Keenan gave rookie Curtis McElhinney high marks for his play in the first two periods but suggested the seldom-used backup showed signs of nerves in the final frame.
"That’s the next challenge for him," suggested Keenan, "to be able to close out a game when you have a two-goal lead. It wasn’t like we had a barrage of pucks coming at us."
It depends on your definition of barrage, of course. The Red Wings had 13 third-period shots and 39 overall.
...
Asked about Todd Bertuzzi's lack of point coverage on the game winning goal and -4 rating in the last two games, Keenan replied,
"Nothing is Todd's fault. He operates on another level out there, so it's not for us to question what he's doing. He's thinking eight, nine, sometimes ten moves ahead. Plus he's just so darn good looking. I mean, really...you just can't stay mad at the guy no matter what happens."
Although it seems fictional, I didn't make the first part up (just the second). Hey kid! You've been sitting on the bench for weeks and I've just thrown you into a nearly impossible situation against the defending cup champs in their own building (where we've lost 7 in a row). You made 35 saves, including a couple of highlight reelers, but hey...you need to learn how to "close out" games. Oh and Todd? Looking good buddy.
This is just...I don't...fucki...*indignant*...*choke*...!!
