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Raymond surprises NHL and EA Sports
Detroit will be on the ice against one of the all time greats tonight. A big 737 with the number 8 painted on it. Ovechkin is 4 goals from tying Brett Hull at 741, and has played 63 fewer games at this point. With 7 goals in 6 games to start the season, Ovi could well have this next milestone wrapped up within 2 or 3 games (hopefully not scoring 4 tonight…).
With all the shutdowns and the bizarre formats, it’s nice to see this NHL chase in all its glory. Every time I bring up Ovechkin, I get a handful of people who tell me he’s overrated and I laugh just a little. The precipice he’s ascended to was one I didn’t think anyone would make it to. Careers are shorter, goalies are immense. It has been a treat to watch Ovechkin play.
For Detroit’s side of things, here are a couple of hopes. First, it sounds like Smith is back on the ice. I hope the coaching staff has calmed him down a bit in terms of how to use his physicality. The refs are all over him. For the “we need him for Wilson” crowd, it’s not going to do much good if he’s in the box 2 to 5 times tonight. Scraps and scuffles are going to happen without you trying to start something after every whistle. Smith needs to find an NHL game and quickly. The bottom line guys are expected to back check and try to shut down. Smith has shown “glimpses” in the past of someone who can play this game in those situations. A game off can help reset, we’ll see if it does.
For the rest of the team, I’d love to see Raymond with continued confidence. Keep creating opportunities. His passing, for me, is one of the highlights of the young season. He can get pucks through traffic to his linemates. It sounds strange, but I’m not focused so much on wins and losses right now. I want to see the team learning to play the game consistently. The defense making quick decisions and good passes. The offense creating opportunities and not overpassing. We’ve seen too many passes turn into opportunities for the other team.
I still can’t identify a team focus or system right now. I’ll keep watching. A goalie pull with 5 minutes left and no momentum would be something best avoided. Stay out of the box, stop screaming at the refs, play the game. Yes, there are going to be missed calls and/or bad calls. The Wings have the wrong reputation right now as far as the officials go. DPS isn’t going to help either. Detroit needs to earn the respect of the league, and it’s an uphill climb.
I have no clue how tonight is going to pan out. Washington can light up the scoreboard, for sure. Their goals against are far better at this point with 2.67 vs Detroit’s 3.5. For Special teams, the teams are very close. Detroit holds an edge in both categories but only by one spot. (22nd best powerplay vs 23rd. 25th best PK vs 26th). The difference is that Washington can turn it on with the man advantage and have a history of doing so. Neither PK is worth bragging about, best to avoid the box.
I might not have as many “in game notes” tonight. I’m going to sit back and enjoy this one a bit more. Ovi has more games behind him than he does ahead. He’s stayed remarkably healthy in his career, but things change so quickly. For me, the Great 8 is worth the watch.
Read my previous posts:
My previous post
Raymond surprises NHL and EA Sports
Lucas Raymond got his first hat trick at 19
Wings vs Hawks postgame
Wings vs Montreal Postgame
Wings vs Canadiens pregame 
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