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I’ve noted before that with the final 20 games we will see some guys pick up their play. To be fair, Athanasiou has been knocking on the door. His backhand shot at 5:04 of the third period was beautiful. It was almost a mirror image of Larkin’s favorite shot. Fabbri’s goal in the 2nd was sick. That was a far side top corner snipe where he forced Price to focus on Green. That kid is a beacon of hope for this franchise.

An insanely near miss by Kovulchuck at around the 7 minute mark kept the Wings alive. The move to Montreal has revitalized the winger and his skill set is humbling. Just a few minutes later Mike Green netted the tying goal. Cousins came dangerously close in tight after a bizarre bounce on a shot by Bowey at the other end almost bounced in for Detroit. After a break, Petry missed the net and the puck was sent down to Mantha who caught it, threw it down and passed it to a wide open Green. MG actually missed on the shot and it bounced 5 hole. Price read the shot correctly but a bounce favored Detroit for Green’s 500th career point.

And, after another commercial break, Athanasiou netted the game winner. Apparently those breaks are really important for this team. The play leading to it was broken. A.A. Lost an offensive zone faceoff and had a turnover to Suzuki in the Neutral zone. However, Bertuzzi got the puck back, broke in and took 3 Canadiens with him. He made a back pass to Athanasiou who buried it. Tyler Bertuzzi has been Detroit’s most consistent player, by far. The broken play could easily have ended up in Detroit’s zone. Good bounces and hard work by a gritty winger.

And so, Detroit, winners of 15 games in 62 attempts, remain unbeaten in the season series with Montreal. That is a bizarre Unicorn on the season, as for years the Habs have had Detroit’s number. These losses are clearly adding salt to the wound of a team with high expectations and a less than forgiving fan base. Toronto may be the money team, but Montreal has a fierce passion for the game that is unmatched in any market. It is near ravenous.

Of note, Shea Weber is trying to carry his team while being banged up. He’s rushed through coming back to give everything he has to help these guys win. I’ve never been a fan personally of Weber, but I respect what he’s trying to do. That’s what you need in a captain.

It will be a bad day on TSN with Toronto being downed 5-2 in Pitt and MTL blowing a 2 goal lead in the third to the worst team in the league. It’s fun for us in Detroit, for sure, but nearly inexplicable for the Canadian media. This one is going to leave a mark.

Athanasiou nearly capped the hat trick but strong back checking from former fan favorite (and my own) Tatar. That kid is a pit bull still.

And so the victory song (whatever it is) got some more airplay in the Wings dressing room. The guys are feeling good tonight, and that is a huge blessing for this squad. There haven’t been enough good times for this squad.

My final thought is that of temperance. The performance of Athanasiou last year in the final 2 months had me convinced that he’d turned a corner. Regardless of where things end up, the deafening silence from September through January are worth remembering. The same can be said for anyone who turns it on down the stretch. If the team wins a few in a row, it would be a mistake to think they will pick right back up next year. I believe the team will be somewhat improved just in contracts expiring and the first round pick, whoever he may be.

The players that kept at it all year, Larkin, Bertuzzi, Mantha when healthy, Fabbri post trade, Hronek, Zadina on call up, these are the players who have my utmost respect right now. No excuses and no appetite to accept the situation. That’s not to say Athanasiou coudln’t become a part of that group as he matures, but it’s worth noting. It’s hard to separate the desire to see these players succeed from the lack of consistency. We need every day players going forward. Glendening isn’t lighting up the score, but he lays it all out on the ice. The same with Helm. They show up and work hard. There is a lot to be said for that.

Detroit will play Calgary on Friday. Somehow this has erupted into some kind of rivalry even with only 2 games per year. Expect a full dose of nasty in one form or another.

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