Recap: Detroit Red Wings 1, Colorado Avalanche 0

Bleacher ReportJan 9, 2008

This was perhaps the closest-fought game the Wings have played this season. They weren’t playing their absolute best hockey, but they were playing well enough to beat just about anyone and Colorado stuck right with them. There were stretches of play that were as exciting and tense as any I’ve seen this season, and there were plenty of times where I was sure the Avs would score.

The Avalanche countered the Wings by playing a puck possession style rather than throwing fits and dumping it in like some teams, and, to their credit, they did a darn good job. It didn’t make the game more enjoyable, per se, since I was concerned about a comeback until the final seconds, but it certainly kept things interesting.

It was good to see the Wings pull out the win, in spite of the Avs’ strong play. They still don’t look like they’re slowing down.

Although the Wings outshot Colorado 25-19, I thought the Avs had the better scoring chances. Hasek had to be real sharp on a number of occasions and not just by making a save; he was sharp with his stick as well and made a few timely poke-checks to cut a chance short. There were more than a few times where the Wings’ D was hanging on by a thread only to just clear the puck away.

At the other end, the Wings had a lot of good cycle shifts, but it did not seem as though they tested Theodore as much as they often test other goaltenders. The team’s in-zone passing was strong, though in their own end and at center their passes were frequently intercepted.

The Wings were forced to hustle a lot more than they usually do, I thought. Most games, they make everything look so easy, but last night they had to really work for it.

Tomas Holmstrom had a fair outing in his return from a knee injury. He was a trooper on the Wings’ goal as he took a Niklas Kronwall shot off the upper inner thigh and managed to get a swipe the puck without falling over in pain. Pavel Datsyuk picked it up and scored his 17th as a result.

I thought Andreas Lilja had a solid game. The more he does that, the harder it will be to complain about him.

Chris Chelios took a roughing penalty at 16:40 of the first period, but it was worth it. While coming in on an offensive flurry, Cory McCormick had needlessly cross-checked Nick Lidstrom only to find himself swarmed by the the Red Wing captain’s teammates, including Dominik Hasek. Chelios, however, came around behind the Colorado punk and hauled him to the ice with one arm. When he was pulled off McCormick, Cheli dropped his gloves and started motioning at him, but was taken to the penalty box instead.

It was a great reaction to see and one I found completely understandable. When I saw the play live, I wondered what all the commotion was about, but as soon as I saw the replay, I was incensed. The game was probably too close for it, but I would have liked to have seen Aaron Downey go after McCormick and teach him something about respect, were he in the lineup.

I said it after Dom’s shutout in Dallas on Saturday, but I’ll say it again: it’s time for the talk about concerns over Hasek’s goaltending to stop. He’s gotten back on track and comments like that just demonstrate a lack of understanding of what’s actually going on in Detroit these days. That kind of talk comes out of a desire of those who don’t like the Wings’ success to find a chink in their armor. However, it’s safe to say that, if this team has a weakness, it certainly isn’t goaltending.

The team practiced today with the same lines as last night, so it’s possible that there won’t be any changes to the roster for tomorrow night’s game against the Wild.

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