GAME DAY Back-to-back || October, 13, 2011 vs. Detroit Red Wings

Well at least we didn't take first period off this time...just the second period.  It's not so much that we didn't play well in the second, rather the Red Wings were unbelievably good.  Datsyuk looked like, well, Datsyuk.

A great start is a refreshing thing to see but shouldn't be because a team of the Canucks caliber shouldn't be having these slow starts to games.  I know it's still really early in the season - really, REALLY, early - but this is the time when chemistry and patterns are formed.  Long road trips are usually great for teams, especially Vancouver considering our road record last season.  It doesn't really help that much though when you have back-to-back games against two of the better teams in the league.

The second period was a little crazy.  It's exactly what Canuck fans are used to seeing, except the roles were reversed.  The Canucks are usually the ones dominating the play, barely letting the other team touch the puck.  Little known fact - every face-off taking in the second period was in either in the neutral zone or in front of Cory Schneider.  Speaking of which, Cory Schneider was the single reason the Wings scored just two goals.  He is making a very impressive case for a starting position, just saying (again).  The first goal was a little flukey, finding a sliver of light in an otherwise perfectly position Schneider.  The second goal from Filppula was one that Cory should have had, but it seems like we always let in one stinker.

This hasn't really been a hot topic since early in the playoffs last year, but the officiating was pretty terrible in this game.  The first questionable one was against Detroit, where Bertuzzi and Malhotra went after a puck on the half boards, and Bertuzzi just went in stronger and knocked Malhotra over.  It was called interference, which was a little on the dicey side.  Mr. Todd Bertuzzi went in a LITTLE early, but not by much.  The other one was against Ballard, with his now famous hip check.  He lowers the boom on Zetterberg and gets called for tripping? Are you kidding? He tripped him at the waist?  They say that Shanahan wants to take hitting out of the game (which I disagree with), but every time Ballard or Hamhuis throw a hip check, about 75% of those get called for either clipping or tripping.  There is such a thing as a good hip check, it's got a smaller strike zone than a midget batting against Randy Johnson.  There were others, but you get the idea.

The Canucks did have their chances though.  Hodgson on the buzzer beater at the end of the second, which actually went in, just not fast enough.  Burrows had a wiiiiiiide open net, but seemed to find the middle of the crossbar with a slap shot.  It just seems, sometimes, that it simply isn't our night.

A little side note, Joe Louis Arena was 3/4 empty with two minutes left, yet the Red Wings were only ahead by two.  To think of the kind of history Detroit has, and calling themselves a true sports town, it was a little embarrassing. Then again, when people leave early is a huge pet peeve of mine.