LAMP THE LIGHT

By Adam W Parks

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 Red Wings 9 @ Blue Jackets 1

Hunter S. Thompson said it.This trip, this Detroit Red Wings season, is off to an unpredictable and uncharacteristic start. At times there has been fear (injuries). There has also been loathing (goaltending). But, as Dr. Gonzo once said, "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." As weird as that emotional 5-1 disaster of a Hall of Fame Game was in Toronto, the 9-1 deconstruction of the Central Division-leading Columbus Blue Jackets Wednesday night was even weirder...in a professional sort of way. We as fans must buy the proverbial ticket and enjoy this ride, however weird it may get. Expect the unexpected. We cannot turn back now, we are in too deep. Do not let all the weasels, the haters, the Barry Melroses of the world get us down. Sit back and watch the Wings morph and adapt to their new surroundings, for better or worse, and take us over the edge into unknown landscapes...and let us see how far we can get.

“For every moment of triumph, for every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled.” ~ Hunter S. Thompson

Oh those poor Blue Jackets. How devastating it must feel, for the players and the fans alike, to lose 9-1 at home against the team that has loomed over the entire existence of their franchise; it was the worst home defeat the Jackets have ever suffered. Even though Columbus still leads Detroit by one point in the division, it surely will not last long. Hope they enjoy it. This is the first time that the Wings have ever trailed the Jackets in the standings since Columbus came into the league in the 2000-01 season. Last season, the Jackets believed they could pull a San Jose Sharks circa 1994 on the Wings in the first round of the playoffs, but Detroit squashed the little buggers, outscoring Columbus 18-7 in a series sweep. Calder Trophy-winning goalie Steve Mason gave up three goals off just six shots in the first 7:32 of the game and had to find a cold seat on the bench. Last season's rookie of the year has looked below average this season, suffering from a sophomore slump that he must rectify fast if the Jackets have any hopes of hanging around in the Central Division race. The Wings are 5-1-1 at home and will play their next four contests on the ice at Joe Louis Arena. Things look good for Detroit, but who knows? It could always get a little weirder.

Kronwall Kick-Starts The Power Play

Normally we are used to seeingNiklas Kronwall making skull-crushing checks, but he may have single-handedly revived a Wings power play that was previously on life support. Detroit had only scored one power play goal in the last five games (18 opportunities) until Kronwall ripped two slap shots for two goals. The Wings were 2-5 on the power play against Columbus and were able to get off the man-advantage schneid. Kronwall's offensive game is sneaky, masked behind his physical prowess and propensity for open-ice collisions. However he is Detroit's leading scorer amongst defensemen with nine points, followed by Jonathan Ericsson and Brian Rafalski (both with eight), and Nicklas Lidstrom with six. He has scored four goals on the season, three of which have come on the power play.

Datsyuk's Dominance

The player who swats the most Blue Jackets is definitely Pavel Datsyuk. He went into the game having scored more points against Columbus than any other player in the league with 50. Datsyuk scored the second goal of the game (unassisted) which resulted as the game-winner. It was his third of the season and first since his two-goal game in the 5-4 victory over Vancouver on October 27. He also picked up an assist on Todd Bertuzzi's (3) second-period goal that helped out my fantasy hockey team and gave Datsyuk a total of 52 career points against the Jackets.


Griffin Eggs

Great Start For the Backup-Jimmy Howard received his first start since the 6-5 shootout loss in Edmonton on October 29. Howard has not impressed too many people in his first true opportunity in the NHL, but he is 2-0-1 in his last three appearances. With 25 saves against Columbus, he lowered his goals-against average below 3.00 and raised his save percentage to .893. He can be inconsistent and looks lost at times, as most young goaltenders do, but I really like his poise and attitude, especially when speaking with the media. Here is a postgame quote from Howard: "We stuck to our system from the drop of the puck until the end of the game. When we play like that it's going to be a long night for the other team." Very savvy and veteran sounding.

The Importance Of Being Ville-Okay, let all of us take a long, deep breath of relief for Ville Leino. That's nice. The promising winger has been bounced around the lineup and even benched after not scoring a goal since the trip to Sweden (12 games). He went from the Wings second line to fighting for a roster spot and was called out by Mike Babcock for not playing hard enough. With all the injures, Detroit really needs this guy to step up, and he finally found the back of the net against the Jackets in the second period. Now...keep it up!

Happy Sparty-I wonder if Justin Abdelkader was excited about Detroit's newest acquisition of fellow Michigan State University Spartan Drew Miller? He picked up his second and third goals of the season in the third period during junk time in Columbus and continues to improve and prove he belongs permanently in Detroit. Abdelkader was a freshman for the Spartans during Miller's final year at MSU. He finished that season with 22 points and 10 goals in 44 games, while Miller, State's captain, led his team with 43 points and 18 goals in the same amount of games. There is a strong possibility that these two will be reunited by skating on the fourth line together. Go Green! Go White! Go Wings!

Nugs and Notes

May Keeps Mashing Faces-Brad May picked up his first point of the season, an assist on Abdelkader's second goal of the game. He also picked up his fourth 5:00 major penalty after a first period bout with Jared Boll. May has 20 penalty minutes this season, all for fighting. He's not here to score, that's for sure!

Sour 1,000-Ken Hitchcock became the 16th coach to ever stand behind the bench for 1,000 games. Nice to see his team show up for the occasion. Hitchcock has a record of 520-329-88-63 coaching for Dallas, Philadelphia, and Columbus. He celebrated the bitter-sweet milestone by contemplating a career change.

Peace.
RIP Gonzo.

"History is hard to know, because of all the hired bullshit, but even without being sure of 'history' it seems entirely reasonable to think that every now and then the energy of a whole generation comes to a head in a long fine flash, for reasons that nobody really understands at the time—and which never explain, in retrospect, what actually happened...There was madness in any direction, at any hour. If not across the Bay, then up the Golden Gate or down 101 to Los Altos or La Honda...You could strike sparks anywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right, that we were winning...And that, I think, was the handle—that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn't need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting—on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave...So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark—that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back." ~ Hunter S. Thompson