Special DElivery: Wings fall to the Blue Jackets once again

By Darren Eliot –

After yesterday’s lackluster showing in Columbus, everyone knew the Red Wings needed to give a better effort Sunday afternoon. But, the way the Blue Jackets like to keep the puck along the boards – offensively and defensively – that effort would also have to have a side serving of patience.

The first period was merely an exercise in getting loose. Not much happened either way, neither good nor bad. What became evident was that the Blue Jackets wanted to turn it into a muck-and-grind affair, while the Red Wings continued to try to get the puck to the middle of the ice. Factoring into the Jackets’ favor was the suddenly springtime temperatures in Detroit that turned the ice into a slower track – maddeningly perfect for the mud-bowl mindset of the visitors.

Both teams made their disparate styles pay off with a flurry of goals early in the second period. The Jackets scored first followed by a Jakub Kindl blast on a deft feed from Pavel Datsyuk. Columbus scored a minute later after a bouncing puck eluded Henrik Zetterberg’s stick, found R.J. Umberger’s blade and wound up in the back of the net.

Desperately seeking offense, coach Mike Babcock put Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Johan Franzen together, looking for the equalizer before the end of the second. Instead, the pressure drew two penalties, setting up a 5-on-3 power play to begin the third period. With  the ice smooth and clean, the Red Wings perfectly executed a set play to Franzen in the mid-slot to knot the game at 2-2. A close call as regulation was expiring almost had the Jackets winning the way they did here at the Joe on Feb. 21.

This time Jimmy Howard made two clutch stops, sending the game to overtime. Brendan Smith had the best chance in the extra session, breaking in from his point position to the top of the crease, only to be denied by goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. When Pavel Datsyuk scored one the first bid of the shootout, two points seemed imminent. But, a Ryan Johansen deke and Matt Calvert dangle later – both with their first shootout tallies ever – and the Wings were forced to settle for a single point from their weekend series with the Blue Jackets.

So, now the team embarks on the most difficult portion of their schedule. From here until the end of the season it is 14 of 22 on the road. Hopefully, the team gets healthy – like the Blue Jackets did in winning their fifth in a row and snagging nine points out of a possible 10 against the Wings. Thankfully, the road for the Wings doesn’t stop in Columbus again this year.