Det 5, Minnesota 0
1) Here's the way I rank the MVP candidates at this point in the season. No. 1 is Henrik Zetterberg, No. 2 is Vincent Lecavalier and No. 3 Roberto Luongo. Why Zetterberg? Because he's better than Lecavalier on the defensive end, primarily. And as supremely talented as Lecavalier is, Zetterberg is a better passer (by a slim margin) and can make his teammates around him better (again, by a slim margin). A back injury kept Zetterberg out of action most of the second half of last season, which deprived him of post-season recognition. It would be an absolute crime if Zetterberg were to be denied this season, and the way he's going, there's no way in the world he will be. Zetterberg has played at a level few players can reach thus far this season. He's been the league's MVP, as far as I'm concerned. 2) That highlight play of Hasek flipping Gaborik into the air was a sign to me Hasek was into the game, is competitive, and is having some fun playing hockey. He wasn't doing those things earlier in the season. That's a good sign for the Wings. The Dominator could be slowly working his way into form. 3) The Minnesota Wild have to better than that. Right? They were not very good tonight, and didn't look like a prospective playoff team, at all. 4) Whatever the announced crowd was, trust me, there wasn't more than 14 or 15,000 at the most. 5) Aaron Downey is becoming a fan favorite (well, at least for those who show up at JLA). The rink works into a frenzy when he fights. I haven't heard that type of reaction since McCarty left.
