TDG Post-Game Report: More Accurate than the Associated Press!

Did you see my ninjas at work? Of course you didn't, I told you my eyes weren't REALLY shifting sneakily.

In what can only be considered a lopsided affair between the Penguins and the Grif-I mean, Red Wings last night, the Penguins got to do...well, pretty much whatever they wanted, opening their new hole in the ground with a victory. That they can actually be proud of the win is something I would heavily debate; however, as far as the Associated Press is concerned, you may as well say that Pittsburgh beat Detroit's A-game roster!

From the AP: "With a sellout crowd of 18,087 and both teams using much of their “A” lineups, the $321 million arena opened with an almost regular-season intensity."

Really? Are you absolutely sure about that, AP...? Let's take a closer look.

Top 2 Scratched PIT forwards: Jordan Staal, Chris Kunitz

Top 2 Scratched DET forwards: Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterburg

Top 2 Scratched PIT defense: Paul Martin, Alex Goligoski

Top 2 Scratched DET defense: Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski

Starting PIT G: M.A.Fleury

Starting DET G: Chris Osgood

The Associated Press considers this to be an evenly matched game. Hmm...I have doubts about the objective integrity of a news source when "most" of our A roster means Brad Stuart is our top defenseman. At any rate, I knew well enough to keep my hopes low for this game and boy am I glad I did. It was nice to give the youngins some actual gametime; that by no means translated into it being a pretty sight.

The bright spot for me through all of this was Thomas McCollum's shutout period in the third. Very promising start for the prospect goaltender, especially in the wake of Osgood's efforts through 40 minutes. On the other end, the biggest disappointment had to be Brian Lashoff at a miserable -4 on the night. Someone on Twitter said it best last night by stating he should change name to Brian Leftoff...as in, the roster.

What can we take from this? Well, we know that if Grand Rapids ever played Pittsburgh, chances are they'd lose. Beyond that, it was a great learning experience for the prospects. Almost all of our star power was benched from the game, the biggest star we had out went down for the game with a charlie horse, what did people really expect? I asked to see the game kept close, which happened for about...close to half the game. As soon as the score went to 4-1 it was a write-off, stop worrying about it and look forward to the next game.

Speaking of next game, I'll be curious to see the projected roster for the game Friday against the Blackhawks. It'll be interesting to see if the marquee on the Wings side is a bit more sparkly this time around, or whether our studs will be getting more rest. Have to wait and see.

Till then, Wingnuts! Let's Go Red Wings!!

P.S.: I will be reprimanding my ninjas for not doing more serious damage to the unholy one.

Preseason Gameday Thread: Wings @ Penguins, 7PM ET

Well, it's something, right??

It's been a long drag through the offseason, but we finally have something to look forward to, even though it's only the preseason. That's right, Red Wings hockey is BACK! The Wings begin their exhibition season in the city we all know and hate, the worse half of the 2008 and 2009 Cup Finals: Pittsburgh.

It's hard to really do any deep analysis on this game that would mean anything: both teams have only just begun their preseason stint and the squad lineups are nothing like they would be during a regular season match-up. The one nice thing we can take away from this showdown (besides a W) is a chance to get a really good look--or listen in this case, as it seems radio may be our only hope of tuning in to the game--at some of the young guys vying for a spot on the roster. Guys like Ritola, Kindl, and Lashoff have to show Mike Babcock that they have the right stuff to excel in the regular lineup.

I find the difference in roster make-up between the Wings and Penguins for this game interesting. If you look around at the projected lineups, it appears that, unlike the Wings, Pittsburgh is throwing pretty much all their studs into this first game. Crosby and Malkin will both be prancing around tonight, God forbid something happen to them during the game (and no, my eyes did not just shift sneakily, you're seeing things).

Because of these differences in rosters, my expectations are not as high as they would normally be. If our MOSTLY starless squad (Modano, Hudler and Franzen will be playing, for example) keeps the game relatively close, then I'm happy. Should they win, and I really hope they do, I'll probably have someone knocking on my door advising me that I'm breaking some sort of noise bylaw or some foolishness.

I'm not going to do up a winning formula for this game, because I think something like that this early on would be silly. I could easily state a couple of things that would help ensure victory, but with little to no information on how some of the younger guys are going to handle playing another club at the NHL level, there are far too many variables to come up with anything reliable or even close to accurate. Play hard, be aware, and make sure you can last 60 minutes or more with gas in the tank. If we can get all our boys to do that tonight, we may get some very good reads on how well rested our vets are and how our prospects may shape up as the year goes on.

It's gonna be interesting. I can't wait.

Till tonight, Wingnuts! Let's Go Red wings!!

Red VS White: Final Wings Scrimmage has Anti-climactic Ending

Of all the days my body decides to completely shut itself down for 13 hours, it had to be last night going into today!!! ARGH!!!

Anyway, that's not what you're here to read about. You're here to read about the final scrimmage for Red Wings Training Camp 2010! It was exciting to me that I'd be able to watch the game on a web stream...until I slept through most of it from exhaustion. Yay!

However, perhaps because I only saw the last 10 minutes of the game I was picking every little detail apart as closely as I could. Granted, I had to quickly check numbers during play to see who was even playing on which team, it didn't take long to note which side had the Eurotwins. From the point I started watching (and I'm assuming for most of the game), Team Red showed the most offensive intensity, with Pav and Hank wreaking havoc on the minds of the Team White defenders.

With the score tied 3-3 and the clock winding down, I was thinking that maybe, JUST maybe, they would play an OT period and I could see a bit more of this grand spectacle. Apparently Jonathan Ericsson heard me and made good on what I was saying last year: he's taking over the choking role of Andreas Lilja on the roster. Ericsson, with one of the most pitiful attempts I've ever witnessed, crossed IN FRONT OF his netminder and tried to back pass the puck to his defense partner, only to have the puck travel 7.34 inches, which was the exact distance it took for Big E to put the puck right on Darren Helm's stick.

Wouldn't be so bad normally...except Helmer was on the other team.

Helm, with the greatest of ease, took the offered gift and stuffed it home past goalie Joey MacDonald, who really had no chance at all to stop the shot (supposing he even had time to finish processing his previous thought of 'what the HELL was that, Big Rig??'), and made it 4-3 Team Red.

After that, Red really never let up, pouring on pressure and doing well at keeping the puck in the offensive zone for chances. J-Mac made some good stops, but in the end it was too much pressure, and Team Red added another tally before the final whistle to end the game at 5-3 Team Red over Team White.

I really wish I could've watched this game from start to finish, and I'm sorry that my analysis is so patchy because of it, but from what I did see, things generally look good, and it makes me all the more excited for the regular season to start.

I'll have to settle for Detroit kicking the piss out of the Penguins tomorrow. Darn.

Until then, Wingnuts! Let's Go Red Wings!!

Maltby Signs, Meech Clears Waivers

Just a quick update:

The news that Detroit F Kirk Maltby has signed a one-year deal with the Wings has been out there for some time, but in the wake of Maltby returning, there was less fanfare made for the other move made by the Wings yesterday. D Derek Meech had been put on waivers by Detroit, and the news is coming through today that he has successfully cleared waivers, so Derek is still in the fold for the time being.

We'll be watching for any more Wings news as the season draws closer and closer...