I'm not even mad... that's just impressive.

The Patrick Kane Cab Company: Dropping the gloves on high prices

The Anchorman quote is because I'm not really upset Detroit lost today. That was a great game, one of the best regular season games I've ever seen.

All things considered (aka, getting royally screwed over by the NHL, then hosting the hottest team in the NHL 22 hours later on the opposite side of the country), this was a good weekend. I ripped Dallas yesterday for racking up so many overtime loss points, but now the Wings have jumped to eight on the year. Sadly, because of that stupid loser point, Detroit had the same outcome this season as they would have if they won a game and lost one. I think based off where we were on Tuesday, a lot of people would accept that.

One of those terms that everybody and anybody likes to throw around is "statement game." This was a chance for Chicago to make a statement that they're officially usurping Detroit, or this was a chance for Detroit to prove that they're not going anywhere. I think Detroit is too experienced to be caught up in making statements through just one game. "Oh no, we lost to Chicago again, now they're officially better than us." Does that sound at all like anything Detroit would say?

The game was pretty back and forth, but I can say pretty confidently that Detroit was the better team throughout most of the game. Chicago is talented and had Detroit hemmed in pretty good at times, but really most of their offense came with Detroit playing a man down. At the very least, you have to admit these teams are pretty equal. Now imagine if Detroit were healthy, and Chicago were missing Marian Hossa, Brent Seabrook, Troy Brouwer, and Dustin Byfuglien as a rough estimation of what roles Detroit was missing today. Can you honestly say that things would have wound up the same?

Plus, can you really take a team who puts Tomas Kopecky on the second powerplay unit seriously? Detroit's got Drew Miller and Derek Meech on theirs and still looked more dangerous than Kopecky did at any point. Silly tennis-loving Slovaks.

While a lame excuse, injuries are a definite major factor in this rivalry right now. For the third straight game against Chicago, Mebdeech looked totally outmatched and outclassed throughout. Lebda is officially afraid of venturing with the puck into the offensive zone, something he was once proficient at. He did his best impression of ECHL defensemen when he just decided to stand next to Brad Stuart, leaving Patrick Sharp all alone to put home Chicago's third goal of the game. Not to be outdone, Derek Meech knocked Stuart over, leaving Meech alone to defend Hossa one-on-one. The entity was the worst player on the ice. Note that I said on the ice, meaning it does not include Brad May, who was the worst player on the bench.

Regarding Stuart's recent struggles, Casey said it best in the WIM game thread: it's Mebdeech's fault. Stuart is forced to babysit these two, and his play has suffered for it over the past two weeks. He really needs Niklas Kronwall, so at least he can anticipate when Kronwall's going to step into the play. Mebdeech, Meech especially, are just absolutely terrible about jumping into the play.

In light of the recent record 44 comment (and counting) post on whether or not Detroit should trade Nick Lidstrom (seriously: some people are suggesting Detroit should trade Nick Lidstrom), Lidstrom now quietly has two goals in three games. This is just how he is. I bet he finished the year with his usual 10. He's going to be shooting like crazy now. Does anyone recall him making any mistakes in the past week? I don't.

Today was a perfect example of Detroit's players being the best players in the ice. Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg were something else. Clearly the best two players on either team. How often has that happened this season? This is now officially the standard for them.

Saving the best for last: Patrick Eaves. If there was any doubt he was going to be re-signed long-term, there isn't anymore. He could probably do nothing the rest of the season and get a new contract after today. I don't know what prompted him to fight Kris Versteeg, but he definitely landed his share of solid blows. Eaves was the one cut, but Detroit needed that fight more than Chicago. You just knew Eaves was going to make a big play after that, and he got it with his goal. As for Versteeg? Well, I just had to check to make sure he didn't get hurt, because I didn't notice him once after that fight.

Washington on Tuesday. Jimmy Howard was fine today (first goal was weak), but I think I'd like to see Chris Osgood finally on Tuesday. The Capitals give him a chance to make a huge statement, with their ridiculous offense. Think about it. If he gets lit up, it's Howard for the next month guaranteed. If he plays like he did the first time Detroit played Washington, he's officially back in the picture. We'll see.