The Detroit Red Wings kicked, clawed, struggled and somehow found a way to put 2 goals into Roberto Luongo’s net. As it turned out, for the second night in a row, this was enough for a victory. Both without Chris Osgood.

Jimmy Howard, after a solid night against Columbus, was outstanding back home in Detroit against a rested and determined Vancouver team. The first and half of the third belonged to the Canucks, who were able to better set up in the Wings zone but came away with only one goal to show for their hard work. Jimmy Howard stopped multiple excellent scoring chances and looked much more confident than he did at the beginning of the season. To the credit of the Detroit defense, they allowed scoring chances however were excellent at bringing the puck out of their zone. Crisp short passes in their own end on multiple occasions clearly frustrated a Vancouver team who obviously felt they were applying as much pressure as possible without sustaining it just enough to score. The game had a distinct boxing match feel, with the Wings playing the role of the fighter who takes hit after hit, jab after jab, but dodges the knockout punch each time and comes back with one of his own to claim victory.

What’s more, this is a huge confidence booster for the team and even more than that, for Jimmy Howard. With Chris Osgood out with the flu and Daniel Larsson called up to don a red and white jersey for the night on the bench, Howard got two straight starts and turned in a top notch effort in both games. To say this was sorely needed is indeed an understatement. Jimmy Howard for the first time in his still young NHL career, stole a game. The Red Wings are a team well aware that there will be games in which you will be outplayed. What with their ridiculously taxing travel schedule, they should know this better than anyone after hopping a plane from Ohio to BC overnight. They also know that the best teams have individuals who are capable of stepping up and turning in performances that give their team a chance to win after being outplayed. The best teams win in spite of playing below their standards. The final 10 minutes of the game were textbook Red Wing hockey, with the defensemen shadowing their man, the forwards keeping close to puck battles to snatch up loose pucks, and everyone pitching in to clear rebounds and set up scoring chances.

Holmstrom, Zetterberg and Kronwall scored for Detroit, with the quiet superstar of the night being Pavel Datsyuk, who time after time stole the puck from a Canuck player and carried it out of the zone right when the pressure seemed to be getting too heavy. Plays like that go unnoticed by most and for the most part, it won’t land you in the three stars. However, Datsyuk contributed in a manner which the score sheet won’t indicate. The reigning Selke trophy winner is making it difficult not to vote for him again.