Red Wings at Penguins - Postgame - 01-31-10
POSTGAME
-It wasn't quite Game 7, but it was pretty dang good. It was kind of slow early on and even got stagnant at points, but it ended up a pretty good game.
-That said, we did't come out of this game thinking there was the same emotion after a game with the Flyers or Capitals. This seemed like it was a late January game against a non-conference opponent. They just happened to play a decent close came.
-Jimmy Howard's teammates all owe him a beer. He gave them a chance to get overtime and put them in a position to win this game. He should not be ashamed of his effort today.
-We're not all that crazy about the Penguins' new line combinations. They just seemed kind of unorganized. Things got a little bit more cohesive as the game wore on, but for the most part, the Penguins seemed a little out of synch.
-That said, Detroit is still a pretty dang good defensive team. The Penguins weren't going to cut them up like the Maple Leafs.
-Amazing how the "new" third line seemed to be the best one without Staal. Clearly it's time to trade Staal.
-Kennedy played his best game in at least a month in our opinion. He just seemed really active, especially on offense and created a few scoring chances.
-Defensively, we thought the Penguins were pretty sharp. It was one of their best games in that respect in quite a while. We know Detroit's not the offensive dynamo it used to be and a few players like Johan Franzen and Tomas Holmstrom where playing today, but we really thought the Penguins limited them offensively.
-The Penguins continue to be the NHL's best shootout team. They now are the league's only undefeated team in that regard at 7-0.
-Only the Kings at 8-3 have more wins.
-Crosby and Datsyuk lead the NHL in shootout goals at six.
-Fleury was okay. It's a stretch to say he was tested. The lone Detroit goal was a nifty re-direction which is tough to hang on him.
-We're not sure if it's fair to slam the Penguins' power play or not. It only had three chances, one of which was only slightly more than a minute due to a overlapping penalty. Detroit's a good defensive team that shuts down a lot of other power plays. Either way, a power play goal helps the Penguins win that in regulation.
-The Penguins' penalty kill sure was awesome, especially late in overtime. That was a huge effort.
-The Penguins dominated shots, 47-24.
-Detroit had a pretty big advantage in that area after the second period. In the third and overtime periods combined, they led 18-13.
-Lidstrom's still amazing at 39. In the second period after the Penguins killed off a penalty, Malkin came out of the box. That created a two-on-one with Crosby. Lidstrom, facing two MVP caliber players, positions himself perfectly and forces Malkin to take a low percentage shot. When folks in Washington wonder why Mike Green doesn't get more consideration for the Norris Trophy, it's plays like that he doesn't make that cost him credibility as a two-way player.
-Crosby and Letang each led the game with six.
-Adams and McKee were the only Pittsburgh skaters who failed to record a shot. Bums.
-Zetterberg led the Red Wings with four.
-Rafalski led the game with 30:03 of ice time.
-Gonchar led the Penguins with 26:02.
-The Red Wings still are awesome in faceoffs. They led 41-20 (67 percent).
-Zetterberg was 13 for 16 (81 percent).
-Mark Letestu was 4 for 6 (60 percent).
-Letang led the game with three blocked shots.
-Stuart and Rafalski each each led the Red Wings with two blocked shots.
-Jordan Staal tied Nick Harbaruk for the second-longest consecutive games streak in team history at 276 games. Ron Schock holds the franchise record with 313 games
-Gonchar appeared in his 300th career game with the Penguins.
-Guerin was spotted in the locker room sans moustache and was quite proud of that accomplishment. He was showing it off to just about everyone.
-EN reader Kelli Zappas spotted a Jay Caufield jersey:
-EN reader Justin... sent in this bit of resourcefulness. A fan with a standing-room only ticket swiped a bunch of cup holders to improve their line of site at the game:
-NBC is still horrible.