Red Wings and Whitney join forces, raise $300…

On By mpetrella
Picture Courtesy of Casey at WIM



FINAL SCORE (Hi Dad!)

Red Wings 5-2
H2H DONATIONS TALLY
Mike Serven :: $44 :: $5/goal ($25), $19/win
Jennbikegirl :: $40 :: $5/Kronwall hit ($30), $2/goal
TPL Mom :: $34 :: $17/Helm goal
Rob, Etched in Cold :: $29 :: Helm’s goals = $ amount (9th and 10th goals = 19), $2/goal
Vicky Bash :: $26/win
Sara Neuie :: $14 :: $2/goal, $2 extra/EuroTwin goal ($4)
Natalie, Scrappy Octopus :: $12 :: $2/goal, $2 extra for Homer points
Andy, Fight Night :: $11 :: $9/win, $1/Helm goal
Drew, Nightmare on Helm Street :: $10 :: $2/goal
Brad Boswell :: $10 :: $2/goal
SigSegFalt :: $10 :: $2/goal
AllisonRW96 :: $6 :: $2/Flying Circus Goal
Nurse Nitz :: $5/win
Beanie :: $5/win
Baroque :: $5/Nick point
CaptNorris5 :: $5/win
The Production Line :: $10 :: $2/goal
TPL Dad :: $27.6 :: 10% of total raised
TOTAL PLEDGED VS. NASHVILLE :: $303.60
TOTAL RAISED AFTER THREE GAMES :: $550 
If you’re interested in joining the fight and have a fun pledge you want to share with The Production Line, Herm 2 Hockeytown, and Children’s Hospital, please let me know in the comments or via e-mail. Check out the TPL post introducing the fun times and check out everyone’s pledges! If you’re on this list and don’t have a calculator handy — no worries. I’m keeping tabs on every single goal via a massive spreadsheet and will e-mail or Direct Message you your total at the end of the 12 games. 
TPL’S TAKE
This was a damn good effort almost from the moment the puck hit the Joe ice. The best players have to be the best players, and they were. The role players have to play their roles, and they did. The goaltending has to be competent, and it was. The special teams have to be special, and they were. Everything seemed to be clicking the way they have to be to get a W and have a four point swing on a team above us in the standings.

But we’re all ignoring the most important fact of tonight’s game…

WHITNEY HOUSTON IS WORKING.

I don’t know about you, but I could absolutely handle Whitney Houston-related pre-games for the rest of the year. Especially if there’s a chance that her mother Cissy Houston, husband Bobby Brown (and his group New Edition), cousin Dionne Warwick, and godmother Aretha Fraklin make appearances, I can get through the final 18 games and any playoff games coming our way. Sadly, Thelma Houston is not related. I could go for some disco right about now…

Anyway, back to bidness…

The first Red Wings goal was stunning. Pavel committed flat out robbery as a Nashville defender attempted to round the goal, put a nasty little whoopsidaisy on Dan Ellis, and roofed a backhand. Highlight reel. Full of awesome. Not a single “Datsyukian” was uttered by Mickey Redmond. Can you believe that? Because I can’t. It was another $5, telegraphed, and there will never be a better time to use such a phrase.

Homer played like a man possessed. He was hitting everything that moved, and even tapped in a puck that landed in his office. Not only did he tap it in, he did a little Datsyukian (Mickey be-damned) stickhandling, presumably just to prove that he can, before making it 2-0 Wings. The Nick Lidstrom assist, by the way, was his 800th as a Red Wing. He is the fourth player to hit that benchmark — the three above him are Alex Delvecchio, Gordie Howe, and Steve Yzerman. Perhaps you’ve heard of one or two of those gentlemen.

Did I hear a Tootoo whistle at Joe Louis Arena? If so, I blame the entire section sitting around the perpetrator for not punchasizing his/her face. For free. Super Troopers FTW.

Darren Helm singlehandedly earned nearly $100 for Children’s Hospital tonight. First, he connected on a nifty play that was 98% Patrick Eaves. Eaves, like Drew Miller, played an extremely strong game. A few minutes later, Danger converted on a sicknasty shorty, basically independently. He was on a mini-break, his first shot was stopped, but he stuck with the play and put back the rebound.

In the game thread at Winging it in Motown, something very disturbing was learned. At Taco Bell in Canada, you can get something called a Fries Supreme: french fries, ground beef, sour cream, nacho cheese, tomatoes, green peppers, and awesome (H/T to Eight Legged Freaks for the head’s up). In a related story, The Production Line is moving our office across the border effective immediately. With the free health care, my ensuing heart problem shouldn’t be a problem. Rob, I’ll send for your stuff… just meet me there.

The Predators got a few nice goals, but weren’t able to climb all the way out of the hole (thank Jeebus). Their first came on a very nice tic-tac-toe play after Bertuzzi shanked an alleged breakaway. Next, an absolute bomb off the stick of Joel Ward cut the lead to 4-2.

Z iced it with an empty netter. Chicken dinner.

RE-VISITING THE PRE-GAME QUICK THOUGHTS
1. Howard needed to play a good game after playing a poor game on Wednesday. He was strong when he needed to be, but didn’t see a ton of action. A good enough showing, but nothing like that Kings game earlier in the season.
2. Jonathan Ericsson will have trouble getting into the lineup if the Wings keep winning 5-2. Obviously, it wasn’t Brett Lebda’s contribution that turned a 6-3 loss into a 5-2, but Babcock would be wise not to tinker with what’s working. Tonight, the lineup worked.
3. Todd Bertuzzi continues to not disappoint after being dropped to the third line, full of ridiculous passes and – at one point – I swear he shot 180 degrees from the wide open net. In fairness, he did seem to be around a lot of action (when he wasn’t going to the penalty box or falling down), so something should be said of his ability to generate opportunities. Even if he fails miserably once those opportunities are presented. 
4. Williams on a scoring line. I don’t remember seeing him once. Rumor has it he received 6% of the player of the game votes. Somewhere, in Corktown, Willi Vanilli’s father is furiously texting FSN like a fourteen year old girl watching American Idol. 
WHAT’S NEXT?
Chicago on Sunday. It’s a big one. Lots of pledges riding on it. NBC vomitty.