Wings Dethrone the Kings

An offensive explosion in the first period led the Red Wings to a big win over the tired and injured LA Kings. It looked like it would be a good night early as the Wings scored on the PP only five minutes into the game on a beautiful passing play. When they added three more goals before the first period ended it seemed like they had it in the bag. The Kings showed their championship pedigree as they continued to battle back eventually cutting it to 4-2 in the third period. King's Captain had a penalty shot and the chance to cut the lead to one, but a big save by Jimmy Howard gave the Wings the wiggle room they needed. Datsyuk would add an empty netter to seal the deal. One month into the season the Wings are playing great hockey and can claim to be one of the top 10 teams in the league. With a bit of a softer schedule coming up in November, there is no reason that the winning should end now.

Power Play Returns- The return of Pavel has done wonders for the Red Wings power player, scoring 3 in the last 2 games. With 13/40/55 at the top of the umbrella they have done a much better job at moving the puck around and forcing the defense to spread out. The result is shooting lanes for Kronwall and room in the slot for Nyquist. The first goal is a great example of what the Red Wing PP should look like when its clicking. While lacking the great shooters or one-time shots, they make up for it with elite passing and movement resulting in easy goals.

Pavel Datsyuk- He continues to amaze and has started to get his legs back. The 2nd goal was classic Datsyuk, creating an opportunity out of midair after picking the defender's pocket. 

2nd Line Scoring- One of the reason to play Abby with 13/40 instead of Gus is the hope that it will lead to more offense from the 2nd line. While the first line was clearly clicking, it was good to see Tatar finally find the net off a great pass from Nyquist. If the Red Wings are to continue their winning ways the Kid Line will need to keep scoring.

Quincey Injured- Kyle Quincey missed the final two periods after suffering a lower-body injury. Since he will most likely be unavailable it will be interesting to see who takes advantage of the opportunity. This will most likely lead to the return of 2/65 as a pairing, which I am very excited for. However due to the relatively easy schedule coming up, as well as the heavy sheltering that Kindl receives, I would love to see one of the young guys, Xavier Ouellet most likely, from GR get a chance.

They caught the Kings at a good time, having player 3 in 4 nights and suffering some injuries to their best players. Regardless the PP was great and they were finally able to outscore some of the defensive miscues. It's a big two points and a great start to the season, Go Wings.