On the Wings

Update (10:53 PM): As you’ve probably noticed, Chris Chelios is not in the lineup tonight. Ansar Khan reports that the club is saying he has a “lower body injury,” though Chelios claims he’s fine.

Andreas Lilja is playing in Chelios’ place. - Matt

Update (4:36 PM): One other detail on the TV arrangement for tonight: if you’re outside the right viewing areas but have DirectTV or Dish Network, you can bypass Versus’s coverage of any prospective Rangers/Pens overtime  by switching to channel 659 (DirectTV) or 452 (Dish Network). - Matt

Update (3:30 PM): The Rocky Mountain News confirms that Joel Quenneville is looking at putting Jeff Finger into the lineup as the 7th defenseman. - Matt

Update (3:09 PM): Steve at Kukla’s Korner has the information you need to know in case the Pens/Rangers game goes into overtime tonight.

Versus has exclusive rights to the Wings/Avs game, so it’s your only option. Basically, if you’re in the Detroit or Colorado viewing area, you’ll get to watch from the puck drop on. If you’re not in those areas, you’d better hope for a quick resolution to any overtime play in New York because they won’t switch the rest of the country over until that one’s over.   - Matt

Update (1:42 PM): Bruce MacLeod reports that Peter Forsberg (groin) will not play tonight. As a result, the Avs will dress seven defensemen and will run three lines with the two extra forwards rotating in.

My guess is this will mean the return of defenseman Jeff Finger to the lineup. He’s been a healthy scratch five times in the Avs’ last six. - Matt

Update (1:18 PM): Bruce MacLeod has more on Fabian Brunnstrom’s planned attendance of the game tonight, including the suggestion that the Wings are one of three finalists in the Brunnstrom sweepstakes. - Matt

Update (11:00 AM): Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post points out that this could be the last time we see Joe Sakic play. In fact, this could be the final night for four of the top twenty active points leaders: Sakic, Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, and Peter Forsberg. - Matt

Tonight is the fourth game of the Western Conference Semifinal series between the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche. Detroit leads the series 3-0 (4-3, 5-1, 4-3).

Colorado must win tonight to keep their season alive. Some keys to the game for the Avs:

Quick strike. They need to score a couple times early, or at least prevent the Wings from doing so. A strong and commanding start is essential.

Discipline. They aren’t going to win with anything less than a perfect game. The Avs have to stay out of the box and refrain from taking stupid penalties.

Jose Theodore. If he plays out of his mind tonight, he gives the Avs a fighting chance. Anything less than that, he’s letting his teammates down royally.

The Avs will be without Ryan Smyth (foot), Wojtek Wolski (upper body), and Paul Stastny (knee). Peter Forsberg is probable.

Nick Lidstrom told the FSN broadcast team after Game 3 that the fourth win is always the toughest. No doubt that will be true tonight. The Wings will need to play a flawless game against a desperate Colorado team. Some keys:

Take command early. They need to show they mean business right from the drop of the puck. Take the crowd out of it and get the Avs down on themselves.

Mental toughness. The Avs will do all they can to disrupt the Wings’ puck possession game. Turnovers, rushed plays, or mistakes like the two bench minors in Game 3 cannot happen. Keep it business- and machine-like all game.

Valtteri Filppula. Okay, he’s not really a key to the game, but I’d like to see him have a big night so I’m singling him out. Put it in the net, Fil!

There shouldn’t be any lineup changes for the Wings.

I don’t expect tonight to be a fun game to watch. The Avs’ probable deperation will make things tense and if the Wings end up dominating, things could turn ugly. The last thing they need is to sustain injuries from a frustrated team. Here’s hoping the Wings can close it out tonight while remaining healthy.

As a sidenote, tonight is a good opportunity for the Wings to impress Fabian Brunnstrom, who will attend the game. A strong outing by players such as Filppula, Jiri Hudler, Darren Helm, Nik Kronwall, and Brett Lebda should show him the benefit of earning his way to the Wings’ roster by playing a season or two in Grand Rapids.