Please note: That caption is over sensationalized and intended to look ironic. However, Jimmy Howard now has himself an NHL shutout, and NHL.com included Howard on their choices for the American Olympic team. I hadn't even considered the possibility that Howard had a shot at the Olympics. However, upon looking at the list of American goalies who have started a game this season, it's not too ridiculous. Keep in mind that Ryan Miller is currently the best goalie in the league and Tim Thomas just won the Vezina, so the 3rd string goalie will not be playing. But among a group of Craig Anderson, Ty Conklin, Jonathan Quick, Brent Johnson, Scott Clemmensen, and Brian Boucher, Jimmy looks pretty good.

I thought Anderson was running away with the final spot, but he hasn't been as good of late. His save percentage was absurd in October, but is now just .001 better at .916 than Jimmy's .915. The only other starter in that group is Quick, who I still believe is the weak link on a very strong Los Angeles Kings club. Knowing that the 3rd string goalie will not be playing, Brian Burke and company may choose to give a youngster like Howard the spot instead of a guy like Conklin, who will likely be out of the picture by the next Olympics, and really doesn't have the mental game to handle the national stage. Howard has represented the United States at the WJC, and was also on the big stage when he led the Maine Black Bears to the National Championship game as a sophomore.

Food for thought. I still expect Anderson to get the spot, but I'd take Howard over the rest of the group. Rosters will start to trickle out around the New Year. NHL.com also selected Tomas Tatar to grab one of the final roster spots for Slovakia, over a veteran player like Marek Svatos. If Tatar has a real shot, he can secure a spot if he again dominates for Slovakia in the upcoming World Juniors (expect a preview on that once the US sets their roster tomorrow).

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Today, the Wings lost 4-3 to the Dallas Stars. I can't help but notice this three goal thing is officially a trend. It's the number of goals they've scored in seven of their past eight games, going 5-2-1 in that span. In fact, since Detroit blew out the Anaheim Ducks 7-4 on November 14, Detroit has only scored more than three goals (in regulation) once, when they beat Dallas 4-1 on November 30. Is the offense struggling? Not really, three's about average. Is Detroit's offense built to be average? I've got an idea, but I'll let you decide. Sure, injuries, but this team is still putting up some serious shot totals every night.

The story of today's game was Pavel Datsyuk. I've mentioned that he needs to be better a few times over the past several weeks, and I've had quite a few people call me on that. Rightfully so, as Datsyuk has hardly been invisible, and he's one of the best in the game more often than not. But I just wanted to bring to attention that this guy was a Hart Trophy candidate last season. Hart Trophy candidates are not "one of the best, more often than not," they're the best, unquestionably, almost every single night. That was tonight for Pavel. Taking pucks away from anyone whenever he felt like it, getting a hand in all three of Detroit's goals, throwing his body around, and really looking more comfortable with the puck than he had been. If there's one good thing to take out of the Henrik Zetterberg's injury (other than it being only a two week injury) it might be what the team needs to force Datsyuk to be this team's best player again.

I still think Todd Bertuzzi is turning a corner, and that this is a sign of things to come more than a fluke, like most have suggested. He's much better in front and he's starting to get more quality scoring chances. At the beginning of the year, he was gripping his stick a little too tightly. That's one of those hockey cliches that nobody really likes, but just remember all those chances that he fired into the upper bowl or just had roll up his stick -- that's the kind of stuff that happens when you're thinking too much (and from all the great Bert zingers I get to read on Twitter every night, we know we don't want that). Bertuzzi's simplifying his game, and it's working for him. When the anti-Bertuzzi contingent only has accidental tips into your own net to harp on, it's probably a sign you're stepping up your game, bigtime.

Other than that top line though, there wasn't too much to be excited about tonight. Brad May fought Krys Barch for the hundredth time, and I yawned and debating changing the channel when May and Barch shared a laugh right in the middle of the fight. At least act like it means something, guys. I thought Keating and Murph were right on when they said that fight, while a long and entertaining bout, did absolutely nothing for the morale of either team. This raises the question, what exactly is Brad May's purpose right now?

On the note of players' spots in the lineup: as Detroit's expected to get so many injured players back in the next three weeks, many have been wondering what the place of Drew Miller (a guy who was not on the team when everyone was healthy) and Patrick Eaves (a guy who was not playing when everyone was healthy) will be going forward. I really think these guys will stick, as they've been making the most of their minutes and have been getting time in all situations. May is as good as gone, in my mind, and Kirk Maltby will probably get to intimately know the press box, but I think that Justin Abdelkader is making himself too easy of a decision.

He was a -3 today. Obviously, he was probably on the shortlist to leave the team because he can still play in Grand Rapids without having to pass through waivers, but some were thinking he'd been granted immunity because Jeremy Williams took over Abdelkader's #19 in Grand Rapids last month. He was very good in the playoffs last season, and he looked like an NHLer in the early going in his fourth line role. However, he's been the team's unofficial "second line center" for a few games now, and seems to end up on the 4th line by the end of the game more often than not. He hasn't been bad, but he's not making the decision tough like Miller and Eaves are. And when you have an out like the AHL, expect to end up there.

That's all from this one. Chris Osgood is getting the start tomorrow in Chicago, in the first of two huge games for how difficult Detroit wants to make the second half of the season on themselves. If Detroit takes both games, they'll be within two points of Chicago. If they lose both, they'll likely slide themselves out of the playoff picture once again and could be ten points behind Chicago. Not something I want to be looking at heading into 2010, for sure.

I will mail ten American dollars to the first Wing to lay Marian Hossa flat.