Preview Blues at Red Wings: More Like Dead Wings

Tonight at 7 o’clock the Blues take on the Red Wings for the very last time at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena. And yes, the Red Wings still suck.

This will be the final stop of the Blues five game road trip that took them from Philadelphia through Eastern Canada to the Hometown of Sucking.

Along the way the Blues have managed to collect eight out of a possible eight points and have a nice little four game winning streak going. I understand that the Blues are probably going to lose sometime in the near future I just really, really hope it’s not tonight.

During that stretch Jake Allen has posted a 3-0-0 record with a 1.00 GAA and a .967 save percentage. He also posted his 13th career shutout in a 6-0 win against Ottawa. Under new head coach Mike Yeo and more importantly new goalie co-coach Martin Brodeur Allen has a record of 4-1-0 and is second in the NHL in save percentage and third in GAA.

We can argue all night whether Allen’s new found success is due to the play of the team in front of him or if the outstanding play of the team is due to the success of their starting goaltender. It’s the chicken and the egg all over again.

Regardless of which theory you subscribe to (don’t kid yourself, Allen’s success is a direct result of a much more disciplined defense) as long as the wins keep coming we’re not going to split hairs.

Unfortunately, the Blues did suffer a major casualty along the way. Center Paul Stastny suffered a lower body injury Thursday night in Toronto and has been placed on the seven day IR.

“I'm still going to call him day to day,” Yeo said, “but he won't be in for these two games. I'm certainly not going to rule up Saturday as an option.” [StL P-D]

The Blues announced Tuesday that Wade Megan has been recalled from the Chicago Wolves.

Stastny’s injury really bites the big one. Just when the newly formed top line of Steen, Stastny and Tarasenko was starting to really find their grove Mike Yeo was forced to scrabble the lines. One bright spot however, is the Blues have been able to get a good look at prospects Ian Barbashev and Ken Agostino.

The Blues currently sit third in the central division and one point ahead of the Nashville Predators who don’t play again until Feb 18th against the Minnesota Wild.

The big story with the Detroit Red Wings would be the almost certain end of the franchise’s 25 year playoff streak. In fact, our friends at winging it in motown state that the Red Wings now have a 7 percent chance of making the playoffs this year. Or as I like to think of it a 93 percent chance of sucking, hard.

Head coach Jeff Blashill, ever the eternal optimist, had this to say about his team’s troubles:

"I'm in total belief that this team has the ability to go on a run relative to the rest of the league so we just got to keep pounding away. We can't hope it to happen, you've got to make it happen through your play. I think if we play like this on a consistent basis, I think we can go on a run. [SB Nation]

Yeah *gigglesnort* right.

I haven’t had a chance to watch many Red Wing’s games, mostly because they suck and I hate them, but judging by their record of 22-24-10 (good enough for last place in the Eastern Conference) I would say that they are probably sucking on all fronts and may be more than just a tweak or two away from a championship caliber team.

I do know that old man Howard had been sent down to the AHL for a conditioning stint due to an injury. The team is also preparing to lose forward Gustav Nyquist to an almost certain suspension due to one of the dumbest and worst high-sticking penalties I have seen since Duncan Keith tomahawked Charlie Coyle.

The Red Wings are 2-8 in their last ten games and are 1-4 in their last five at home. And wait it gets better. The red wings are 26th in the league in goals against and goals for. Their power play is the worst in the league but their penalty kill is ranked 21st, so at least they have that going for them.

Check back later for detailed lines from the Blues morning skate. Also, Detroit sucks. That is all.