Currently, I’m trying to find a healthy balance between D4L, the GHHT, and the rest of my life. I’ll be posting more around here (not a hard task when I had one post in January…) but I’m going to try to get away from monotonous game recaps. Hopefully this will involve more opinionated and open-ended pieces that will generate some comments from my increased readership. Yes, believe it or not, traffic has gone up around here since I stopped writing. Hopefully that means that doing some actual posting will bring those numbers up even more.

So to those of you who have checked out the site recently (and possibly even bookmarked), sit tight. The GHHT will be back soon, hopefully stronger than ever.

What does that mean for this site? I’m not sure yet. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Until then, here are a few New Years resolutions I have specifically for the Gordie Howe Hat Trick.

1. Post more content. I’ve been fairly lazy over the past few weeks, especially since I’ve been done with classes. I need to get back into the groove of posting stuff every day, as well as keeping up with my work at Detroit4lyfe.
2. Update the site. There are two parts to this one. First, I want to add a few more bells and whistles to the site itself, making it more than just my words and a few links on the sidebar. Second, I’d like to come up with the means to get my own domain for the site, which would allow me greater freedom to customize the site to my liking. As much as I like the theme, I don’t think it’s the best for what I want to do for the site. I’m not exactly a coding genius though, so this will definitely be a big project.
3. Build a bigger community. Of all the resolutions, this is the hardest to do for a blogger, yet the most desired. Everybody wants more readers, more comments, and more discussion. It’s what makes the writing so much fun.
4. Get another writer or two. This is still up in the air, but I may seek a bit of help for this site, especially if I’m unable to watch Detroit sports while away at another school. Most of the lack-of-posting you’ve seen here occurs when I’m unable to catch a game. If I haven’t seen the games, it’s a lot harder to analyze how teams and players have been performing, and then I don’t have much else to say. For now, I’m keeping the GHHT to myself, but that may change in the future.
5. Find an identity for this site. This could either be the easiest or the hardest of the five resolutions I have for the Gordie Howe Hat Trick. If you’ve read my writing from the start (especially back in May), you’ll see that I’ve jumped around a lot in terms of writing style, posting format, and general attitude. Figuring out what exactly I want to mold this site into is my biggest priority in the next year.

For now, I want to thank you for stopping by the GHHT. Drop a comment on anything you’d like to see from either me or the site in the near future. Posting may be light for the next few days while I do the family thing, but I should hopefully get into the swing of things in the next week or two.

It wasn’t pretty, but they got it done. The Wings grinded out a 2-1 win over the Blue Jackets tonight at the Joe. Todd Bertuzzi netted both goals, probably due to the fact that his #1 fan, Mike P. from The Production Line, was in attendance. Valtteri Filppula returned from his wrist injury and had a decent game. Pavel Datsyuk was better than he’s been recently, assisting on Bertuzzi’s first goal. Jimmy Howard played another strong game, adding more fuel to the goalie controversy fire. Overall, the Wings played a strong game and came away with the win.

The game itself wasn’t very exciting, other than the win. Fil’s return was obviously the biggest story, and rightfully so. If he was out of shape or practice in any way, it didn’t show. He was easily one of the best players on the ice tonight, controlling the puck well. Other than fanning on a one-timer in the second period, I didn’t see too much to complain about from him. His presence is going to be huge for this team going forward. They’re lacking scoring firepower right now, and Fil brings back some much needed offensive talent. He’s going to be asked to carry a line, something he hasn’t had to do before. The next few weeks will show just how much Fil has progressed as a hockey player. If he can help provide some offense without breaking up the Homer-Dangle-Kaczynski line, I think the Wings will start to put some wins together.

As far as the goaltender controversy goes, I still don’t think there is one. We said all the same things last year that we’re saying this year. I might be playing with fire by doing this, but here goes:

via The Chief, Feb. 19th, 2009:

Somebody pointed this out yesterday and it’s brilliant:  Chris Osgood has exactly one more game of less than 3 goals allowed than Ty Conklin does shutouts.  Think about that.  Have a ballcap Chris. Keep it on for a while.  Like ‘til mid June or so.

The Chief, Dec. 18th, 2009:

Jimmy Howard’s your starter.  Yes he is.  Yep. Don’t start your sputtering and tip tapping. He is and you know it.

These games are important. Every one.  And there he is.  The roster is decimated and Uncle Mike needs strength in net every single game…and there he is.  Four days between games? Howard.  One night between games? Howard.

Just to set the record straight, I’m not wearing a fedora, hyperextending my pinky, or drinking some puss-ass beer with a Rosby-like “My daddy was naughty with me” grin on my face. It’s just an example of what most fans are saying. What’s my point? Wait until April. I understand that the December games mean a lot more this year. The Wings are in a dog fight for a playoff spot for the first time since… hell, I don’t even remember. But they’re still within striking distance, and don’t pretend that Ozzie doesn’t know that. He might not be as bat-shit crazy as The Dominator was, but he just doesn’t have it in December and January.

Jimmy Howard is the hot goaltender right now, and he’s playing the minutes he deserves. He should (and probably will) start on Monday in Columbus, and he should (and probably will) start on Thursday against Colorado. But does anyone really trust him to lead this team on to the ice in Game 1? I sure as hell don’t. This is the same guy that we considered a place-holder for Thomas McCollum just a few months ago. Look 200 miles south, to the same BJs that we beat today. Last year, Steve Mason was the heir-apparent to the NHL goaltending throne. This year?

Ask Khan.

Goaltender Steve Mason, last season’s Calder Trophy winner as rookie of the year, ranks 46th in the league in both goals-against average (3.40) and save percentage (.887).

My point is this: Howard is still a rookie. Ride the kid while he’s hot now, but the playoffs are a different animal. Say thanks, give him a gas card when he turns 16 (seriously, grow a beard or something Jimmy), and hand him a faceoff chart. Ozzie proved last season that he’s got a switch, and he knows when to flip it. He’s been there before, and he can do it again. Jimmy may be the goalie of the future, but as long as the #30 remains out of the rafters? Ozzie’s your man.

As long as this team keeps getting healthy, I think the Wings will make some big time noise in the playoffs regardless of where they’re seeded. No one in their right mind would ask for this team in a 7-game series right now, let alone when Hank, Cleary, Franzen, and the rest of the Dead Wings come back. Jimmy Howard? Carry the load until we get to the pearly gates, but once 87′s baby daddy opens the door? Hit the back of the bus kid, and let Ozzie have the wheel.

The Wings are back in action on Monday. The Pistons are on the road tomorrow and will be back at the Palace on Tuesday, where I’ll be in the nosebleeds knocking back $8 brews. I love free tickets.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Gordie Howe Hat Trick.

I wasn’t too worried about the Wings after they lost Saturday at Dallas, but after watching them drop two in a row to the Blackhawks I think there’s a legitimate reason to be concerned about whether this team will even make the playoffs this season. The injuries are starting to take their toll, and there’s no saying that this team will ever be healthy. Guys who were meant to spend the year playing in Van Andel are being thrown into the fire on the second and third lines. With increased ice time for some guys, especially the veterans on the team, there’s a greater risk of them getting hurt too. Tonight, Brad Stuart was just 2 minutes shy of his average playing time (23+ minutes per game) after the second period. Stuart ended up with 29:09 of ice time last night. When Brett Lebda is playing 23 minutes for you (22:58 to be exact), you’re going to have problems.

As much as we want to point to the blue line, it’s the offense that has been the biggest problem. The last time the Wings scored more than 3 goals was against Dallas on November 30. They didn’t score in either game against Chicago, running their shutout total to five. ALL IN THE LAST MONTH. The offense is the problem, and the only way it will be fixed is if guys can get healthier.

I was going to say that the game in Chicago was especially embarrassing, but I’ve changed my thinking since last night. They created more scoring opportunities last night than on Sunday, but the result was the same. The power play is God-awful. Nick Lidstrom in particular has looked slow when he’s had the puck. The crisp tape-to-tape passes aren’t there anymore. His scoring touch has completely vanished as well, with just one goal on the year. I don’t want to say that Captain Nick is getting old, because he’s still the same Perfect Human in the defensive zone. I don’t know if “snakebit” applies here either. Teams are allowing the Wings’ defensemen to cycle the puck as they please on the power play, but really cracking down on any shots from the point. It’s no secret that this is one of the big keys to the Wings’ PP success and other teams have made the adjustment. I don’t think that this is a coaching issue. The forwards on the PP unit (Pavel Datsyuk in particular) need to step up when the Wings have the extra man.

A few notes:

• During last night’s broadcast, Mick mentioned that this year is probably one of the best chances the Blackhawks will have to win a Cup in the near future. I would definitely have to agree. With the Wings fighting for a playoff spot, the Blackhawks have a great shot to win the division and lock up one of the top spots in the conference. Even if they’re the #2 seed, we all know that San Jose is about as tough as a high school cheerleading squad when April comes around. If the Hawks can avoid a healthy Wings team in April, they’re probably the favorite to come out of the gauntlet West.

• I would consider their game against the Stars to be their best effort of this three-game slide. The defense wasn’t there, but Jimmy Howard wasn’t at his best either.  Not to say that any of the goals were soft, but I’ve seen him make tougher saves than what he did on Saturday.

• At first, I thought Sunday’s game was just the Wings being tired from the back-to-back. Seriously, Dallas to Chicago? Does the NHL scheduling team own a map?

• Last night I saw a PK unit of Miller, Abdelkader, Stuart, and Lebda give up a goal. Did anyone expect any of those guys (other than Stuart) to be on the PK at all this year? Yeah, me neither.

• In other news, Martin Brodeur broke Terry Sawchuk’s shutout record last week in a 4-0 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not to discredit Brodeur, but the NHL truly is a different game now. Goalie pads are much larger, padding has exponentially increased (hell, they didn’t even wear masks back then), and the rules are much more strict to promote more scoring. I can’t say who, between Sawchuk and Brodeur, has the advantage in terms of how the game is played, but both truly are the best goaltenders of their era, bar none. Congrats to Martin for breaking the record, but we still hate you for beating the Wings in ’95.

• Be sure to check out Episode 2 of The Obstructed View podcast here. The first episode was great, and I know a lot of people are excited to finally see a Red Wings podcast.

The Wings are off until Saturday, when they’re home against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Hopefully they’ll be able to turn around this losing streak and build toward the 2010 half of the season.

I really could care less that the Red Wings won last night’s game. I said all over the comments of pretty much any Wings preview you could find that I would be happy with an injury-free game. Most of that was out of pure giddyness of seeing the latest massacre at A2Y on Wednesday. Seriously Buddha, you’re way out of your league “dude” (See what I did there, with the quotes?).

Anyway, the Wings put together a pretty strong effort last night in a game that many of us expected to be a typical long layoff letdown. Drew Miller scored a phenomenal goal that actually prompted me to fall in love with a Spartan. Via @GordieHoweHT

WOW. Give him a contract extension right now. On the bench and everything. WHAT A GOAL BY MILLER

Yeah, I was excited about that one. Brian Rafalski did his best impression of Drew Brees on ice with the bomb to Drew Miller. Miller did a phenomenal job of controlling the puck (batting it out of the air, I believe), going to the backhand to avoid the poke check by Tampa goalie Mike Smith, and elevating the puck over Smith. I’ve made my sentiments clear already, but Miller is a guy I want to see in Detroit for a few more years. He’ll probably sign for close to the league minimum if it gives him some long-term stability as far as a regular paycheck goes. Plus, I think he digs playing in Detroit after going to MSU. And having a legitimate shot at this guy every year doesn’t hurt either (I’ll take Hayden Panettiere, he can have the cup).

As far as the Zetterberg injury goes, it sucks. It really, really sucks. Seeing him go down prompted a fairly predictable reaction (via @GordieHoweHT)

no no no no no no no no no no no no no

I can’t blame Mattias Ohlund for anything, because the hit was clean. Z has a bad tendency to lunge for the puck, and this time he paid the price. Great defensive play by Ohlund. I can only imagine that Emma was very upset. I’m not a big fan of guys gooning it up after big, clean hits, but a big “thank you” goes to Patrick Eaves for getting in Ohlund’s face after the hit. Overall, I’d only approve of something like what Eaves did if that team’s star is on the ice. If Ohlund had hit Kris Draper? I’d be mad at Eaves for taking a stupid penalty. It’s just a different story when one of the best players in the league is the one taking the big hit. Apparently, Z will only be out for a couple of weeks (a.k.a. two months).

Also, I loved the shot that FSD had of Todd Bertuzzi saying something to Ohlund in the second period. Bertuzzi looked even more like the Unibomber than usual, and I can only imagine this is what Bertuzzi said.

“Don’t go to sleep tonight. I will find you.”

Speaking of Bertuzzi, I will continue to tell him he sucks as long as he keeps scoring goals. I’m probably jinxing myself by doing this, but the last three times I’ve said he sucks on this blog before a game, he’s scored (I didn’t get a chance to before the Phoenix game).

Once again, Jimmy Howard had a very strong game. The Chief is all over the Jimmah Bandwagon at A2Y.

Jimmy Howard’s December stats, courtesy of the hopeful globetrotter, Herm:

4-2.  1.67 GAA.  .944 save percentage.  The kid, the same one who gave Charles Manson a face wash after an OT winner?  The same kid who celebrates his first ever shutout by getting a stick caught in his skate?  We’re talking the same kid none of us would have trusted to guard our fridge in October much less keep pucks out of the Wings net.

I agree in that I love what Howard’s doing as the Red Wings’ regular season goalie. But when April comes? Chris Osgood is in net. No. Questions. Asked.

The playoffs are here bitches. They are here now.  And Jimmy Howard is getting the nod almost every night.

Every game is like a playoff game for the Wings right now. But this tells me that Ozzie is still #1 in the D, and will continue to do so until he hangs them up and #30 goes up to the rafters (yeah I said it, the rafters).

Also, Jimmy Howard starts again. Osgood will get to start Sunday against Chicago. Into the fire, Oz.

Uncle Mike knows that the tilt in Chicago is the important game this weekend. Dallas? Two points would be nice, but taking two from the division leader and heir-apparent (suck it, ESPN) in their own building is what Babs wants. It’s what everyone in the Wings organization wants. You can’t tell me that this Wings team isn’t going to put a little something extra into every shift on Sunday. They’re starting to find their groove and they know who’s waiting for them.

I would love nothing more than to take all four points available from the Blackhawks in the next week, while seeing Brad Stuart flatten Marian Hossa a la “Marty Havlat, meet Mr. Kronwall” last year. I don’t blame Hossa for leaving Detroit (seriously, we just didn’t have the cap space), but it will still bring a smile to my face to see him get run.

Regardless, good win for the Wings last night. They have a nasty back-to-back in Dallas on Saturday, then in Chicago on Sunday. Hopefully they can keep the winning streak alive, but I’ll take two from Chicago and no more injuries with no complaints.

* “Haven’t seen” just means that I didn’t watch the games, but I’m coming up with thoughts on the team as I read others’ reactions and check the box scores and highlights for what went down.

• Todd Bertuzzi, you still suck. Keep scoring buddy. Click here if you don’t understand why I’m telling the Unibomber he sucks.
• Darren Helm is hurt now. Seriously, somebody did something wrong and hasn’t fessed up to it yet. Click over toSnipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle to confess your hockey-related sins and hopefully we can stop this injury madness.
• Seriously, get Patrick Eaves a 4-year deal ASAP Kenny. Love the kid.
• To the staff at the Brown Jug in Ann Arbor: I love your wings, but WHY WAS THE RED WINGS GAME NOT ON ONE OF YOUR 50 BILLION TV’S TONIGHT? I don’t care about a 49ers-Cardinals Monday Night Football matchup, and I especially don’t care when I don’t need any points from Vernon Davis, as my fantasy team had already locked up the win.
• Apparently Dick Axelsson has decided to go back to Sweden instead of gutting out his lack of playing time in Grand Rapids. I’d want to leave GR too if I had two feet of snow dumped on me in the last week. Hopefully this isn’t the end of “Hat Trick Dick” in the Wings organization.
• I have to partially call out Kyle at Babcock’s Death Stare for getting angry about the call-up of Kris Newberry for tonight’s game. Yes, he took penalties just like Kyle said he would (which is why his scouting analysis is second-to-none in the Wings blogosphere), but Newberry did score a goal tonight. In all seriousness, BDS is a phenomenal site and Kyle is way better at this whole blogging thing than I am, so keep up the great work.
• Jimmy Howard has been playing some awesome hockey, but Saturday showed that Chris Osgood is still the clear-cut #1 goaltender in Detroit.
• This isn’t Wings related, but as you’ve probably heard, Accenture has dropped Tiger Woods as a sponsor. I’m only commenting on this because it was a great move for Accenture. Now that this news is out, people are actually figuring out who and/or what Accenture is. This was probably the best marketing ploy they’ve ever had. Seriously though, kudos to Nike and Tag Heuer for standing by Tiger throughout this ordeal.

At the moment, the Lions are suffering a 48-3 beating at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens. I don’t want to dwell on today’s game for two reasons: (1) it’s just going to put me into a bad mood, and (2) I feel like games in which Daunte Culpepper starts serve no purpose for the Lions. Matthew Stafford has already shown that he is the future of this franchise, and Culpepper is basically dead weight on the Lions’ roster.

However, I don’t want to be just another blogger piling on the Lions’ coaching staff for starting Culpepper over Stanton today against Baltimore (nor do I want to call out any other writers for doing so). I believe the decision to start Culpepper is not as cut-and-dry as people are making it seem. There are 52 other players in that locker room (plus inactives) who are also affected by the decision. I’ve heard rumors that Culpepper feels betrayed for Jim Schwartz’s last minute decision to start Matthew Stafford on Thanksgiving against the Packers. The Lions (hopefully) do not care about whether Culpepper feels wronged or not. However, they care about the rest of the guys in that locker room. Schwartz’s decision to start a dead weight QB could very well be in order to keep the peace among other veterans on the roster. To improve this team, the Lions need to get better talent both via free agency and the NFL draft. Decisions to bench a veteran QB, no matter how meaningless the games are, don’t sit well with other players around the league who may be considering coming to Detroit.

If starting Culpepper is a PR move by Schwartz, then I have no complaints. Starting Stanton would not have won today’s game, as my grandma could have racked up 150 yards and 2 TD’s on the ground against the Lions “defense” (though my fantasy team is thankful that Ray Rice played instead). Plugging him in the lineup against a blitz-happy Ravens defense isn’t the best situation to see if he’s NFL backup material.

A quick look at the Lions’ last four games:

Lions: 38  Browns: 37

Unfortunately, I was unable to watch this game due to the regional blackout. My thoughts on the NFL blackout rule aside, I’m really disappointed I didn’t get to see it. I was excited to see that both Matthew Stafford and Brady Quinn (again, fantasy team) had breakout games, and I loved the toughness that Stafford showed at the end of the game, gutting out the final two-point conversion to get the win. I’m surprised the Lions got the pass interference call in the end zone at the end of the game, both because the Lions don’t regularly get those kinds of calls and because DBs usually get away with murder on Hail Mary passes. Regardless, this win may come back to haunt the Lions as they could definitely use the draft position the loss would have given them for a chance at Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh. We’ve already figured out that he’ll look pretty good in Honolulu Blue (hell, Suh rhymes with blue). [via Detroit4lyfe]

Packers: 34  Lions: 12

I was disappointed by the Lions’ (specifically Stafford’s) regression in this game. I thought the Thanksgiving Day game would bring out the best in this team, but unfortunately it just brought out the best in an opponent with Michigan ties (though I thought the Heisman pose was funny). Once again, the Lions showed an almost comical inability to cover the deep pass. Aaron Rodgers capitalized with 348 yards on 28/39 passing and 3 TDs. Somehow, this only gave him a 124.7 QB rating. If there are three things in this world I will never understand, they are women, America’s obsession with reality TV shows, and the NFL’s quarterback rating system.

Bengals: 23  Lions: 13

I watched about 5 minutes of this one, mostly because I thought I was jinxing the Lions by watching. They were up 7-0 when I turned on the game. Within 5 minutes of having the TV on, Jonathan Fanene returned a Matthew Stafford interception 45 yards for a touchdown. Once again, the offense was ineffective after an early touchdown and couldn’t get on the board again until the game was already salted away. I was encouraged by the Lions defense allowing only 2.7 yards per rushing attempt, even if Cedric Benson ended up with 110 yards on the ground. The offense lost this game for Detroit.

Ravens: 48  Lions: 3

A complete lack of effort unlike any other we’ve seen from the Lions this season. Daunte Culpepper was as bad as we all thought he would be (though I still stick by Jim Schwartz’s PR tactics) and the defense couldn’t tackle anyone. When you’re going up against a rushing attack like the Ravens bring with Ray Rice and Willis McGahee, you need to be able to bring down the ball carrier. Joe Flacco was able to go deep at will, leading the Ravens to a franchise-record 548 yards of offense. An irate Jim Schwartz started his press conference with this:

If you’re going to record this live, you might want to have a tape delay.

Not much more needed to be said about today’s effort. Schwartz said all the right things in his press conference, and hopefully he’ll get this team ready to play against an Arizona Cardinals team that could have their division locked up by the time they come to Detroit next week. There’s the possibility for a let-down game from the Cardinals (especially if Kurt Warner doesn’t play much) and hopefully the Lions can take advantage.

In years past, we would have said that the Wings only won a game like this because they finally showed up in the third period. As I alluded to yesterday, this injury depleted roster is not the caliber of talent we’re used to seeing. Don’t get me wrong, the organization has depth. Tons of it. But Justin Abdelkader is not a second line center. Some day? Yeah, I could see it. But not now. He will have some good games where we see flashes of his potential (which is true for all the young Wings, not just Gator), but there will be bad ones too. I’m not singling out Gator for good or bad play last night (didn’t really notice him, to be honest) but he’s the prime example of what happens when injuries force guys into positions or spots that they shouldn’t be in.

Note: Apparently Abdelkader got into a fight (with Corey Perry, no less) last night. I missed a little bit of the game and it looks like the fight took place in that 5-10 minute span I was away from the TV. If anyone finds a Youtube video of that, please e-mail the link to gordiehoweht@gmail.com or post it in the comments.

Last night’s game was the product of two evenly-matched teams going head to head for 60+ minutes. Thanks to the incredible depth this organization has built, the Wings are still able to ice a lineup that can compete with anyone in the NHL. When other teams overpay their stars, they too have to rely on younger, cheaper talent to fill voids that they normally wouldn’t be filling. I believe the Ducks have overpaid a bit on some guys (namely Ryan Getzlaf, and soon-to-be Bobby Ryan) and its cost them, especially on the blue line. There’s no way the Wings win that game last night if douche-extraordinaire Chris Pronger is on the ice with Scott Niedermeyer.

Looking at the game itself, I thought the Wings put together a good effort. Not the best we’ve seen this season, but good enough to get 2 points (which is all I’m asking for at this point). Both teams got a fluke goal off a bad bounce (even if Jimmy Howard’s was more preventable) and no goals were disallowed by sheer incompetence. The penalty kill was awesome (again), while the power play unit finally got on the board, scoring twice in 10 chances. Yes, we expect better out of the PP unit, but as the FSD broadcast team pointed out last night, 5 of the 10 guys that started the year on the two power play lines are currently injured. The PK units have remained fairly stable, and the Wings have always had a surplus of guys that have the ability to kill off opposing power plays.Notes:

• Apparently when I bash Todd Bertuzzi, he scores goals (we’ll see how long this lasts…). I finished last night’s post during the second period, and Bert scores two goals, one in the third period and the other in overtime. So Todd? You suck.
• I was pretty confused as to what happened in that scrum in front of the Wings net at the end of the first period, but I did learn one thing: George Parros is a douchebag (and no, not just because of that moustache). I’m upset May didn’t step in after the second goalie interference penalty Parros took, let alone after the first one.
• I almost died when Brian Rafalski took that puck to the face early in the game. I don’t know if the Hockey Gods are finally satisfied with the amount of suffering the Wings have gone through or they just like Brian or what, but thank you for not putting another one of our guys out of the lineup.
• Jimmy Howard was solid for the Wings, though that second goal should have been stopped. He rebounded nicely though and didn’t allow anything the rest of the way. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like he doesn’t get rattled by soft goals, and I like that.
• Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, WTF? They continue to be solid in the defensive end, but disappear when the Wings get into the offensive zone. Pavs needed to bury that chance on a wide open net at the end of the game, and I’m starting to believe Mickey Redmond when he says that Henrik Zetterberg is using a piece of spaghetti for a stick (seriously Mick?).
• Corey Perry = mega-douchebag. This is why I hate the Ducks. They get rid of the one guy I hate more than anyone affiliated with the Columbus School for the Mentally Challenged, yet they still find guys that take cheap shots like Perry and Getzlaf.
• Apparently Mike Babcock has called Brad Stuart “the Wings’ best defenseman this year.” I love you Nick, but I have to agree. I don’t want to jinx him, but Stuart is having a certain-trophy-we’re-used-to-seeing-here-in-Hockeytown-like season.

Overall, a strong effort from the Wings and a big two points in front of the smaller-than-usual home crowd. I hate myself for saying this, but last night’s win put the Wings in the 8th spot in the Western Conference. Several of the top teams in the conference (except for Chicago, who lost last night) have played more games than the Wings as well, so we’re not in a bad spot. A hot streak over the next month will see the Wings shoot up the standings, as most of their opponents are right around them in what is turning out to be a dog fight of a conference, top to bottom. Case-in-point: St. Louis is 14th in the West. They would be 9th in the East right now (with two games in hand on #8, Montreal).

The Wings are back at it tonight in Nashville. A win would put them one point behind the Predators for second in the division and four behind the division-leading Blackhawks. The puck drops at 8:00, and this time there’s no football in the way. Go Wings.

Lilja, Franzen, Datsyuk, Filppula, Williams, Osgood, Maltby, Eaves, Kronwall, Rafalski, and Cleary have all missed at least one game due to injury or sickness this season. With that list and the healthy scratches, you’re getting down to a select few players that have seen the ice for all the Wings’ games this year: Zetterberg, Holmstrom (seriously, he’s the healthy one?), Bertuzzi, Stuart, and Lidstrom. The Chief points out the sad truth at A2Y:

Oh, some casts are gone and that’s nice.  But let’s be honest. We’re not going to see a completely healthy lineup the rest of the way.  And I mean all year.

The Swedish Meatball’s still staggered from Shea Weber’s donkey punch.  And you and I all know that Franzen’s going to be 80 percent, at best, if he’s back at all in time for a postseason that may or may not happen at all either.

This team isn’t losing games because the players “aren’t doing the little things needed to win.” They aren’t doing those things all the time, per se, but it’s not why they’re losing. This is a team, devastated by injuries, that hasn’t had time to develop the chemistry needed to win yet. You can say “Eurotwins Unite!” all you want, but when there are three other lines of guys who have practiced together for just a couple of months and haven’t actually played in games together, there are going to be issues. And if you don’t think chemistry among linemates is important in hockey, tell me why Steve Yzerman is looking to put Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf together on a line for Team Canada. If Stevie Y sees it, you sure as hell should too.

I’ve been busy lately, so I don’t want to get into individual games. Instead we’ll look at individual performances over the last 9 games.

• Jimmy Howard – Howard has been nothing short of stellar (for rookie standards) for the Wings this year. He’s playing strong, confident hockey right now and I think they should ride that confidence for as long as they can. His strong goaltending has earned him some love from ESPN, The Bleacher Report, and NHL Fanhouse [all links via Nightmare on Helm Street]. However, Chris Osgood is the playoff goaltender. Opposing teams will need to score more than Tiger Woods (couldn’t resist) for Howard to see any ice in the playoffs.
• Pavel Datsyuk – What happened? Dangle has been non-existent so far this season. He’s still second on the team with 21 points in 28 games, but with all the injuries he needs to be even more Hart-like than he was last year.
• Brad Stuart – With all the injuries (and general suckage) happening on the blue line, Stuart’s great play has been a saving grace for the Wings.
• Todd Bertuzzi – We could be paying a younger, faster guy to not score goals.
• Patrick Eaves – I like the kid. I liked it when we signed him and I love his effort. Get this kid locked up for a cheap, long-term deal Kenny. Do it. Do it.

• Nick Lidstrom – How many posts does this guy need to hit before he gets one in the net?
• Tomas Holmstrom – Somehow the guy that takes more punishment than anyone in the NHL is still healthy. What is going on in this world?
• Jason Williams & Valtteri Filppula – Apparently both guys have gotten their casts off. Woo hoo. Let me know when they touch the ice.
• Tomas Tartar – Please, for the love of God DON’T call him up! Not that he won’t be a breath of fresh air (personally, I’m excited to see what the kid can do), but I’m scared he’ll blow out his knee or something. The Hockey Gods are angry, let them pick off the old guys first.

The Wings are currently in action against the Anaheim Ducks (0-0 in the 2nd). This is the first chance I’ve had in a while to just sit back and watch a Wings game, so hopefully I’ll get a quick recap up tonight or early tomorrow.