Jan. 21 :: You’re the All-Singing, All-Dancing Crap of the World

WHAT’S ALL THIS THEN?
This is the third matchup of six against the BJ’s this year. Puck drops tonight at 7:00 PM JLT (Joe Louis Time). FS-D has the coverage.

WHERE WERE WE?
:: Detroit scratched out a 3-2 shootout win over the Coyotes in Phoenix on Thursday.
:: The BJ’s got left dry in a 3-0 blanking by the Predators on Thursday.
:: As mentioned, this is the third time these two divisional foes have tangled this season, with the other two coming in October. Detroit took the first matchup at the Joe by a score of 5-2 on October 21st, before dropping a 4-1 decision in Columbus four nights later.

BEST NAME NOMINEE
While I would normally be all about Fedor Tyutin, I’m going with the curveball today and taking Maksim Mayorov.

‘MEMBA ME?
The sheer joy I take in typing the following words knows no bounds: Brett Lebda.

OH, HI AGAIN
According to THE CHART, Ty Conklin and Mike Commodore left the sinking ship and joined the good guys.

THE LINEUP
Franzen-Datsyuk-Bertuzzi
Filppula-Zetterberg-Hudler
Miller-Helm-Cleary
Emmerton-Abdelkader-Holmstrom

Lidstrom-White
Kronwall-Ericsson
Commodore-Stuart

Howard (starting)
Conklin

SCRATCHES
Kindl
Mursak
Eaves (face)

The TPL Name Game “Three Stars”
Just like last season, submit your nickname suggestions (follow the theme!), and we’ll use our Facebook page to allow people to vote for the best… the winner gets a free TPL t-shirt!
PETRELLA: Bian “Is Tyler My Bad Dream, Or Am I Tyler’s?” Burke
STEVIE: Patrick “Motherfucker! You Hit Me In the Ear!” Eaves
HOLLIS:  Mike “Why Do Guys Like You and I Know What a Duvet Is? Is it Essential to our Survival, in the Hunter-Gatherer Sense of the Word?” Commodore
DISCH: Derek “I Am Jack’s Inflamed Sense of Rejection” Meech

5 HOLE
:: I love streaks as much as the next guy – especially ones that involve the Red Wings winning – but the FSD crew has a nasty habit of beating these things into your head so that you never can forget them. I’ll make this quick then, before I’m off to knock on wood and grab my lucky rabbit foot: Wings looking for 16 wins in a row at home tonight.
:: Todd Richards sucks. Brett Lebda will not dress and play tonight for the BJ’s. I wonder how much ol’ Lebda had to slip the coach to keep him out of the lineup.
:: I know the guy is injured, but man, I can’t stop thinking about the fact that James Wisniewski is a total douche that signed away the prime of his career to the worst  team in the game. I’ll never forget his comments about Detroit not paying “market value” for free agents, so watching Columbus suck and Wiz sit on the sidelines still makes me giggle deep down inside.
:: I had a whole post written in my head about Todd Bertuzzi’s recent awesomeness, but I just never got around to putting fingers to keys. At any rate, Bert has been stellar in the shootout of late, and has 4 goals and 2 assists in his last four games. The numbers aren’t off  the charts, but his game and his presence up on the top line have been a big factor in the Wings’ success of late.
:: And now it’s time for the obligatory”Somebody Cover Rick Nash” plea that I make every time the Wings play the BJ’s. Ready? Here goes: SOMEBODY COVER RICK NASH! Nash has four goals in his last nine games (not awesome), but has found a way to pour in 23 goals against the Wings over his career, which is tied for the most against ANY opponent. Ken Holland, I’m begging you: Find a way to pry this guy from Scott Howson’s kung-fu grip.