Postgame: Red Wings @ Stars – 1/3

Every win counts, but (as I suggested on Twitter immediately after the final buzzer) this was the sloppiest win of the season for the Red Wings, hands down.

Emblematic of the defensive side of Detroit’s game: Dallas’ fourth goal. Two Red Wings miscommunicate and collide inside the blue line, leaving Michael Ryder free to cut across the ice and overload the left side, then use Nicklas Lidstrom as a screen to get a shot past Jimmy Howard.

Howard got beat on shots through a screen three times, which I’m not sure what to think about. I feel like he should have been able to get at least one of them, as it’s not like the screens were particularly close to the net.

On the offensive side of the game, it’s crazy to think that the Wings scored five goals and that was with Kari Lehtonen playing out of his mind. It could have been 5-0 Detroit in the first period if not for some big stops, particularly on Johan Franzen and Jiri Hudler. Lehtonen made those stops but then allowed one where he didn’t hold the post and had one go in off a skate, leading to a weird situation where the Wings’ offense generated great chances that they didn’t score on but the seemingly harmless plays did get a couple goals.

Weird game. Not indicative of the talent level of either team, so I hope the Wings take the points and immediately forget about it.