Senators Win Battle of Conference Leaders

Ottawa came away with a 3-2 victory over the Red Wings after Daniel Alfredsson saved his team from a near collapse with his game winner with less than 3 minutes to go after being up 2-0 and in control of the game until halfway through the third. The Sens made it look pretty easy, seemingly having a jump on where the Wings were going with the puck and taking their control game away from them. For the third game in a row Detroit looked frustrated and tired. The Sens managed two power play goals from their captain against a Detroit team that hadn't given up a power play goal in 9 games. Neither team was very physical and both Hasek and Emery looked beatable, but it was a fairly entertaining and well played game for the most part. My biggest gripe? Watching two red-white schemed teams. Opposing players just seemed to mesh together after a while. Sometimes I don't know how they don't get more confused out there. I know I'd be turning it over once a shift.

Alfredsson's game winner was scored on a power play with the Wings' most important penalty killer in the box as Nicklas Lidstrom was serving the time after a questionable holding call. This is the type of call that has really upset me with the new standards in the NHL. There are certain guys in this league who usually get the benefit of the doubt on close plays because of their good standing in the league as being clean and good players. Lidstrom is certainly one of them. I've seen him argue a call, without putting up much of a fight of course, but when he is visibly upset over it you may have to think he's right. I think his play was clean, a hit not a trip. No idea why it was officially called a hold. Holding seems to more and more be the NHL referee's crutch when a guy is disrupted on a scoring chance but the play looks clean. If it looked clean, it probably was. No current referee began working in a system as anal as this one, so they all remember a time when bumping a guy off his path when he's in scoring position wasn't an obstruciton, it was (and still is/should be) a clean, physical play. After all, what the fuck would hockey be without contact? We may find out soon enough if the NHL keeps following this road.

Anyways, the Sens can claim the top spot in your power rankings. Detroit looked as though they were trying to keep up with the faster and calmer Senators while the Ottawa didn't look to be working up much of a sweat. Although, both teams seemed human, something their records wouldn't suggest. These two are nowhere near locks to meet up again in the Cup finals.