It’s hockey, right?

Well, we thought we’d seen this before … but we hadn’t. In yesterday’s road game against the Vancouver Canucks, the Wings showed they are still a force in this year’s playoff.

With .02 seconds left in overtime, Henrik Zetterberg nailed a backhand shot behind Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo to give the Wings a 4-3 win.

This is significant for a few reasons. First, it gives the Wings two points out of last night’s game. They’re still in eight place in the Western Conference playoff hunt, but they now have a two-point cushion on Calgary. And, it helps them keep pace with Nashville, who are currently four points ahead of the Wings.

So, does this game mean that the Wings are a lock to make the playoffs? Far from it. But they showed a tremendous amount of determination and will to grab two points last night. And that may be the determining factor on whether they make it to this year’s postseason.

University of Michigan fans are already hoping for a better football season and licking their wounds from a basketball season that showed occasional glimmers of hope.

Still, Wolverine fans can take cold comfort in a 2-1 win over 17th ranked Northern Michigan University in the CHHA tournament at Joe Louis Arena.

Even better, this tournament win means that the Wolverines will get an automatic berth in the NCAA Hockey tournament. The tournament starts next weekend with the regional semifinals and finals taking place March 26-28.

News, CCHA News, Articles | The Official Site of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association

I’m not saying they executed well, but having Ozzie in goal seemed to put some some jump in the team’s step. On detnews.com, Wojo says:

It’s certainly not too late for the Wings to right themselves, though, and Osgood’s cool nature can provide the boost. That’s why Babcock should stick with Osgood for Game 5 Friday night at Joe Louis Arena.

I’m more inclined to think of Dom’s confidence, this quote appeared in Freep.com this morning:

“Very disappointed,” he said. “Last 60 minutes is the worst hockey I’ve played in my life. I have nothing to say about it. It’s terrible. I feel very bad about myself.”

Yes Dom, but how bad do you think the team feels? It’s unusual to see a player of this caliber implode, and maybe I’m reading too much into this, but it certainly appears that he’s lost his confidence.

If he’s lost his confidence, how do the guys playing in front of him feel?

Talk about Nashville’s heart all you want, the Predators not a talented or deep team. Let’s chalk this one up to the fact that it is genuinely hard to sweep another team in today’s NHL and see what happens on Wednesday.