I'd Hate to Say I Told You So

Last night was probably as good of a Wings game as I've ever experienced. The game was good. The company was good. And then hearing/seeing that Pittsburgh lost, too, was good.

First off, I'd like to post out here in the public domain that my good friend Caitlin's dad called the game a 6-1 win about 30 minutes before puck drop. That man needs to keep making predictions like that.

We arrived a few minutes late due to some miscommunication between some of my friends, and almost as soon as I sat down (in my Franzen jersey, no less), the goals starting coming. So, with all due respect to the Red Wings Commune, I think I'll be sitting out the next few games with you, because I've found my new superstitious hot spot.

I mentioned yesterday that I woke up feeling fine, no worries or anxiety. I BASICALLY guaranteed a win. I called out a few people for their negativity and how quickly they lost hope.

I'd hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. Let's go over my last game post and key in on a few points.

We've seen this Wings club playing at their top level, and we know that they're completely capable of looking unbeatable. 

 It sure looked that way last night, didn't it? I made the quip in the third period that they could give up 5 goals and we'd still win the game. That's a good feeling.

If that happens, we can probably count on the Sharks' penchant for choking to take over.

 They sure seemed to unravel towards the end of that game, didn't they? Of course, the original context of the statement was in regards to winning 2 in a row. But if the Wings come out with 50% of what they came with last night, that's still a 3-2 win.

Jimmy needs to play like he's still earning his place on this team.

28 saves on 29 shots. Some of them big saves. Sounds to me like a good case-making performance in a high pressure situation. Like a bona fide starter.

Our goal scorers need to score. Score goals. This means you, Franzen, Bertuzzi.

Franzen was Franzen. Bertuzzi was... Franzen. 11 points between the 2 of them, with 5 goals. The extra 6 points were just icing on the cake. The entire rest of the team combines for 8 points.

And they need to score with their sticks.

As far as I can tell, the only video review involved in last night's game was to verify that the puck went in off of Bertuzzi, not to tell if it was a good goal or not. That's how these games need to be played.


So that's one. Great job, Wings. Really, spectacular.

Now forget about it.

Come Saturday, this win won't mean anything except another plane ride to and from California. Don't think about how you walked all over them and made them look foolish. Don't think that it's going to be that easy again. Just think about the fact that you did it. You can beat this Sharks team. If you can blow this team out of the water like that, you can definitely scrap together an ugly win if you have to. Then another one. And then another one. Until you're booking flights to Vancouver. Or Chicago.