To me, the surprise would have come if it had been the other way around. If the Red Wings had been dominated by the Sharks. As is, it was fastball served right down the middle for the Red Wings. They hit it out of the park with a dominating 6-0 victory Thursday.
Pavel Datsyuk had a great game. A couple goals. A couple assists. He was strong on both ends of the ice. Isn’t he a better player than Joe Thornton? So is Henrik Zetterberg, by the way.
One of the big question marks surrounding the Red Wings is goaltending. Not only has Chris Osgood struggled, especially early in games, but there is a downside to Ty Conklin as backup. It’s that during his entire NHL career, he’s played in just one playoff game. With Osgood out with a groin injury, Conklin was better than good Thursday, particularly early in the game when the Sharks carried play and were threatening. Osgood’s biggest issue this season has been allowing early goals.
Wonder what they will say about the Red Wings on "Hockey Night In Canada" this week? It still can’t be that the Sharks are the "best team in hockey."

Random Thoughts

- Look, neither Gerald Laird or Matt Treanor is going to remind anybody of Ivan Rodriguez in his prime, but the Tigers catching is going to be solid this coming season. About in the middle of the pack among major league teams. The bigger question is whether Brandon Inge will hit enough to justify playing third base every day.

- There are some factors pointing to a Lions’ victory Sunday over New Orleans. The Saints are just 1-6 on the road. They have been eliminated from playoff contention. Kevin Smith, Calvin Johnson and Dan Orlovsky have given the Lions’ offense some life. It’s why the Saints are just a touchdown favorite. But there is one factor that just can’t seem to be overcome: Can the Lions defense stop any team when it really has to? Especially with Drew Brees involved, that doesn’t seem likely.