Red Wings 4, Washington 3 (SO)
Thoughts after an entertaining 4-3 Wings (SO) win over Washington. 1) That's why they play the games. Going into the game, a 10-0 Wings win would have been expected. I mean, look at the records. But that's why they play these things. Washington, arguably, played the better game tonight. Very impressive. They deserved, at the least, the 1 point. 2) The Wings do have a different feel to them when Holmstrom is back wrestling around the opposing net, don't they? 3) Babcock made mention of him, and it was true. Washington D Mike Green (27:23, plus-1, 2 hits, good defensive play) played a heckuva game for the Capitals. Now, who in the world is Mike Green? 4) Three assists for Pavel Datsyuk and the one setting up Holmstrom in the third period was a beauty. 5) Is Hasek all the way back? I can't quite say that. But close. Getting closer. He's inspiring more confidence than just a few weeks ago. 6) Good to see Samuelsson return relatively quickly after getting clobbered by Brashear. That, my friends, looked much more serious than it ended up being. 7) Here's hoping Islanders forward Chris Simon gets everything cleared up. His latest transgression was awful, trying to step on Jarko Ruutu. The Islanders are giving Simon time away from the team, which is a good idea. 8)Who is the second best team in the West right now behind the Wings? I say Vancouver, but there are any number of teams you can mention. How about Calgary, suddenly. San jose is just too inconsistent.
