Just  a city boy / born and raised in North Detroit (Photo: Dave Reginek)

With the Metro division lead nearly within reach, the Washington Capitals headed to Delta City for their first date against the newly Eastern Conferencified Red Wings.

Brooks Laich opened up scoring– both for the game and the Caps’ beleaguered second line– with a solo expedition into Wings territory capped off with a nifty backhand goal. On the power play later in the first, Johan Franzen tied it up with a no-angler to Holtby’s short side. Tomas Tatar served up Franzen for another before the first period was up.

Danny Dekeyser caught a no-look, skip-a-man pass and scored a power play goal at the tail end of the second period to make it 3-1.

Early in the third, Alex Ovechkin chipped it in to put the Caps in striking distance. Michael Latta tied it in the final 10 minutes of regulation, backhand-swatting  his first career NHL goal. That tied the game at the end of 60 minutes, so — yet again– into overtime we went. Where nothing happened. So…

Zomg shootout bullets!

• Holtby sent back Datsyuk’s soup
• Grabo was forced wide
• Franzen was denied the DC Hat Trick
• Ovi put it right into Howard’s pads
• Bertuzzi tried to spin and Braden was all, yeah okay pal
• Nicky Backstrom WON IT

Caps beat Wings 4-3 in the shootout!

• Again: Congratulations to Michael Latta on his first NHL goal. I didn’t know what to think when Latta came along with Martin Erat at the deadline last season (I forget who the Caps gave Nashville in exchange), but I’m pretty keen on the guy right now. The fourth line has been solid as heck with him as the pivot, and his jump up to the third was an instant success– tying the game and securing a point for Washington. Bright things ahead for Michael.

• You guys have been mean to Brooks Laich lately. That was bad, and you should feel bad. Laich’s Rambo-style goal on Jimmy Howard was his 3rd of the season. Hear John Walton call it. I don’t know where you guys get off being so snarky and cynical about him, but I’ve got no patience for your bad attitudes and too-cool-for school repartee—-

Laich-Mojo-Brouwer won't score tonight. #thebank

— Good Tweet Pete 🌮 (@peterhassett) November 15, 2013

• Oh. Right. Nevermind then.
• Chris Gordon tells me he’s got Johan Franzen (2 goals) on his fantasy team, so we’re all bad tonight.
• The Capitals had nothing going until that Laich goal. They took back the puck for the remainder of the period– until the second Franzen goal, which was the result of plural defensive mistakes– including the Caps’ 3rd line and Joel Ward in particular.
• Rough night for former Michigan resident Tom Wilson, getting busted for two penalties through 40 minutes. Detroit converted on the second– a rather soft holding call.
• So here’s how I’m not a hockey coach. Detroit went up 3-1 with 18 seconds left in the period, and Adam Oates puts Alex Ovechkin in on the next shift. I’m all, “What good will that do? What a waste. Just run down the clock, ya bums!” Ovechkin drew a hold from Niklas Kronwall before the buzzer.
• As some of you may revisit your opinions of Marcus Johansson as “soft” or “passenger”, please hold fast to the “yeah he never ever shoots the puck” characterization. On a crucial– and ultimately fruitless– third period power play, Mojo contemplated an empty shooting lane and open net until they ceased to be. If you think that one anecdote isn’t enough reason to change your mind about this stuff, I say: exactly.
• Alex Ovechkin‘s third period goal was his 15th of the year. Setting up that five-on-five (yes) goal was Marcus Johansson. That’s two Ovi goals in a row set up by Marcus. On the tying goal, Michael Latta was centering Jason Chimera and Joel Ward. So does that mean Adam Oates is using his second annual lineup change? Seems like.

Joe B suit of the night: Statler and Waldorf

Huge win and two points desperately needed considering the upcoming schedule.

But the Caps have required a bunch of overtimes to decide games lately. What does that mean? I suppose it means they’re a team that wins or loses by one goal a bunch. That’s not super good: a one-goal win record is not so reliable (what’s up, Baltimore Orioles).

But hey, the Caps got a point. And then another one. And it’s Friday. And my bullpuppy is home and healthy, so on balance everything is good.

Blues tomorrow Sunday night. Be here. (update: woohoo I get the day off tomorrow!)

I leave you now with some photos of Detroit. Old Detroit has a cancer, and that cancer is crumbling infrastructure and the deliberate undermining of the social safety net crime.

I’d buy that for a dollar.