On the Wings

Update (1:57 PM): The A2Y liveblog is here. - Matt

Update (1:09 PM): Joe Hass will be liveblogging the game at Behind the Jersey. - Matt

Update (12:39 PM): The Forechecker has some keys to the game for the Preds. I can tell you right now that #1 isn’t going to happen very much.  - Matt

This afternoon is the Game 2 of the Western Conference Quarterfinal Series between the Detroit Red Wings and Nashville Predators. Detroit leads the series 1-0 after winning 3-1 Thursday night.

The Predators will be without forward Scott Nichol (broken thumb) today. He had to leave Game 1 in the first period and has since had surgery to repair the damage to his thumb.

It is possible that David Legwand (bruised foot) could make a return to the lineup for Nashville.

John Glennon of the Tennessean reports that, if Legwand is not able to go, forward Darcy Hordichuk could dress. Or, the team could opt for seven defensemen, inserting Ville Koistinen. Another option, of course, is calling up a forward from their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. A possible man for that job would be former Red Wing Josh Langfeld.

Some keys to the game for Nashville:

Continue forechecking hard. The Wings’ defensemen are probably the best in the League at moving the puck, but they can be pressured. If the Predators maintain a smart but aggressive forecheck, they could create some chance for themselevs.

Collapse to the net when on defense. If they force the Wings to continue to take long, unscreened shots, Dan Ellis will have it relatively easy again.

Capitalize on pressure shifts. Nashville had a lot of these Thursday night, but made nothing out of them. If they are able to create pressure in the Detroit end, they need to score.

Stay out of the box. With one of their best penalty killers and face-off men in Scott Nichol out, avoiding penalties is important.

Jason Arnott, JP Dumont, and Jan Hlavac. The highlight of the game for these three Thursday night was when Arnott fell to his knees at the blueline on the powerplay and inadvertantly knocked the puck out of the zone when he tried to play it. They need to be better today.

Be sure to stop by Pred-Joe and On the Forecheck. And for Nashville fans, here is the link to the Predators ISO Cam.

The Wings are expected to have the same lineup they iced Thursday night.

Some keys to the game for the Wings:

Better puck movement in their own end. One of the reasons the Predators were able to hold the puck in the Wings’ end for long periods at various points in the game was that Detroit’s in-zone passing wasn’t the best.

Get to the net. Too many shots Thursday night weren’t followed up by players heading to the net. Too many shots were taken with no one in front at all.

Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. They combined on the game winner Thursday and both had strong third periods. They need to show again today why they are two of the best players in the NHL. They also have to avoid getting killed. The Preds were suspiciously complimentary of them yesterday.

The power play. If the Predators happen to find themselves headed to the box with any frequency, the Wings need to make them pay.

Stay out of the box. The last thing the Wings need is for penalties to break up their game. That has been their downfall far too many times before. Stay out of the box and get into a rhythm with the lines.

Be sure to stop by Snapshots, Abel to Yzerman, HockeyTownTodd, Behind the Jersey, No Pun Intended, yzerman is god, Detroit Hockey, LetsGoWings, Red Wings Brasil, BR Red Wings, and Winging It In Motown.

And here is the Red Wings ISO Cam.