On the Wings

Update (5:06 PM): IwoCPO’s keys to the game are here.  - Matt

Update (3:46 PM): Helene St. James cites the botched line change at the end of Game 3 as the reason behind the decision to scratch Lilja tonight.

I’m sorry, but to me Andreas is getting the shaft here. Whatever you think about his performance in general, I can’t see how it’s his fault he was left alone on that play. Frankly, given how little Arnott was held up by the wingers, the situation would have been a lot worse had Lilja made it all the way to the bench. As it is, I think he saw the play develop and tried to stop the hemorrage.

We’d be ripping him a new one today if he had gone off and there was no one back. Even Lidstrom, who came on for Chelios, wasn’t able to get back in time to cover Arnott.

Anyway, St. James also says that Darren Helm will take part in the pre-game skate, which means a decision on the mysterious unnamed injured forward won’t be made until after then. - Matt

Update (1:52 PM): Lilja haters rejoice: Ansar Khan reports that Brett Lebda is in for Andreas Lilja tonight. The team is sacrificing shot blocking in favor of speed. Lebda will play with Chris Chelios.

He also says that it’s possible Darren Helm could play, “depending on the status of an unidentified player who has a minor injury.” No one skipped out on practice, though, so there’s no hint as to who that player is. The first name that comes to my mind is Henrik Zetterberg. - Matt

Update (12:59 PM): Bruce MacLeod has the projected Red Wings lines for Game 4.

It doesn’t look like there will be any lineup changes as far as the forwards are concerned. MacLeod does leave open the possibility of Brett Lebda coming in for Andreas Lilja, however.

The interesting thing is that the Eurotwins are together in practice. MacLeod says,

The fact that Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are together in the morning skate means that they’ll play on the same line for considerably longer than the two seconds they did at the start of Game 3.

He goes on to say that they can, of course, be split up if needed. - Matt

Update (11:25 AM): Bruce MacLeod has updated from the Predators’ morning skate. Nothing earth-shattering. Both David Legwand and Jason Arnott are expected to play, though the former is not practicing. - Matt

Update (9:37 AM): George Malik addresses the Wings’ composure issue here. - Matt

Update (8:24 AM): George Malik scouts the Predators here. - Matt

Tonight is the fourth game of the Western Conference Quarterfinal series between the Detroit Red Wings and the Nashville Predators. Detroit leads the series 2-1 after winning Game 1 and Game 2. Nashville won Game 3.

This is a must-win game for the Predators. They face the prospect of going down 3-1 in the series with a loss, but a win puts them in position for a possible upset. Some keys to the game for Nashville:

Score first. If anything, this series has shown that the Wings, however briefly, get somewhat rattled after Nashville scores. The goal should be as fluky and sudden as possible, for maximum shock value.

Be physical. The more physical the Predators are, the more physical the Wings will feel they have to be in response. Monday night showed that when the Wings go out of their way for a hit, the ice opens up for Nashville to exploit.

End power plays with a goal, not a penalty. Nashville’s tendency to take penalties while on the power play can’t be a factor tonight.

Keep Detroit away from Dan Ellis’ rebounds (or, Dan Ellis: no rebounds). Pretty self-explanatory.

It doesn’t look like there will be any lineup changes for the Preds. David Legwand (bruised foot) is probable.

This isn’t quite a must-win situation in the literal sense for the Wings, but that doesn’t mean it’s not extremely important that they gut one out here. They have a chance to take a stranglehold on the series as it heads back to Detroit. The alternative, a 2-2 series, is something I don’t even want to contemplate. There’s too much history in the negative direction.

Some keys to the game for Detroit:

Come out hard. They need to take the Predators out of it in the early going. There’s no reason why Nashville should have a monopoly on the fast-and-hard start. If the Wings pound Dan Ellis in the first ten and get a couple past him, they can then concentrate on playing a more measured, patient game of puck possession the rest of the night.

Team defense. The Wings showed a committment to team defense throughout the regular season and they need to have it in spades tonight. They need to shut the Predators down in every zone and demonstrate the dominance that led to the Jennings Trophy.

Composure. If the Predators do break through the defense and crack Dominik Hasek, the team needs to stay calm. It’s a veteran group and that shouldn’t even be an issue. Mike Babcock’s role in this is key.

Reunite the Eurotwins. In theory, it’s a great idea to separate them on the road. In practice, it didn’t work out so well. Babcock should dare Trotz to try and stop those two. Just be sure to back them up with decent ice time for Darren McCarty.

It’s possible that we may see a lineup change or two, but it won’t be a strict shakeup if it happens. Babcock told the media there may be a change if one or more of the guys need to rest some injuries.

It’s going to be a long day, folks.