I love stats.  I think they’re very interesting and can clue you into things that you might not realize simply by watching the game.

Of course, unlike some idiots that have a blog over at KuklasKorner that’s as interesting as hearing an actuary’s life story, I know that stats don’t tell the whole tale.  But they can certainly clue us into things that we might not notice or back up feelings that we might have. 

So let’s take a look at Detroit using advanced stats over at behindthenet.ca.  Get ready, because it reveals some interesting stuff.

Everyone’s probably heard of Corsi, but if you haven’t Corsi is essentially a plus-minus statistic that measures shot attempts.  You get a point for a shot attempt at the opponents net, but lose one if the opponent attempts a shot.  This can give you an idea of possession of the puck without that pesky save-percentage stat getting in the way (as it does in +/-).  This of course is not an end all be all of stats, but it’s interesting.  To get a little more insight, I wanted to look at the Relative Corsi Number, which equals the Corsi Number of player per/60 minutes - Corsi Number of Team when player not on ice per 60/minutes.  So a player with a 5 Corsi Relative number is saying that for every 60 minutes that that player plays 5 on 5 versus every 60 minutes that he doesn't play, the team will be better off by a net 5 shots attempted. 

So let’s look at the best players on Detroit during 5 on 5 play.

We can all agree that Tatar and Andersson have looked good during their call-up with the Wings, but now we have the stats to back it up.    That’s an amazing difference – 32.8 more shots per game if Andersson was on the ice.  Now remember, this doesn’t take into account the fact that they are playing against the third and fourth lines (in fact, the quality of competition that Andersson and Tatar has faced was the easiest on the team) and Datysuk isn’t, but still, that means that they are dominating during their time on ice. 

Hit the jump for more of a look on who's dominating and failing. 

Like Brian Lashoff?  Well hopefully the answer was yes, because he's here to stay for a bit. 

Lashoff received some security on Monday, when the Red Wings signed him to a three-year, $2.175 million extension. It's a one-way deal (NHL-salary only) all three years, with a salary-cap hit of $725,000.

“He's played 18-to-20 minutes a night and a lot of nights he’s playing against the other team’s best players,'' Holland said. “He's played on the penalty kill. He's rangy, he competes hard, he makes a good outlet pass.

“He’s well positioned. He makes mistakes, but that’s part of having young people. They make mistakes and they have to learn from it. We feel he has potential.''

I like this signing, he's been a solid #5-6 guy so far, though he's been playing as the #2-3 guy at times too. He'll grow into a good defensemen over time and the price is right. 

Hit the jump for more on other rookie signings:

Now you see him, now you don't. 

Absolutely my favorite.  Thanks Reddit. And Pavel. 

Little Gary took the Classic away from us this year and in doing so, took away the jersey's that we would have been donning as well.  While I'm always skeptical of a third jersey, the Wings hit a home-run with their previous WC iteration, so much so that I actually own a Lidstrom version.  

Well this year's version has surfaced and they would have been pretty freaking amazing if you ask me.  Take a look, fromwww.icethetics.info. 

Pretty stunning.  Love the classic look.  I would hate it if it was the regular jersey, but for a one time game, it's great.  It goes great with the Toronto jersey, which is...

...after the jump: 

Games like this, they just make me so happy. Early on it looked like it might be a long night with the Sedin twins playing nauseatingly great hockey, but Detroit took over in the second with, get this: our special teams. Not only did they score three with the man advantage, they didn’t give up any to a hot Vancouver power play. Awesome.

More after the jump:

Last night is just what we expect from the Red Wings. They may have not played solid all night, but they fought hard and didn't let up. Jimmy pulled off some incredible saves and players stepped up, notably Tatar and Kronwall. Though Cleary scored, and played arguably his best game of the season, him and Abby still don't belong in the top 6, but when the score ends up in our favor its hard to complain.

Click the jump for more.

Good win tonight. These recaps are a heck of a lot more fun to write than the losses. Though Nashville controlled the play for what seemed like the majority of the game, Howard was the difference, much like the last win against the Kings. I didn’t see any one player play poorly tonight, but I saw plenty of guys give their all.

More after the jump:

Murph said that Babcock is happy with the Cleary-Datsyuk-Abby line. LOL!

Datsyuk carries that line as best he can, which is really well, but he needs a sniper to pass it to. Like Tatar. It also wouldn’t hurt to have a winger who can deliver a nice saucer pass to him when he’s open. Like Tatar.

This was Kronwall’s best game of the year. Numbers aside, he wasn’t screening Howard for no reason and made smart plays with the puck. We really need more of that from him going forward.

Howard outplayed Rinne tonight. There were times tonight when it seemed certain Nashville would score a back-breaker, but Howard denied every chance.

Third and Fourth lines were dynamite tonight. Good job by Miller, especially on the GWG early in the first.

NOHS Three Stars of the Game:

First Star: Howard. No doubt about it, without his play tonight, Detroit could have seen their losing streak continue.

Second Star: Pavel Datsyuk. He’s just awesome out there on both ends of the ice. His work on Kronwall’s goal was amazing as he worked to setup Cleary, then Abby and finally Kronwall for the goal.

Third Star: Kronwall. 1g 2a for Kronwall tonight and he was +2 which is the more important of the stats if you ask me. We really need him to keep this up.

Honorable Mention: Tatar. Hey, we finally won a game when Tatar scored! And he was a Huskins shot off the post away from a multiple point night. Seriously, his hands are too good to be in Grand Rapids and too good to be on the third line.

Next game is tomorrow against Vancouver. Since the Wings were able to rotate lines in the third, fatigue won’t be a legit excuse tomorrow, so I expect them to pick up where they left off. It’s good to put another one in the win column.

LGRW

Gameday again - with Detroit suffering through a 5 game losing steak.  Suddenly this isn't as fun anymore, but I keep coming back because I have faith.  

And Josh Howard does too.  Here's what he has to say: 

Breakable.... I think it's safe to say our view of the Wings has been shattered in the current season.  They may not EVER be completely healthy.  While the rest of the league deals with injuries, we're simply plagued with them.  Never fear though.  It is through this breaking that the team can truly be reshaped.  We've seen Tatar... we've seen the rise of Lashoff on the blue line.  Mrazek showed us what he had.  Some see a lost season... I see an opportunity.  Let's take these broken pieces.  Let the chips fall where they may... heroes WILL rise.

LGRW

It's rare that I am embarrassed to be a fan of the Detroit Red Wings.

I am 25 years old now and I've been rooting this team on ever since I was 6. I've always felt and been inspired by the heroics of the players on the ice and the personalities in the locker room.

Steve Yzerman, to this day, is my hero. Forget Be Like Mike. I wanted to grow up to Be Like Steve. I wanted to be the last guy off of the floor or ice no matter how tired I was or how bad my legs hurt because of Stevie. I wanted to lead my teams by example and quietly sacrifice the body for the sake of the game. I wanted my teammates to look me in the eyes and feel like lesser mortals if they failed to leave everything out there.

But something is bothering me lately about this Wings team. And I am going to tell you all about it... after the jump.

Really sour ending to a good game. Pavel worked his butt off tonight and helped the Wings get a point, but an undeserving team is celebrating the win tonight.

Rinne was decent, but that guy is a classless prick. Miller was standing too close to him after Detroit got a lucky bounce, so he jabbed him with the butt of his stick. I seriously dislike him and look forward to his name never being on the cup.

More after the jump: