Game #69 (ha) Red Wings at Predators

NASHVILLE PREDATORS 3 - 2 DETROIT RED WINGS

After a gutsy effort last night against the Los Angeles Kings that featured a thrilling 3rd period comeback, The Wings fell a goal short against the Preds. I don't want to whine too much over something as uncontrollable as guys getting hurt, but I also want to buffer my campaign to be the next Captain Obvious by decreeing I yearn for a day where we see more Pavel Datsyuk and Nick Lidstrom and less Doug Janik (he of "Doug Janik" fame).

A few bullets:

• I know you were all waiting for my annual Daylight Savings prank, but it'll have to be put on hiatus until next year. With the clocks moving an hour forward tonight at 2:00 AM, I thought of a prank to set the post time of this recap for 2:01 AM, thus tearing a whole in the universe and unleashing an army of Mark-Paul Gosselaar clones sent to Earth to pop every un-popped polo collar and eat our brains. But, sensing something was awry in the space-time continuum, Mr. Belding appeared in my living room and told me to undo it or he would make me watch every episode of Franklin & Bash until I pooped myself from crying too hard.
  

• John Keating: "The Red Wings have the alphabet covered pretty much from A to Z; from Abdelkader .... (requisite Keating Pause for Dramatic Effect ™) .... to Zetterberg." SO CLOSE, Chief. One day A2Y will get the plug it deserves and you might actually get a couple of readers.

• Tomas Holmstrom took an early penalty in the 1st period. The Wings killed it off and upon Homer returning to action you may have heard Ken Daniels say, "And Holmstrom escapes the penalty box," and thought of it as a semi-cheeky turn of phrase. What you don't know is that Tomas Holmstrom actually thinks the penalty box works like the trash compactor from Star Wars, and if he ever has to serve a 5 minute major, you will know why he whittled his stick into a spear, impaled the timekeeper, climbed over the glass and ran over an entire section of fans.

• Pekka Rinne tries to make every save with his glove. If I were an opposing coach, I'd tell my guys to fire every shot at his five hole, if only to create the chance that Rinne might accidentally punch himself in the dick.

• The "Belle Tire Powerplay"? More like the Firestone Tire Powerplay, am-i-rite??? (I wrote that joke back in August, 2000 and have been waiting for the right time to use it ever since.)

• While trying to kill a 5-on-3 in the 3rd period, Joey MacDonald saved a Shea Weber one-timer bomb with his stomach and momentarily looked like he wanted to die. It was at this point that I made the decision that if I'm ever on a game show and the options for the Physical Challenge segment are "Block a Shea Weber slap shot" or a vague, mysterious category simply titled "Prison Things", I'm saying fuck it and going with Option B.
  

Go time travel. Go Wings.