Regular Season Game 13: Tre Kronor, Tre mål

1st Period:

Detroit 1 Colorado 0; 8:54- Lidstrom (6) unassisted

Franzen gets to the puck off a dump in and puts a sharp angle shot on net. Varlamov stops the shot and pushes the rebound into the corner. To his credit, kicking the rebound into the corner is all you can really ask for here. An Avs defender falls and sweeps the puck with his stick. It ends up in the high slot....

where Lidstrom has pinched and is waiting for it. Lids has time to fully unload a slap shot that beats Varlamov and sets the tone for the night. #TPH

2nd Period:

Detroit 2 Colorado 0; 2:36- PPG Franzen (6) from Filppula (7) & Hudler (3)

Detroit is on the powerplay here, and Colorado's counter is a diamond formation. They've taken away the passing lane back to the blue line, the cross-ice passing lane, and the shot. Filppula's only option is to move the puck into the corner.

Fil moves the puck down low for Zetterberg. This pulls the net front defender away from the goal and into the corner, shifting the diamond formation. Z has 3 options available, which I've labeled according to the probability with which I think he'll pick said option. The most likely choice is to pass behind the next. The next most likely is to move the puck back up along the boards to Filppula. The least likely is to send a cross ice pass through the Colorado defenders into the left faceoff circle. Naturally, Zetterberg chooses to send a cross ice pass through Colorado defenders into the left faceoff circle.

Hudler gets the pass and quickly moves it back over to Filppula. The defense has collapsed on Hudler, leaving Fil all alone and the smart choice to pass to. Filppula has a wide open net if he's able to get a shot off quickly enough. The other item of note in this cap is Johan Franzen moving across the crease.

Filppula has an open net and takes the shot without hesitation. The puck hits Franzen's stick and changes directions, beating Varlamov high glove side for The Mule's first of the night.

Detroit 3 Colorado 0; 6:53- PPG Franzen (7) from Kronwall (3) & Filppula (8)

The Wings are cycling the puck on the power play, and the Avs are set up in a box formation. Filppula gets the puck along the boards and two of the four Colorado players converge on him. Filppula has to move the puck (and quickly). His passing lane to the closest defenseman has been cut off by the collapsing Av playing high, so to counter Fil throws one to Kronwall on the far side.

There's no one that can pick up Franzen as he cuts to the middle of the ice. The two Avs defenders that collapsed on Filppula are too far to the left to make a play on him, another defender is trying to play Kronwall straight up, and the last defender is basically floating down low with no chance of doing anything not destructive. If he jumps up to meet Franzen he either screens his own goalie or could tip the coming slapshot, but if he stays put he's camped out defending no one.

Franzen gets his blade on the puck and redirects it over the blocker-side shoulder of Varlamov. Again, no one is even close to him.

Detroit 3 Colorado 1; 8:18- PPG Landeskog from Duchene & Qunicey

Colorado is moving the puck on the power play, and Detroit is set up in a box formation (sound familiar?). Duchene gets the puck and passes behind his back to an uncovered Landeskog to the side of the net.

Landeskog shoots it and the puck gets stuck in Howard's pads. Landeskog chops and chops and chops at it. Stuart is off balance and tangled up and can't clear him from the front of the net. Ladeskog chops at it again. Chop, chop, more chop, chop, etc. Whistle? What whistle? Landeskog keeps hacks away until the puck gets loose and trickles across the goal line.

3rd Period:

Detroit 4 Colorado 1; 14:46- Cleary (2) from Datsyuk (8) & Kindl (3)

Cleary brings the puck through the neutral zone, moving left to right and drawing one of the three Colorado defenders along with him to the right side of the Wings offensive zone. Cleary passes to Datsyuk, who carries into the zone.

Datsyuk puts on the brakes and shoots from above the faceoff circle. Cleary gets inside his defender and moves towards the front of the net for rebound opportunities. There's a switch in who is defending Cleary in the above screen cap; it has now switched from the Av Cleary just passed to Quincey.

Cleary has a step on Quincey, and though Quincey steps over to make a play on Cleary's stick he's just a little too slow. Giguere gives up a rebound directly in front of himself and Cleary gets his stick on it to lift it up and over Giguere's shoulder.

Detroit 4 Colorado 2; 16:55- Hejduk from Wilson & Johnson

Colorado is on the powerplay late in the third period. Detroit is set up in the usual box formation to defend. Hejduk finds a lane and cuts inside on Helm at the top of the box. Lidstrom has the netfront player locked down (red box above), which leaves White to cover the passing lane down low and the player with the puck as he moves into the slot.

Hejduk shoots and the rebound pops out behind Lidstrom and the scrum in front of the net. Helm can't ever fully engage Hejduk and leaves him free to backhand the rebound past a sliding Howard.

Detroit 5 Colorado 2; EN Franzen (8) unassisted

There's no way that screen capping this goal can do it justice. I highly recommend clicking the link and watching it. Wings fans everywhere are rejoicing that Mule's playoff streakiness has now extended itself to the regular season. Being a streaky scorer has never been looked upon this favorably.

http://video.redwings.nhl.com/videocenter/console?hlg=20112012,2,207&event=DET651&fr=false

Regular Season Game 2: Thrice as Nice

Colorado 0 Detroit 1; 17:41 2nd period- Franzen (1) from Hudler (1)

Hudler carries the puck into the offensive zone with speed. Colorado has two defensemen back, so there won't be an odd man rush here. Hudler, however, has a wide open Johan Franzen behind and slightly to the right. No one is able to catch up to Franzen, leaving him primed for a one timer. Hudler spots him and drops the puck back, and Franzen puts a wicked snap shot on net.

Filppula creates an unintentional screen by cutting towards the front of the net. Moving right to left draws his defender with him, while the other defender is still skating backwards and watching Hudler. Both Colorado defensemen flow away from the shot. There's a momentary screen where Varlamov likely can't see the puck, and by the time the three guys in front of the net are out of the way the puck's behind him.

Colorado 0 Detroit 2; 11:58 3rd period- Zetterberg (1) from Datsyuk (1) & Cleary (1)

Detroit has a 3-on-2 rush here, and one of Colorado's defenders is in poor position to start. Zetterberg carries in along the right side, and the Colorado defenseman has to rush to try and cover him. Zetterberg sees the defender's approach and drops the puck to Datsyuk, his trailer.

The circled defender drops to one knee to try and block a shot from Datsyuk. Unfortunately for him there's no shot on its way. Instead, Datsyuk reads the defenseman in the box above and passes back to Zetterberg. The boxed in defenseman above can't charge Datsyuk, as that guarantees that Z is left open alone down low. He also can't play too close to Zetterberg, as that allows Datsyuk an open shot at the net and likely an open path if he chooses to drive. His only viable option is to play somewhere in the middle, allowing both room to skate and shoot. He's basically in a brutal Catch-22; he's truly damned is he does and damned if he doesn't. One last thing of note is how far out of his crease Varlamov is playing. He may be trying to cut down the angle, but it doesn't do much when the shot comes from the side and he can't get across laterally to square himself to the shooter.

Zetterberg has time and space to let loose a disgustingly beuatiful slap shot that beats Varlamov high. There's only so much that screnncapping can do here. If you can find a replay of this goal online I highly recommend it as there's just nothing quite like watching the Euro Twins work their magic on a 3-on-2 rush.

Colorado 0 Detroit 3; 17:40 3rd period- EN Datsyuk (1) from Cleary (2) & Conklin (1)

Dan Cleary tips an airborn puck down and settles it near center ice. He carries it into the offensive zone before dropping it to Datsyuk near the blue line.

Datsyuk lifts a shot that somehow arcs over the defense and hits the net.

The Good

Ty Conklin- Any time you get a shutout you'll end up on this list. Any time you get a shutout AND an assist, you'll...well, you'll still make the list but damn that's impressive. Conklin stopped a respectable 29 shots on the way to his first shutout of the year.

Euro Twins- They weren't on the same line the entire game, but when they were it was hockey perfection. Regardless of line combinations, Datsyuk and Zetterberg both look like they're in midseason form, and what's most impressive is they look that way at both ends of the ice. These are clearly two elite players still in their primes, and Detroit is all the better for it.

The Bad

Scheduling- Opening with back-to-back games, and one's on the road? Then having to wait until Thursday to play again? Might as well get used to it, because October's schedule is one of the stranger we've ever seen in terms of consistency. At least the Wings will get a few more days to practice and work on any systems issues that arose in the first two games.