Monthly Archive for April, 2008Page 3 of 8

A wild start

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 24, 2008
in 2007-2008, Avalanche and Playoffs
. 2 Comments

That was a bit of a wild one. The Wings came out with guns blazing in the first and chased an allegedly ill Jose Theodore in the second.

Then the Avalanche woke up and remembered they’re in the second round. They were helped along by a couple gifts from a brain-cramping Red Wings defense and made it an interesting game down to the final minute.

After 20, it looked like the Wings might run away with this series. After 60, it looks like it’s going to be very tight, just like expected. And that was without Peter Forsberg in the Colorado lineup.

The Wings will need to make better decisions defensively in Game 2, that’s for sure.

BtJ liveblog here.

More to come tomorrow.

Round 2 Series Preview: 1 Detroit vs. 6 Colorado

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 24, 2008
in 2007-2008, Avalanche, GameDay and Playoffs
. 2 Comments

Update (6:47 PM): The guys over at the FanHouse have posted their second round roundtable in which the first topic of conversation is the Wings/Avalanche series. - Matt

Update (3:23 PM): The Denver Post’s Adrian Dater has some pre-game comments here. - Matt

Update (3:07 PM): IwoCPO has keys to Game 1 here. - Matt

Update (3:00 PM): Tapeleg has a guide to the Avalanche for “temp fans” over at Jerseys and Hockey Love. - Matt

Update (2:10 PM): With Christy Hammond working the game for the Wings, Joe Hass will liveblog the game at Behind the Jersey again. - Matt

Update (1:15 PM): Ansar Khan has the projected lines and pairings for the Avalanche:

Wolski-Sakic-Brunette
Stastny-Forsberg-Hejduk
Smyth-Arnason-Jones
McLeod-Guite-Laperriere

Sauer-Foote
Salei-Leopold
Hannan-Liles

Also, Eric McErlain has posted a preview of the series at the Fanhouse. - Matt

Update (11:35 AM): Bruce MacLeod reports that Brad Stuart will not be in the lineup tonight. His wife has given birth to their second child (Logan Michael), but he won’t make it back to Detroit until later today. MacLeod says he will skate tomorrow and will play Saturday.

Andreas Lilja will fill in for Stuart tonight. It looks like he’ll be the only change to the lineup:

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom
Franzen-Filppula-Samuelsson
Hudler-Draper-Cleary
Drake-Helm-McCarty

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Lilja
Lebda-Chelios

- Matt

Tonight is Game 1 of Series “K” between the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche.

Playoff History

In five series between these two teams historically, Colorado has the edge 3-2, with a 17-13 record through 30 games. The teams last met in the postseason in the 2002 Western Conference Finals. The Wings came out on top in that series, winning in seven.

Regular Season Series

The Wings swept the season series 4-0 with wins December 27th (4-2), January 8th (1-0), February 1st (2-0), and February 18th (4-0).

The Avalanche

Colorado finished the regular season 44-31-7. Their 95 points were good for sixth place in the West.

They faced Minnesota in the first round. The first three games went to overtime, with the Wild taking a 2-1 series lead going into Game 4. The Avs then came back to win the series in six.

Forwards

Joe Sakic leads the forward corps in playoff scoring with 6 points (2G, 4A). Andrew Brunette, Wojtek Wolski, and Peter Forsberg each have five. Milan Hejduk and Ryan Smyth are not far behind with 4 and 3 points respectively.

There’s no denying that the Avs have a lot of skill up front. Forsberg proved the doubters wrong by notching 13 assists in nine regular season games. His production obviously tailed off a bit in the playoffs thus far, but he’s still looking better than a lot of people expected. Sakic remains a threat if for no other reason than that he’s got a wicked wrist shot and is one of the great leaders from his generation remaining in the game. Wolski is a shifty guy and Stastny is a stud, though his one playoff goal is a little underwhelming. Hejduk, Brunette and Smyth remain scoring threats. This is quite the solid group.

Defense

Trade deadline acquisition Ruslan Salei leads the Colorado blueline in points with four. He is joined by a strong defensive corps that includes Adam Foote, JM Liles, Kurt Sauer, Scott Hannan, Jordan Leopold, and Jeff Finger. Not as offensively-minded as the Wings’ defense, these guys are a tough and formidable group. As much as the Foote acquistion was derided and laughed at (guilty), it’s paid off as the defense has solidified.

Goaltending

Jose Theodore is the man in Denver now and posted a .940 save-percentage and 1.88 GAA in the first round (against a Lemaire-coached Wild team, mind you). He’ll be tough to beat.

Thoughts

It’s been remarked that the lineup the Wings will face tonight is a much-improved version of that which they faced during the regular season. That is definitely true. However, the Wings are also a different team than they were the last time these two teams faced off.

During the last two meetings, the Wings were without Niklas Kronwall and had not yet acquired Brad Stuart. During the fourth game, Nick Lidstrom was injured while the team was already without Dan Cleary and Brian Rafalski in addition to Kronwall. Those are significant and make it difficult to gauge this series. It should be remembered, though, that the Wings won that fourth game in the midst of their terrible February slump.

In my mind, the biggest addition to the Avs’ roster is Peter Forsberg. There have been some speedbumps along the way, but he’s healthy and producing. His performance in this series will have a lot to say in how it goes. He’s historically a Red Wings killer and is sure to elevate his play in this round. The Wings must shut him down and that’s going to be quite the job for the player who once was compared to the famous Swedish forward: Henrik Zetterberg.

The Wings will have to play their game to perfection because the Avs can skate with them as well as any other team in the League. Their secondary forwards will need to build on their first round performances in order to match the Avs’ deep forward corps. Players like Tomas Holmstrom, Kris Draper, Darren McCarty and Dallas Drake will need to pound Forsberg, Hejduk, Stastny, Wolski, Smyth, and Company whenever they have the opportunity. Forsberg, in particular, can be goaded into visciousness and that should translate into power play opportunities.

The Wings beat a hot goaltender in the first round, but they’ll be up against one with a lot more experience this time around. Theodore is the other key to this series. He’s not going to be rattled easily and will be a definite challenge. Chris Osgood will need to match him save for save and more.

Although the rivalry is nothing it used to be, you can bet that emotions will run high. With both teams bringing back relics from the past, old memories will be stirred and bad blood will come to the surface pretty quickly.

Both teams go into this round knowing that they won’t have it easy and that they’ll have to come out firing on all cylinders. That should make for a great, tight series.

Links

James Mirtle: Round 2 picks

George Malik - “preview-a-palooza”

Abel to Yzerman: “Oh, There Will Be Blood”

No Pun Intended: series preview

Colorado Avalanche Talk: series preview

Jibblescribbits: series preview

4/23 Notes

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 23, 2008
in Aaron Downey, Brad Stuart, Kirk Maltby, Lines, Mark Hartigan and Pavel Datsyuk
. 0 Comments

Update (3:12 PM): Helene St. James reports that Kirk Maltby (hamstring) won’t play tomorrow and is doubtful for Saturday’s game. So, Darren Helm should get another game or two in the lineup. - Matt

Update (1:52 PM): Khan’s post on the Stuart question is here. - Matt

Update (1:42 PM): According to Bruce MacLeod’s lastest, Brad Stuart’s status for Game 1 is unknown. Ansar Khan told me via email that Stuart will stay in California until the baby is born. As Mike Babcock told the media, his first priority is to be there for his wife. Given Stuart’s obvious concern for her, I’d be surprised if he’s back in time for the game. I’m sure he won’t exactly hop on the first available plane following the birth, even if the baby comes today.

With the Wings’ depth on the blueline, this should be only a minor speed bump at worst. Andreas Lilja, who practiced in Stuart’s place today, can fill in ably.

By the way, kudos to the Wings for letting Stuart do this. It’s just more evidence that this is the best organization in the game. - Matt

Bruce MacLeod reports from practice that Pavel Datsyuk is on the ice after having the day off yesterday. That’s definitely good news

Brad Stuart is still in California with his wife. I would hope the plan is that he’ll be back tonight so that he can participate in the pre-game ska te tomorrow. If, however, the plan is for him to remain out West until his second child is born and as a result he isn’t back for Game 1, the Wings have options like Andreas Lilja, Derek Meech or Jonathan Ericsson.

Mark Hartigan, Kirk Maltby, and Aaron Downey are wearing the “likely scratch” greay sweaters.

Ericsson is practicing with the team again.

The lines:

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom
Franzen-FIlppula-Samuelsson
Hudler-Draper-Cleary
Drake-Helm-McCarty
Maltby-Hartigan-Downey

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Lilja (subbing for Stuart)
Lebda-Chelios
Ericsson-Meech

Osgood
Hasek
Howard

On the Caps

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 23, 2008
in Alexander Ovechkin and Capitals
. 1 Comment

Going off topic here for a minute:

The Caps’ playoff run ended at 7 games last night with a 3-2 OT loss to Philadelphia.

I was listening on the radio and was sorry to hear the Flyers win, to be honest. Wherever you stand on the marketing ploy of Crosby-versus-Ovechkin, I would think you’d have to admit that the League was better off with him in the playoffs than with him on the sidelines. He gave people a reason to tune in, just to see what he’d do next. In contrast, there is no special reason to watch the Flyers/Habs series if you’re not already a fan of either team.

Of course, there’s still Sidney Crosby. As great as the Kid is, however, I don’t know that he can match Ovechkin for sheer excitement.

One thing about the Caps’ elimination is that the Pens will be playing in New York, which will give the League plenty of attention. Of course, if the Caps hadn’t been eliminated, they’d be playing Pittsburgh, which may have generated an even bigger spotlight.

Anyway, if you’re interested in reading more on the Caps’ loss, see On Frozen Blog, Japer’s Rink, A View From the Cheap Seats, and Off Wing Opinion.

It’s Colorado

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 23, 2008
in Avalanche and Playoffs
. 2 Comments

Update (11:19 AM): Shane Giroux of Colorado Avalanche Talk provided a likely explanation for the 10:00 starts via comment:

I’m saying this without checking the entire schedule for round 2 - I just woke up and feel too lazy - but I’m guessing it’s to help avoid games being joined in progress.

Makes sense, but that doesn’t make the prospect of some very late nights any more appealing. - Matt

Update (6:21 AM): Via Ansar Khan, the schedule:

Thursday, April 24, 7:30 p.m. Colorado at Detroit VERSUS, TSN
Saturday, April 26, 3 p.m. Colorado at Detroit NBC, TSN
Tuesday, April 29, 10 p.m. Detroit at Colorado VERSUS, TSN
Thursday, May 1, 10 p.m. Detroit at Colorado VERSUS, TSN
*Saturday, May 3, 1 p.m. Colorado at Detroit NBC, TSN
*Monday, May 5, 10 p.m. Detroit at Colorado VERSUS, TSN
*Wednesday, May 7, TBD Colorado at Detroit TSN

Why couldn’t those 10:00 games be 9:00? - Matt

With San Jose beating the Calgary Flames 5-3 last night, the Wings will face the Colorado Avalanche in the second round. If nothing else, this will be a high-skill and exciting series.

More to come.

4/22 Notes

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 22, 2008
in Aaron Downey, Brad Stuart, Injuries, Kirk Maltby, Lines and Pavel Datsyuk
. 5 Comments

Update (4:00 PM): Ansar Khan says Pavel Datsyuk has the flu. Let’s hope it’s not the same “flu” that Nashville’s Jason Arnott had for Games 5 and 6 of the first round. Khan also quotes Babcock as saying Datsyuk will be back at the Joe tomorrow after spending today at home.

Khan also has more from Babcock on Kirk Maltby and Darren Helm. Basically, Babcock isn’t sure if Malts will be ready to go for Game 1, and he sounds too impressed with Helm to insert #18 anyway.

In another post, Khan reports that Tomas Kopecky (torn ACL, sprained MCL) underwent surgery today in Alabama. He’s expected to take 4-6 months to recover, so it’s possible he’ll miss the start of the season. - Matt

Update (1:14 PM): MacLeod has updated as promised:

Pavel Datsyuk is “sick,” though the team isn’t saying what he’s got. The best bet is that it’s “banged-up-itis” given that Piet Van Zant’s immediate prescription was more home rest. Babcock assured MacLeod that Pavel will “be ready to go” for the second round.

Brad Stuart missed practice because he returned home to California to be with his wife for the birth of their second child.

Kirk Maltby (hamstring) is awaiting medical clearance, but even if he gets it, he’s not a lock to play. Babcock told the media “that he doesn’t like to change the lineup when things are going well.” If Babcock opts to stand pat, he’ll be choosing Darren Helm’s youthful exuberance over Kirk Maltby’s 137 games of playoff experience.

I’m not sure how I feel on that. Do you remember Maltby much this season? Me either. Darren Helm, on the other hand, stood out and has a lot going for him in terms of speed and offensive upside. Then again, Kirk Maltby has a ton of playoff experience and after watching the ramped-up performances of Dallas Drake, Darren McCarty, and Kris Draper, it’s easy to value that above youth. Helm, though, gives the Wings a bona fide fourth-line center, a role Maltby can’t fill. But Babcock won’t be as quick to trust Helm with killing penalties. Of course, Maltby will be returning from a hamstring injury, which likely means a lost step or two. What do you think?

Also, Nick Lidstrom is, predictably enough, a Norris Trophy finalist. His competition is Zdeno Chara and Dion Phaneuf. - Matt

Bruce MacLeod reports from practice:

Pavel Datsyuk was not on the ice, though MacLeod doesn’t think there’s any reason to think it’s worse than normal playoff bumps and bruises. He promises to ask for more information, so expect an update on that later.

Brad Stuart also did not practice. The obvious reason for that is his finger, which is still healing. However, in light of Stuart’s absence, it is interesting that Jonathan Ericsson practiced “with the varsity” rather than separately with his fellow Grand Rapids call-ups. Even with Stuart out, there are eight defensemen participating (Lidstrom, Rafalski, Kronwall, Chelios, Lilja, Lebda, Meech, and Ericsson).

Kirk Maltby (hamstring) is practicing, so his return could come soon.

MacLeod says the team used the same lines that played in Game 6, though, with Datsyuk out, Maltby and Mark Hartigan working in on the top line. Aaron Downey got reps with the fourth line.

4/21 Links

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 21, 2008
in Blackhawks, Ducks, Links, NHL, Penguins and Playoffs
. 2 Comments

Update (3:54 PM): Tapeleg of Jerseys and Hockey Love has a post up on the use of the term “bandwagon” in sports.

Clearly, we need adopt a definition of “bandwagoning” that differentiates actual hockey fans who support a new team post-elimination from those non-fan leeches who ride the coattails of a team’s success and bail at the first sign of adversity. It’s one thing to follow a team that’s not your own in as a show of support for the League. It’s another to act like you’ve been there for years.  - Matt

Update (1:52 PM): James Mirtle points to an interesting quote on the octopus question in a New York Times article from last season. The League’s sudden turnaround on the issue becomes even more mystifying. - Matt

… With the Ducks getting eliminated last night, the LA media is pointing to the defense as the reason. A former Red Wing is getting particular heat:

… Schneider is incurably soft and untrustworthy defensively.

Soft maybe relative to the Ducks’ hardboiled goon squad, but then again, so are most actual hockey players. Schneider had a definite edge to him, as anyone who ever saw him react to being hit could tell you.

As for defensive untrustworthiness, he worked out pretty well in Detroit.

As Steve Ovadia points out, the problem in Anaheim can’t be pinned on one player. IwoCPO has some thoughts on this as well.

… Speaking of the Ducks, the League has belatedly decided to fine Scott Niedermayer for not showing up for training camp, as stipulated by the CBA. Why this is happening now and not in December is a mystery. James Mirtle suggests that someone in the front office of another team pushed for the fine.

… Mike Chen thinks that the officiating has been awful across the board so far in the playoffs. Dead on.

… Apparently, Wolf Blitzer doesn’t know who Sidney Crosby is. I can’t decide whether that’s sad for Blitzer as a professional journalist expected to be aware of the world around him or sad for the NHL as a professional sports league that has been pushing Crosby with all its might with that kind of reward. Probably both.

… It looks like a Wings/Blackhawks outdoor game is likely to happen (scroll way down) next season. Does anyone really think the League will foot the $200,000 bill necessary to get the Rangers and Bruins into Yankee Stadium? I didn’t think so.

… Larry Brooks says (so take it with a grain of salt) that the League is looking at eliminating the “Wayne Gretzky jersey tuck” in a bid for NFL-like uniformity. I guess it wouldn’t be surprising given the fact that the League spent tons of money on adopting sweaters that lack excess material. However, there are good ways to imitate the NFL and there are are bad ways. This is the latter.

Game 6: Wings 3, Predators 0

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 21, 2008
in 2007-2008, Game Reports, Playoffs and Predators
. 1 Comment

Update (12:25 PM): IwoCPO’s thoughts on the series are here and George Malik’s wrap-up is here. - Matt

The Detroit Red Wings advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals with yesterday’s 3-0 Game 6 win over the Nashville Predators. Their second-round opponent will be determined by the result of tomorrow night’s Game 7 between the San Jose Sharks and the Calgary Flames. If the Flames can win on the road, they’ll face the Wings next. If the Sharks pull out a win, they’ll face Dallas and Colorado will face Detroit.

The Wings put on a strong performance in the clinching game. They weathered a major first period storm put on by the Predators and gradually took control of the game. The opening frame was just about all action, with the teams trading chances up and down the ice. Both goalies looked very good. Detroit had a tendency to turn the puck over in their own zone during this period, which made things interesting for Chris Osgood.

The second period was more settled, but still had its moments excitement. One such moment that stuck out was the Predators exploitation of a bad line change around the 8:00 mark. A Brett Lebda turnover at center led to Rich Peverley outmuscling Darren Helm at the Detroit blueline and breaking in on Osgood alone. He lost control of the puck in open ice, however, which was more a demonstration of the poor quality of the ice surface than any knock against him.

The Wings went on the penalty kill at 13:37. Seven seconds later, they scored a shorthanded goal to make it 1-0. The goal came just after a faceoff at center. Nick Lidstrom received the puck from Henrik Zetterberg behind the red line and sent in a medium-strength shot that bounced in front of Dan Ellis in the slot and went in over his shoulder. It was definitely a tough break for the rookie goaltender, but a great one of the Wings. They went on to kill off a critical 5-on-3 following Kris Draper penalty at 14:43.

To the Predators credit, their play only dropped a little after that. They certainly didn’t give up after what could have been a backbreaking sequence of events.

Toward the end of the period, Pavel Datsyuk carried the puck into the zone and drove to the net like a much larger man. He got off a backhand shot and ended up barreling into Ellis as he lost an edge, knocking the net off. It seemed like a pretty straightforward play, but there was a bit of a delay as it was reviewed to make sure the puck didn’t go into the net. In the end, they made the right call: no goal.

The Wings extended their lead at 3:52 of the third with a goal from Jiri Hudler. The play began with Darren Helm carrying it into the zone on the left wing. Darren McCarty went up the middle toward the net, drawing David Legwand into Ryan Suter and leaving Hudler free as the trailer. Helm slid the puck across and Hudler unleashed a rocket that beat Ellis from 43 feet out. It was a well-deserved reward for the fourth line’s hard work throughout the game. Unfortunately, they hardly saw the ice for the rest of the game after that.

Detroit didn’t let off the gas, but had a definite defensive mindset after that. The Predators continued to come at them until the very end of the game, but the Wings limited them to just seven shots for all that. Nashville would gain the zone and set up a play that would only be broken up by a well-placed Detroit stick or skate, even if only at the last second. If a shot did get through, Chris Osgood made the save.

Late in the period, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, and Tomas Holmstrom wrought havoc in the Nashville zone, culminating in Datsyuk ringing a shot off the crossbar after forcing Ellis down and out.

Ellis was pulled with about a minute and a half remaining and Nashville put on a good amount of pressure, but as time wound down, it was evident that a comeback was not going to happen. Brian Rafalski finished it off when he pulled down a shoot-in attempt up the middle and put in the empty net from 134 feet.

The Nashville crowd cheered the Predators all through the period, down to the buzzer, and through the handshake. Regardless of the reality of the lack of support for the Predators state-wide, there is no doubt that the folks at the Sommet Center are high on their team.

Darren Helm and Dallas Drake both had strong games. Helm will be pushed out when Kirk Maltby (hamstring) returns, but he’s a great guy to have waiting on the sidelines in case of injury. Drake, as the NBC crew says, just needs to fine-tune his radar and he’ll be laying people out left and right.

The usual suspects, Holmstrom, Datsyuk, and Zetterberg, looked good. I thought Brad Stuart looked as good as he has since returning from his injury. Brian Rafalski finally looks like a playoff veteran. Niklas Kronwall had another big open ice hit. His reputation is developing as he starts playing like he did in Grand Rapids.

The Wings escaped the first round in good shape: no major injuries, no massive travel miles, and no Game 7. They also seem to be hitting their stride and should be ready to handle whoever gets thrown at them.

Links

Highlights

No Pun Intended

Behind the Jersey

Round One done

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 20, 2008
in 2007-2008, Playoffs and Predators
. 2 Comments

Quick thoughts:

Osgood made the decision to play him look better with every save.

Darren Helm is a keeper.

Darren McCarty’s comeback has paid off in spades.

Dallas Drake is a wrecking ball.

It was good to see the Wings weather the early storm and come back strong for a pretty complete game. Their third period performance was masterful.

Kudos to the Predators for never giving up, even after the Lidstrom goal and the failed 5-on-3.

My condolences to Preds fans, who showed their support loudly throughout the game as well as after it.

More coming in the morning.

Game 6: @ Nashville, 3:00 ET

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 20, 2008
in 2007-2008, GameDay, Playoffs and Predators
. 1 Comment

Update (2:41 PM): The official blog contradicts Khan and says that Legwand will be a game-time decision after he goes through warmups. - Matt

Update (2:35 PM): Ansar Khan reports that Jason Arnott will sit out today with a concussion. David Legwand, on the other hand, will play. - Matt

Update (11:07 PM): Behind the Jersey liveblog is here and PredJoe has pregame thoughts here. - Matt

This afternoon is the sixth game of the Western Conference Quartefinal series between the Detroit Red Wings and the Nashville Predators. The Wings lead the series 3-2, having won each of their home games (3-1, 4-2, 2-1 OT). The Predators won Games 3 and 4 (5-3, 3-2).

Facing elimination today, the Predators must win and force a Game 7. Some keys to the game for the Preds:

Forecheck hard. In order to disrupt the Wings’ puck possession game, they’ll need to hit it where it starts: the breakout. If the Preds can throw Detroit’s defensemen off with an aggressive forecheck, they’ll breakup the outlet process. Of course, if they get caught deep, it will backfire on them.

Ride roughshod. The Wings are no longer a stereotypically soft team. They do, however, get a little rattled when met with overly physical and just plain nasty hockey. If they are goaded into trying to return the favor, they’ll get off their game even more.

Stay out of the box. How this will work with the second key, I don’t know, but they need to stay out of the box.

Dan Ellis. He has to keep his rebounds down and his focus up. Another performance like Friday night’s and he’ll put his team in a position to pull out a win.

It looks like the Predators may still be without Jason Arnott (”flu”) and David Legwand (bruised foot).

For the Wings, this is a must-win game as well. Going to Game 7 is definitely not something anyone on that side of the ice wants to see happen. Some keys to the game for Detroit:

Score early. And not just once. Take the crowd out of it and the wind out of the Predators sails.

Go to the net. That’s how they’ll accomplish key one. Too many long and unscreened shots will result in too many easy saves for Dan Ellis. They have to buzz the net whenever they can.

Puck movement. With the Predators on the hunt physically, fast and accurate puck movement will be essential.

Keep the foot on the gas. No letting up at any point throughout the game. They need to be as close to perfect as possible.

No lineup changes for Detroit are expected.

The Wings are in a position here to move on to the second round. They even have a possible opponent lined up. They can’t think about that, however. The Predators are still between them and the Semifinals and the Predators have shown that they aren’t about to go away. A Red Wing loss today and this is anybody’s series Tuesday night.