So it appears our worst fears were realized in game one for the Red Wings last night.  The defense seemed to be nearly nonexistent and Jimmy Howard was hung out to dry most of the night but still didn’t make any saves when the team needed them.

Is it too early to make any judgements about this team’s season, of course.  But the big issue is not just that the Red Wings looked bad, but that the Blues looked really good.  St. Louis is a strong defensive team following coach Ken Hitchcock’s trap system and behind the stellar play of goaltender Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliot.

The real key for the Blues is the development on the offensive end.  Rookie Vladimir Tarasenko is a leading candidate for the Caulder Trophy and he showed his skills in the game last night with his first and second career NHL goals.  Chris Stewart, who was brought in from Colorado last season, had a disappointing first season with the Blues but started 2013 strong with two goals of his own.

On the bright side for Wings fans one team did show some fight last night as the Griffins and the Rockford Ice Hogs squared off last night.  I will let this epic hockey fight video speak for itself:

And, bonus hockey fights!

This game ended up being 11-6 in favor of the Griffins, so the ass-kicking was on the score sheet as well as the ice.  With 230 penalty minutes total, I don’t envy the official scorekeeper on this one.