Catching Detroit on the Flip-Side, Looking for Mo' Show in Buffalo

Detroit (37-18-6) @ Buffalo (29-25-6)

Well, now. If we have offensive troubles tonight, there's something seriously wrong...!!

The Wings take on the Buffalo Sabres tonight. They are also getting back 2 forwards tonight, and I'm not talking about Patrick Eaves, either. That's right, Wingnuts: Val Filppula and Mike Modano are both back in the lineup tonight!! With this huge boost to the roster, it's looking cramped again, so there's no excuse now, boys. It's either play hard or sit down! I think coach Babcock should hold to this mentality and really stress hard work and determination on the ice, because I still feel we've been lacking that a lot lately.

The Sabres, much like the Wings, are not playing good hockey at home. Currently, Buffalo is 14-15-2 on home ice, and the Red Wings really need to take advantage of the time away from the JLA. Home cooking has done nothing for Detroit, dropping the last 2 homestands and allowing 4 goals in each game.

Now, I'm going to be a cheeseball and stick my Gold Star on Mike Modano. Ol' Mo has been itching to get back this season and he's finally able. I think he's going to want to prove he's still fit for a playoff run, starting tonight!

Less than an hour left as I write this, and there's nothing like Red Wings hockey and Kraft Dinner for supper.

Enjoy the game, Wingnuts! Lets' Go Red Wings!!

Wings Welcome Struggling Stars

Detroit (37-17-6) VS Dallas (31-23-6)

I only hope the Red Wings are half as pissed off as I was after Detroit's previous match. If so, they might actually come out tonight and put forward an effort worthy of an NHL-caliber team, which was not the case against the Sharks.

The Dallas Stars, however, are a different beast altogether. Losers of 11 of their last 13 games, the big D has looked like the big F and have slipped into a log-jam currently just out of playoff contention. Their captain is slumping while one of their biggest name-drops (one Brad Richards) is still out with concussion symptoms. The Stars have only managed a meager 5 goals in the 4 games Richards has been absent.

The Red Wings are relatively healthy heading into this game. True, we did lose Patrick Eaves in the San Jose game for about a week, but our top 6 forwards are looking good, especially Todd Bertuzzi and Danny Cleary. Cleary has 6 points in his last 4 games, and Bertuzzi is just coming off a similar run.

I think for this match, though, I'm going to stamp the Gold Star onto Johan Franzen. The Mule hasn't been terrifying lately: he has 9 points this month, but 5 of those came on 02/02 against Ottawa with his 5-goal flurry. Mule is due, and I think Mule is gonna get fed tonight.

That's all for me for now! No lucky shirt tonight, Detroit soiled it in that poor effort against the Sharks, so obviously I need to let it's mojo recharge.

Enjoy the game, Wingnuts! Let's Go Red Wings!!

The Geek's LST!

Lucky Shirt: 8-4-0

No Lucky Shirt: 5-3-1

Wings' Inconsistency Kills in 4-3 loss to Sharks

Well, that was a frustrating three hours...

The Red Wings put in an...uninspired, shall we say, effort and ended up never seeing a lead in their 4-3 loss to San Jose. After winning 5 straight, is it so much to ask that the boys try to keep the momentum going? Universal karma being as it is, Vancouver will win tonight and yet again we'll watch the Canucks laugh and pull away from us again. It seems like whenever we get a whiff of the 'Nucks and their ass, it turns our stomach and we play like garbage.

One big killer tonight: Inconsistency. The Red Wings had good spurts, then would putter out and make it seem like they...really just didn't care. In the end, again, Danny Cleary was one of the only guys out there really looking like he wanted a W, scoring the first 2 Detroit goals and setting a new season-high for himself. If we had more guys playing with half the heart that Newf puts into his play, we'd be looking at 10 game winning streaks every other month. Hank Zetterberg got the only other Wings goal very late in the 3rd to give us the hope that Detroit might possibly tie things up, but even if they did, I'm convinced they wouldn't have deserved even the point for going to OT.

Fact is: If you're not willing to play hard for 60 minutes, you don't deserve to play past the end of that hour. Detroit did not play hard all night, and certainly didn't get a glance at OT this evening.

Smarten up, Red Wings, and take it to Dallas in the next game. You're better than this.

Wings Hope the Roll Continues in Minny

Detroit (36-16-6) @ Minnesota (31-22-5)

Detroit skates into Minnesota today for a matinee affair with the Wild. The Red Wings could earn a season-high 5th straight win this afternoon, and with the play of some of the Wings, such as Todd Bertuzzi, Pavel Datsyuk and Dan Cleary, the chances are certainly good.

The season series is split 1 game apiece currently, and the Wild have been just as successful as the Red Wings in their last 10 games, both clubs going 7-3-0.

Now, the Wings seem to have found a system that's been working for them, SO...in response to that, I am NOT going to do a Geek's Winning Formula today. Instead, I'm going to give my prediction for Detroit's player of the game. Let's call it..."The Geek's Gold Star Student", which today I believe will be Todd Bertuzzi.

I have a number of reasons for my pick, 6 of them are lying in the nets in Boston and Florida, but there's more to it than that. Todd is playing in his 1000th game today, AND he has his family down to watch him. Bert has a lot of reasons to work hard today, and with his recent successes, I think he's going to come out flying this afternoon and tame the Wild.

Feel free to chat me up on Twitter during the game between my ridiculous outbursts if you want to share opinions on something, by the way! I hope I don't come off as stuck-up or anything, I'm just a crazy Wingnut like the rest of you.

Enjoy the game, Wingnuts! Let's Go Red Wings!!

The Geek's LST!

Lucky Shirt: 7-3-0

No Lucky Shirt: 5-3-1

Status for Tonight: Lucky Shirt

Wings Look to Key In on Second Florida Victory

Detroit (35-16-6) @ Florida (24-25-7)

Quickie because I was out late tonight before the game (Whoops!)

We beat the team that Steve built. Awesome! Now we can really move on past the baggage and continue to step it up as we head closer to the post-season and contend for playoff positioning. The Wings will be working on that tonight against the Florida Panthers.

So for the "Keys" to victory (ohh, so clever, right..?), here's The Geek's Winning Formula!

1.) Carry Momentum - The Red Wings need to carry the passion from last game into tonight's affair and make sure they come out strong early. Last game was one of our best starts overall in a long time, and I'd like to see more strong efforts in the first 20 minutes from here on out.

2.) Work Together - I don't know if it was all the injuries, but it kind of felt sometimes like the Wings were not so much a team as a group of individuals all wanting the same thing. With our guys getting healthy, it's been looking more like players are working together with linemates and synergy is building again. Keep it up, boys!

3.) Discipline...! - I said it before, guys...watch the dumb penalties! We won't always get away with the opposition going 0-fer on the man-up.

Enjoy the game, Wingnuts! Let's Go Red Wings!!

The Geek's LST!

Lucky Shirt: 7-3-0

No Lucky Shirt: 4-3-1

Status for Tonight: No Lucky Shirt

Wings Meet Stevie Y for First Time as Bolts GM

Detroit (34-16-6) @ Tampa Bay (34-17-6)

It's been coming for a while, and whether most people want to admit it or not, they will feel something when it comes gametime tonight. Detroit takes on the Tampa Bay Lightning this evening under General Manager Steve Yzerman, better known in Hockeytown circles as, "The Captain".

Steve has put together an intriguing team when you look at their numbers. They sit atop their division and are 2nd in the East for points, yet their goal differential is a mind-boggling -1. In comparison, the Wings are sitting 2nd in the West, but have a GD of +24. It truly seems this Bolts team we face tonight is being modeled after our beloved Captain: All heart and determination.

That's what could make this match a tough one. So, with that, let's get to The Geek's Winning Formula!

1.) Prepare to Battle - Detroit is going to need to come out fierce tonight and win those puck battles. Tampa has as many points as the Wings without being a dominant offensive or defensive force, so it's clear that the Lightning have simply been making earnest efforts in key areas and are focussed on coming out hard.

2.) Control Emotion - It's going to be a rough game, so the Red Wings need to be careful of getting to nasty when push comes to shove. Keep the dumb penalties to a minimum and match grit for grit, effort for effort. I'm expecting a game where the refs will have the whistles ready to go at any time tonight.

3.) Be Aware - Once we get control of the puck, our boys need to keep it moving, be it forward, backward, or laterally. Make Tampa chase the puck, and make sure they rarely catch up to it. I feel like the more grinding that takes place in this game, the worse it'll be for us, not them.

Should be an interesting game, hope to hear from you all on Twitter during the broadcast!

Enjoy the game, Wingnuts! Let's Go Red Wings!!

UPDATE: By the way, lucky shirt is on tonight! Here are the respective records as of tonight:

Lucky Shirt: 6-3-0

No Lucky Shirt: 4-3-1

Bert Beats Bruins with Two Pairs in Two Games

Quick recap while waiting for supper.

The Red Wings gained four valuable points in a pair of victories over the Boston Bruins. My question in the aftermath is this: Where the he'll was this effort hiding?? This is the kind of play we need to finish out the season and prepare for the playoffs! I hope Babs keeps pushing the boys with whatever method he used before the Boston games, because it is working.

Wings Get Homer Back, Face Predators

Detroit (32-15-6) VS Nashville (28-19-7)

2011 Lucky Shirt Tracker

With Lucky Shirt (5-2-0), Without (3-3-1)

Oh yeah, I'm back...

I'm adding the LST (please do not confuse with LSD...) so that not only you, my readers, can keep watch on how much of a difference my shirt makes, but also so I don't forget my records!

Detroit defends the JLA ice against the Predators tonight and are getting back Tomas Holmstrom, who has been injured for weeks. Hopefully his assets will be felt on the struggling Detroit powerplay, and provide more versatility in the Wings's lineup.

I've got the lucky shirt on tonight, though I'll miss most--if not all--of the game due to a previous engagement (damnit...!).

Here's a quick Geek's Winning Formula for you!

1.) Work the PP - With a veteran net-presence like Homer back, I should like to think that the Wings will be seeing a lot more chances while the opposing goalies will be seeing far less of them. work the man-advantage hard, boys, we're letting too many good chances go to waste!

2.) Clamp Down Defensively - I feel almost guilty for being so excited over the score of the Wings-Rangers game! 3-2! Whoo, we didn't need to score a touchdown to win the game for once! We're not playing football, guys...we should be winning more games with scores like this.

3.) Simplify the Strategies - I haven't caught much of the last few Wings games, but it sounds like not much has changed. In other words, we've been going into every game thinking we can make 60 foot passes every time and the enemy is somehow not catching on. It's gotten old, guys. You gotta mix it up! Little dump'n'chase, little carrying in, THEN those stretch passes begin to fool people again! You've got to keep the defense honest to go for high-risk plays, or you'll get burned 9 times out of 10.

Enjoy the game, Wingnuts! Let's Go Red Wings!!