The Fifth Liners

Boston have been playing well of late, quietly getting on with job. The result of which is a spot at the top of the Eastern Conference. Detroit's troubles this season have been well documented and last night the team had to go without superstar Pavel Datsyuk and dependable first-liner Todd Bertuzzi. On paper, this looked like another win for Boston. The first ten minutes were close, the Bruins looked dangerous when pushing and the Red Wings broke well, recently returned Darren Helm almost opened the scoring with a lightning fast breakaway, only to put the puck wide. Detroit's Johan Franzen then stepped up. The Mule set up the first and only goal of a penalty packed first period when his cross through the blue paint found Justin Abdelkader who tapped in the opener. This came straight after he stepped out of the penalty box after picking up a penalty for high-sticking on Zdeno Mt. Chara. Must have been a really high stick. The second period brought more goals for boys in ...

Musings, observations and general stuff.  Daniel Alfredsson seems to have found his happy place, the veteran forward picked up his first Detroit goal this week and has also grabbed plenty of assists. Alfredsson has nine points so far. Only Datsyuk and Zetterberg have more. Niklas Kronwall's concussion is a real concern. Widely regarded as the cornerstone of the Red Wings' PK unit, it's hard to tell who will step up if he doesn't return soon. Detroit's blueliners haven't been spectacular recently but backup goalie Jonas Gustavsson is playing out of his skin. Last season may have been forgettable for Gustavsson but so far he's .922 for the season. Jimmy Howard is expected back for tonight's game against Phoenix. The goalie has been sat out since bruising his hand in the warm up against Boston.  Darren Helm is expected to be back soon, which is probably bad news for Luke Glendening who was brought up from the Calder Cup winning Grand Ra...

With just three days to go before the Red Wings take to the ice for the first time this season, the team has added the following players to its injury reserve list. Darren Helm Patrick Eaves Jonas Gustavsson Jordin Tootoo Helm and Eaves are on the long term IR, which means that they'll miss a minimum of 10 games. Tootoo and Gustavsson are on the seven day IR. They can expect to miss the first three games of the season. Thanks to the Red Wings' Facebook page for the update.

The never ending game of musical chairs that is the Wings' injury list continues. It's great to see Valtteri Filppula back in the starting lineup after so long but it was announced today that Jimmy Howard missed training with sickness. This means that Swede Jonas Gustavsson will be guarding the net tonight against the Calgary Flames. Ian White is also of tonight's game out for personal reasons. The Wings really need to find some consistency in this condensed season. In such a tight conference, it's not hard to see them slipping out of the playoff positions. While nobody is doubting Gustavsson's credentials, the Flames are coming in off the back of three losses on the bounce and have a serious point to prove. Tonight will not be easy for either team. Here's hoping Howard has a speedy recovery and is back between the sticks very soon.