Red Wings @ Blue Jackets – Holy Blowout

Red Wings: 9 Blue Jackets:1

It’s hard to explain what coming home to a score like last night’s is like. Bob from Detroit4lyfe put it best on his Twitter last night. I checked ESPN.com during class half-expecting Columbus to be up 1-0, and saw that the Wings hung 4 goals on Steve Mason in the first period. By the time I got home, it was already 6-1.

Regardless, this type of game was long overdue as far as the Red Wings’ fanbase is concerned. Seeing the Wings come out and firing on all cylinders after losing Jason Williams to a broken fibula (among the other injuries) is, for lack of a better word, a relief. Most of the Red Wings bloggers I read barely remember the last time the Wings didn’t make the playoffs. There have only been two Red Wings captains in my lifetime. The Detroit Red Wings are synonymous with the word “success” in my book.

I think the best way to describe the first month of the season would be “puzzling.” Most Wings fans didn’t know why the team was starting slow with the burn of last year’s Cup Finals still smoldering in the minds of the Detroit faithful. We wondered why the team fell flat on its face in the homecoming games in Sweden. Then there was disbelief with the injuries to both Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula. The Wings stars weren’t performing either.

I don’t want to reflect on it too much, because it looks like the Wings have turned the corner (knocks on wood). Via The Chief:

Subtract the Toronto game for just a moment. Take it away. Forget that Voox and JJ jinxed us. Forget that the Wings continued a trend of going prison skinny guy at the ACC and just erase that for the very brief time being.

Because if you do? Jeez. We’re looking at a Wing team that’s allowed no more than one goal in four games. We’re looking at a Wing team that, suddenly, has outscored their opponents (Boston and San Jose, ahem, being two of them) 14-3.

My D4L colleague Jessie has a similar take at Bingo Bango:

Sure they are still THE organization, THE example to all other 29 teams in the league, but a 9-1 victory was a pleasant and unexpected treat.

They bent the BJs, Nash, and Mason over and had their way nine different times, 7 different guys. Sure that sounds like a cheesy porn, but tonight it best describes the ass kicking that took place in Columbus.

The guys at The Triple Deke are a bit perplexed, but excited all the same:

I did not see that coming. Not at all. I did think that by some strange form of reverse-reverse logic that the Wings would win (you know, as opposed to a legitimate reason such as “talent”), but not this way. There is nothing to complain about. In other words, this game was Drew Sharp’s worst nightmare.

Unfortunately, the Wings don’t get to revel in this big win for long. The Vancouver Luongos Canucks are in town and hoping that the Wings forgot to leave some goals in the tank for tonight. The Detroit News [via A2Y] is reporting that Chris Osgood and Kirk Maltby are out tonight. Jimmy Howard will be in goal while Maltby will be replaced by the newest Wing and former MSU standout Drew Miller.

To keep busy until game time, make sure to check out Kyle’s interview with Canucks blog Dan Cloutier for Vezina over at Babcock’s Death Stare. Also, one of today’s hot trends on Twitter is #unpublishedNHLbooks. I’ve helped contribute to that “discussion.” There are some really funny ones being posted.

More to come later, including highlights, Tigers coverage, and a midseason Lions review.