How 'Bout Them WINGS!

  Detroit Red Wings Brian Rafalski, right, and Henrik Zetterberg watchas the Wings 1st goal gets by Dallas Stars goalie Marty Turco.
(JULIAN H. GONZALEZ/DFP)

They won their ninth consecutive game last night…in Dallas. And, in so doing, they’ve consigned the Stars to that black hole that is 0-3 in a seven game series. From NHL.com:

Let’s get something straight right off the bat: The Detroit Red Wings will lose a game again, someday.

It could happen as early as Wednesday night, when the Dallas Stars will look to stave off elimination in these Western Conference Finals. Or it might come at some point during the Stanley Cup Final.

But with the way the Wings have been cruising ever since they recovered from a hiccup in the first round to finish off Nashville, would anyone truly be surprised if their next defeat comes at some point in October, after the 2008-09 season begins?

Further:

When the puck dropped Monday night at American Airlines Center, the Detroit Red Wings encountered exactly what they expected from the Dallas Stars in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.

Desperate not to drop a third straight game in the best-of-seven series, the Stars skated hard, capitalized on a couple mistakes by the Wings and even got a few breaks, like when Brad Richards scored off the skate of Detroit defenseman Brad Stuart early in the second period to tie the score.

[…]

But the Wings weathered the storm, and from the time Jiri Hudler put them ahead to stay midway through the second until the final horn sounded, there was little question about who was the better team.

And from The Dallas Morning News:

The Dallas Stars got nearly everything they were seeking when the Western Conference finals shifted back to Dallas on Monday.

The fact that Detroit won, 5-2, suggests that maybe the Stars are looking for something that isn't out there.

They got the better scoring chances early, outshooting the Red Wings, 5-0, in the first few minutes. They got the Red Wings to take penalties, giving Dallas a seven-minute edge in power-play time.

They won 43 percent of the faceoffs, which may sound awful given that they were at home, but after winning 38 and 29 percent in Games 1 and 2, at least the Stars got to play with the puck a little more frequently.

And they limited the team that gets the most shots on goal to 21 shots, their fewest in the postseason by five.

But they lost, 5-2, because they didn't get one thing they have lacked in this series.

They didn't get stand-on-his-head goaltending from Marty Turco.

Our columnist from Dallas is resorting to the oldest ritual among hockey pundits when things go bad: blame the goalie. The second oldest, of course, is blame the coach, but it’s doubtful we’ll see Dave Tippett on the street after this is over…which will be soon. Turco did let in at least one soft goal last evening, but the loss was far from his fault and his fault alone. There are any number of reasons the Stars lost last night, but let us not ignore the elephant in the room: the Wings are the better team. By far.

Oh, wait… he did say that:

That's not to say the Red Wings aren't the better team. Their skill players perform at a level that the Stars are unable to get to.

Or defend.

Pavel Datsyuk's hat trick, Henrik Zetterberg's short-handed goal and two assists – this is a two-man wrecking crew that apparently doesn't even need Johan Franzen, who was leading the team in goals before missing Games 2 and 3 with a concussion.

[…]

There's a reason this team wins the Presidents' Trophy more often of late than Tiger Woods wins majors. They're better than everyone else, and after frustrating playoff losses to Anaheim, Calgary, Edmonton and the Ducks again the last four years, the Wings are determined to prove it when it counts.

If the Stars have any hope – and I'm talking about getting to see Detroit again, not winning a seven-game series – it has to start with Turco on Wednesday.

Yet he comes back around to Turco. OK, point taken. Turco has to get better. But it really doesn’t matter how much better Turco gets, the Wings will win this series… if not tomorrow night, then most certainly when the series returns to Deetroit. The Wings are the better team… and this is, after all, a team sport.

It’s hard to find the words to describe this 2008 Red Wings team. “Awesome” comes close, but doesn’t begin to describe the coaching, the speed, the puck-handling, the passing, the defense, the goal tending, their depth… in short, the sheer magnificence of this team and their play. I’ve been a Wings fan for well over 20 years, and this is the best Wings team I’ve ever seen. Period. Full-stop. While you never know what will happen in these playoffs, it’s hard to think of anything other than “Stanley Cup” after watching the way the Wings systematically demolish their opponents. But I imagine there are more than a few people in Pennsylvania (be it Pittsburg or Philadelphia) thinking those “other” thoughts. Heh.

Good luck. You’re gonna need a TON of it.