Even though the Red Wings started the season 4-0-0, they were surprisingly scoreless on the power play (0-for-18) in those wins. Thanks to almost a week of practice since their last game, on Friday night they started the scoring with a pair of power play goals and wound up 3-for-5 on the night in their 5-2 beating over the still-winless Columbus Blue Jackets.
Johan Franzen lit the lamp first at the 9:03 mark of the first period, capitalizing off of an R.J. Umberger holding penalty. Franzen settled a bouncing puck off of the stick of Valtteri Filppula and wristed one to the right of Jackets' goaltender Steve Mason, who was being screened beautifully by Dan Cleary.
Franzen found the net again five minutes later at the 14:21 mark when he attempted to pass one in front to Cleary, but the Jackets' defenseman blocked it back onto the stick of Franzen. Franzen was then able to squeak it past Mason for the second power play goal of the period for the Red Wings. Valtteri Filppula assisted on the play again.
The Jackets cut the lead to 2-1 going into the second period, but Pavel Datsyuk's second goal of the season represented the lone goal in the second before the Wings added two more goals in the third. Nicklas Lidstrom (2) and Valtteri Filppula (2) were the third period goal scorers for the Wings.
The Wings are now a still-perfect 5-0-0 on the season and next play tomorrow in D.C. vs the also undefeated Capitals (6-0-0). It should be a good one.