Game #8

THE GAME

Phoenix Coyotes (2-3-3) @ Detroit Red Wings (5-1-1)

Phoenix again?  I'm so over Phoenix.  I looked up their record for this post and was surprised they only have two wins.  Can we get a regulation win tonight?  No shootouts, please.  I have have hockey practice at 11pm, so I'll be DVRing the game tonight and avoiding all contact with the world.  No Twitter.  No Facebook.  No texts from hockey friends.  Don't spoil the game from me.  When I come home a sweaty and smelly mess on the last Green Line T train of the night at around 1:30am...I will finally sit down for the first time today and watch the Wings.  It's been too long.  Enough of this Sat/Thu nonsense.  Let's play some hockey.

THE EXPECTED LINE-UP

Pavel Datsyuk - Henrik Zetterberg - Tomas Holmstrom

Johan Franzen - Valtteri Filppula - Todd Bertuzzi

Jiri Hudler - Mike Modano - Danny Cleary

Drew Miller - Darren Helm - Patrick Eaves

Nicklas Lidstrom - Brad Stuart

Niklas Kronwall - Doug Janik

Jakub Kindl - Ruslan Salei

Chris Osgood (starting)

Joey MacDonald 

In the press box: Justin Abdelkader (healthy scratch), Jonathon Ericsson (back spasms), and Jimmy Howard (back spams...damnit Rig.  I blame you and your contagious injury.  All in favor of keeping Kindl in the 6th spot forever raise your hand and say 'Aye'...unless they want to call up Smith, of course)

On STIR: Brian Rafalski (knee)
On LTIR: Kris Draper (groin)

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

• Jimmah is going for his 21st consecutive regular season home game start without a regulation loss (Say that 10 times fast.  I dare you.)  Just kidding...umm....Ozzie is starting now.  Here's to a solid effort from Chris tonight in net (raises glass).

• Kronwall's dangerous play.  Watch out.
• Will Johan Franzen register a point in his 19th consecutive game (going back to last season and including the playoffs)?

• Jiri Hudler.  Score a goal.  Seriously...Do it...Do it........................Do it. (This is staying here too until Scuttles scores a goal). I'm not kidding either.  If you don't score your line will probably be broken up.  If your line is broken up then the 2nd line will possibly be broken up.  If anything happens to the Lumberjack Line, I will not be happy.  Don't screw this up, Scuttles.

BRENDAN SMITH

He's doing well.  I know this for a fact.  Why you say?  Because I talked to him...literally.  Check it out .

UNCLE LEON'S THOUGHTS

Uncle Leon has no thoughts because he left this morning to go hunting with my cousin Robbie.  They're probably sitting in the woods somewhere near my Oma's little house up north.  If he did have thoughts on the game, I imagine it would got something like this: "Grinding and winding is what it will be this Thirsday when our beloved Wings take on the 'Yotes.  Modano will be fired up.  His line will contribute two goals.  Add that to one each from the top two lines and you have a 4-1 victory for the good guys.  Franzen and Holmstrom are the other goal getters." 

Let's Go Red Wings.