That's the Way. Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

Now this was the kind of game I like to see. A solid effort for 60 minutes. Or just about. Let's take a look-see, shall we?

Period 1
We had a bit of a slow start, but not nearly the way we have in other recent games. Instead of waking up half way through the period, we looked great by the five-minute mark, and kept it up through the first, even in the wake of disaster. More on that later.

Of course I have to give a shout out to Drew Miller for the awesome goal he put in off a long, high pass from Rafalski. Rafi looked like he mostly just meant to move it in deep, but Drew batted it out of the air, onto the ice, and into the net. I could have watched that over and over again. Even the Bobby Orr impression.

Now, of course, it's time to talk about #9. No, I don't mean Gordie Howe. I mean Henrik Zetterberg. Our 9th player out due to injury. Hank went down hard off a hit by Ohlund and was helped off the ice, not to return for the rest of the night. Wings fans around the globe will be haunting the internet for the next several hours looking for news on the extent of the injury. From what Babcock says, the shoulder that took the hit is the one in question. Zetterberg was able to drive himself to get an MRI, so I've got my fingers crossed it's not too serious. I could deal (maybe) with missing him for a couple of weeks. A couple of months would make me cry like a hungry baby.

Period 2
Oh, Leino. I yelled, I taunted, I begged. And yet you still suck. What more can I do? You shone for one brief moment later in the game, but I refuse to delete this because after all the disappointment you have caused me, you need more than 1 good play per game to make me eat my words.

Once again, it looked to me as if Datsyuk is still not his old self. He continues to have some great steals and good passes, but he's not what we've seen in the past. Are we ever going to find out what's up with him? Bert gave him an awesome feed in front of the net during a 4-on-4 and he bobbled it rather than shooting. Something bigger is going on with that boy than his wife’s homesickness.

And speaking of things that look different from last year, Mickey and Ken had a discussion about the fact that if Zetterberg were to miss any significant amount of time (Gods forfend), we would be 200 goals out from last year. 200 GOALS, and where are we? 8th* in the Western Conference. Who else could do that? What other team? No one. Cause we're the Red Wings, baby. Deal.

*Note, if we were in the East, 41 points would put us at 4th. Cause it's a candy ass conference.

Period 3
After two solids, I was a little afraid that we'd be overly cautious in the third, but once again, we played well and got two more goals to show for it. The first goal of the period was killer. Absolutely killer. Datsyuk made a great steal and fed it to Holmstrom, who passed in front of the net to Bertuzzi, who potted it. It gave me a total tingle. I love that kind of goal. I really, really do.

Then Eaves and Lidstrom sank another and I swear I heard choirs of angels singing. This game was a pleasure to watch, especially after all we fans have suffered through earlier this season.

And then even Leino had his moment. The only one he's had since Filppula was injured, I swear. He made a truly impressive spin move about 16 minutes in, totally confusing the Tampa players surrounding him. It was the first worthwhile thing I’ve seen him do in months. As my housemate Hannah described it, “he spun that guy around by the short hairs and left him in a puddle!” Now if only Leino would do that on a semi-regular basis (and actually sink the puck, too), I might have to apologize for all the nasty things I've said about him. And will continue to say until he gives me a reason to stop.

And go Jimmy Howard with your first shut out. Way to be, kid.

Two enthusiastic thumbs up for the Wings performance tonight. It left me in such a good mood, I might even be able to put the Zetterberg injury out of my mind until morning. Actually sleeping the night after a game would be a refreshing change of pace.