23: The Wings made it to 23 consecutive home wins and they did it against a team that has consistently given them fits over the past few years. The Sharks’ staying power in this game was both a sign of their innate ability and their residency in the Wings’ heads, but the Wings’ finishing power at the end of the day is a promising sign of a possible first step toward exorcising those San Jose demons. This group may lack certain fit-and-finish elements that previous Red Wings teams have had, but they make up for it with a big dose of clutch.
The great ride continues Thursday at home against the Canucks. In the meantime, they get to test out their moderate road play improvement on a waffling Chicago team tomorrow. Should be fun.
MacDonald: Looked seriously sharp in this one. His pad save ability was flat out stellar and overall, he looked to be on top of his game when the Wings weren’t. He was victimized by a weird bounce for the Sharks’ first and by his own defense leaving Marleau alone on their second.
He definitely earned #2 status in this organization, which is why he’ll be remaining in Detroit while Ty Conklin looks to resurrect his career in Grand Rapids.
Jimmy will be back tomorrow night, unless they opt to give him another couple days. Here’s hoping whenever he makes it back, he can pick up roughly where he left off.
Zetterberg: Shutting up doubters since, uh, February 4th.
Power Play: Fell a bit flat at 0-for-3, but might have gotten a couple had the Sharks penalty tally been a more accurate 6 or so.
Ken Daniels: It was a pleasant surprise to hear Kenny’s voice for this game. I’m glad NBC got him, though I guess I have to be consistent and say it’s a little goofy that he was calling a Red Wings game in a national environment. However, he didn’t come across as overtly biased, unlike Eddie O calling a Chicago game. Obviously, I have blinders there, but really: Ken Daniels is a pro and the production quality of the NBC broadcast was notably better.
Miller: He’s been a beast lately, eh? It seems like half of the team’s pressure shifts for the past month+ involve that third line and virtually all of those shifts involve Miller right at the center. Miller’s never been more valuable to this team, which is another way of saying his trade value’s never been higher. But I’d hate to see that. Maybe he’s interchangeable, maybe he’s not. Either way, I’m a fan of the guy. Keep it up, Drew.
Helm: I see now what Helm needs to do in order to finish: rip a shot from a good distance. Lesson learned: all future breakaways need to end in a sudden long, hard shot rather than a vain attempt at a move close-in.
Abdelkader: Hit Ryane Clowe cleanly and got challenged to a fight, so he of course took up the challenge. Lame.
Bertuzzi: In a definite Tawd rut. He just was not effective in this game. And hasn’t been for a few games. Downturns are natural, but this one’s something to keep an eye on for how long.
Franzen: Also, more of a down game for him. It’s a good thing he wears a 90-something sweater, because he’s the closest thing we have to a superstar taking nights off since Fedorov was in town.
The Race: The Blues lost to Chicago, so the Wings extended their lead to five points. St. Louis still has a game in hand, but this gives the Wings a little breathing room.