Octopus Thrower Overtime: Boston Bruins 3, Detroit Red Wings 2 (SO)
By Nate Brown
I’m really beginning to hate the Boston Bruins. Not quite to the level of Chicago or Toronto. Or even the Claude Lemieux Avalanche of the late 90’s. But they’re quickly moving up the ladder.
Perhaps it’s Zdeno Chara looking like a walker (on skates) from The Walking Dead or an overeager lumberjack hacking at everything without getting called for it. It could be Milan Lucic and Brad Marchand being their whiny or diving selves. Or maybe I’m still bitter over the twin killing that the Red Sox and Bruins performed on my two favorite Detroit teams last season. Regardless of the source, I find myself despising Boston a bit more than I did before the game began.
First Shift: The first mention of a “men’s game/league/noun.” From Mike Babcock to NBC’s Pierre Maguire during the customary first period bench interview:
"“We have an ability to be relentless. We have to be that. I think they’re hungrier than we are. We gotta dig in. It’s a man’s game. There’s no room. Faceoff circles help.”"
The man’s (insert noun here) came into vogue last season when Ken Holland defended the play of Daniel Cleary and Mikael Samuelsson over Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Jurco by claiming the NHL is a “man’s league.” Well, we all know how that turned out. But you could sense a collective snicker amongst Wings fans when Babs’ made the comment. What he said was true: they were getting slaughtered in the face-off circle and outplayed on the ice (period ended 14-4 Boston in terms of shots, while Corsi showed an even uglier performance). Wings were out shot 2 to 1 (24 – 12) by the end of the second, but actually tightened up their face-offs (21-18). Babcock was spot on and the Wings responded to a degree. But the man’s (insert noun here) must be a popular phrase in the Red Wings front office.
In other news, Pierre looked excited that Babs gave him more than three words.
Second Shift: Luke Glendening, the kids, and the penalty kill
There were heavy fan debates about the value of Glendening as the season loomed. After three games, he’s shown speed, a nose for the goal, and the typical gritty play. Glendening had a breakaway chance, and was thwarted later on a 2 on 1 chance. Great things continue for the former Michigan Wolverine.
Tomas Tatar and Tomas Jurco seemed in-sync all night, making plays that kept offensive chances alive, especially in the second period when the Wings desperately needed a shot in the arm. Tatar netted one and Jurco narrowly missed on a power play chance that rang off the post.
Nyquist remains on pace for 82 goals.
And the penalty kill (without Pavel Datsyuk!) is still flawless after 10 tries. Bravo Tony Granato and company.
Third Shift: Jimmy Howard‘s continued brilliance
A sliding save in the second period on a 2 on 1. A toe save on Soderberg later in the period (Less than 30 seconds remaining) that prevented a potentially back-breaking goal. Jimmy made several clutch stops that kept the Wings in a game where Boston carried the play. As the Bruins swarmed on a power play in the third period, Howard made a key save with no rebound to slow the onslaught. Then he recorded four more massive saves with less than a minute left in the game. Yep, he gave up the shootout goals, but this would have been a lot worse without him.
If this is the beginning of Jimmy’s redemption, good things lie ahead.
(Advanced) Stats don’t lie (hat tip hockey stats.ca, behindthenet.ca, hockey reference.com)
Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen both looked off tonight. A closer look with advanced stats at even strength.
Zetterberg Corsi: (-17); Corsi For – 19% (5/27)
Franzen Corsi: (-14) Corsi For – 23%; (6/26)
Disclaimer: This is not “piling on” the Captain and Mule. Just an observation.
Take away: After a strong start to the season, Franzen looked sluggish and missed a chance at the end of overtime (but it appeared he didn’t have the angle even with a SOG). Zetterberg just looked off, almost hurt at times. A couple uncharacteristic turnovers and some missed plays certainly lend some credence to the paltry numbers. It’s not fair to rely on the same guys every night because depth carries teams. But both are considered top 6 and for obvious reasons. Off nights will occur. But these have to be the exception, especially against the better teams of the Eastern Conference.
Hopefully, the Detroit Red Wings recover in their first road game of the season against arch-rival Toronto on Friday.