In both instances, the Wings’ opposition were able to capitalize immediately following the check, as Kesler received a penalty for retaliating but the Canucks scored a shorthanded goal seconds later, while Jackman took the hit to make a pass that led to a Calgary Flames goal last night.

Sometimes you simply have to take a hit to make a play.  Kesler and Jackman did just that.

You can check out both hits by Kronwall in the videos below.

During Saturday night’s game against the Nashville Predators, Eaves sacrificed his body during a penalty-kill by diving in front of a Shea Weber shot.  He would successfully block the shot, but he would also injure his foot on the play.  Unable to get to his feet and make his way off the ice, Eaves slowly began crawling to the bench.  However, with the Wings already down a man, Kronwall knew that his team could not afford to be down another as they wait for Eaves to slowly make his way off the ice, so he began shoveling his teammate towards the bench with his stick.

I’m not sure Eaves was too pleased about being pitchforked by his teammate, but some things simply need to be done for the betterment of the team.  The Wings would successfully kill the remainder of the penalty, but they would eventually go on to lose the game by a score of 3-1.

Here is a look at the incident.

Case in point, Niklas Kronwall’s disastrous one-minute shift on Tuesday night in San Jose.  With the Red Wings already short-handed, Kronwall appeared to lose his right skate blade along the boards (about the :07 mark), making the next 30 seconds nerve-racking for the rest of his team, and interesting for everyone else watching as he crawled around the ice helplessly awaiting a whistle that would allow him to go for repairs.

If you have never experienced having to play on one skate blade, it is tougher than you may think.  Just look at the first couple of seconds, when Kronwall attempts to get to his feet and push himself towards the bench.  Such efforts obviously failed, but when it was finally over, the Wings did go from being two men down (if you include Niklas), to playing even-strength as the Sharks took a penalty of their own.

And with a little bit of assistance, Kronwall would eventually make it off the ice between whistles.

The seventh week of NHL Fantasy 3 Stars is brought to you by the color red as you’ll see it on 3 out of the 4 players’ jerseys. Don’t fret though as we do show some love for other colors of the rainbow this week with our 3rd star sniper…who happens to be from Russia.

This week’s honorable mention goes to Niklas Kronwall of the Detroit Red Wings. Last week Kronwall had 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points with 3 of those points coming while on the power play. He also had two penalty minutes, a plus-5 plus/minus rating and 8 shots on goal. Niklas has really become a solid fantasy defenceman the past few years as he gets you penalty minutes, has started to put up the points, will also get you some power play points and a good plus/minus rating playing for the juggernaut Red Wings.

Lets take a look at the NHL Fantasy 3 Stars for Week 7.

3rd Star – Ilya Kovalchuk (LW), Atlanta Thrashers

Wasn’t too sure how Ilya Kovalchuk would play coming back from his injury but he showed last week that it isn’t a problem. Kovalchuk potted 3 goals while adding 5 assists for 8 points with 4 of those points coming while on the power play. He also had zero penalty minutes, a plus/minus rating of plus-4 and 12 shots on goal. Ilya will be an interesting player to watch this season as he’s scheduled to become a UFA this summer.

2nd Star – Miikka Kiprusoff (G), Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames have been hot recently and a big part of that is because of the play of goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff. Last week Kiprusoff collected two wins while posting a 0.97 GAA, .969 SAV%, 95 saves and one shutout. Miikka, just like his countrymen counter part Evgeni Nabokov, is a workhorse playing for a good team and is a top 5, maybe top 3, fantasy goaltender.

1st Star – Henrik Zetterberg (C/LW), Detroit Red Wings

Henrik Zetterberg is a top fantasy player who struggled out of the gate this season but after a great week last week has Zetterberg owners hopeful that his struggles are over. Henrik scored 4 goals while adding 5 helpers for 9 points with 3 of those points coming while on the power play. He also had two penalty minutes, a plus/minus rating of plus-5 to go with 12 shots on goal, 24 faceoffs won and two game winning goals. Although he usually saves his best for the playoffs Zetterberg is still a great player to have for your fantasy team as he’s a great talented player who plays in all key situations for the mighty Red Wings.

Remember to check back in next week to see who the NHL Fantasy 3 Stars will be for Week 8.

With just under 7 minutes left in the first period, and the Blackhawks up 2-0, a slap pass from the point by Brad Stuart went wide and was sent around the boards in the Chicago zone.  Martin Havlat picked it up just inside his own blue line.  When he turned up ice, he was greeted with the shoulder of a charging Niklas Kronwall.  Chicago’s leading scorer in both the regular season and playoffs hit the ice hard and was out.  A scrum ensued around him as his teammates went after Kronwall in his defense.

As the rough stuff continued, the refs looked to break up the fights while protecting Havlat from players’ skates as he lay motionless on the ice.  Trainers then came out and a very wobbly Havlat was taken off the ice after several minutes.  He did not return.

Kronwall was assessed a 5 minute major and a game misconduct for interference.  The call was a questionable one.  Neither ref’s arm went up when the hit was made (as footage in the replay shows).  Not even several seconds after it had occurred.  Rules do allow linesmen to make calls for 5 minute majors.  That may have been the case here.

Even then, the call can still be viewed as questionable.  The puck was in Havlat’s skates, and the hit was not from behind.  There was also no elbow, and Kronwall did not jump prior to making contact.  Some can argue that when taking into consideration how hard the hit looked and the damage it inflicted to Havlat, it is tough for the ref not to call something.  However, the 5 minute major call remains questionable.  Do legal hits become illegal when they injure someone?  How hard are you allowed to hit someone?

Detroit would end up killing off the major, but an early third period goal for the Blackhawks would put them up 3-0.  All of a sudden some may have been wondering if the Pavel Datsyuk injury is that much of a factor.  The Wings answered that with three goals in the final 5:42 of the second to even the score at 3-3.  With little offensive production in the third from both teams, overtime would be required for the second consecutive game.

Chicago was determined to avoid a similar fate as they received in game 2, and just 1:52 in they succeeded after Patrick Sharp snapped home a rebound into an empty net.  With the win, the Blackhawks can once again see the light.  It is unsure if either team will have to play without their leading scorer as the status of Havlat and Datsyuk remain up in the air.  Chicago will have to be ready for either situation if they hope to make that light a little brighter Sunday afternoon at the United Center.

Zetterberg will become a free agent at seasons end and will demand a larger contract. He currently makes $2,900,000 and is on pace for another great season where he will reach the 80 plus point mark. To put his contract into perspective he is currently on the same pay level on his Red Wings team as Daniel Cleary, Valtteri Filppula, Niklas Kronwall, and Brad Stuart.

Even Detroit, the model franchise when it comes to drafting, developing and getting players to take hometown discounts, has team-altering decisions to make. Henrik Zetterberg, Marian Hossa, Johan Franzen and Jiri Hudler (restricted) are all up, and Zetterberg is testing the Red Wings’ limits. (They gave Hossa a one-year deal equal to Nicklas Lidstrom’s $7.45 million, and a 10-year, $75 million offer to Zetterberg has apparently been rejected.)

The Red Wings may have a difficult time competing in the bidding war, it will be interesting to see if Zetterberg will be willing to take a pay cut and stay in Detroit. Last years Conn Smythe Trophy winner and Stanley Cup Champion has flourished in his 6 years in Detroit.

Is Henrik Zetterberg holding out for more money or is he just waiting for the season to finish and then resign with the Red Wings?

We have heard rumors that he may have interest in joining a team in the Eastern Conference such as the New York Rangers or the Toronto Maple Leafs.  These rumors have yet to be confirmed.

Henrik Zetterberg in our eyes is a top 5 forward in the NHL and definitely deserves top dollars.  $7.5 million a season offered by the Wings is alot of money, but if he knows he can get more then he should listen to all offers.