Live Blogging the BJs: Sparty On

3-2 Wings: WAHOO! I just jumped off my chair and screamed like a monkey. Like Mick said, sorry end for Leclaire to take one off the back of the leg like that. But I can't pretend to be said after the Wings did everything they could and came up with nothing. Whoooo. We can take it easy on Sunday. Yes.

3:18 3rd: MULE! YES! That's the what the fuck I'm talking about!

7:30 3rd: Ken and Mick are on their game with the banter. They just agreed that Mick is living in the year 1975, which Mick followed up by saying he had an 8-track in his garage, if anyone wanted it. Genius. As for the game, the Wings are sorely missing Holmstrom right now. Franzen has come along greatly, but when it comes to the net-front, no one does it like Homer.

9:29 3rd: Come on! Leclaire! DAMN! Cleary continues to show he is ready for the playoffs. He tore up the side and powered to the net. I cannot believe we did not score. And I'm still upset about Kopecky. He was having one of his better games. And only getting better throughout the season.

12:25 3rd: Kopecky hurt. Motherfuck. Hello Mark Hartigan in the playoffs. Jesus Christ.

14:52 3rd: Leclaire's playing out of his mind. I forget that this guy was leading the NHL in goaltending stats early in the season. It's not fun watching the Wings lose this game with San Jose lurking, but it is fun watching Abdelkader win a spot on the playoff roster. Two straight huge scoring chances, first with Huds and Meech, then with Hartigan and Drake. Are they double shifting him? I like it.

2nd Intermission: Nice commercial for the playoffs, with Luongo. Moving stuff. Too bad he won't be in it. Yikes.

4:01 2nd: SPARTYWATCH: Strong work by Abdelkader on that bitch-ass Kenopka. Kenopka apparently was saying he was going to run Chelios tonight. Yeah I bet. Huds, Meech, and Abs(?) put together a good shift, which we needed. This game is like every horrible, stressful, gut wrenching, heart rending, artery aneurysmizing, playoff game, with a plucky young team and a hot goalie. Augh.

7:01 2nd: I like Chelios giving it to Nash for running over Hasek. There needs to be swift and violent retribution for touching our insane netminder, at all times.

8:10 2nd: New lines: Fil-Pavs-Cleary, Kopecky-Z-Mule. I likes. Didn't see who was on with Hartigan and Drake, I assume either Sparty or Huds.

10:36 2nd: Kopecky! What a hit on Boll! The more I watch this kid play, the more I wonder how, when every one is healthy, Hudler can be on the playoff roster and not Kope-

GOOAL! Hartigan! I don't like you but I like the fact that you scored.

9:00 1st: Holy smokes Pavs. What a fucking machine. Makes sense to me to put him and Z together - as I said before, if Mule, Flip, and Cleary can put together some offense, they give you a solid 2nd line and obviates the need for splitting up the twins. I'd like to see those three put together even before Homer gets back, to get them some momentum going in to the playoffs. It can potentially be a dominant line.

10:52 1st: INSANITYWATCH: Hasek looks sharp. I keep repeating the mantra that Hasek will be fine in the playoffs, he just needs the motivation of the postseason to get him going. Ken and Mick also discuss the possibility that Wings-Preds First Round may be set. Dear Sweet Jesus I hope so. Calgary and Vancouver make me sick. And Chicago getting in, against all odds? Gives me nightmares.

13:02 1st: SPARTYWATCH: Abdelkader looks good, nearly got his first point on Kopecky's shot. Surprising to see him getting 4-on-4 time. Wouldn't be surprised to see him get up to the third line with Kopy and Drake before the end of the game. Strong shot by Cleary as well, he's ready for the playoffs.

Pre-Game: Whoa. This was unexpected, by me anyway: Justin Abdelkader signed and in the lineup tonight. With Kirk Maltby out, the former Spartan has been signed to a try-out contract and will hopefully be signed to a real contract before the Saturday.

First of all, can I say I'm a little concernicus about Maltby. His stock with fans has gone pretty low lately and some people were unhappy with his extension. But in the new NHL you need 4th liners who play for peanuts, and to me I'd rather have Malts, who was killing penalties in Stanley Cup games when guys like Mark Hartigan were still playing on backyard ponds back home, than some training camp tryout scrub. And Malts is a guy whose intensity and performance go way up in the playoffs. Just from memory, I think he has scored more goals in the playoffs in the past couple years than the regular season. Okay, just checked, that's a lie, but you get my point. He's clutch. And his physicality is dearly needed.

That being said, it's exciting to get a look at Abdelkader. Funny how when Drapes first went down, his heir apparent, Darren Helm was recalled, and now with Malts down, the guy who is looked at as his replacement, gets a shot. Cool to see he'll be wearing 8, as well, it's a badass number.

But speaking of Helm it's weird the Wings didn't recall him, or Mattias Ritola, with their season winding down. Makes sense to get a look at JA and let the Griffs endure the humiliation of finishing out a non-playoff season. Builds character. There were rumblings that the Wings would be up against the 50-man roster limit, and that Abdelkader might get stashed at MSU another season, but I guess not, because Jim Nill seems to think the Wings will still manage to sign Pyett, Axelsson (2), and uber-goalie Daniel Larsson.

Game's on. Ken Daniels just said Malts is out 10 days, and probably all of the first round. Shiiit. Speaking of shit, doesn't say good things that McCarty is a healthy scratch to Derek Meech today. Might be because of Meech's PP QB skills, now that I watch him work the PP. But still. Makes me wonder.