12/12 :: Red Wings invade SMASHVILLE (Lame!)

WHAT’S ALL THIS THEN?
Saturday, December 12th, 2009, 8pm. The Red Wings visit the building formerly known as the Sommet Center. Oh you didn’t hear? Sommet Group is in a dispute over the naming rights of the building. Insert sad trombone sound here.

WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?
1. Chris Osgood returns to the pipes.
2. Todd Bertuzzi needs to score THREE to impress me now.
3. Looking for two in a row. That’d be swell.

NOW WHERE WERE WE?
The Wings and Predators met on November 23rd, with our Winged Wheelers losing 3-1. Drew Miller was the lone scorer, and Chris Osgood was the goaltender on record. The loss was the first of three in a row.

WHAT’S HAPPENED SINCE THEN
The Red Wings have gone 3-4-1, and lost their hottest goal-scorer in Danny Cleary. Ville Leino, who had become chained to the press box, is back on the ice out of necessity.

OH, HI AGAIN / MEMBA ME?!
Nothing has changed from last time: Andy Delmore is the only player in either system to spend time in the other.

BEST NAME NOMINEE
Patric Hornqvist

THEIR LAST GAMES
–Detroit beat the Ducks 3-2 in overtime on Friday.
–Nashville beat the Jackets 4-3 in a shootout on Thursday.

RECORDS
–Detroit Red Wings :: 15-11-5 (3rd in Central, 9th in West) :: 6-5-3 on the road
–Nashville Predators :: 18-11-2 (2nd in Central, 6th in West) :: 11-5-0 at home

PREDATORS YOU SHOULD KNOW
Jason Arnott :: Marin Erat :: Steve Sullivan :: Joel Ward :: Jordin Tootoo :: Ryan Suter :: Velociraptors :: Shea Weber :: Pekka Rinne

EXPECTED LINEUP
Datsyuk — Zetterberg — Holmstrom
Bertuzzi — Abdelkader — Leino
Draper — Helm — Eaves
Maltby — Miller — May

Lidstrom — Rafalski
Stuart — Ericsson
Lebda — Meech

Osgood (starts)
Howard

Injury
Andreas “Kinda Looks Like My Cousin” Lilja
Johan “Kinda Looks Like This Bartender I Know” Franzen
Valtteri “Kinda Looks Like He Belongs on the Catwalk” Filppula
Jason “Kinda Looks Like a Chubby Barney Stinson” Williams
Niklas “Kinda Looks Like He’d Be In The Road” Kronwall
Dan “Kinda Looks Like He’s Capable of Carjacking” Cleary

QUICK THOUGHTS
1. Todd Bertuzzi. For real? For real. If he can deliver another one like Friday, he’ll begin chipping away at my hate for him (not really).
2. Chris Osgood needs to try REALLY hard and not mess the bed. Jimmy Howard has been in net for the last eight Red Wings wins. I’m SURE that pisses Osgood off. Play like you want it, Chris.
3. It’s now been 28 games since Nick Lidstrom scored.
4. Leino can’t coast. He still has to prove people wrong. So, keep contributing.
5. Pavel Datsyuk. Finish, please. That is all.

WHAT WE LEARNED vs. the Ducks
I learned how yummy crow is. Some folks will never let me live it down. And that’s how it should be.

PRED WE COVET (JJ Special)
We picked Joel Ward last time, and that pick remains. As we all know, picking the Italian is second choice, but there aren’t any on the Preds NHL roster. They have two prospects named Michael and Mark “I Don’t Practice” Santorelli. But if I have to pick another actual Predator, I’m forced to go with Francis BOOYAH!