The game of the night -- or so we thought -- was that monster matchup in Detroit, between the defending Stanley Cup champions, and the team that, thus far, has been the best team in the NHL this season. On paper, it looked like it was going to be an epic tilt. Possible Western Conference Finals preview, Mike Babcock vs. Todd Mclellan, teacher vs. student, etc. etc. etc. Of course, it was the second time they faced off this year, but, hey, it still looked like it was going to be awesome.
This, of course, is why the games aren't played on paper, as the Red Wings disposed of San Jose quite easily in a 6-0 romp at Joe Louis Arena. It's the Sharks' second straight loss, and the first game they've dropped in regulation in over a month.
Johan Franzen started the fun for Detroit, picking up his 14th goal of the season late in the first period. Less than two minutes later, Pavel Datsyuk picked up his first of two goals on the evening, giving the Red Wings all the offense they would need.
Following a Marian Hossa goal in the second period, Detroit opened the floodgates in the third period thanks to a trio of goals from Valtteri Filppula, Datsyuk and Brad Stuart, completing the onslaught against Evgeni Nabokov.
Ty Conklin stopped all 24 shots he faced for Detroit, picking up his second shutout of the season.
Welcome Back, Marc-Andre Fleury
Dany Sabourin did a fine job filling in for Marc-Andre Fleury, but it was still a pleasant sight for Penguins fans to see Fleury starting in net on Thursday night against Atlanta. Despite not playing for a month, Fleury looked sensational in his return to the lineup, stopping 28 shots in a 6-3 win. He made a couple of huge saves in the first period, including a ridiculous glove save on a wide open Colby Armstrong in the slot, keeping Atlanta off the board.
The Penguins were quickly able to take advantage, as Matt Cooke and Evgeni Malkin picked up goals in the opening frame. Malkin finished with two goals on the night -- it would have been a hat trick had a goal not been taken away from him and awarded to Jordan Staal -- and two assists, pushing his league-leading point total to 53 points. He's also still on pace for 100 assists.
Sidney Crosby, Miroslav Satan and Philippe Boucher also scored for the Penguins, while Marty Reasoner, Bryan Little, and Colby Armstrong scored for Atlanta.
Bruins Win Wild Game Against Toronto
Fun night in Boston -- if you like offense -- as the Bruins and Maple Leafs combined for 63 shots, 13 goals and four goalies in an 8-5 Boston win. David Krejci recorded a hat trick for the Bruins, while Marco Sturm, Marc Savard, Phil Kessel (two) and Michael Ryder also picked up goals in the win.
The two teams scored eight goals in the second period, while Boston built itself a 5-1 lead, only to watch the Maple Leafs cut it to one with three straight goals. Unfortunately for them, that was as close as they would get, as Ryder and Krejci put the game away with a pair of goals in the third.
Odds and Ends
... I guess that meeting to make sure guys made the bus on time didn't help things, as the Lightning dropped a 2-1 overtime decision against Colorado.
... Kyle Turris scored both goals for Phoenix in a 2-1 win over Nashville, while Ilya Bryzgalov turned aside 31 shots for the Coyotes.
... Montreal snapped the Flyers' five-game winning streak with a 5-2 win at the Bell Centre on Thursday. Matt D'Agostini, Sergei Kostitsyn, Steve Begin, Alexie Kovalev and Guillaume Latendresse potted goals for the Canadiens.
... Joe Corvo scored with 44 seconds to play in overtime, giving the Hurricanes a 2-1 win over the Florida Panthers. Justin Williams scored his first goal of the season for Carolina, while Cory Stillman scored Florida's only goal of the evening.
... Viktor Kozlov scored twice for Washington, while Alex Ovechkin netted his 20th goal of the season in a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Blues. Simeon Varlamov made the start in net for the Capitals, and picked up his second win in as many starts.
... Loui Eriksson picked up a hat trick for Dallas in a 6-5 shootout win over Columbus. Brad Richards had a four-point night in the win, as the Stars picked up their second straight victory. Rick Nash scored twice for the Blue Jackets.
