Postgame: Sabres @ Red Wings – 1/16

I managed to harp on the negatives even after a big OT win for Detroit over the Blackhawks on Saturday, so let’s start there for tonight’s win over the Sabres.

The Wings definitely let up after Ryan Miller got pulled from the Buffalo net. They did that after the first period against Chicago and it nearly bit them in the ass. I don’t like seeing it, but it’s easier to understand tonight than it was on Saturday with the Red Wings up by five rather than only two.

And that final score may have been 5-0 but that wasn’t entirely because the Red Wings were that good. The Sabres were absolutely awful. Give the Red Wings credit for some great plays and for taking advantage of what they were given, but if I were a Buffalo fan I’d be p*ssed at that team’s effort.

But like I said, Detroit did make some great plays.

Todd Bertuzzi’s spin-o-rama in front of the goal reminds you that, for a big guy, he has soft hands. He’s on a roll and it’s good to see.

Henrik Zetterberg finally got a goal, Johan Franzen had a hell of a shot for his goal. Nicklas Lidstrom’s goal… How the hell did no one have him?

And Jimmy Howard with the shutout is fantastic. Didn’t have to make a ton of big stops or anything but consistency counts.

Great to see the fifteenth consecutive home win. Records are fun. This one’s a little weird ’cause the Wings are so (relatively) awful on the road that they need these wins at home just to make up for it. It’d be a lot easier to celebrate a major home winning streak if they weren’t in a three-way battle for first in the division.