LUUUUUUUUUUUSER!!!

By Adam W Parks

Saturday, March 20, 2010 Red Wings 4 @ Canucks 3 OT

Are you kidding me? Two games in two nights and two goals with .02 seconds left on the clock.

One forced overtime:



One won it in overtime:



In Edmonton the Wings were buried by a two-goal deficit in the first period, and in Vancouver...the Wings were buried by a two-goal deficit in the first period. Detroit managed a couple of comebacks and earned a combined three points to remain locked into the eighth playoff position.

Important Points

When the Olympics ended the Wings were in a position where they appeared as though they could elevate themselves as high as fourth place in the Western Conference standings. They needed to win games, and they needed teams to lose games.

For the most part Detroit has taken care of their end of the deal by going 7-2-1 since NHL play resumed. Five of those seven wins are against teams currently in the playoff picture (Colorado, Nashville, Chicago, Buffalo, Vancouver), and they have split games with Calgary, the team they are currently holding off.

The teams that needed to help Detroit move up--Coyotes, Avalanche, Kings, Predators--have not cooperated and have all firmly braced themselves by playing at least .500 hockey in each of the teams' last ten games.

The desert rats in Phoenix have played like their miserable franchise deserves to exist, winning eight straight games on the pads of goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov (who should have been in net for Russia during the Olympics, instead of Evgeni Nabok-suck). Unbelievably they are now just one point away from San Jose for the lead in the Pacific Division, and two away from Chicago for best in the West.

Surprisingly enough, Nashville has also been on fire, winning five straight and seven of their last ten. They are holding onto a four point cushion between themselves and the Wings, though I still believe Detroit will overtake them when it is all done and said.

Colorado and Los Angeles have chilled a little, each winning five in their respective last ten. However the Avs are three points up on Detroit, the Kings four, and both have played one fewer games.

All that said, it was crucial for the Wings to come from behind and save face by stealing a point against the putrid, stagnant Oilers. There are no gimme points in the NHL, but Edmonton is in the NHL cellar with 16 points separating them from the next worst team, Toronto (Go Canada!). You can't skate out of Edmonton without at least one point. You just can't.

Now, about last night. Call that game what you want. Gut check. Cup check. Lucky that it didn't go to a shootout.

The Wings outplayed the Canucks in the first period, out-shot them 17-8, but still slumped off to the locker room down by two after one. Roberto Luongo looked locked in, but the incessant chants of LUUUUUUUU from the fans in Vancouver were eventually silenced in the second period.

Todd Bertuzzi lit the lamp against his old team, his first goal in 20 games ('bout time, Bert!), and then just five seconds later Pavel Datsyuk tossed in a 40-footer. The unlikely duo now hold the all-time Red Wings record for the fastest back-to-back goals scored.

Happy birthday Val! Filppula turned 26 yesterday and earned the first star of the game for his excellent individual effort on that short handed goal later in the second. Check it out:



As important as it was to avoid embarrassment by getting a point in Edmonton, this win in Vancouver was even more essential, especially after throwing 54 shots at Luongo.

This final tour of Western Canada, followed by the Penguins at home, is by far the toughest stretch on Detroit's remaining schedule. How disastrous it almost was! Remember, before the previous two-goal first period deficits in Edmonton and Vancouver, the Wings came back from a 0-1 first period hole to beat Calgary in regulation! A couple of different bounces in the mountains of Canada and BOOM, they'd be returning home to face the Penguins 0-3 instead of 2-0-1!

I don't know about you, but I just took a deep breath.

After the Penguins, the Wings will face six non-playoff teams in their last ten games; the rest of the schedule favors a strong finish for Detroit. Let's all take another deep breath together.

Peace