Monthly Archive for February, 2007Page 3 of 6

GameDay: vs. Edmonton (29-26-6, 64 Pts) 7:30 ET

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 23, 2007
in 2006-2007, GameDay and Oilers
. 0 Comments

Tonight is the fourth and final game between these two teams this season. The Oilers lead the series 2-1, with wins October 21 (3-1) and November 18th (4-3 SO). The Wings won the November 8th meeting, 3-0.

The Oilers are 4-4-2 in February so far, with their wins coming against Colorado, Chicago, Atlanta, and Columbus. The win over the Blue Jackets, which came last night, halted a 0-2-2 stretch in which they lost to Boston, Buffalo (OT), Toronto, and Ottawa (SO), all on the road. Edmonton is nearing the end of a 7-game road trip that began on the 13th in Boston, and will end on Sunday in Minnesota.

They trail Calgary by 7 points for the last playoff spot.

Their leading goal-scorer is Ryan Smyth, who stands at the “when pigs fly” end of the Wings’ trade options spectrum. He scored his 30th goal last night and notched two assists.

Dwayne Roloson played last night and had 28 saves for his fourth shutout this season, but the AP suggests that Jussi Markkanen may play tonight.

The Wings have posted a 7-2-0 record in February thus far, with their only losses coming in St. Louis and Philadelphia. They have won their last three, including games in Dallas and Phoenix, and coming off a solid 4-2 win over Chicago on Wednesday. They’ll fly to Nashville after the game tonight to kick off a two-game road trip tomorrow night.

Because the Predators lost to the Habs in a shootout last night (6-5)*, the Wings remain on top of the Western Conference, though both teams have 84 points. Although the Preds have more wins (40), the Wings have won more (39) in fewer games (61 versus 62), so they win the tie-breaker.

The Free Press reports that Dominik Hasek will start tonight, but will not play tomorrow. The Wings are apparently not yet ready to start Dom in back-to-back situations, though there is talk that he will do so next month. Chris Osgood will be in net instead. I personally don’t have a problem any more with them going with Dom the first night because it’s all about keeping him healthy. The team doesn’t get a full workout tomorrow and since a good skate is a big part of a pregame routine that is designed to prevent injury, it’s better if Dom doesn’t play if he can’t go through that.

This is a important game for the Wings, who need to capitalize on the Preds’ loss last night and get some separation from the Preds going into the game in Nashville tomorrow night. The Oilers aren’t going to roll over, though, and so the concern is that the Wings will end up being too tired to handle the Predators tomorrow night. It’s going to be interesting to see how they deal with playing back-to-back games against such speedy and physical opponents.

*Update (12:16 PM): I just want to point out that Peter Forsberg wasn’t on the ice for any of the Preds’ five goals. Peter the Great has zero points and is minus-1 in three games with Nashville. That should make you feel happy. I know it makes me smile. - Matt

Aftonbladet article on Zetterberg in translation

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 22, 2007
in Henrik Zetterberg, Hockey Bloggers, Hockey Media, Links, Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Holmstrom
. 0 Comments

Paul Kukla has a very rough translation of the Aftonbladet article that includes the picture that had the lockerroom laughing yesterday. As is usually the case with these machine translations from Swedish, it can get pretty humorous.

Wings 4, Hawks 2

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 22, 2007
in 2006-2007, Blackhawks and Game Reports
. 3 Comments

I watched the game but didn’t take notes so I only have a few comments.

… Dominik Hasek looked great last night, I thought. He made a number of key saves on some dangerous Blackhawk chances and kept the Wings in the game, especially in the first period. He was the victim of a great play by Duncan Keith to Radim Vrbata on the first goal, one that perhaps could have been better-defended by Mathieu Schneider and Niklas Kronwall. On the second goal, the Hawks got a lucky break as the puck bounced off Schneider and hit Hasek, who hadn’t gotten quite set after the puck went off the backboards, as he lost his balance.

… Pavel Datsyuk’s breakaway shorthanded goal in the third period was a thing of beauty, one of those goals that makes you laugh and shake your head in amazement. I had a smile on my face for a good 10 minutes afterward, even though the Hawks scored their second goal 1:29 later. Adrian Aucoin’s nightmare began there.

… It continued when Datsyuk’s pass deflected off his stick a few minutes later on its way to Henrik Zetterberg, who then put it past Nikolai Khabibulin to give the Wings a 3-2 lead at 13:38. The goal came on a delayed Chicago penalty and apparently the deflection off Aucoin’s stick was not enough possession to get a whistle.

… Aucoin’s night as goat of the game culminated in his fanning on a clearing attempt in the final minute with Khabibulin on the bench. Zetterberg picked up the puck and almost apologetically put it in the net to make it 4-2 Wings at 19:22. If it makes you feel any better, Adrian, Datsyuk and Zetterberg have been burning defensemen for two months now. You have a lot of company in that regard.

… Overall, I thought the Wings looked pretty good last night. The Hawks certainly had their moments, but most of that revolved around Martin Havlat and Hasek was generally up to the task. The Wings generated solid pressure on all four lines and played fairly physically. A good win and hopefully one that will give them momentum going into a busy weekend.

Dave at Gorilla Crouch also has a reaction to the game.

… At one point, Ken Daniels brought up the fact that Dominik Hasek will be playing back-to-back games soon. He said he doubted the Wings would start him this Friday and Saturday night, but suggested that they may go with Chris Osgood at home against Edmonton and Hasek on the road in Nashville. I can’t say I’d be in favor of that.  I still don’t like the idea of Dom playing when he isn’t able to go through his full pre-game routine, even if he’s been okay so far and has been cleared. Dom and the training staff know best, obviously, but it makes me uneasy.

GameDay: vs. Chicago (22-28-9, 53 Pts) 7:30 ET

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 21, 2007
in 2006-2007, Blackhawks and GameDay
. 2 Comments

Tonight is the fourth of eight games between these two Central Division teams this season. The Wings lead the series 3-0, with wins November 2nd (2-1), December 14th (3-2), and January 13th (6-3). They’ll face each other once more this month before a game in March and the remaining two games in April.

Since losing to the Wings last month, the Hawks have gone 5-6-4. Their last win came on February 11th in Columbus, and they have lost their last three, with two coming in shootouts, since then. They are coming off a 2-1 loss to the Rangers on the road Sunday and will wrap up a short two-game road trip tonight.

Martin Havlat has been hot lately, having scored 8 goals in his last 10 games, including the lone Chicago goal in their loss to the Rangers. It was his 23rd of the season.

I expect Nikolai Khabibulin to be in net tonight.

The Wings are 10-4-1 since January 14th and have won their last two. Their most recent loss came on February 12th, an embarrassing 6-1 rout by the Flyers which came the night after the Wings dominated the Flames, 7-4. Since the loss, they have beaten Dallas (3-1) and Phoenix (4-1).  The game in Phoenix ended a three-game road trip and tonight’s game begins a two-game homestand in which they will host Edmonton Friday night. Saturday night is an important game in Nashville.

The Wings are one point behind Nashville for the Division lead following the Preds’ 4-1 win over the Coyotes on Monday. The Predators play again on Thursday and have a good chance to beat the struggling Habs. With a game against the Preds coming up on Saturday, the Wings have a great opportunity to pass them with wins tonight and Friday night.

Dominik Hasek should be in net tonight.

The Wings need to continue their dominance of the Hawks tonight for the reason stated above. They aren’t going to be able to pass Nashville for good this weekend, but it’s important that they keep pace with the Preds now or else catching them will be that much more difficult in the end.

Samuelsson Update

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 20, 2007
in Injuries, Links and Mikael Samuelsson
. 0 Comments

Helene St. James, writing on a newly refurbished Free Press blog, has provided an update on Mikael Samuelsson’s condition today. Apparently, Sammy is expecting to skate as early as next week, and is hoping to be back for at least the last fifteen of the Wings’ 22 remaining games. He’s been out since January 20th and had a setback two weeks while skating in practice. His return will hopefully help jumpstart the stalled second line.

Zetterberg again named First Star

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 19, 2007
in Henrik Zetterberg and Links
. 0 Comments

Henrik Zetterberg has been named the NHL’s First Star for the second week in a row after posting 8 points in three games since the 12th. Hank’s decision to sit out the All Star Game is looking better and better all the time.

Wings 4, Coyotes 1

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 18, 2007
in 2006-2007, Coyotes and Game Reports
. 2 Comments

The Wings took first place in the Conference last night with their 4-1 win over Phoenix. They were able to do so thanks to the Minnesota Wild’s 4-1 defeat of Nashville in Peter Forsberg’s debut. Powered by Henrik Zetterberg’s first career hat trick, the Wings finished the season series with the Coyotes 4-0 and put themselves a point ahead of the Preds with 60 games played for each team.

Dominik Hasek was in net for the Wings and played quite well considering he only faced 9 shots through the first 40 minutes. In the third, however, he was called upon to make some key saves and he didn’t disappoint. He was beaten only by a tip-in and otherwise had a great game in his return from the wrist injury. He looked calm and confident, and was definitely on top of his game.

Mikael Tellqvist was in net for the Coyotes, not Curtis Joseph, who I had predicted to start. He had a great game himself and Phoenix would have been in worse trouble had he not, as the Wings managed to get a number of high quality scoring chances throughout the night.

The first period began with both teams charging out of the gate. Action for the first five minutes or so was pretty exciting as they traded chances. The Wings had a couple great rushes disrupted by unforced errors, such as Pavel Datsyuk’s blowing a tire around the 3:05 mark and Jason Williams’ lazy pass aimed at a streaking Robert Lang that ended up being intercepted 30 seconds later or so. On that same shift, Lang, Williams, and Dan Cleary put up some power play-like pressure in the Phoenix zone, but it didn’t result in a goal. Not long after that, Dominik Hasek made a casual save on a dangerous rush that ended with the puck going at the net off Bill Thomas’ skate. Dom just calmly scooped it up with his glove and got a whistle.

Things slowed down around the 5:00 mark. Hasek made another great save at 6:54, this time on Ed Jovanovski, who had crept up. Dom stoned him at the right post on the shot that came from 10 feet out. After the subsequent face-off, the Wings had a little trouble clearing the puck. Until Brett Lebda picked it up, that is. After the puck was sent back deep into the Detroit end by the Coyotes, Lebda picked it up, spun and immediately sent it up ice to Johan Franzen at the red line. It was a perfect pass, right on the tape, and, Franzen was able to take it in and get a shot off. To me that’s more evidence of how good Lebda is and how important he is for the Wings’ transition game, as George Malik pointed out the other day. I’ll never understand Brett’s detractors.

As well as Tellqvist played last night, he was helped by the Wings’ missing the net completely on a number of occasions. Case in point: Tomas Holmstrom had two great chances in one shift but sent it wide on both, first off the rush when his backhand clanged off the backboards, and then a little later when Zetterberg’s pass put him in prime scoring position. Homer put it up and over the net. Thirty seconds after Holmstrom’s chance, Niklas Kronwall had a great one of his own, but he ran out of real estate as he stuffed the puck in Tellqvist’s pads. Going the other way, the Coyotes had a good scoring opportunity but Hasek came up big.

Continue reading ‘Wings 4, Coyotes 1′

Bill Guerin beats Predators

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 17, 2007
in Bill Guerin, Blues, Predators and Video
. 3 Comments

This was the only goal of the game in the Blues’ shutout of Nashville last night.

I have to say that I’m a bit more interested in Guerin after seeing that replay. He’s not making it any easier for the Wings to pursue him, though, by scoring goals like that. His price is rising fast.

By the way, he inexplicably reminds me of Staff Sergeant Martin from Band of Brothers. They don’t really look alike at all, do they? (via. St. Louis Game Time)

Shanahan taken off ice on a stretcher

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 17, 2007
in Brendan Shanahan
. 0 Comments

Update (4:30 PM): The AP has more here (and at the TSN link below, which is obviously one of their “living reports”), including the great news that Shanny was moving as he was taken off. According to The Forechecker, they reported during the Thrashers/Senators game that he is “alert and seems to be OK at the hospital.” Good news. - Matt

Update (4:07 PM): Paul Kukla has a screencap of the beginning of the hit here. - Matt

Update (4:05 PM): The CP has issued their snippet on the incident and include something I forgot to mention: Shanahan was speaking as he was taken off the ice. - Matt

Thanks to James Mirtle for alerting me to the fact that Brendan Shanahan had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher, neck-brace and all, after an accidental collision with Philadelphia’s Mike Knuble. The media hasn’t picked it up yet, but there are people posting reactions over at LetsGoWings.com. James told me they took him straight to the hospital and that the medical crew was apparently “shaken up.” According to the forum thread, his head hit the ice after his helmet slid off and he was out for up to 6 minutes before waking.

I’m waiting for more information, but hopefully it’s not something serious. It doesn’t sound very good, though. I’m not looking forward to seeing the replay.

Knuble is also hurt as a result of the hit, as he had to be helped off the ice and didn’t return.

Here’s James’ own post on the incident.

GameDay: @ Phoenix (25-30-3, 53 Pts) 9:00 ET

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 17, 2007
in 2006-2007, Coyotes and GameDay
. 1 Comment

Update (5:47 PM): Looks like George Sipple has emended his report on the Holmstrom signing. It now says that the deal is believed to be for a little over $2 million a year. - Matt

Tonight is the fourth and final game between these two teams this season. The Wings have won the previous three, beginning with a 9-2 blowout at home on October 11th. The next win came on January 11th, a 5-1 decision on the road, and the most recent game, on February 7th, finished 4-2 Wings.

The Coyotes have lost four in a row, including three after losing to the Wings on the 7th. They dropped the two remaining games of a road trip, first against the Panthers and then against the Lightning, before returning home and losing overtime to Anaheim on Thursday. They blew a 3-goal lead to the Ducks, so that point from not losing in regulation can’t be much consolation. The Coyotes are well out of the playoffs, by the way, so they have little to lose at this point.

On Thursday, Phoenix captain Shane Doan condemned himself to five more years in the desert by signing a $22.5 million contract extension that could be the last of his career as he’ll be near retirement by the end of it.

Former Red Wings goalie Curtis Joseph has allowed 13 goals in his last three games, including five against Anaheim, and has a 6.60 GAA against Detroit this year.

Since beating the Coyotes last week, the Wings have posted a 2-2-0 record. They were shutout by the Blues on the 8th and they followed it up with a commanding 7-4 win over Calgary on the following Sunday. The next night, however, they hit a seasonal low point by losing 6-1 to the dead-last Flyers. The team rebounded on Wednesday, however, with a well-played 3-1 win over Dallas.

They are one point behind Nashville for the Central Division lead and will be keeping an eye on the Preds’ game with Minnesota tonight. It will be Peter Forsberg’s debut with Nashville, but we fans will have to wait a week before we get to see him, as the Wings face them next Saturday. As far as reactions to the trade go, the Wings have a more even keel than some fans or pundits, with Ken Holland saying he won’t react just to react, and Mike Babcock saying, “I really like our team.” I do too, Babs, but an addition probably wouldn’t be a bad thing. The players aren’t worried, though they admit it’s a big deal for the Predators. Danny Markov told the Free Press, “Good for Nashville. I don’t think it’s going to change this locker room.”

Dominik Hasek is slated to return to the ice tonight after sitting out four games with wrist tendonitis. Incidentally, it was against the Coyotes that he last played, as his wrist flared up during the February 7th game.

Ken Holland can put a check-mark on his list of players to sign this summer, as he has locked up Tomas Holmstrom for three-more years, the Free Press reports. Contract terms have not come out yet, but Homer makes $1.5 million this year, and it’s not unreasonable to assume he’ll make that much, not not more, after the season he’s having. It could be a front-loaded/tiered salary plan, with him getting the most next season and the rate going down over the next two seasons. He’s 34 now and it’s hard to see him playing past 37, given how much punishment he takes every night. Anyway, it’s good to see Kenny get that out of the way. It’ll make the more difficult contract negotiations, such as those with Pavel Datsyuk, Mathieu Schneider, and Danny Markov, go a little easier.

The Wings need to win tonight and keep pace with the Preds, who are the favorites over the Wild. They’ve outscored Phoenix 18-5 this season and need to continue that kind of dominance. However, it’s a game they should win, so expect some kind of trouble, despite their easy handling of Phoenix thus far.