By the Numbers: Blue Jackets 1, Red Wings 0 (OT)

Postgame Thoughts

I know that we lost, but I’m pulling the bullet points out of retirement. I think they make things look nicer and keep my blathering to a minimum, which means less chances of me going off on some tangent and wasting twenty minutes of your precious time. Onward.

• Jimmah was rock solid and fended off some very tough shots and excellent scoring chances from the BJ’s. He started off red hot during the first PK early in the opening stanza and he stayed that way throughout the entire game. Yea, he gave up a juicy rebound to the slot in overtime, but those are going to happen and that’s where the defense has to come in and clean up the mess. Brett Lebda is no janitor and Fredrik Modin took advantage of it on the GWG.

• As for the Wings, I’m not convinced that the offense missed “tons” of chances last night, as Versus announcer Joe Beninati kept referencing. Yes, there were a number of solid scoring opportunities for the Wings where Mason just made some nice plays, but let’s get real for a second. The majority of the shots the Wings put on net were long blasts from the perimeter, or bad angle wristers that I could probably get in front of. Mason made enough saves to keep the BJ’s in the game, but the Wings did hardly anything to really present a challenge. The 5-on-3 powerplay was the perfect example. The Wings looked predictable and never really threatened to score, with Mason making a number of easy glove saves throughout the entirety. Guys just aren’t doing the small things that it’s going to take to net goals until the skill guys come back, like driving TO the net and getting gritty.

• I thought Nicklas Lidstrom looked excellent on defense, making a number of plays that made up for a lack of flash and panache with plain ol’ sturdiness. He’s stepping up his defensive game despite his lack of offensive production, which should come as no surprise to anyone. I know that myself and a number of other bloggers suggested a decline in Lidstrom’s offensive output this year, opting instead to serve as an example of solid defense for the younger guys on the blue line. He’s really stepped up the lockdown work over the last month, and there’s no better example of how his leadership and technique has paid off than with a guy like Brad Stuart. Yea, I said it. Everyone is on the Stuart train right now (including me), but when you look at how Stuart was able to refine his game and really emerge as a defensive leader, I promise you that you need to look no further than to Number 5. Bottom line: Lidstrom is doing what we need him to do right now. The defensive scoring will return when Niklas Kronwall and Jonathan Ericsson get back on the ice, so everyone needs to just suck it up, get some perspective and enjoy watching Lidstrom put on a defensive clinic every night.

• Oh hello Brad May! Been listening to us call you out on The Obstructed View? Nice to see you finally do your job last night and land some nice shots against Jared Boll.

• Valtteri Fillpula looked pretty good in his second game back, especially in the faceoff circle (66.7 win percentage). That said, he also went -2 in the two game series against the Jackets.

• It was a bit disheartening to see the Wings get outplayed so badly in terms of physical play. Sure, this team will never be a big, bruising squad that grinds you down over 60 minutes, but the Jackets sure did escalate the physical play and take it to the good guys. That said, it was a smart gameplan from Ken Hitchcock as he knows that the Wings usually counter overagressive play with their superstar talent and natural playmaking abilities. With so many playmakers out of the lineup, the Wings didn’t have much of an answer for the physicality of Columbus and it showed with all of the shots from the outside and lack of disruption and production in front of the net.

• Anybody else get increasingly irritated with Joe Beninati’s repeated use of Fedor Tyutin’s full name? He makes it sound like it’s the guy’s last name and it drives me nuts. Maybe you just try “Tyutin” next time?

Before I forget, let me wish a “Happy 4th Birthday” to the 19 over at Abel to Yzerman. Chief does a fabulous job over there, and what better way to celebrate than with an interview on XM NHL Home Ice. Congrats Chief.

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Production Charts

*The season totals are updated here and here.

Line Production

Special Teams Production

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CSSI

*Season CSSI numbers are updated here.

Goal 1 (CBJ 1 DET 0): Fredrik Modin (1) from Fedor Tyutin (17) and Samuel Pahlsson (7) at 3:12, Overtime

• Wings on ice: Filppula, Miller, Stuart, Lebda

• DP(-): He’s been on fire lately, but Stuart (-0.5) gets blown by as Modin makes his way to the net. After Modin’s first shot, Lebda (-1) fails to pick him up on the rebound, leaving him untouched to score the winner. Yes, it was a bad rebound by Howard, but Lebda has to recover here and stay with his man.

Miscellaneous Points

• HP(+): Lidstrom (+1) for the previously mentioned defensive effort. May (+0.5) for stepping up and dropping the gloves after a big hit on Rafalski. Ritola (+0.5) for working hard and looking pretty darn good. Much better than Leino at any rate.

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Tags: Brad May, Brad Stuart, Brett Lebda, Columbus Blue Jackets, Fedor Tyutin, Fredrik Modin, Jared Boll, Jonathan Ericsson, Nicklas Lidstrom, Niklas Kronwall, The Jimmah Howard Experiment, Valtteri Filppula