schmuck.

Twat

The ref gets on the phone with Toronto, and the call on the ice stands.

Did we just get two straight intents to blow in our favor? This, combined with the Snowpocalypse, just confirms that the world is ending.

The crowd boos constantly for the next five minutes. During that time, we play some back and forth hockey. Nothing of note.

Bertuzzi and Neil mix it up a bit.

If I hadn't nearly killed a man, you'd be dead!

Zetterberg breaks his stick. And then Beruzzi heads to the box on a '2 mins for being Todd Bertuzzi' call. Haven't seen one of those in a few games...

The Senators squander their power play.

Helm completely freight-trains some Sen. It was very nice. Big E hip checks someone moments later.

Then the Senators send their goalie to the bench.

You know what that means.

Franzen's (fifth) goal:

The Senators send their goalie to the bench for the extra man. Lidstrom disrupts their entry by intercepting the puck and sending it to Zetterberg. Hank takes it into neutral, passes to Franzen, who passes to Bertuzzi for the entry. The puck fumbles around and goes offside. Zetterberg picks it up, and he and Mule enter the zone.

Hank, ever the gentleman, drops it back for Franzen, who saucers it into the empty net.

You all saw it

Well, that certainly settles things.

Franzen is the first in Red Wing history to score 5 on the road. The last player to score 5 was Sergei Fedorov, who did it at the Joe against the Capitals back in 1996.

We've got a little bit left to play. Draper finds time to get nailed into the boards, and Neil tries to pick another fight, netting him a misconduct, but we don't want a part of that. 

We take our two points and get the hell outta Dodge.

Don't Think We Didn't Notice:

Four of the Mule's goals were scored with the line of Zetterberg, Franzen, and Bertuzzi.

And Bertuzzi writes the names of his kids on his sticks.

You god damn softie...

No one Served With Pride.