On the Wings

Update (2:50 PM): I missed this earlier, but Bruce MacLeod included the “probable” Oiler lines and defensive pairings in the post linked to the 11:47 update:

Penner-Horcoff-Hemsky
Torres-Stoll-Nilsson
Sanderson-Brodziak-Reasoner
Gagner-Cogliano-Pouliot

Pitkanen-Staios
Souray-Greene
Tarnstrom-Gilbert

- Matt

Update (1:22 PM): MacLeod follows up his earlier post with one containing quotes from Mike Babcock, Matt Ellis, and Johan Franzen. Franzen and Ellis say about what you’d expect from guys in this situation: Johan is bummed about his injury, but thankful it came now rather than at the end of the season, and Ellis is looking to keep things simple during his time in the lineup.

The Babcock quote is a little more interesting: the main reason Filppula is being promoted is because he and Datsyuk gelled so well in the playoffs. I just hope Fil has become more of a finisher than he was in the postseason. That was frustrating. - Matt

Update (1:10 PM): The Freep’s Helene St. James verifies MacLeod’s report, but she hints at the fact that Babcock could change things up between the morning skate and the game itself. - Matt

Update (11:47 AM): Well, my guess on the new lines below was way off. Bruce MacLeod reports that Valtteri Filppula will move up to the top line, while Kris Draper will return to the middle to center the third. I was right about Matt Ellis, though, who apparently will center the fourth line. Here are the lines, which are presented as “probable” by MacLeod:

Filppula-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Hudler-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Cleary-Draper-Drake
Kopecky-Ellis-Maltby

It’ll be good for Fil to get that extra playing time. - Matt

Tonight is the first of four meetings between these two storied franchises this season. The Oilers won last year’s series, 3-1, with two of those wins coming in a shootout. These teams will meet twice more this calendar year, before finishing up with the fourth game in February.

The Oilers are 2-0-0 after beating the Sharks on October 4 and the Flyers two days later. Both wins came at home. In their home opener, against the Sharks, Edmonton were ahead by one going into the final minute of the game, but Joe Thornton tied it up at 19:49 and forced overtime, and then a shootout. The Oilers won it by holding the Sharks to one shootout goal to their two. In the second game, against Philadelphia, the storyline was the performance of former Flyers, Geoff Sanderson and Joni Pitkanen, who combined for 3 goals. The two had been traded in the off-season for former Oiler captain Jason Smith and Joffrey Lupul. Pitkanen’s goal was credited to him after former Red Wing Mike Knuble inadvertently kicked the puck into his own net.

The Oilers now have an old friend of ours, Dustin Penner, a former Duck and member of that infamous PPG line. Penner put the Oilers up 2-1 against the Flyers and is playing on a line with another old friend, Ales Hemsky.

Dwayne Roloson will be in net for Edmonton tonight.

The Wings are 1-0-1, with both games finishing in a shootout. Jiri Hudler was the hero in Wednesday’s home opener against the Ducks, scoring the only shootout goal on the Wings’ third shot. Saturday night, the Wings were outplayed by a highly motivated Chicago team, but were fortunate enough to carry a two-goal lead into the third period. The Hawks came back, however, and forced overtime with a late goal by former Wing Robert Lang. After a heart-attack-inducing overtime period, the game went into a shootout in which the three Detroit shooters either missed the net or hit the post. The Hawks only needed one goal to win it and got it from rookie Patrick Kane.

The Wings lost a key part of their top line when Johan Franzen went down with a knee injury in the second period Saturday night. Franzen will be out about a month, and, in the meantime, either Matt Ellis or Aaron Downey will fill in. Babcock will have to do some line juggling, but we won’t know what exactly he’ll do until perhaps after the morning skate. If I had to guess, I’d say that Ellis will get the nod to play on the fourth line with Tomas Kopecky and Dallas Drake, with Kirk Maltby moving up to take Dan Cleary’s spot on the third line with Valtteri Filppula and Kris Draper. In that scenario, Cleary would move up to the Pavel Datsyuk’s line to take Franzen’s place.

Dominik Hasek will be in net for the Wings again.

With one of their wins coming against a strong Sharks team and the other against a much-improved Flyers squad, the Oilers seem to be on a bit of a roll, even if it is only three games into the season. So the Wings will need to step it up from their performance Saturday if they want to come out on top. If they can shake more of their rust off, they should be in a good position to win tonight, but the Oilers aren’t a team to take for granted, whatever their problems. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’d like to see the game finish in regulation this time.