STANDINGS WATCH!

I'm here on site (in Sioux Falls, SD) and it's time to look at where we stand so far this season.  I tried to get in to get an interview with Jordan but they said 'nope, you can't do it - he's a angry as a hell fan...he will literally RIP YOUR FACE OFF'.

How did we go from such a high after the Blues win to "Babcock lost the room" and "trade guys right f***ing now"?  Oh yeah - because we're Red Wings fans and we get a little wrapped up emotionally and live in the moment.

But let's take a breath and a step back.  The Washington Capitals have won two games in nine.  I know that doesn't really mean anything to us except - things could be worse...a lot worse.

Make the jump for more.

I don't know about you, but I've had enough. This team (not all of it) is a half effort, play hard sometimes, stagnant mess, and I'm not just talking about tonight or this season. We've seen this trend happening since the 2009-10 season. Yes, there are key players missing due to free agency, retirement and injury, but that's not an excuse. This team has the talent, it just isn't working consistently on the ice like we all expect it to.

More rage.

20 minutes of effort wasn’t enough for the Red Wings tonight. This game reminded me of opening night when the Wings showed no interest in being there. This wasn’t a case of being out of gas. The legs were there, but the smart plays and hustle were not.

More after the jump:

Guest post by Franklin Steele: 

I'm not a super-picky fan of the Detroit Red Wings. A victory is a victory, and points are points. That doesn't mean there aren't a few things I'd really like to see happen tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Ready to have your mind blown?  

Today is Jordin Tootoo's birthday.  What's today?  2/2...

Happy birthday to the underutilized Wing.

Also mind blowing?  How the NHL scoring leaders are apparently powered by ugly these days: 

On another mind blowing note, more than 10% of the Wings games are against Columbus this year.  In fact, 18 of the 48 games are against Central division opponents, 38% of the total.  Four teams out of 29.   Wow Gary.  Thanks.

So we have Gary and Don to thank for the fact that we're playing our littlest brother again despite only playing 8 games thus far.  And in honor of that, our resident Photoshop Master, Josh Howard, whipped out this little ditty for tonight's game. 

Hit the jump for the poster and more on the lineups for the night:

So - as promised, I sifted through our least favorite St. Louis blog today to see what little gems I could find from the MENSA candidates over at St. Louis Game Time.  They never disappoint.

I knew what the feelings would be like in St. Louis after last night's game.  It was a bad call on Backes...a terrible call.  Interference?  Maybe...depending on how the ref was feeling last night apparently.  But there was no contact to Huskins' head.  I know it, you know it...and now the whole world knows it.

So after the usual "f*** Detroit" over and over and over and over again - they settled into their usual routine of gifs and tough talk.  They REALLY don't like listening to Ken/Mick/Larry.  The first two periods (aside from getting off-track on a conversation about Chapelle's Show) was dominated by complaining about our broadcast team...they still haven't figured out that the the play-by-play and color commentators are EMPLOYED by the team they call.

Make the jump to get the fun started.

Great effort early and late resulted in a 5-3 victory for the Red Wings. If Detroit had lost this game, especially if they lost bad, the narrative would be that they are officially finished and St. Louis/Chicago were the new kings of the division. Like Franklin said in his outstanding gust post last night, Hank would have none of it.

I'll never forget that empty netter by Hank. I know it's just a regular season game, but how many guys in the NHL put in that kind of effort to score there? Most would have been interfered with by Oshie, looked at the ref, tossed up his hands and demanded justice. Zetterberg claims his own justice.

Outside of a bad penalty by Emmerton, the fourth line had another great night. Seems that none of those guys can finish, but they sure can finish checks. I don't remember if Emmerton hit people last year like he does this year. I think a lot of that has to do with Tootoo inspiring his linemates. They see him knock someone down, they hear the crowd go nuts and they want a piece of that action.

More after the jump:

Chris note: Twig will likely have a reflection on the game as a whole tomorrow morning, but Franklin has another guest post for us on the #1 star of the night, Henrik Zetterberg. 

By Franklin Steele: 

Henrik Zetterberg was raised for this. At least since he became a Detroit Red Wing. 

On February 1st...a Quest for Revenge begins.

"This is a tale about revenge... glorious, nasty revenge.  We remember what happened 12 days ago.  It will be avenged...it's kill or be killed...it's about getting even stevens...it's about cleaning the slate...and we're going to get even our revenge one way or another. The skates are sharp, the sticks are wrapped, and our minds have never been clearer.  Prepare yourself...there will be blood." --Josh Howard Head of NOHS Graphics Art Department

Nothing would make me happier than to write a good ol' "Kick 'Em When They're Down" post tomorrow like the good old days.  But the Blues are are playing some good hockey right now.  Can we bring our compete level to theirs?  You bet your sweet bippy.

Make the jump for the goods.

Here's another excellent guest post from Franklin Steele: