Jonathan Toews high stick on Justin Abdelkader...Was this Embellishment?

Former Fighting Sioux forward Jonathan Toews had a rough night for the Chicago Blackhawks, he beat a path to the penalty box, taking three minor penalties, this one was laughable based on some of the calls the on-ice officials have missed this season. Sure there was a penalty but, come on! Abdelkader sold this one big time with his Academy Award winning acting job. On this play, Johnny was assessed a two minute minor for high sticking Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader. So, what do think? Was there was some embellishment on the play from Abdelkader? I do believe there was. Thoughts and feelings…

(Video) Patrick Kane goal and did Johan Franzen take a dive?

Nice goal by Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane. One of the lone bright spots in tonight's game for the Blackhawks. The Redwings proved to be the better team again for a second game in a row.

If you’re a fan of either team, you might not be the one to ask. Watch the video; I want to see if anyone else is seeing this as well. It appears that Detroit forward Johan Franzen embellished this hit just a bit; I am not saying he wasn't hit from behind, because he was. But in my opinion, I think that Franzen could have received an academy award for his acting ability. Thoughts... Should the refs blown the whistle on the play? In my opinion, I thought the refs made the right call my not blowing the play dead. Feel free to disagree if you like.

(VIDEO) Viktor Stalberg misses check on the wings Jakub Kindl

Ouch! That has to hurt... This is the end result of Viktor Stalberg’s attempted check on Detroit defenseman Jakub Kindl, as you can see by the video, the Red Wings defenseman moved at last second and Stalberg whiffed on the attempted hit.

(Video) Corey Perry Goalie interference on Jimmy Howard

This could have been a very dangerous play, which could have had a bad end result as Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry's skate was very close to the head area of Detroit Redwings goalie Jimmy Howard. Obviously, it wasn't what I would call a deliberate or a dirty play, it was just a dangerous play. Perry was doing what all good forwards do, he was going hard to the net. Goalies are in a dangerous field. Thank God we didn't have another Clint Malarchuk injury on our hands.

NHL Realignment Solves A Lot Of Logistic Issues

After much speculation, the NHL has finalized a plan for realignment that will go into effect next season. While nothing can be absolutely perfect, the new setup of the league will benefit a lot of teams when it comes to travel and developing natural rivals.

Two of the biggest winners will be the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets, who will move into the Eastern Conference. For teams in the state of Michigan and Ohio, it made very little logistical sense to spend so much time on the other side of the country.

The Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars will also benefit from being able to stay closer to home in their new division. Those three teams will now be competing against teams in St. Louis, Nashville, Denver and Chicago.

Perhaps the only two teams that really seem to lose out on the realignment are the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. They will be in a division with three Canadian teams along with Buffalo, Boston and Detroit. It is hard to make everyone happy, and no matter who the Florida teams play, they would have to travel to make things work.

Besides saving on travel, the benefits of realignment will help not only strengthen current rivalries, but build new ones as well. Detroit is back in the Eastern Conference, and they will square off against old rivals such as Toronto, Boston and Montreal throughout the year. New teams such as Columbus will also get to build rivalries with teams close by, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins.

With negativity still surrounding the NHL after the lockout, the realignment plan is welcomed good news. Fans, players, fantasy hockey players and owners all are mostly satisfied with the results. If the NHL does in fact expand to 32 teams in the future, the two conferences can be evened out again as well.

Niklas Kronwall double minor Charlie Coyle

I don't like this hit, Detroit Defenseman Niklas Kronwall hits Wild forward Charlie Coyle and  is known for these types of questionable, high hits, and he gets away with them on a regular basis. A lot of times, it's under the guise of him being a bigger player, than the players that he's hitting. In my opinion, it's because he tends to leave his feet.

In no way, am I suggesting that the NHL suspend him for this hit, because they wont, nor should they. Coyle also needs to be aware of what is coming in this situation.

Mark Olver steam rolls Vladimir Tarasenko

What a hit by former Northern Michigan Wildcat and current Avalanche forward Mark Olver on Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko. From the looks of it, it appears that Tarasenko is knocked a little woozy. There was no penalty called on the play.

David Backes hit on Kent Huskins [match penalty]

This was the hit that St. Louis Blues forward David Backes put on Detroit Redwings defenseman Kent Huskins. Backes was given a five minute major and match penalty. In looking at the video it doesn't look like Backes even hit Huskins in the head. What do you think?