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I made it clear that I wasn’t thrilled with the Mantha trade. In fact, I essentially took on the role of the village idiot and ran amok in the comments. My sincerest apologies to everyone (especially Feds). Somehow, this Detroit team responded with a very good effort.
Of course it starts in net tonight. Bernier stopped 37 or 38 for a gaudy .974 SV%. I’m glad he’s here, but I can’t help but wonder if teams that balked at Yzerman’s price for the netminder are regretting that decision. Bernier has provided, not just stability, but helped the team find wins this season. Detroit had a strong effort tonight, no doubt. But Bernier was just lights out. His “snow angel” early in the game was as crazy a save as I’ve seen in a while. Watch the replay, he actually got his blocker on the puck with his arm stretched behind his back. I have a spur in my rotator cup, I’m pretty sure my arm would have fallen off after that.
The forecheck tonight was very good. In fact, I thought Detroit carried 2 periods of play. Carolina came back in a flurry of offense in the third but Bernier stood tall. The team was making good plays to get the puck out and keep shifts short. Adam Erne erased two icing calls. Who is this guy? He had a spin-o-Rama at the net front in the first, his goal was another hard working drive (and a beautiful feed by Rasmussen). All of a sudden, he’s leading the team in goals. Zadina had a beautiful power play tally as well, and it was more than it seemed. Mantha (still miss him) was usually on the right wing with Zadina on the left. Zadina is much stronger on the off wing with a one timer. He can get the shot off quickly and nailed the water bottle.
Everything Steve Yzerman talked about in his presser was evident on the ice. He mentioned wanting to build around Rasmussen and Zadina. Both of them had really strong outings. Rasmussen seems to be throwing hits and going hard to the net. He’s using his size in a way that some had wished Mantha would more often. They seem energized by the opportunity. Svechnikov had some jump as well, but it was Larkin that really got my attention. He and Mo are very good friends. The captain came out and played hard to rally the troops. It seemed like one of the best team efforts we’ve seen in a while (minus some defensive gaffes, Cholowski can still be a bit cringe worthy at times).
Detroit is now leading the series 4 games to 3. That is incredible. You can tell that the Hurricanes were not happy to be behind on the score board. All of a sudden, this may be a rivalry again after about 2 decades off. Assuming there is a normal season next year, I figured that Ottawa would be a team that Detroit will be matching against over the coming years. For whatever reason, these Wings get up for the games against Carolina. I imagine the last contest of the year will be fairly intense.
Final thought on today’s trade. When I call it wrong (it happens) I will do my best to own it. I’ve had some glaringly bad predictions, and some that were pretty good. I never thought we’d see the deal come together that capped off the trade deadline. If this turns out to be Forsberg for Erat part 2, I’ll step up and own it (doubtful anything that extreme). This one, for whatever reason, just isn’t sitting right. It helps to see Rasmussen respond with such an impressive effort as he is given more ice time. Erne, I just don’t know what to say at this point. I hope this is a sign of a step forward and not just a bizarre one off. His confidence is insanely high. He’s making the opposition miserable.
Whatever happens over the course of the next 12 games (and beyond) I’m going to do my best just to sit back and take it in. Yzerman has made good deals already. This may be another one. It could also go down as not being that great. This is a “time will tell” scenario. Once Vrana puts on the winged wheel, you have to root for him, right? (The same isn’t necessarily true for Panik. Just not a fan, at all). I want the best for this team, I truly do. Just like with anything else, it’s time to quickly turn the page and move forward. I will try to do so with dignity (as much as possible) and be more respectful in debates. This was a tough day, but we get to do it all over again tomorrow. And the next day, etc. for now, the team gets to celebrate a surprising win and continue to try and build something for the future.
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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