Octopus Thrower Overtime: Detroit Red Wings: 4, Pittsburgh Penguins: 3 (OT)
By Nate Brown
My brother and I have a rule: You don’t leave early and you never turn the game off–no matter how bad it looks. We built this into our DNA because Detroit sports were a treat as kids. For us, going to a game or watching a game was rare because we lived in Chicago. No matter how bleak, we suffered to the bitter end. That faith has been rewarded many times, and last night was a prime example.
We’ve passed this belief onto our cousin, a rabid hockey fan who played between the pipes his whole life and graduated from high school this past spring. He misses playing, and tonight, he was surprised with tickets to the Joe. It gave him a hockey experience for the first time since he hung up his skates. And it underscored our point as to why you always stay.
Games. Like. This.
From his text:
Dude, BEST game I’ve ever been to in my life. That was f***king wild. Lost my voice, kicked over the popcorn, and spilled my drinks. All worth it.
This was a game where the Detroit Red Wings looked dead. Pucks skipped over sticks, some into faces (right Abby?), and odd man rushes were aplenty. In a 2-0, and then 3-1 hole, it looked brutal. Another text:
People started leaving with about 3 minutes left. I almost told a guy to just take his jersey off when he walked past me on his way out.
Ironic if they were at the Lions game last Sunday, too….
Onto the comeback:
First, the captain.
Then a sick feed from
to
, who snapped a shot for the tying goal. At the :09 mark, listen to the crowd scream and then Mickey chuckle. Gold.
And the winner. Ken Daniels’ quick pronunciation of
Justin Abdelkaderbefore the goal should win him an award.
Some other observations:
First Shift: Darren Helm is this guy
I love Darren Helm. He provided one of my top five Wing goals of all time when he buried the GWG against the Blackhawks in the ’09 Western Conference Finals. But I swear to God, his inability to finish when he drives the net is mind-blowing. Enough with the backhand. Just bury the damn puck on the forehand.
Yet every time he gets on his horse, I’m standing and waiting to celebrate.
I repeat: I love Darren Helm.
Second Shift: How Swede it is
Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall both had three points tonight; Kronwall 2 goals and an assist and Z a goal with an assist, putting his goal-scoring streak to three games (watch out Goose). Zetterberg also deflected the puck that led to the game winning goal. Since his poor game against Boston, Zetterberg has been on fire. Kronwall, meanwhile, quietly contributes and made plays when the team desperately needed him.
Third Shift: Are the kids alright?
Okay, I’m going to rain a little on the parade. It is without question that this team is helpless without Zetterberg or Datsyuk. Tonight, both of them had a direct effect on the comeback win and that’s obviously what great players do. They are the heartbeat and lungs of this team. And the kids need to take note. Twitter was abuzz with some kid bashing tonight.
It isn’t fair to chastise them in a young season when the team is going to have inevitable growing pains. They weren’t lucky enough to be surrounded by Luc Robitaille, Brett Hull, Sergei Fedorov, Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, or Nick Lidstrom. (I could keep going but it would exceed my word limit). They’re literally growing up before our eyes. Tomas Tatar had a poor Corsi For %, even with Zetteberg and Nyquist on his line. Kindl made some especially brutal mistakes tonight, both times leading to scoring chances and a goal in another.
But the kids are alright. A few lackluster games here and there are expected. Pucks will jump off Nyquist’s stick. Tomas Tatar is going to get too cute at times when he should shoot. Kindl will be Kindl. With a win like tonight’s, this only goes to serve as another great lesson of how to win. They won a Calder Cup. They saved the playoff streak when it was on the line and the Red Wings had a queue out Piet Van Zant’s door. Repeat after me: This team is better than people think. They just have to grow into the role.
That penalty kill has a lot of kids on it, the same penalty kill that is 100%. A penalty kill that held the top power play in the league scoreless in three attempts.
Yes, the kids are alright.
My favorite part of this win? My cousin’s girlfriend is a Penguins fan.
Join us on Saturday when the Detroit Red Wings face the Philadelphia Flyers in Philly.