Jimmy Howard and the Detroit Red Wings were able to snap out of their longest losing streak (6 games) since 2008 when they shut out the Anaheim Ducks 5-0 from the Joe Saturday night.
Although he didn’t face a ton of shots, Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard was able to turn away all 21 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season.
Nicklas Lidstrom had 2 goals including 1 on the power play. That power play goal ended up being Lidstrom’s 130th power play goal of this career moving him ahead of Phil Housley into fifth place among NHL defensemen.
Niklas Kronwall, Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg were the other Wings goal scorers.
Aside from the win, the offensive production the Wings were able to muster was certainly a welcome sight. During their six game losing streak Detroit had only scored six total goals. In fact Detroit hadn’t scored more than two goals in a game since their last victory which was a 5-2 decision against Columbus back on October 21st.
The Majors Detroit’s Player of the Game: It’s hard to go against Jimmy Howard after he got the shutout but tonight the captain Nicklas Lidstrom get’s the honor. His two goals, including his 130th career power play goal has continued to show that even at his age he still can be considered one of the top defenseman in the league.
The Majors Detroit’s Zero of the Game: Anaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller was pulled late in the game in favor of Dan Ellis after Detroit scored their fifth goal. This dubious honor goes to the Anaheim defense that allowed 50 total shots on goal including 45 on Jonas Hiller.
A Look Ahead: Next up for the Wings is the Colorado Avalanche who the Wings already beat this year 3-0 back on October 8th. Hopefully the Wings can keep the offense going and put together some win and keep their six game losing streak well in the rear view mirror. Red Wings forward Jan Mursak is also expected back during this game.
The Bottom Line: Many started to panic during the six game losing streak however this team can just as well go off and win six in a row. For the most part during those past six games which the Wings dropped, they were getting their shots and their chances it was just a stretch of games where the puck simply wasn’t going in the net. I expect the Wings to string together some victories here and make everyone forget about that hiccup in the schedule.
Ref: Detroit Free Press, Freep.com (image)