This is going to be one of those pictures that future nieces/nephews/grandchildren will laugh at.

After I made the (relatively unpopular, and justifiably so) decision this week in my Offseason Guide to suggest that Detroit should maybe go with Mattias Ritola under Drew Miller, Miller decides to slap me right across the face in the form of a really clutch goal and a terrifying shootout winner. Terrifying in that Detroit literally was out of reasonable shootout options. There was just nobody left that you could justify shooting next. Maybe I would have gone with Justin Abdelkader, but there was nothing about the finish in anybody's game that would have made them a leading candidate to shoot next.

It was also terrifying in that it was a long shootout, and script that the game was following was exactly like a handful this season where we blew a 3rd period lead and then lost in the shootout... Something raising countless arguments, like what's worse, blowing the lead, or having such a talented team that's so bad in shootouts?

Miller was never on my bad side. I really like his game, and I appreciate the hard work he's putting in every night because the Wings sorely need that right now. I was just thinking if nobody retires, since he was just a short-term fix it wouldn't be a terrible thing if he had to be let go. He's certainly stating his case though. I think all of the six goals (and certainly the shootout winner) have come at pretty big times for Detroit. That's nothing to sneeze at. Those are qualities absolutely required in Red Wings' players. With the likes of Kirk Maltby on the 4th line the past few seasons, we've forgotten how important it is to get timely goals from 4th liners. Miller's on the 2nd line now, but a healthy Detroit likely puts him on the 4th line. For now, like I basically said before, I wouldn't be upset if he came back and I wouldn't be devastated if they let him go. If there wasn't someone like Ritola we'd have to let go, Miller would be a lock to come back in my eyes.

On the note of Wings making me look bad, I could have used a little big more from Jimmy Howard. I took a pretty pro-Jimmah position in ripping Chris Osgood, mainly his unprofessional attitude. It was not entirely his fault that Detroit lost, but I brought up the point about a goalie stepping up to seal a game in the third. Naturally, Jimmy didn't seal a lead in the 3rd yesterday. Like Osgood, he can't be faulted entirely on any of the goals. However, Jimmy did step up and make some monster saves in the shootout and for the duration of the 3rd when the Wings took their foot off the gas a bit. He got the win -- which is all that matters. I wouldn't say a thing about Osgood had he won that game.

It's a shame that it went to overtime, but I think there's more good than bad to take out of recent games. Detroit has absolutely looked like the better team in each game since the NY Islanders "incident," which is really important. More important right now is winning. It is refreshing that even with some essential players on the shelf, this team is competing with and at times dominating the best teams in the league. So long as they aren't blowing too many games against weak teams, we should be in good shape.

Keeping it short today. I was wondering if anyone else noticed that Nick Lidstrom is continuing to round into excellent form. Timing could not be any better. Todd Bertuzzi rebounded very nicely after costing Detroit the game on Tuesday -- good news for a player who nobody considers to be all that strong mentally. Ville Leino had a pretty decent game in terms of finally creating some scoring chances, but there were no results other than sadness... especially that shootout attempt -- aren't Finns supposed to be good at that?

Unfortunately, the black sheep of the Miller family, Ryan Miller, isn't as great as his brother and lost his 3rd period lead and shootout, in a game that dropped Detroit from 7th in the standings to 8th. Five points back of 4th place with a game in hand. One point back of Los Angeles with an unimaginably crucial head-to-head, win-in-regulation-PLEASE game on Saturday. Suddenly, tearing apart the team at the deadline and firing the coach is seeming like a bad idea... This is just a friendly reminder to all the folks that frequent my comments.

Comments (13)

Jonhny754g said:

... Suddenly, tearing apart the team at the deadline and firing the coach is seeming like a bad idea... This is just a friendly reminder to all the folks that frequent my comments. Yesss!! I thought Helm looked pretty sharp out there, he was giving Minny's D fits, although I think he should have scored at least once with all those chances. And to all you Bertuzzi hater's.. his goal wasn't cherrypicking. It was him knowing that Datsyuk is the best passer in the league.

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January 22, 2010
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Keith B said:

... Why did Leino shoot 4th? The guy shouldn't be on this team and he's sent out 4th? Really? Is Babcock that much of a sadist? Leino before Filppula? Or did he just leave Filppula as the guy to shoot after the Wild score because he trusts him with the pressure? (Do you write the full order of players ahead of time or after the top 3 is it just pick and go?) I can't believe Lidstrom didn't get a chance! He's not great at skating with the puck but he does have an okay backhand and could probably have a snap shoot similar to Miller's goal. BTW, did anyone else notice that after the 3 "professional" shootout guys the only 2 who scored for Detroit were the 2 who actually shot the puck! Amazing. I think that might be true for the Wild too. Look, if your not Datsyuk, Z, or Bertuzzi either shoot or go to the backhand. You're not going to pull a spin move in a shootout if you can't do it in a game. Leino, I know you did spin and score once (where has that been recently) but please next time shoot a wrist shot from the hash marks. The best 2 shootout guys in the league (over their careers) have to be Kariya and Hossa. Kariya puts the puck between the glove and the shoulder and it is literally impossible to save it if he puts it where he wants too. To move the glove up 6 inches the entire arm has to move and that takes too much time. Then goalies started cheating their hand up so he put it either stick side outside the blocker or down by the hip glove side. No goalie has a chance when he hits his mark. Hossa had that amazing goal last year where he wound up at the point and fired it in. If a guy can get his slapshot around 100 MPH and he shoots it from 10 feet away the goalie has no time to react. I've always felt a player should shoot as the goalie is moving back and not yet setup. Besides actually shooting, I think the 2nd most advantageous thing to do on a shootout is actually skate fast. One of the Wild's scorers (I think he was a D) flew down the ice and scored when he beat Jimmy to the post. Also, the guy who almost scored and then yanked the puck (or was deflected by Jimmy's stick) simply beat Jimmy to the back post. I think if you can't shoot one by the opposing goalie and you can fly (Helm, Drapper) just fly in and pull it to the left or right right in front of the crease and lift the puck! I guarantee that would work 40% of the time on it's own. When was the last time Z scored on a shootout? His percentage is like 25% but I don't remember the last time he scored. Plus, 25%?! Really. 1 in 4 chances? You're one of the 20 best forwards in the league. Goalies should not stop you 3/4 quarters of the time! I really think Datsyuk should be around 40-42% and Z should be around 33-35%. Bertuzzi really changed up his style from sweeping wide. I wonder what makes them choose. Do the coaches have a cheat sheet that they use after OT? Kyle, while Jimmy wasn't great he made up for the 3rd with the SO. Between Dallas and the Wild I think he's let in 4 goals on like 15 shots. That's pretty amazing. Jimmy is a much better shootout goalie then Ozzie, partly because he's faster and doesn't often get beat to his own post. I was wondering what you'd think of a team bringing in a cold goalie for the SO. If Ozzie started a game... okay this example is killed... and took the team to OT... okay killed again... and then it goes to a SO why not bring Jimmy in? I know that just because they did it in Mighty Ducks 2 (don't you like how they went from a peewee team, to the World Juniors team, to a HS Prep team) doesn't mean it's realistic but I'd think it'd be worth the gamble when you have an awful SO goalie in net.

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January 23, 2010
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KyleKujawa said:

... Leino does have hands though and there's no doubt about it. The problem is he's not quick enough to do it during a game. I would have had Filppula shoot before him, but let's face it, Filppula's a bit of a spaz with the puck and it's a miracle that he converted. Leino's attempt was pitiful but if he had gone in a little quicker he might have had the goalie bite on a few of those fakes. He was going so slow that Backstrom didn't need to commit to one side. Like you, I'm very much against players going in slow, for some reason there's a large contingent who think that's the way to go. You've GOT to get the goalie moving and can't give him time to save himself once he's committed to one of your fakes. Leino had a slew of nice fakes done about 75% too slowly, to the point where Backstrom didn't even move. If you want to hear something funny, Kariya hasn't scored in a shootout since he's been in St. Louis. He's been injured a bit, but he's been healthy this year and St. Louis doesn't let him shoot anymore because that move is just SO textbook. I know the move you're talking about and it works on Osgood a ton, but it is actually predictable. Goalies who cheat force him to really pick a corner up high or down low so it becomes pretty save-able when you're ready, and he doesn't really change it up and rip it blocker. He was 5-for-7 in 05/06 and 7-for-11 in 06/07, but he's 0-for-7 since, keeping in mind he's been so banged up that he's only scored 28 goals in three seasons. I disagree with the "just shoot!" theory. It's best to change it up and that's why Datsyuk is so effective. Zetterberg is just as dangerous on breakaways but really has like 3 or 4 different moves that he keeps trying in shootouts. I think yesterday's was new but Backstrom didn't bite at all. It was a bit of a forehand Forsberg move, looked completely awful. Shooting is misleading because it makes it look just so easy when you score, but trust me -- the career shootout leaders aren't guys that just streak in and rip a shot. They're guys who do that sometimes, but can also make a deke to either side of the net. Jussi Jokinen was ultra-effective as a rookie but his moves got stale and now he's merely average as he tries to mix it up. Still has some effective go-tos but the more you do one more the more goalies will expect it. Shootouts are an entirely different animal than breakaways just because of pace and preparedness. That's why SO percentages are unusually low compared to breakaways.

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January 23, 2010
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waltdetroit said:

	... Is that Jim Carey in the photo?
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January 23, 2010
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waltdetroit said:

	... As was stated before,some injuries take a bit longer to heal. I still don't know if Z & Dats are 100%. As for Kung Nick, he was really hurt at the end of the season. His timing may be off as his sense of balance. He is a little lighter on one side of his body this year.
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January 23, 2010
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Baroque said:

	... Forget relatives - that is the kind of picture that complete strangers will laugh at.
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January 23, 2010
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junkyarddog said:

	... Mr. K, Babby has to be patience with jay leno, Give him time and he can be a solid second liner. They need to work on his conditioning. Look how they turned Bert around. Walt might be right that LiNdrost was permanently CHANGED by Chicago.
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January 23, 2010
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waltdetroit said:

... (Ok I had nothing to do today and was mildly inspired) A Caps blog "Japer's Rink" wrote about "goals scored per 60 mins of 5x5 time" with a link to "Behind the net (see below). After looking where the Wings placed (the Caps had 5 players in the top 14)I was amazed. How do we win games? If anyone doubts the coaching or believes the players haven't bought into a team concept, here is some proof: rankname GPG 1ALEX OVECHKIN2.06 8MIKE KNUBLE1.49 38DANIEL CLEARY1.11 71H ZETTERBERG0.96 74TOMAS HOLMSTROM0.95 86MIKE MODANO0.91 127M SAMUELSSON0.80 146TODD BERTUZZI0.74 148DARREN HELM0.73 154PATRICK EAVES0.71 185EVGENI MALKIN0.63 198TOMAS KOPECKY0.60 227KRIS DRAPER0.54 233PAVEL DATSYUK0.52 234V KOZLOV0.52 239ROBERT LANG0.52 246ANDREW MILLER0.50 271J ABDELKADER0.42 289VILLE LEINO0.39 296MIKE GREEN0.37 310KIRK MALTBY0.34 308LEIF ERICSSON0.36 402DEREK MEECH0.16 415BRIAN RAFALSKI 0.15 452BRETT LEBDA0.09 468NICK LIDSTROM0.07 469BRAD STUART0.07 http://www.behindthenet.ca/2009/new_5_on_5.php?sort=20§ion=goals&mingp=30&mintoi=&team=&pos=

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January 23, 2010
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r0bert8841 said:

... Good post. Miller had a hell of a game, making me want him on the team even more. He just seems like a Babcock player, which is why their is a good chance he will be here next season. I love his game, it is very simple game but the effort is their and so is his positioning and size. I also disagree with the "just shoot" theory. Leino is definently good enough to pull off some moves, he just didn't their. So I was thinking about Ville's season and how he is so old but still a rookie. He is a slow developer. So I was thinking that if we give him time in the NHL like we are now, he will turn into a 2nd liner once he figures it all out. I can kind of relate because I am sort of like that too. Ussually whenever I do something new I sit in the backround for a while till I figure things out then I take charge. I feel like Leino is taking that approach, and while much of the community is calling for his head, I think we just need to be patient with him because we know he will eventually figure it all out. Hopefully sooner than later.

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January 23, 2010
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Baroque said:

	... Robert - I think the Leino might be a slower developer, too. I wonder if that was part of the thinking that Holland had when he signed him to a two-year contract, see how he plays this year, works during the offseason, and then look at next year for a better gauge of his abilities in the NHL.
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January 23, 2010
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Keith B said:

... Kyle, Regarding Karyia, he clearly isn't the same player he was. But that 7 of 11 stat is amazing. That's 64% or twice of our best player. I know some good shooutout players do fancy stuff. What I was saying is if you're not a shootout expert and our the 4th through 10th shooter you should shoot or do a basic deke. No spin-a-ramas, no triple dekes, no doing the move right and hold the puck while skating backwards and roofing it ala Datsyuk. These guys need to just shoot! It works. Also, why Leino might have hands, he isn't the talent you think he is. Yes, he is slow. But even when he has tons of room, like on a shootout, he still doesn't do anything. I really think his first goal was a fluke and his hands look great for FA pickups but I think this kid is a joke. He hasn't done anything all year. I mean literally, not anything. Can you remember one good play? An amazing shot, a nice steal, a good blocked shot? A check, an outlet pass, a successful rebound? ANYTHING?

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January 25, 2010
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Keith B said:

	... That why should be while. Also, when Kariya was healthy he could make that shot in a game too. I've seen him beat numerous goalies on that shot from the slot on a PP or on a 2 on 1. It works. Goalies know where he's gonna shoot and he still beats them there. This is a good shooutout idea for Lidstrom, Stuart, Helm, etc. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG9bsm1M0Y0
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January 25, 2010
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KyleKujawa said:

... You're thinking about a player that doesn't exist anymore. Kariya was ridiculous in the shootout when he was younger. That was several injuries and a couple surgeries ago. Not everyone can play the same way after that. Kariya doesn't try that move too much anymore and I think every goalie is aware that it's his "go to." Again, he's 0-for-7 since he became a Blue. Leino does have ridiculous hands. I know it's fun to rag on him but let's not have a selective memory. He had nine points in 13 games last year. I watched him dazzle all year in GR. He was the winger on Detroit's hottest line in the pre-season. He has had a few games where he's created chances from nothing. The problem I have with him is that's been like four games over the course of the season. He's not Datsyuk-level for sure, but he's skilled enough where he should have made a better attempt than that. He practically tripped over himself.

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January 25, 2010
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