We still love you, Drew…even if we sometimes wish you were Ryan.

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If you follow this blog, you know I’m constantly trying to figure out exactly how many points it will take to get the Wings into the playoffs and off of the stress train. This year, I’ve been putting all of my eggs in the James Mirtle basket. Mirtle puts together his best guesses of how many points it will take to get in the playoffs each and every year, and he’s been locked on 94 points in the West for some time now. Yesterday, Mirtle dropped the new knowledge on us (full article here):

The playoff push is updated with 94 pts as mark in West and 87 in East. Toronto, Columbus eliminated.

It’s been stuck at 94 for a few weeks now, and Mirtle thinks it will stay parked there unless the Calgary Flames decide to get…hot. Naturally, the Wings stand in between the Flames and the proverbial hot-streak tonight, and vice-versa, as both teams are winners of two in a row. It’s as big of a regular season game as we have seen for some time in Detroit.

So what better time than now to begin a bit of a “creative” countdown for the Wings. With a hat tip to Detroit4Lyfe, who coined this idea during the Tigers’ ALMOST run to the playoffs last year (we’re hoping to reverse the trend for you, Bob), we’ll be counting down the points needed to get to Mirtle’s Magic Number before each of the 17 remaining regular season games. We’ll find inspiration in Red Wings past and present as we move along the road to the Cup, and who better than the current Number 20, Drew Miller, to kick off the charge for the last 20 points.

With secondary scoring becoming increasingly important, it’s hard not to start taking a longer look at Miller. Yes, I still think he’s the leading candidate for Ken Holland’s “sleeper acquisition of the year”, but that’s based more on long term belief that he can become a great third-liner over the long term than it is on what he’s done this season. Sure, he’s put up a career high in points for a single season, but he’s been deathly quiet as of late, which coincidentally happens to be when the Wings need offensive output the most. Arguably, his biggest contribution has been his penalty killing prowess, but it sure would be nice to see some more scoring out of the guy who is 59th in the NHL in game winning goals. Yes, 59th. Despite his penchant for only scoring tallies that win games, Miller has been blanked in the goal column since he scored the (you guessed it) game winner against Nashville all the way back on January 29th. Since then, Miller has gone minus-3 with only 2 assists to his name.

Look, I swallowed my MSU hating pride and got on board the Silver Fox Express, but it’s time for Drew to step up and make something happen, if not for me, then for his future here in Detroit. I still fully support bringing him back for some more time in the Winged Wheel, but it sure wouldn’t hurt his case to notch a couple more points here and there over the rest of the regular season.

So, Drew Miller, the spotlight is on you today. In one of the biggest regular season tilts in the last decade in Detroit, we look to your number 20 to help the team break free of the 20 points needed to get to 94. If ever there was a better time for you to tally yet another game winning goal, I can’t think of one. So, how about it Drew?

Huet looks surprised that the puck stayed OUT of the net…

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Two divisional matchups. Two wins. Two points apiece.

I’m sure there will be plenty of folks out there who declare that the Wings have put the ‘Hawks and Predators “on notice” with a pair of wins this weekend, but I don’t see it that way. I see a team that looks like they are ready to do business in the race for the NHL playoffs. Moral victories and feel good moments have no place in that locker room right now. It’s all about two points every time they hit the ice, because those points will take care of the pressure that’s on the shoulders of this team right now. “Statements” aren’t important right now. The only statement that means anything is two more points in the column and another step forward towards the playoff picture.

The Wings know this. They know they  have to hunker down and power through the obstacles. It started on Friday when they buried a tired Predators team early and it continued with a gritty, grimy effort against a very talented Blackhawks team in their own barn. Two wins against a pair of teams that the Wings are looking up at in the standings. If you subscribe to the theory that this team should beat the teams that are below them and compete with the teams above them, this weekend has been a complete success. There will be critics who point at the fact that the Wings almost blew it today against the ‘Hawks and who poo-poo the win over a “tired” Predators team. When it happens, the Wings can smile and point to the climbing point total and go right back to the business of getting to the playoffs. There’s no need to justify how games are won anymore. Each pair of points speaks volumes.

Briefly, some additional observations:

• Worst development of the weekend has to be the loss of Todd Bertuzzi to what is being described as a “charley horse”. Bert was all kinds of bad in the first period of the game today, but he was arguably the MVP of the second period, tallying a pair of assists and getting it done at both ends of the ice. I know there will be a smattering of folks who feel that the Wings may be better off without Bert in the lineup, but I have a hard time justifying that from over here. Yes, there may be players around the league who are a better fit for this system of hockey than Bertuzzi is, but they aren’t on the team. The fact is that the Wings are a better team with Bert on the ice than without him, so we should all be hoping that this is only a minor setback that can be remedied with some rest and stretching. We can deal with the Bert “situation” in the offseason. For now, he’s a Wing and we should all be hoping he’s in the lineup against Calgary.

• Secondary scoring has been a huge issue for the Wings throughout the entire season, but there’s indications that may be starting to work itself out. Since returning from the Olympic break, the Wings have gotten two goals each from Jason Williams and Darren Helm, along with a goal from the snakebitten-of-late Valtteri Filppula. Good to see some other players getting in the mix, but the re-emergence of guys like Bertuzzi, Danny Cleary, Patrick Eaves and Drew Miller would be an incredible boost for the Wings down the stretch.

• I can’t say I’ve been overly impressed with Jimmah since the end of the break. He’s doing what he needs to do to get wins, but he seems to have taken a small step back since the Olympic break. Maybe it’s the fact that Babcock is tinkering with the defense in front of him, but I’m just not seeing Howard with the same confidence he had before the break. No cause for alarm, just hoping that Jimmah is working himself back from the layoff.

Here’s the numbers from the weekend:

Production Charts (3/5 vs. Nashville)

*The season totals are updated here and here.

Line Production

Special Teams Production

Production Charts (3/7 @ Chicago)

*The season totals are updated here and here.

Line Production

Special Teams Production

At least Hank got his money’s worth…

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Since the Red Wings decided to mail it in last night, I’m going to follow suit. But before I embrace the mantle of “apathy”, I’ll leave you with this thought: this thing is effectively a crapshoot now. There’s nothing in the cards – or in the Wings play, for that matter -  that says that this team is going to string together any amount of wins in order to actually secure a playoff berth, despite them telling you otherwise. We’ve heard all season that it’s just a matter of time before the team clicks and zeroes in on the postseason, but it’s blatantly obvious that any playoff appearance will be more about the luck of the draw than it will be about the Wings doing themselves any favors to get in.

19 games to go in the season. Omen? Who knows. All I know is that quotes like this make me want to puke:

Detroit News:

“It’s unacceptable, not tolerated crazy,” said Babcock, who was overheard after the news conference saying, “It’s a disgrace.”

“We were poor. We were poor in goal. We were poor in the back end. We were poor up front and poor in the work ethic department. The bottom line is, we didn’t look like a team that’s dying to get into the playoffs tonight in any way, shape or form.”

Damn right it’s a disgrace. I’m just glad Babbles decided to speak his mind and spare us from the usual company lines of  “Just need to make a few adjustments. We really like the team we have out there. Just didn’t get started on time.” Maybe that gold medal lit the winning fire for Babcock. One can only hope, because it doesn’t seem like the Wings really care anymore.

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Production Charts

*The season totals are updated here and here.

Line Production

Special Teams Production

So here’s what I’m going to do: DM me (@chollis) or post all of your trade predictions for the entire NHL (not just the Wings) either in the comments of this post or in the comment section of the open thread announcement post at TPL. You have until Midinight Pacific to get them posted, at which point we’ll cut them off and no more entries will be accepted.

For each correct trade prediction, I’ll donate $5 to the Herm 2 Hockeytown charity. Now what makes it “correct”? Just name a player and tell me where you think he’s going to wind up. Ponikarovsky to Pittsburgh goes through? Five bones to deserving children. That said, don’t post Ponikarovsky to Pitt and then turn around and say “Caputi to Toronto” in the next tweet or comment. I’m willing to spend a little cash here, but don’t think you can take me for a fool. My full discretion applies to all predictions. Also, I’m limiting it to one donation per correct trade. So if 800 of you say “Poni to Pitt” it only garners one donation. Otherwise, I’m off to rob the nearest bank tonight. Finally, I’ll go all the way up to $100 tomorrow, but that’s where I am capping it.

So what are you waiting for? Start making some predictions and let’s see if we can raise some cash for kids!

Let’s tighten up that five-hole, eh Jimmah?

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Another tough one to watch last night, as the Wings came roaring out of the gate last night, only to squander a lead against the Avalanche and then inevitably lose in the shooto…

Wait, what? We won? No.

Really?

Yes indeed Red Wings fans, the lead blowing Red Wings coughed one up last night but managed to stay disciplined in the third and sneak one in on the powerplay to secure two point and one of those ever elusive road wins in Denver last night.

I’ll give you the jump to compose yourselves.

How about that. After all the talk about how the Wings were priming up to “make the push after the Olympics”, they actually “got started on time” and came to play “off the hop”, jumping out to an early two goal lead on the sluggish Colorado Avalanche. (Yes, I’m making a point of using Mike Babcock-isms). It looked to be 3-0 on Johan Franzen’s second tally of the night, until referee Kerry Fraser decided to waive the goal, citing an incredibly ticky-tack infraction on Tomas Holmstrom’s rear-end. Of course, the Avs would seize momentum and score twice within the next three minutes, reminding fans everywhere that this is still the same Wings team that seems to prefer the shootout loss over the regulation win.

Here’s where the plot thickens friends. The Wings actually held it together in the third until Nicklas Lidstrom came riding in on his steed to save the day, squibbing home the winner off of an extraordinary pass from Pavel Datsyuk.

Wings win. 8th place in hand (for now).

Facetiousness aside, the Wings’ ability to punch back after taking a haymaker in the second period was refreshing and indicates that all of the talk about making the big push for the playoffs after the Olympics wasn’t just guys spouting the company line. The third period was vintage Wings hockey:smart playmaking combined with defensive discipline and veteran leadership. Datsyuk was excellent all night, but stood out in the third with his silky smooth transition game and game-winning drop pass to Lidstrom.

Yes, the Wings gacked up another lead. That’s not going to get fixed overnight. However,  it’s doubly difficult to stem the tide when the momentum is taken away not by a great play by the other team, rather, by a questionable call from an official. I’m not whining. This is the truth. Right or wrong, Kerry Fraser’s whistle tilted the ice back to level last night just as the Wings were on the cusp of putting the skate blade to the throat of an opponent who was clearly being outplayed and outworked. Instead, Fraser handed the Avs an extra life, and they did exactly what any team that’s getting the breaks should do: take advantage.

The difference was that the Wings finally answered the bell and created their own luck rather than being complacent. It’s only a flicker, but it’s the trademark signature of a team that has the potential to do playoff damage. That flicker needs to be stoked and it needs to become an inferno as the Wings head toward the postseason. There’s no time to let it extinguish.

Programming Note

Before we jump to the numbers, let me take a second to plug the Trade Deadline Live Chat that I’ll be doing with Petrella and Tyler tomorrow over at TPL. Petrella is convinced that Twitter will melt at some point tomorrow, so we’re going to break out the CoverItLive software and do it up in real-time. Come check it out, since it kicks off somewhere between 6:00 and 7:00 AM local time for me. Plenty of colorful language, I promise. Double that if I don’t get my coffee.

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Production Charts

*The season totals are updated here and here.

Line Production

Special Teams Production

Men’s and Women’s: It’s all the same in the rafters.

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A quick cherry to top the gold medal sundae served up on…Sunday. *sad trombone*

Here are the numbers from the Olympic semifinals and finals, along with the final overall numbers from the 21st Winter Olympic hockey tournament for the Wings that took part.

United States

• Brian Rafalski
  • Semifinals (2/26 vs. Finland): 0 G, 2 A, 2 PTS, 1 SOG, +2, TOI – 16:50
  • Finals (2/28 vs. Canada): 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS, 2 SOG, Even, TOI – 27:48

There’s a reason this guy was named the best defenseman in the Olympics and why he got named to the Olympic All Star team. Rafalski’s play was excellent throughout the entire tournament and he anchored the blue line with his sage wisdom and smart puck play. While we can only hope that Rafalski’s tournament success carries over to the Red Wings play the rest of the season, it’s tough to ignore the 27 minutes of ice time he logged yesterday and not feel like that may affect him in Denver tonight against the Avalanche.

Finland

• Valtteri Filppula
  • Semifinals (2/26 vs. United States): 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS, 0 SOG, -1, TOI – 17:30
  • Bronze medal game (2/27 vs. Slovakia): 1 G, 0 A, 1 PT, 2 SOG, +1, TOI – 12:06

Good to see Flip contribute during the Olympic games, even if two of his goals did come on the empty net. Any confidence boost he gets is a plus at this point, lest we forget his struggles with putting the puck into the net right before the Olympic break began. Contributions from guys like Filppula will be key in deciding how the Wings finish the season, so let’s hope a solid Olympic performance translates into some solid Red Wings points.

Final Standings

Gold – Brian Rafalski

• 4 Goals, 4 Assists, 8 Points, 9 Shots on Goal, +7 Rating, Total Time On Ice – 127:16

Silver – Valtteri Filppula

• 3 Goals, 0 Assists, 3 Points, 8 Shots on Goal, +1 Rating, Total Time On Ice – 92:56

Bronze – Pavel Datsyuk

• 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 3 Points, 7 Shots on Goal, +2 Rating, Total Time on Ice – 71:19

Rafi: You have no reason to hang your head.

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Most of you who read this blog with some regularity already know that I live in Seattle. If you didn’t know, well, now you do. Seattle is an interesting city when it comes to sports. I can say with certaintly that the most popular team out here right now is the MLS’ Seattle Sounders FC. The city is rabid for the team and part of me is glad that a metropolis like this can get behind a sport, even if it is soccer. However, people tend to forget that professional sports and Seattle have a rocky history. It’s tough when a franchise like the NBA’s SuperSonics get shipped out of town, leaving in their wake a city that may not have always rallied behind their team with butts in seats, but who put on a vehement show of support in the waning hours of the franchise’s stay here in the Emerald City.

Seattle is also an outdoor town. With winters full of gray skies and rain, the first signs of sunlight prompt everyone out of their houses and into the sun. It’s not uncommon to see folks walking through the city in shorts, even when it’s 40 degrees in the middle of February. As long as there’s sun, people will come. Yesterday was a particularly nice, sunny and mild day, one perfect for all of the aforementioned Seattle-ites to be out and about, enjoying the weather and basking in the warm sunlight that eludes us most of the winter months. In that vein, I decided that I was going to enjoy the weather by walking to our gold medal viewing party, an easy 15 minute stroll into the downtown area from where I live. As expected, throngs of people were out and about, taking in a beautiful day.

I arrived at the bar about an hour before puck drop, and the bar was about half full, a usual sight for our regular NHL viewing location. Our group had already reserved a private room with a huge TV and dartboard, so seating was of no concern for us. We all knew that this would be a big game, and we wanted to be prepared in case the bar somehow got crowded during the game. What happened over the next 4 hours still hasn’t fully sunk in yet, but was amazing nonetheless. Not only did the bar fill up, it got so packed that you couldn’t even move. As we watched a spectacular game unfold on the TV in front of us, I found myself looking out over the entire bar, filled to capacity with Canadian and American fans, some covered head to toe in Stars and Stripes, others simply wearing a Canadian jersey, all totally engrossed in a game that is mainly scoffed at in this city. When Zach Parise tied the game late in the third period, pandemonium broke out in the bar. You would have thought the Mariners just won the World Series or the Seahawks scored the game winning touchdown in the Super Bowl. And when Sidney Crosby netted the game winner, the bar let out the traditional “Awwww” amidst the cheers of the Canadian fans, and everyone sat down and collected themselves in their own way.

Yes, I wish the US of A would have won that game. Yes, it sucked watching Crysob net the winner. But for those three to four hours, the city I live in embraced the sport I love to watch and follow. I’m part of a small group out here that actively promotes NHL viewing parties and tries to encourage folks to give hockey a try and celebrate the game with the like-minded individuals in our city. On my way out of the bar, I was stopped multiple times by folks asking when our next viewing party was and how they could get involved in hanging out with us and taking in the games. “Surprised” doesn’t do my feelings justice at that point.

In ten years we will all look back on this game as one of the greatest that we’ve ever seen. One can only hope that the energy and emotions of a classic battle between hockey’s traditional superpower and an upstart group of gritty, passionate players have stoked the fire enough that the game takes hold not only in Seattle, but across the country and around the world. Win or loss, gold or silver, it doesn’t matter. The greatest achievement of all to come out of that epic contest yesterday is hockey. Hockey awareness. Hockey playing. Hockey passion.

Don’t let the fire die. There’s plenty of hockey to be played before Sochi in 2014. Are you willing to embrace it and join us? We’d love to have you.

To re-sign or not to re-sign…

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It seems like just yesterday that Todd Bertuzzi was a points “machine” (use that word VERY loosely) for the Red Wings, inevitably causing many of us to start kicking around the idea of a new deal for Todd and Petrella to start worrying about the sanctity of his upcoming day of matrimonial bliss. Yes, Big Bert seemed to be the man of the hour fore the Red Wings, starting with his two goal performance against the Ducks on December 11th and wrapping up with a nice two goal Christmas gift on December 26th against the Blue Jackets. In that span, Bert also struck twice against the Predators, en route to landing himself 8 goals and 2 assists over an eight game stretch. Things were good in Bertuzziville.

Then, just like that, Bert came screaming back down to Earth. Some attribute it to the fact that the Wings started returning healthy players to the lineup, reducing Bert’s time on a line with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Others just figured it to be a lack of scoring touch or not aligning well enough with the system. Whatever your thoughts, one thing remains true: Bert has struggled since his big outing on December 26th.

With only 3 goals and 8 assists in his last 23 games, I’m strongly reconsidering my belief that Bertuzzi  has secured himself a spot in the Wings lineup for the next couple of seasons. Call me bandwagon, call me a flip-flopper, call me whatever. I’m just not sure on how I feel about #44 anymore. Yes, he’s playing smart, system hockey right now, but how good are his services if they aren’t translating on to the score sheet for a team that needs help scoring goals. The irony? Bertuzzi’s forechecking abilities and propensity to sniff out open spots in front of the net should be exactly what helps turn this team around, yet the Wings continue to play a perimeter game and hope for re-directions on long blasts. If anyone has the skills and ability to help stabilize and diversify the Red Wings current strategy, it’s Bertuzzi. The fact that he’s not doing it raises skepticism about his future.

Inevitably, Ken Holland will have to make a decision on #44. He’ll do his due diligence and, in the end, will make a solid decision. But, before he gets to that point, he’ll do his homework and see if there’s anyone else out there that may be a solid fit for the Wings in the case that Bertuzzi isn’t brought back.

So, who’s out there? If you assume Holland would be looking to spend around $2-$2.5 million max, here’s the free agents the Wings could possibly be looking at when the offseason rolls around:

• Mike Comrie
  
  • OK, we all know that Comrie has made more noise off the ice with new fiance Hillary Duff than he has made on the ice with the Oilers this season (25 GP – 6 G, 5 A, 11 PTS) but make no mistake: a healthy Mike Comrie is very dangerous. Obviously, the health will be a major concern, but Comrie’s price tag ($1.25 million) makes him an interesting option to keep an eye on. If he hits 50+ points with that price tag, he goes from the butt of Lizzie Maguire jokes to a great steal for the Red Wings. Oh, did I mention he played at the University of Michigan too?

• Alex Tanguay
  • Without a doubt the most intriguing of the five options, Tanguay is no longer a threat to touch 80 points every season like he was three years ago, but he’s still a solid scoring option, capable of posting 40+ points. Obviously, the Wings would like a bit more physicality on top of what Tanguay brings to the table, but I think they would be happy to give some of those forechecking wants in order to get a scorer like Tanguay into the Winged Wheel. He’s currently making $2.5 million in Tampa Bay, but with his stock on the slide, the Wings could probably make a play on Tanguay for $1.75 – $2 million and have a solid chance of walking away as winners.

• Raffi Torres
  • Torres, currently manning a left wing for the Columbus BJ’s, hits the free agent market this offseason with a price tag of right around $2.25 million. While his numbers aren’t all that impressive for a guy making his money (59 GP – 19 G, 11 A, 30 PTS), Torres is a viable option given his ties to the Central division and the fact that he plays a game that mixes grit and hustle with a nice scoring touch. I can’t imagine he pulls the same amount of cash from the Wings, but alot depends on how he finishes out this season. If he gets hot, his price tag could stay pretty fixed.

• Lee Stempniak
  • Stempniak, a right winger for the Maple Leafs, isn’t one of the flashier names on this list, but has quietly upped his game every season he’s played in the NHL. His numbers are a bit underwhelming so far this season (61 GP – 14 G, 15 A, 29 PTS), but he’s only 16 points away from breaking his current record for points in a season. That said, Stempniak did miss 21 games last season and finished with only 29 points, so it will be interesting to see how he does down the stretch. He’s currently on the hook for $2.5 million, but his name has been frequently thrown around as one of the possible pieces the Leafs try and move before the March 3rd deadline, so his availability is obviously questionable at this point.

• Colby Armstrong
  • The former first round pick of the Penguins is another option for the Wings, but it’s hard to justify going after a guy with a price tag of $2.4 million who has put up really poor numbers this year (59 GP – 9 G, 11 A, 20 PTS). He’s got the grit and tenacity to fit in with the Wings system, and he’s still young enough to develop into their type of game, but he’s consistently underwhelmed for a player who was selected 21st overall in the 2001 draft. Unless he takes a major price tag hit, he’s not showing up in Detroit.

So, who’s it going to be?

Probably none of these guys. With so much young talent on it’s way up from the farm system, and with Bertuzzi meeting the front office’s expectations, I’m not sure that the Wings want to deviate course. They can get Bertuzzi for a pair of years at less than what four of the above five are making and don’t have to worry about breaking someone into the system, given Bert’s likely full season of service this year.

That said, if the Wings put a gun to my head and told me to make a choice, I’d immediately narrow it down to Comrie and Tanguay. Why? If I’m going to spend almost a million more to replace a guy like Bertuzzi, i want his numbers to reflect that. Armstrong, Stempniak and Torres would be, at best, lateral moves for the Wings in terms of talent and a setback in terms of cost. As mentioned before, Comrie holds the edge on Tanguay in terms of physicality and price, but Tanguay is the more refined of the two. On the flip side, Tanguay is much more the consummate professional and won’t be living his life in the limelight of the press like Comrie does. Not saying Comrie isn’t a professional, because he’s done a very good job with his relationship, but there’s a stigma around this league about players in relationships with celebrities (Thanks Sean Avery!) and Comrie will be more scrutinized than Tanguay would. However, can anyone REALLY imagine Hillary Duff in one of the luxury suites at the JLA? I guarantee you she’s all for a new arena in Detroit.

So, with all of those factors in mind, I’m taking Comrie simply because he has the stronger penchant for scoring goals. Tanguay can put up points, but it’s usually in the 1:2 ratio of goals to assists. The Wings need a goal scorer and Comrie can do that. Combine that with his cheap price tag, ability to grit it out and pre-existing history with the area I can live with the injury concerns and incessant Hillary Duff jokes.

However, this obviously begs the question: Is Comrie an upgrade over Bertuzzi?

He’s not a slam dunk upgrade just because of the injury problems, but I think Comrie has the chance to produce more than Bert does. In five years Comrie will likely be a similar player to what Bert is right now, so why not take a chance and see if Comrie can resurrect his career in Detroit?

Will it happen? Doubtful. Besides, who else is going to ruin Petrella’s wedding?

Kronwall debates his next victim now that Tre Kronor is out.

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Wow. Talk about surprises. USA struggle to beat Switzerland (OK, not REALLY a surprise), Canada pimp smacks the Russians and the Swedes get beat by the Slovakians. Yes folks, this is Olympic hockey at it’s finest, and it’ll only get better when we roll into Sunday and Finland is playing Slovakia for the title (ZING!).

Jokes aside, it was a crazy day in Olympic hockey and there were plenty of Red Wings involved. Here’s a look at how they did and who’s left standing as we head into the semi-finals:

United States

• Brian Rafalski – 0 G, 1 A, 1 PT, 1 SOG, Even, TOI – 22:45

Rafalski continues to build on an incredible Olympic effort with another assist against the Swiss.

Russia

• Pavel Datsyuk - 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS, 0 SOG, +1, TOI – 20:10

What has to be a disappointing Olympics for Datsyuk finally comes to an end at the hands of the Canadians. Pavel never seemed to really gel with his teammates, only scoring one goal (empty net) and posting  two assists in over 70 minutes of ice time. Let’s hope there’s no hangover when Dangle Dangle gets back on the ice for the Wings.

Finland

• Valtteri Filppula – 1 G, 0 A, 1 PT, 1 SOG, +1, TOI – 16:26

Flip pots an empty-netter to sew up a win over the Czechs and secure a semifinal matchup against the United States and Wings teammate Brian Rafalski.

Sweden

• Henrik Zetterberg – 1 G, 0 A, 1 PT, 4 SOG, Even, TOI – 18:58
• Johan Franzen – 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS, 2 SOG, -1, TOI – 17:46
• Nicklas Lidstrom – 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS, 5 SOG, -2, TOI – 26:03
• Niklas Kronwall – 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS, 1 SOG, -2, TOI – 19:51

Figures: Zetterberg scores and the Swedes lose. Not a great tournament for Tre Kronor, and definitely not the way they wanted to send Lidstrom out. Nick has already said that he is done participating in the Olympics as a player, and losing to Slovakia in the quarterfinals is not quite how I think he believed it would go down. For the rest of the Swedes it’s a mixed bag. Franzen obviously benefited from the extra games, as he is still working to get himself back to full speed after sitting out most of the NHL season. Zetterberg struggled throughout most of the tournament, finally netting a point in the last game. Maybe he and Pavel just miss each other too much. Kronwall? Meh. He looks fine and his knee held up, so we’ll call it a win.

Leaderboard (Thru 2/24)

*Blue denotes player’s tournament is complete.

Brad May: Still hangin’ around

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Mixed in with all the craziness of the Olympic hockey, the Red Wings finally made some decisions that should bring the roster speculation to a close. Let’s start with the good stuff:

Kirk Maltby

The day kicked off with a story from Helene St. James over at the Free Press saying Maltby was on the fence about having his shoulder surgery, and would prefer to play out the rest of the regular season after receiving a third cortisone shot in a 12 month timeframe. Myself and a number of others promptly freaked out, only to see St. James follow up with a post saying that Ken Holland believed Maltby was going to have the surgery and that Andreas Lilja was going to be cleared for play. As we all sat scratching our heads on the complete about-face that Helene just pulled on us, she finally comes clean with this:

“We’re going to get the surgery; I’m just waiting till both doctors are back in town,” Maltby said. “So, hopefully, early next week.  It kind of stinks. It’s not how you want to finish a year at any time, but when you can’t do certain things or play the way you want to play on a consistent basis … it’s something that had to be addressed.”

I know it’s a bitter pill to swallow for Malts, but it’s the right pill, and not just because it’s a quick fix for the Wings’ roster problems. If Maltby is serious about making a run at one more season for the Wings, playing on an increasingly deteriorating shoulder isn’t the answer. The other good news for Maltby is that he’s only expected to be sidelined 4-6 weeks, which would allow him to return to the lineup if the Wings make the playoffs, since there are no roster or salary cap limits at that point.

Andreas Lilja

As mentioned above, Lilja is heading back to the active roster now that Maltby’s move to the LTIR has cleared the necessary $700,000 in cap space. Here’s to hoping Lilja’s conditioning is good to go, because he’s going to be counted on to kill penalties and block shots immediately. There’s no time to wait around for Lils to find his groove. From the sounds of it, expect Lilja to go out of the fire and into the frying pan on Monday when the Wings square off against the Avalanche. No word on who he will play with, though it will almost certainly be Jonathan Ericsson, Derek Meech or Brett Lebda.

Tomas Holmstrom

Homer is now listed as “good to go” after being sidelined during the Olympics due to a left knee bruise.

Patrick Eaves

Also on the “good to go” list, Eaves will make his return to the lineup after missing the last three games with a sprained ankle.

Brad May

Finally tonight, Brad May has decided to stick around the Wings organization for a bit longer and join the Grand Rapids Griffins for the remainder of the season. May was waved by the Wings on February 12th, but was given some time to consider his future after he cleared waivers. The Wings are no doubt pleased that May has opted to help mentor some of their younger guys, and he remains a viable option to return to the lineup if the Wings make the playoffs.

I know I’ve voiced my extreme displeasure of his style of play and some of the choices he makes on the ice, but I’m happy to see May stick around. He’s a veteran presence on a team of  younger guys and they can learn alot from a guy who has done it the tough way over his 19 year NHL career.