Fear and Loathing at the World Junior Championship

Detroit has two prospects suiting up in the ongoing holiday tournament, goaltender Thomas McCollum for the United States, and Swedish forward Joakim Andersson. The round robin portion of the tournament is nearing completion, so I figure it’s a good time to look at how each of them are doing.

Thomas McCollum – McCollum was named USA’s starting goaltender prior to the tournament over fellow OHL goaltender, Kitchener Rangers goaltender and Chicago draftee Josh Unice. This was good news to me, as I’d seen Unice play several times in the OHL and the Memorial Cup, as he was the starting goaltender for the eventual OHL champions. He did not have a strong performance, he’s an average goalie who takes up a lot of the net and is pretty slow laterally.

So it was good news that McCollum was regarded as the better goaltender. McCollum’s first test came in an 8-2 drubbing of Germany. McCollum took some criticism in this game — about as much as you can take in an 8-2. He didn’t see a whole lot of action and he admitted he wasn’t that sharp after the game. His rebound control drew some criticism early in the game but it got better as the game went on, despite the action slowing down considerably while USA ran up the score.

The first goal McCollum let up drew some jeers from the pro-German Canadian crowd. After a USA defensive giveaway, German forward Toni Ritter picked up the pass inthe slot and fired a weak shot low stick side on McCollum. McCollum wasn’t quite set for the shot and took a pretty poor angle in the net, but message board critics across the land knocked McCollum for the effort, despite the intital giveaway that led to the fast break being the worst part about the play, in my opinion. The second goal was more forgivable, a faceoff to his right won back to the point for a wrist shot through traffic that found it’s way over McCollum’s glove, I don’t know that he ever saw it.

Overall, it was an 8-2 win and he went long periods without seeing a shot. He kept the USA in it early and I felt the heat he took was a little unfair considering the USA thoroughly dominated the game.

Game 2 was a 4-3 win over the Czech Republic, who were coming off an 8-2 stomping at the hands of Canada. McCollum played much better this game despite surrendering more goals. He kept the USA in it, was more composed with his rebounds, and endured a late Czech flurry after Team USA shut it off late. He started on a strange note, as he travelled behind his net to play a dump-in and the puck started rolling on it’s edge, taking a curvy path around McCollum’s paddle and out front of a vacant net. McCollum then got his stick caught on the oustide of the net as he attempted to dive back in front, so if there were a Czech player there, he would have left him half the net open. Whoops. No harm though, and McCollum was able to shake this off.

The first goal he let up came on a Czech powerplay, where the USA defence was playing too high and defenseman Ryan McDonagh was cheating too far to the middle and let his man sit wide open in the low slot. Ondrej Roman found a bullet pass in perfect position and made no mistake as McCollum did not have enough time to get over.

The USA got out to a 4-1 lead and then really let up on the gas, and a couple lazy plays gave them a late scare. The second goal really strange, and I don’t think McCollum can be faulted on it either. A Czech forward drove toward the net around a USA defenseman and McCollum made the save as the rebound started to slide behind the net. However, the Czech forward threw it out front of the net and it hit the bottom of McCollum’s skates and lied by the post, while McCollum thought it might be under him. Before he could look around for it, McDonagh shoved a Czech forward into him and he was taken out of the play, the puck ended up out front and then kicked back to the point where a slapshot eluded the 4 Americans and 1 Czech that stood in the way of the net. The final goal came off a deflection in front, again, no fault of McCollum.

I’ve been pretty impressed with McCollum. He seems a little jittery, which is more concerning than anything because he was advertised as a goalie that doesn’t dwell on any of that and plays calm in all situations; though, playing in front of a hostile Canadian crowd in the NHL-sized Scotiabank Bank place is a lot more demanding than playing in half-capacity OHL barns every night. I wanted to run down the goals he’s let in so far because a lot of people are touting McCollum as the USA’s weak link when that just hasn’t been the case. The 1st Germany goal was poor positioning (equally his fault as it was the defenseman who gave it away in his own zone) and the mishandled puck early in the Czech game and then the flukey Czech goal where he lost sight the puck (but again, if he wasn’t run over he might have gotten back in the net). The recurring theme is poor defensive play, as it’s evident to me that this is not a strong defense. Poor positioning, an inability to clear pucks away from the front and out of the zone, and a pile of lazy hooking and tripping penalties are some trends that have emerged in the first two games — and those are mistakes that will kill you against a team like Canada, Russia, or Sweden.

USA plays Kazakhstan (9-0 losers to Germany and 15-0 losers to Canada) tomorrow night before a New Year’s Eve matchup with Canada. As far as I know, Josh Unice will start against the Kazakhs because they wanted to get both goalies some time, and it would be best to save McCollum for Canada.

Joakim Andersson – I haven’t seen as much of Andersson, as I only caught his pre-tournament game against Canada, the last period and a half of Sweden’s 3-1 win over Finland and just two periods of their 10-1 win over Latvia, and admittedly it was much harder to pay attention to the all-Swedish broadcast. He has played a big role for Sweden though, playing in all situations and continuing where he left off at last season’s tournament with 4 points in 3 games, and 6 goals and 12 points in the 9 games he played with the World Junior team in pre-tournament games. He had a tap-in goal today against Latvia where he drove hard into the net and got the rebound off a Magnus Svensson-Paarjarvi, a potential top 5 pick in the 2009 draft.

He looks like a much improved player though. He’s still a great defensive player, easily the best on Sweden, but he looks much better offensively too. His extremely awkward skating stride is looking better and he’s more active in front of the net and showing off his underrated vision and playmaking skills.

Overall, there’s a very good chance of both of these players receiving medals in just a few days time. Team USA is already 2-0 with a gimme win over Kazakhstan coming up tomorrow. The true test will obviously be Canada though, as they’re clearly much deeper and they’re just leagues better defensively than the Americans at this point. They easily dipatched the Czechs 8-1 while the US only squeaked by 4-3, but they only beat the Germans 5-1 (with a few garbage-time goals) while the US won 8-2. However, none of that will matter come New Year’s Eve. Sweden, meanwhile, has already defeated Finland and Slovakia by a score of 3-1 and Latvia 10-1, with only a New Year’s Eve showdown against Russia to go. I’m hoping to update on our two prospect’s progress before the medal rounds, but we’ll see how it plays out.

..and a Happy New Year (Midseason Rankings)

..and that brings us to the fun part, prospect rankings! It’s midseason, it’s world junior time; it’s about time to check on Detroit prospects around the world.

These rankings are very heavily based on current season success. I took into account my pre-season rankings which I briefly outlined my expectations for the prospect and gave everyone a fresh start, they’re ranked completely on value. This time around I looked at how each prospect is doing, and weighed that against their pre-season position and ranked based on who’s exceeding and who’s failing.

As usual, look at the progression!
January 2008
May 2008
August 2008

1. Darren Helm, Grand Rapids (AHL)/Detroit (NHL) +4
Darren Helm is first on this list for one big reason — consistency. In the previous three editions, Jimmy Howard held the top spot because I believed he is the most NHL-ready. However, Helm has proven that he is just as NHL-ready and hasn’t battled consistency issues. Helm centers Grand Rapids’ top line in between Ville Leino and Darren Haydar and has put up 22 points in 25 games, earning 3 games with Detroit in which he made Detroit look insane for sending him back down.

2. Jimmy Howard, Grand Rapids (AHL) -1
Fortunately for Howard, his fall from #1 is due more to Helm’s excellent play than Howard’s poor play. Statistically, Howard is having his worst season in four years with Grand Rapids despite the team being much improved from last season. This can mostly be chalked up to an inexperienced and young Grand Rapids team which tends to play inconsistently from one night to the next. However, Howard has had his usual ups and downs and absolutely cannot afford to continue this in the second half of the season if he wants to make Detroit in 2009-10.

3. Jakub Kindl, Grand Rapids (AHL) +3
In one of the brightest stories in Detroit prospects this season, Kindl finds himself finally a riser. Kindl has forgotten his atriocious pro debut and risen to the top of the depth chart in Grand Rapids. He is playing more in every situation and is chipping in much more offensively, his 4 goals and 16 points are tops for Grand Rapids defensemen, and his defensively play is much improved.

4. Jonathan Ericsson, Grand Rapids (AHL) -2
It’s hard to get on Ericsson’s case too much. Here’s a guy who Mike Babcock raved about in the playoffs last season, but was not given a any opportunity to make the team due to his still waiver-extempt status. That’s not a great way to light a fire under a guy, and it doesn’t help that Ericsson is on a one-way deal — meaning he’s making $900,000 in the AHL while his teammates are making, if they’re lucky, about one-tenth of that. He’s not motivated and his play has reflected that, with no goals and just seven assists this season, outperformed and outplayed by Jakub Kindl.

5. Ville Leino, Grand Rapids (AHL) +7
Leino did everything that was asked of him and more in the pre-season, but was the victim of the numbers game and Detroit felt a few months in Grand Rapids would due him better than splitting time as the 13th forward with Darren McCarty. He got off to a very fast start, but then went nearly 2 full months in between goals, despite still leading the team in points. He gets a lot of credit for not bolting back to Finland after not making the team despite a strong training camp, showing that he’s clearly dedicated to the NHL. However, if he doesn’t get an NHL look eventually, it’s questionable as to whether or not he’ll stick around for next season.

6. Daniel Larsson, Grand Rapids (AHL) +4
Despite statistically outplaying Howard, Larsson hasn’t and likely won’t win the starting job in Grand Rapids, the split the two have right now will likely continue. Larsson has had an excellent transition to North America, going 9-3-1 with a 2.78 GAA and .905 save percentage. Consistency has been his only issue but he’s clearly starting to put some pressure on Howard on the depth chart.

7. Justin Abdelkader, Grand Rapids (AHL) +2
Abdelkader got off to a sizzling start, winning AHL Rookie of the Month honors for October. Since then, he’s cooled considerably, but still sits 2nd on Grand Rapids with 10 goals. Abdelkader has scored timely goals, dropped the gloves when needed, and has generally been the solid two-way player Detroit saw in him when he was drafted. He’s certainly enjoying playing so close to home, and would definitely be seeing some NHL time if it weren’t for the logjam in front of him.

8. Thomas McCollum, Guelph (OHL) +3
McCollum has arguably been the best goalie in the entire OHL this season, posting a 2.13 GAA and a .928 save percentage, both second-best in the OHL. However, the goaltender he trails, Mike Murphy, plays for a much better team in Belleville, and is 20-4 while McCollum is 16-10. After being left off last season because of a poor start, McCollum made USA’s U-20 team for next week’s WJC and he’s expected to start. McCollum is also going to be a highly sought after commodity after the tournament for any OHL teams looking to load up at the trade deadline (OHL-best Windsor is the likely destination).

9. Dick Axelsson, Färjestad / Djurgården (SEL) -5
Coming off a troublesome offseason that saw him spend a night in jail, Axelsson signed with Detroit and was loaned to Sweden to get one full SEL season in before a career in North America. Axelsson got off to a good start on a Djurgården team that currently sits second to last in the standings, with 12 points in 18 games. However, things took a turn for the weird two weeks ago with Djurgården inexplicably kicked Axelsson off the team, sending him to the U-20 team, which, as a 1987-born, he was too old to play for. His coach claimed he does not train hard enough, but it was probably that combined with attitude problems that did him in. Days later, Axelsson transferred to a better team in the SEL, Färjestads BK, in which he will likely play a larger role if he has his head on straight. He had one assist in his debut with his new club.

10. Brendan Smith, Wisconsin (WCHA) -2
Entering his sophomore year on a Wisconsin team who lost a lot of talent to NHL teams, Smith was expected to have a breakout season. Currently, he sits 2nd on Wisconsin in scoring — behind only defensive partner Jamie McBain — with 5 goals and 14 points in 17 games. Attitude is an issue that Smith potentially faces as well, as he is becoming a bit of a puckhog and even fought a teammate in practice (although his coach claims it was just “two guys going hard”). Smith was a long shot to make the Canadian world junior team, and unfortunately was one of the last cuts, despite a couple big injuries to several defensemen who were considered locks to make the team.

11. Cory Emmerton, Grand Rapids (AHL) -4
Emmerton, who was probably physically the most ready rookie for Grand Rapids this season, got off to a slow start but has begun putting up some decent numbers, with 16 points in 26 games. Although he is a playmaker, his 3 goals do leave a little to be desired but overall Emmerton has successfully adjusted to life in the AHL. He’s adjusting well physically and had earned himself a regular spot in the shootout.

12. Gustav Nyquist, Maine (HE) +4
Of all the 2008 draft picks, Nyquist is probably the most pleasently surprising of the bunch. Playing on a mediocre Maine team, Nyquist leads the team with 16 points in 16 games, 5 points more than anyone else on the team. He’s earning rave reviews with his quick transition from the speed and skill of the Swedish juniors leagues to the crash and bang of the American collegiate ranks. He was a notable snub on the Swedish world junior team.

13. Mattias Ritola, Grand Rapids (AHL) +10
Ritola is the biggest riser this time around, not necessarily for strong play, but because he probably didn’t deserve to be so low last time around. He has stepped up as a top six player for Grand Rapids, tied with Abdelkader for 3rd with 19 points in 27 games. Ritola was once a player like several on this list who’s attitude and work ethic was in question, but Ritola has been nothing but a surprise since signing with Detroit.

14. Jan Mursak, Grand Rapids (AHL) -11
With so many young prospects in Grand Rapids, someone was doomed to fail. Unfortunately, that player was Mursak, a favorite of mine and usually a fixture in the top five. In between trips to the press box, Mursak has only managed 2 assists in 18 games in his pro debut, simply unacceptable for a purely offensive player. He fell further than any other prospect who’s underachieving for this reason, and may toil around the middle of the road until he starts putting up some points.

15. Joakim Andersson, Frölunda (SEL) / Borås HC (SWE-2) -2
After playing for so many different teams over the past two seasons, I’m sure Andersson was looking forward to a first full season in the SEL. Unfortunately, the usually stacked Frölunda club got off to a terrible start in the SEL, and Andersson’s role was reduced. He ended up taking a four game stint back in the Swedish Allsvenskan, with four points) and then returned to Frölunda to put up 8 points in 16 games, thriving under the opportunity new coach Ulf Dahlen has given him. Andersson is currently on his second tour with the Swedish U-20 team, and is still most certainly a lock to sign with Detroit in the offseason.

16. Max Nicastro, Chicago (USHL) +2
Detroit’s lone prospect in the USHL, Nicastro, is representing wonderfully with 15 points in 22 games. Nicastro represented Team USA at the World Jr. A Challenge and won gold. Nicastro is still set to join Boston University next season.

17. Stephen Johnston, Belleville (OHL) +2
Johnston, one of Detroit’s mystery picks from this past June, is quickly showing why Detroit was interested in him. After just 9 points in his rookie season, but an exceptional playoff run, Detroit took him with the 181st pick. Johnston is still playing on a very strong Belleville team, but this time has a much larger role, with 10 goals and 27 points in 31 games, sporting a +17 rating, among league leaders.

18. Brent Raedeke, Edmonton (WHL) NR
Raedeke, one of two tryout signings in September, has made quick work of the first couple months of his three-year deal. Raedeke leads all Detroit’s CHL prospects with 31 points in 37 games, on a team that is slightly below .500. Those totals equal what he did in 72 games last year, and his -6 rating, among the best on his team, show that he still pays attention to the defensive end as well.

19. Logan Pyett, Grand Rapids (AHL) -4
Pyett had a stellar WHL career, but like all small-sized defensemen, faced a tremendously difficult transition to faster, bigger, and stronger pro hockey. Pyett, an offensive-minded defenseman, has only 7 points and has been a healthy scratch on several occasions, playing in just 21 games. Pyett has 3 assists in 4 games since his most recent scratch, hopefully a sign that he’s becoming more comfortable.

20. Jesper Samuelsson, Timrå (SEL) / Timrå U-20 (SWE-JR) / Sundsvall (SWE-2) -0
It was probably an accomplishment enough for Samuelsson to jump straight from third-tier Sweden to the Elite League, so to expect Samuelsson to put up big numbers may be a fantasy. Samuelsson made a pretty strong Timrå club and played on a line with two top prospects for the 2009 draft. He scored only 2 goals and 3 points in 30 games before Timrå before demoting him to second-tier Sweden. He’s registered an assist in five games with Sundsvall, and moved to a stint with the Timrå U-20 club, where he has one goal in two games.

21. Gennady Stolyarov, Barys / Dynamo (KHL) +9
Detroit’s 8th round pick in 2004 is back on the radar. Stolyarov started the season with the same team he’s been with since 2005, Moscow Dynamo. He never really got the playing time he needed to develop, with a career high of just 9 points. Stolyarov played just 3 games for Dynamo before transferring to a weaker KHL team, Astana Barys. Stolyarov has benefitted from this move, putting up a career high 8 goals and 13 points in 22 games.

22. Johan Ryno, AIK (SWE-2) -8
Incomplete might be a better grade for Ryno, who, after last season’s disaster, transferred to a Swedish Allsvenskan team where he would play a bigger role. Ryno got off to a rapid start, with 3 points in 3 games, before breaking his leg in the team’s 4th game. He is expected to come back sometime in January, where he’ll have only a few months to salvage his season.

23. Zack Torquato, Erie (OHL) -2
Since Detroit has only three prospects who need to sign this offseason, Torquato has long been considered to have his fate in his own hands. Torquato really hasn’t gotten off to the sizzling start, leading his team with 15 goals but overall, only putting up 28 points in 32 games, on pace for his worst totals in his OHL career.

24. Evan McGrath, Grand Rapids (AHL) +2
As a third year pro, McGrath was supposed to be a veteran leader in Grand Rapids. He’s battled some injury, but so far has stepped up his game, with 14 points in 20 games, on pace to top the 35 points he put up last season. However, McGrath hasn’t really established himself as a true top scorer yet, so his future in Grand Rapids beyond this season remains uncertain.

25. Bryan Rufenach, Clarkson (ECAC) -1
The smooth-skating sophomore from Clarkson has nearly eclipsed his point totals from last season in just 13 games, with 2 goals and 6 points already. Clarkson lost some veteran defensemen coming into this season, so Rufenach has been thrust into a much bigger role, which he has so far been able to handle as he is leading defensemen in scoring. Unfortunately, after an appearence in the NCAA tournament last year, Clarkson is last in the ECAC with just 2 wins overall.

26. Randy Cameron, Moncton (QMJHL) +5
After two seasons struggling along with Moncton, Cameron and Moncton have caught fire, with just three regulation losses in 34 games. Cameron is the only Wings CHL prospect scoring at a point-per-game pace, third on his team with 30 points in 30 games. After missing the playoffs the past two seasons, it appears Cameron is gearing up for a long playoff run this time around, certainly beneficial in his bid for an NHL contract.

27. Brian Lashoff, Kingston / Barrie (OHL) NR
Lashoff started the season with the Barrie Colts, starting the season with 13 points in 25 games, nearly passing the totals he set the previous season. Despite rumors that his brother’s old team, Kitchener, might be interested in his services, Lashoff was shipped to the lowly Kingston Frontenacs, currently last in league standings. Lashoff has 2 assists in 7 games since the trade, with a -6 rating.

28. Anton Axelsson, Timrå (SEL) -1
After a breakout season last year, Axelsson’s production has slowed from 20 points in 54 games to just 8 in 31. It’s unclear as to whether Axelsson is still on Detroit’s radar, as he almost got a contract last season, but the absence of a transfer agreement allowed Detroit to keep his rights. He’ll need to have a stronger second half, as Detroit might be looking to bring him over this summer when they won’t have so many players they need to sign.

29. Ryan Oulahen, Grand Rapids (AHL) -7
Grand Rapids’ captain and heart and soul never really got much of a look for Detroit, showing that they don’t think he’s ready for the NHL yet. Oulahen has always been more of a defensive specialist, but his 7 goals in 28 games are on pace to shatter the 14 he had last season.

30. Julien Cayer, Clarkson (ECAC) -3
Cayer is still quite the mystery; playing for the cellar-dwelling Clarkson, Cayer is fifth on the team in scoring with 6 points in 10 games. It’s unclear as to whether he was injured or a scratch in the team’s other 6 games, as he doesn’t seem to be playing in every game every weekend.

31. Jamie Tardif, Grand Rapids (AHL) +1
The one time OHL scoring stud who earned a contract with Detroit this offseason has picked up where he left off last season in Grand Rapids, standing up for his teammates and scoring timely goals, with 6 in 21 games. The addition of Aaron Downey has led to fewer fights for Tardif, but his work ethic is still something to be admired.

32. Sergei Kolosov, Grand Rapids (AHL) -7
The Belarussian enigma has finally landed in North America. He appears to be still slowly adjusting, but his physical play of hockey is welcome in Grand Rapids. He has picked up 5 points in 22 games, seeing some time last month as a healthy scratch.

33. Nick Oslund, St. Cloud State (WCHA) -4
The hard-working sophomore was given a chance to pla a bigger role for St. Cloud this season, but his offense never really materialized. He has 5 points in 16 games, on pace to top what he put up last season, but still not really at the level Detroit imagined when he was drafted.

34. Miroslav Blatak, Ufa (KHL) -0
The 26-year-old defenseman is the elder statesman on this list, and may not be here much longer as his rights expire this June. He’s played in the Czech Republic, Sweden, and now Russia, in his second year with the defending RSL champions.

35. Nils Backstrom, Alaska-Anchorage (WCHA) -2
An optimist would say that Backstrom is tied for 6th on his team in goals. They might also say that Backstrom has already equaled his point total in his first two years combined in just 16 games. But the realist sees that he’s tied for 6th on the second-to-last place team in the WCHA with 2 goals, matching the total he scored in his freshman and sophomore campaign.

36. Randall Gelech, Rochester / Grand Rapids (AHL) -1
After 5 games, Gelech was ruled spare parts in Grand Rapids and loaned to Rochester for the rest of the season. This makes a contract after this season very unlikely, as he has just one assist in 15 games with both AHL teams.

Merry Christmas

I come bearing blog!

It’s a vicious cycle. News happens, I put it off, I get busy, I feel guilty, I get less busy, I feel guilty about not blogging before, and eventually Detroit does something interesting enough for me to write about. I never planned on abandoning this but clearly since school has started I’ve dropped the ball. But I’m sticking with it. I had three or four readers over the summer and I’m sure I’ve lost them all!

But let’s get right into it:
- 21-6-4, not bad — 46 points, tied for 3rd in the league, okay.
- 27.3% powerplay, 1st in the league — as it should be.
- 36.1 shots per game, most in the league again, good.
- 11-3-2 on the road, tops in the league, 10-3-2 at home, sounds about right; we can’t exactly do anything about Boston, San Jose, and Washington having a combined two regulation home losses.

Everything is in order.

Wait. 3.00 GAA? 23rd in the league? What the hell? Don’t we pay $22.15 million on defensemen for a reason?

It’s true; somehow, for all the praise the defensive corps in the offseason, for all the talk about Chris Osgood’s rekindled career, for all the sound two-way forwards we supposedly have, we are below-average defensively. Why? Beats me, seems like it’s a new reason every night. Sometimes it’s weak goaltending, other because of defensive lapses, but most because Detroit is not putting together 60-minute efforts. Is this cause for concern? Well, concern yes, but panic? Absolutely not. A win is a win, and Detroit is still off to a pretty good start.

The winning is good, but it just makes the losing that much more frustrating. This team is clearly capable of better. A dominating regular season (with the exception of the injury-filled February) and now Brad Stuart for a full season and Marian Hossa. Plus, none of Hasek’s garbage. Was Dallas Drake really that such an integral part of our run? I hope not.

Whatever the reason, I felt very good about today’s game. At 7:36 tonight, I remarked to a colleague, “wings are gonna pull it together tonight i can feel it.”

And pull it together they did, with a 6-0 drubbing of San Jose, a team off to the best start in NHL history. There are plenty of excuses for San Jose: 5 games in 8 nights, played last night, last game of a season-long road trip, but it was the most complete effort for Detroit this season and more important than the two points is what they can hopefully build from it. They got flawless goaltending and solid defense. In the past few weeks, when they got that it often meant the offense fell flat on it’s face. But today that was not the case, as Detroit got points from all over the lineup for the first time this season.

Coming off of a loss to Boston, four consecutive one-goal wins (Anaheim, Vancouver, Chicago [SO], Calgary [OT]), a loss to cellar-dwelling Dallas, a frustrating yet entertaining shootout win over Phoenix, and a home loss to Colorado at the hands of Andrew Raycroft, there really was not much reason for optimism against the red-hot San Jose Sharks. Both teams came out hard and it looked as though San Jose was outplaying Detroit, but one shot seemed to change the direction the game was going.

Brett Lebda rushed the puck up the ice, passed the puck over to Johan Franzen who was literally about a foot-and-a-half away from him, who snapped a shot from just inside the blueline that Evgeni Nabokov misjudged and let slip under his glove.

Everyone was caught off guard. From that point on, Detroit really took control. They played like they should have been playing all season, shut down San Jose’s three scoring lines, and really controlled the puck for all three periods over a team that boasts a defense some say trumps Detroit’s. There really just seemed to be some completely unseen burden come off Detroit’s shoulders. They started getting breaks and bounces — something they haven’t gotten a whole lot of this season, and really knew they could put this team away. They got a few more fluke goals, a lot of goals I’m sure a goalie like Nabokov will want back, but these are the goals Detroit needs to score. Good teams should get the breaks, and Detroit just really hasn’t seen that this season.

Maybe I’m completely off base and this is just my elation over finally playing a complete game but if they go on a tear now, I definitely called it.

31 games in

And now, since it’s been so long, overdue analysis. This is a long update, so this might be a good time to take a break. Go find a snack, because I’m about to cram months worth of blogging into a few sentences.

Chris Osgood – Definitely not off to a good start, and he’s beating himself up over it. He keeps saying he’s sick of letting in three goals, but he’s still 12-2-4. He hasn’t been a liability, but he can play better. He’s getting so worried about his GAA that he’s not worrying about the W. He’s a veteran goalie and he should know to keep a more positive mentality. If he were to concentrate on the win and not beat himself up so much, I’m sure his stats would improve. It’s all mental.

Ty Conklin – He started a lot better but hit a funk with Osgood where he couldn’t stop letting in early goals. His shutout tonight was huge, it’s gonna help his confidence, and now with Osgood possibly missing a few games with a groin issue, he could hopefully go on a little run and put together consecutive good games. In turn, I think this will only help out Osgood. If Conklin can get a couple 1 or 2 goal games in, there would be less pressure on Osgood to step up. That’s probably part of his problem too, with Dom last year he was just patient and waited for his turn, if he messes up, he’s excused because he’s the “backup.” He’s not doing well as the go-to guy, and it can’t be helping that Conklin hasn’t pushed all that hard for the spot yet. Competition is nice, but the “who’s playing worse?” competition is not.

Nicklas Lidstrom – I don’t know what happened, but it might take a miracle for Nick to win the Norris this season. Never mind that Shea Weber, Dan Boyle, and company have had unreal starts to the season, Lidstrom has just looked plain average this season. Not only is he not making those great “why isn’t this guy winning the Hart Trophy?” plays, but he’s actually making mistakes, regularly! I don’t know if it’s the injury or if it’s just unrealistic to think that at 38 he can maintain his flawless play, but it’s been an unusual start to the season for Nick.

Brian Rafalski – As is usually the case with Lidstrom’s partner, his play fluctuates with Nick’s. Rafalski’s been more consistent, but has had more defensive lapses than in the past.

Brad Stuart – Fairly consistent, but hasn’t contributed offensively like he can. Partially due to he and Niklas Kronwall being by far the worst defensive pairing, but Kronwall has definitely made more mistakes than Stuart. I still dream of him kicking Mikael Samuelsson off that second powerplay, so hopefully his goal tonight can spark a run for him.

Niklas Kronwall – Not hitting, not shooting, and giving the puck up way too easily. He’s called himself out and he was much better tonight, so let’s hope he gets it together from here, as Detroit is slowly trying to phase him in to a bigger role by giving him more minutes than Lidstrom (just not when the game is on the line).

Brett Lebda – Finally putting something together after seeing frequent press box last month. He was flat out bad defensively when the year, and has been fairly unnoticable in the past few weeks — which is good for a defenseman, that means he’s not doing anything wrong.

Andreas Lilja – Plain and simple, Detroit’s most consistent defenseman this season. And this is coming from someone who’s ripped Lilja for years. Somehow putting up points, and playing rock solid on defense. I wasn’t happy when they re-signed him, but it’s looking like a wise move now.

Derek Meech – Scored his first NHL goal last month. He wasn’t able to steal a regular lineup spot from Lebda when he was in Babcock’s doghouse, but he did get more time up front following that. There was a rumor this morning that he was either going to be waived or traded to make room for a goalie call up, but the fact that Osgood was backing Conklin up today probably means he won’t miss significant time.

Chris Chelios – Just recently said that this is not his last season. Judging from his debut against Phoenix, that is awful, awful news.

Marian Hossa – All that Detroit expected and more. His shoot from anywhere attitude and late 3rd period goals has definitely gotten Detroit points in game they didn’t deserve them.

Pavel Datsyuk – Clearly Detroit’s best player this season. More giveaways than usual, but in a battle of stars against San Jose tonight, he shone the brightest.

Henrik Zetterberg – He can’t be missing Datsyuk too much, having kept pace with Datsyuk and Hossa’s point totals on the so called “second-line.” No matter who the third linemate is, the Datsyuk/Hossa and Zetterberg/Franzen combos have given Detroit the best top 6 in the league, no questions asked.

Johan Franzen – He’s proven that his finish last season was no fluke, this guy is a straight up superstar. He could screw Detroit over if he wanted because he’ll easily get $6 million or more on the open market, making it likely that Detroit would lose two of three out of Hossa, Zetterberg, and Franzen.

Jiri Hudler – He’s established himself as a clear scoring threat but has been a little streaky, not getting points in the last few after going on a 15 game tear. It’s odd, the less he plays the more points he scores, as he has still been unable to regularly establish himself on the top two lines.

Valtteri Filppula – Obviously with so many offensive talents, someone isn’t going to score. Filppula hasn’t lit it up the way he’s capable of, but it’s his play that’s most concerning. Babcock is trying to groom him as a defensive forward but Filppula really hasn’t shown the creativity he did in his first two seasons. Again, another player that should be on the second powerplay instead of Samuelsson.

Tomas Holmstrom – I still don’t really like him on a line with Datsyuk and Hossa, he looks lost when he gets the puck, but he’s still an effective player.

Mikael Samuelsson – Get out.

Dan Cleary – He’s starting to get hot after a slow start riddled with strange injuries.

Kris Draper – Waaaay too many offensive zone penalties. Largely ineffective. He doesn’t play again other team’s top lines anymore, and everyone kills penalties so he’s not even a top penalty killer anymore. Draper’s been fine, but it’s the safe and average play of guys like Draper and Maltby that make you wonder why the don’t just take a chance on Darren Helm for someone who really wants to be there.

Kirk Maltby – See above, minus the penalties. He used to play like sandpaper, and that was a really good analogy. It still is, if you think about it, because sandpaper wears down over time.

Tomas Kopecky – He’s not really turning a lot of heads in a contract year for him but he is playing well. He’s getting the odd shift with Datsyuk and Hossa so there’s still a chance for him if he wants to break out defensively.

Darren McCarty – His willingness to drop the gloves is refreshing, and he’s definitely more of a regular shift player than Aaron Downey, but Babcock tends to limit him when the game is on the line, this definitely looks like his last season.

All right. I was going to make this longer but I’ll break it up. Tune in next time to find out such burning questions as “why isn’t Ville Leino in the NHL yet?” and “which Swedish prospect got kicked off his team?” and “Gennady Stolyarov: what gives?” and “which prospect fought a teammate in practice?” and “which prospects will be playing at the WJC and do they include Thomas McCollum?” Find out hopefully this weekend!