Update (6:35 PM): The countdown continues. This image has been cropping up in my mind all day for some reason:

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That was from the April 3rd  Wings/Flames game last season (2-1 SO Wings). It makes me very glad Bryan Marchment is not a Flame any more. I know Calgary will be keying on Hank’s back, but I’d like to think no one on the team will try to take his knee out like that. Cross-checking his back with intent to injure (yes, intent to injure) is bad enough. Of course, it may in fact be worse, given the pretty serious nature of his injury. - Matt

Update (5:43 PM): I’m sitting here a little less than hour and a half before the puck drops and it can’t come fast enough. I don’t know what to do with myself, even though I have homework up to my eyeballs. All I want to do is watch hockey. Go, time, go!

Oh, there is a reason for this update: it’s to provide hope on Todd Bertuzzi for Game 2, via George Sipple. Apparently, his chances of playing are looking pretty good.

And here’s the bad news: according to a commentor over at A2Y, Mick “Whistle Happy” McGeough is one of the officials tonight. Prepare to see goals waived off and wild gesticulation on all penalty calls. The Wings will in in spite of the guy, right? - Matt

Update (1:35 PM): More on the Zetterberg item below (see the 11:50 AM update): Not having Ted Kulfan’s email address, I shot off an email to Ansar Khan about Hank’s back. He replied that the team has never said anything about herniation, which he agrees would be more serious than inflamation. He also wrote that if the disc was herniated, “he wouldn’t have been able to skate the last three weeks.” No, I wouldn’t think so.

So, it looks like it was just some kind of typo on either Kulfan’s part or the editing staff’s - Matt

Update (12:17 PM): Bruce MacLeod reports that Todd Bertuzzi did not skate this morning, which means there’s basically zero chance he’ll play tonight. It’s not the Wings’ style to play games with their opponents by inserting into the lineup after all this talk about how he’s injured, so don’t expect to see him until Sunday, at the earliest.

Also, Robyn Regehr will not play for Calgary, which is good news that largely offsets the negativity of Bertuzzi’s absence. (via A2Y) - Matt

Update (11:50 AM): Well, the latest update on Henrik Zetterberg’s injury in the Detroit News includes an interesting tidbit:

“Zetterberg has been out since Feb. 26, when an inflamed herniated disc forced him out of practice..” (my emphasis)

So, Hank’s disc was in fact herniated? Or was that some kind of typo? The fact that “inflamed” is there too, seems to imply that “herniated” was a mistake. Still, it’s worrisome. A herniated disc is a much more serious thing than an inflamed one and, if this wasn’t a typo by the News, it could mean surgery.

You can count on the Flames to key on Hank’s back even more now. (via LGW Forums) - Matt

Update (10:55 AM): I meant to include this below: George Malik of Snapshots linked to a Calgary Herald article in which Mathieu Schneider had some comments about the Flames’ game plan, which is to wear the Wings down physically. I agree with what Schneids says, particularly this part:

“You can’t keep up that physical play . . . for 60 minutes, and we end up wearing teams down by the third period. We know teams are coming after us for the first 10, 15 minutes. Look at St. Louis, Nashville, Columbus — they come out and they run at us. It’s almost humanly impossible to keep that up for 60 minutes, especially when teams aren’t playing four lines. I think that’s why we had a lot of success in the third — a lot of patience, wearing teams down.”

That’s where I was going with that, “they can’t roll four lines,” bit below. The Wings can and that’ll make a difference. - Matt

Update (9:17 AM): That reminds me, I got an email from someone I assume must be doing PR for Versus yesterday with a link to a page that should get you in the playoff mood, if you’re not already warmed up. Vote for your favorite moments, just be sure not to vote for the Messier clips (I’m with you, James). Good to see two Wings-related bits in the Top 5 at the moment. - Matt

Update (9:12 AM): TJ Ansley, the promotions manager on 1270 XYT The Sports Station, shot me an email this morning:

Wanted to let you know plus you can let your readers know that along with the game tonight being on 97.1 in Detroit you can also hear the game for the firt time on our website via the stream at 1270sports.com. We are very excited about this and want to get the word out.

So, if you’re away from a TV, but have internet access, be sure to check out the game feed there. - Matt

Unfortunately, I’m too busy this week with school to write up the comprehensive preview I had hoped to do, so this will be less in-depth than some and definitely not as well-researched. I may add to it throughout the day if I can.

Tonight is the 2007 playoff opener between the Detroit Red Wings and the Calgary Flames. It’s been nearly a year since we saw the Wings in postseason action and, if the memories from that last, abbreviated run are too painful for you, get ready to make new, and hopefully better, memories this time around. Once again, the Wings are the #1 seed and once again, they’re facing a #8 from Western Canada, a team that only made the playoffs in the last days of the season. The difference is, the Flames have lost the element of surprise, as the Wings learned a lesson last year against the Oilers and aren’t going into the series expecting to have wins handed to them on a silver platter.

The Flames finished the season 43-29-10 with 96 points, coming very close to missing the playoffs as the Colorado Avalanche made a major push at the end. Calgary didn’t help their cause by blowing their final four games, including two to the Avs. However, they made it in and that’s our concern now.

They have a very good goaltender in Miikka Kiprusoff and have a good young defensive corps. However, they aren’t as strong on the blueline as they were in 03-04, Dion Phanuef, Roman Hamrlik and Robyn Regehr notwithstanding, and the loss of Regehr to a knee injury at the end of the season will be a big one if he’s out any longer than Game 1.

Their offense is more well-rounded this year, with Kristian Huselius and Alex Tanguay finishing third and second in scoring on the team with 81 and 77 points, respectively, behind Jarome Iginla. In fact, the Flames scored three more goals overall than the Wings did this season with 255, which was good for 7th in the League. Still, they can’t roll four lines like Detroit.

The Wings, on the other hand, finished the season 50-19-13, with 113 points, and the question for them down the stretch was whether they’d be able to win the Division. They did that when they earned a point a week ago against Chicago. They ended up 1st in the Conference, which isn’t the most enviable position, based on their history, but at least they didn’t win that useless piece of crystal called the President’s Trophy.

Like most previous years, the Wings have a strong defense. The difference this time around is that it’s an overall team thing and their defensive corps was one of the best in the League until the recent loss of Niklas Kronwall to a pelvis injury. They remain dangerous on the blueline, however, with Nick Lidstrom, Mathieu Schneider, Danny Markov, and Chris Chelios, as well as the lesser-known Brett Lebda handling the back end of their attack. These are the guys who will make it very difficult for Kristian Huselius to make good on his trash talk about Hasek, because the Flames aren’t going to have an easy time of it getting shots off.

Up front, they boast one of the best pairs of forwards in the League in Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, who I believe will silence the doubters this time around as he and Zetterberg tear it up with Tomas Holmstrom on the wing, in spite of Robyn Regehr’s best efforts. I don’t think injuries will be a problem for Hank, he’s too much like The Captain. Kyle Calder, Dan Cleary, and Johan Franzen have the feel of the unknown playoff scorer, and Valtteri Filppula and Jiri Hudler will bring a dimension to the fourth line few teams can match. Todd Bertuzzi, while out for Game 1, should be a decisive factor in the series, as I believe he has something to prove and will hit his stride quickly. I have a similar feeling about Franzen, who I think will be a wreckingball and who seems to be setting himself up to get his name out there as a force.

Between the pipes, they have Dominik Hasek, and for emergencies, Chris Osgood. To be honest, I’m fully confident in either player, and I believe that their abilities, coupled with the Wings’ shot-reducing defense, will be up to the task of beating the Flames improved-but-still-comparatively-shallow offense.

In all of the above areas, the case is arguable. I’m just presenting my perspective as a fan who’s watched the Wings all year. I try not to speak as definitively about the Flames, because I don’t feel qualified. That’s a job for the Flames bloggers on the right and below. However, I will say that one area in which the Wings have a clear advantage is coaching. Jim Playfair just isn’t as good a coach as Mike Babcock, so this isn’t going to be like last playoffs when Babs was outcoached by Craig MacTavish. It seems to me that the Wings’ personnel are better and I think Babcock gives the team overall an edge.

That’s why I say Wings in 5. I think they’re ready for this and are setting out to prove they can win in the postseason. This team has a mission and it’s to regain their winning reputation. They have a big mental obstacle to get over in Game 1, but I think they’ll overcome it and end up going to Calgary up 2-0. The Flames’ impressive ability to win at home will earn them Game 3, but I see the Wings rebounding in Game 4 with a win to go home up 3-1, setting up the elimination in Game 5. Is it fantasy? Right now, it is. Is it over-confidence? Probably. Talk to me later tonight and I might have a totally different take. That prediction is just my feeling going into this, after a season of seeing in this Wings team a fighting spirit that has been lacking in recent years.

I just want the puck to drop. It’s going to be a long day.

Be sure to check out these previews as well, if you haven’t already:

Wings bloggers:
Behind the Jersey
Abel to Yzerman
Gorilla Crouch

Flames bloggers:
Open Ice Hits
Flames Blog
Five Hole Fanatics
The Real Deal (forwards, coaching, defense)

Media:
Freep
News
Calgary Herald
Calgary Sun