Bizarre

The Red Wings inched over .500 for the first time last night. With the way hockey tabulates wins, losses, and OT losses, a .500 record is sort of ambiguous. In my estimation, an OT loss should be lumped in with the regular losses. Thus, the 9-5-3 record would become 9-8.

The win did not come easily. In fact, they really didn't deserve it. A more fitting fate would've been a draw (impossible now in the new NHL of course). Vancouver controlled the play in the 1st and much of the 3rd. They jumped out to a 15-5 shooting edge but found themselves actually trailing 1-0. Vancouver equalized in the 2nd, but Detroit took the lead again late in the 3rd. Despite Vancouver pressing, Brad Stuart sent a perfect pass to Zetterberg, who barely stayed onside. Zetterberg sped past the defense and roofed a backhanded shot over Luongo. It was an excellent display of individual skill and proved to be the game winner.

Vancouver pulled the goalie with about a minute to play, then sent the puck deep in the Red Wing zone. With Vancouver barrelling down, Jimmy Howard opted not to smother the puck and bravely passed it to Kronwall. Kronwall angled the puck off the boards for a clearance. The puck ricocheted over the Vancouver players and somehow ended up in the back of the empty net. It was just one of those games for the Canucks. And, for the Wings, it was a rare win when they were often outplayed, but the excellent play of Jimmy Howard saved the day.

I was about ready to ship that guy to the minors, but he's proven to be very capable - in the last two games at least. With all the missing players (Osgood and Maltby were out with the flu last night), the Wings have really stepped up.