Category Archive for ‘Lines’ at On the Wings

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4/23 Notes

Published

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

4/22 Notes

Published

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.

4/5 Notes

Published

Matt Saler

on April 5, 2008

in Brian Rafalski, Darren Helm, Injuries, Justin Abdelkader, Kris Draper, Lines, Mikael Samuelsson and Playoffs

. 0 Comments

Update (2:12 PM): Helene St. James notes that the playoff schedule given below is not yet official. It’s just what the team is anticipating.

Also, I’ve added a sidebar section with first round info and links. For some reason, it’s not showing up on the main page, but it’s there in the post pages. I hope to get that fixed, but because it’s tied to a conflict between the new version of Wordpress and the k2 theme I use, I can’t do much aside from wait for a fix to be posted. - Matt

Update (2:06 PM): For those wondering why the Wings signed Abdelkader when they could have just called up a Griffin or two, here’s my thinking (posted as a comment over at Abel to Yzerman in response to IwoCPO calling it a panic signing):

I think it’s a matter of timing. Abdelkader decided just this past week that he was going to forgo his senior year at MSU. When he told the Wings, they had two routes they could take: 1) sign him by the Saturday deadline and have him available for the playoffs, or 2) let him hang out for a summer and sign him by the August deadline so that he could join the organization next season.

The benefits of Option 1 are obvious: you can bring in a highly-touted prospect who would be idle otherwise. He brings a fast, physical style as well as buckets of motivation to play for his home team. If nothing else, he can join the group of young guys the team will be calling up at the end of the Griffins’ season and give the Wings a heck of a practice squad.

So, they signed him to an amateur tryout in order to whet his appetite. He then signed the entry level contract and now has the chance to play hockey in real life this summer instead of on his Xbox.

Not a panic signing at all. Just a realization that an idle Justin Abdelkader is a waste of talent.

- Matt

Ansar Khan has an update from practice:

… Tomas Holmstrom (abdomen/groin) is definitely going to play tomorrow. He’ll skate on Henrik Zetterberg’s wing with Pavel Datsyuk.

… Kris Draper (groin) is out tomorrow, but claimed he’ll be back for Game 1. So, the 10-14 days claim from the FSN broadcast Thursday night was incorrect. Draper implied that he’d be playing through pain by telling Khan he would play tomorrow if it were the playoffs.

… Mikael Samuelsson (groin) was on the ice but not for long. No return date has been set yet.

… The team recalled Darren Helm from the Griffins, apparently to give Babcock more options.

… The practice lines:

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom
Filppula-Franzen-Cleary
Drake-Hartigan-Downey
Hudler-Helm-McCarty

… Justin Abdelkader was the odd man out in practice, but Babcock told Khan he’d dress 13 forwards prior to the game and decide who sits after warmups.

… Brian Rafalski will be rested tomorrow, which means Derek Meech will be on the blueline.

… Lastly, Khan provides the first round schedule. Not times yet, but Game 2 will be an evening game, apparently:

Game 1 — Thursday in Detroit
Game 2 — Saturday in Detroit
Game 3 — April 14 in Nashville
Game 4 — April 16 in Nashville
x-Game 5 — April 18 in Detroit
x-Game 6 — April 20 in Nashville
x-Game 7 — April 22 in Detroit

x-if necessary

4/1 Injury Notes

Published

Matt Saler

on April 1, 2008

in Brad Stuart, Injuries, Kris Draper, Lines, Mikael Samuelsson and Tomas Holmstrom

. 0 Comments

Update (2:54 PM): Ted Kulfan has a slightly different take on Holmstrom’s situation:

The status of Tomas Holmstrom (abdominal strain) will be determined by Wednesday’s morning skate in Chicago. If Holmstrom doesn’t play in Chicago, he’ll likely play Thursday against Columbus.

Makes sense. If I had to guess, though, I’d say they keep him out tomorrow night no matter what. - Matt

Update (2:12 PM): Ansar Khan also has more, but about the only new piece of injury-related information is that Holmstrom said he expects to play Thursday night.

Khan also astutely suggests that Babcock may break up the Eurotwins on the road, but keep them together at home, when he has the last change. - Matt

Update (2:05 PM): George Sipple has some more on Draper’s injury, with quotes from Mike Babcock. Apparently, it is a recurrence of the groin issue that kept him out earlier this month, though it does not sound that serious. The team is just being cautious. - Matt

… Bruce MacLeod has some bad news: Kris Draper skipped out on nearly the entire practice today due to tightness in his groin. He definitely will not play tomorrow or Thursday, and probably won’t return for the home game Sunday. MacLeod says he likely won’t be back until the playoffs begin on the 10th.

As MacLeod points out, Draper only recently returned from a groin injury that sidelined him for five games. Here’s hoping this goes away with some rest.

… It looks like Tomas Holmstrom (abdomen) won’t return tomorrow after all. The team is looking at a possible Thursday return date for #96, who has missed 11 games. Just as long as he’s good and ready. There’s no rush.

… Mikael Samuelsson (groin) did not skate and does not appear to be close to returning.

… In an earlier post, MacLeod reported that Brad Stuart (broken finger) took part in practice, but did not participate in 5-on-5 drills.

… MacLeod also provided the practice lines and pairings:

Filppula-Datsyuk-Cleary
Hudler-Zetterberg-Franzen
Kopecky-Hartigan-Maltby
Downey-Drake-McCarty

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Chelios
Lebda-Lilja

It’s interesting to see the Eurotwins split up again. Obviously, that’s preparation for the playoffs, when keeping them together (and matched up against the opposition’s shutdown players) would be less productive than splitting them up.

Also, with Draper’s injury, it looks like we won’t get a reprieve from Hartigan any time soon.

2/25 Post-practice Update

Published

Matt Saler

on February 25, 2008

in Brian Rafalski, Chris Chelios, Dominik Hasek, Injuries, Lines, Nick Lidstrom, Niklas Kronwall and Trade Rumors

. 2 Comments

… Ansar Khan reports that Nick Lidstrom (knee sprain) could skate as soon as later this week and could return 10-14 days from today. 14 days would put him at three weeks from the injury, while 10 would be closer to the original estimate. Khan makes sure to address the “Internet rumors” about a possible Lidstrom concussion by assuring us Ken Holland and Mike Babcock are denying any such claim.

… Contrary to reports last week, Niklas Kronwall (clavicle) is not expected to play tomorrow night in Edmonton. The

… Dominik Hasek (hip flexor) may be healed enough to perform backup duties for Chris Osgood tomorrow night. If so, the team will send Jimmy Howard back to Grand Rapids.

… Chris Chelios (right leg, chipped fibula) has not skated since going down with his injury and is day-to-day. It looks like he may not be back until after the San Jose and Buffalo games this weekend.

… Brian Rafalski (groin) hasn’t been on the ice since the 21st and remains day-to-day, though he told Khan he’s feeling better.

… Khan provides the lines from practice today:

Filppula-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Franzen-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Hudler-Draper-Kopecky
Maltby-Drake-Downey
Hartigan

… Lastly, Holland said he’s looking to address the secondary scoring problem by acquiring a second line forward. He also is looking to add a depth defenseman. As I said earlier today, I’m now convinced that the Wings are pretty well set on defense, so hopefully Kenny won’t spend too much time looking for a veteran blueliner when he could be on the phone for a forward.

2/16 Notes

Published

Matt Saler

on February 16, 2008

in Brian Rafalski, Chris Osgood, Dominik Hasek, Injuries, Johan Franzen, Lines and Niklas Kronwall

. 0 Comments

… Both Ansar Khan and Bruce MacLeod report that Jimmy Howard will start tomorrow in Dallas. He has not started an NHL game since December 13, 2005, when he was pulled after allowing three goals on sixteen shots during the Wings’ 7-6 loss to Atlanta.

Given that the Wings seem to play more carefully in front of the young goaltender, this is probably a good move. They have not been giving Chris Osgood much support and he could probably use a game off to regain confidence in his teammates.

… Dominik Hasek (hip flexor) will not make the trip to Denver and Colorado, and it does not look like he’ll be back until next Saturday in Vancouver.

… Brian Rafalski (groin) will make the trip, but it looks like he won’t be back until Monday against Colorado.

… Niklas Kronwall (clavicle) is also going along with the team, but Khan says he won’t be back until the Calgary game on Friday at the earliest.

… With Kronwall and Rafalski remaining out, Kyle Quincey will stay with the team at least one more game.

… Khan also provides some mixed-up lines that Babcock tried in practice:

Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Filppula-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Kopecky-Draper-Maltby
Hudler-Drake-Downey (Ellis working in)

As he points out, that top line skated together at the start of the season prior to Franzen’s knee sprain. As I wrote when Dan Cleary went down, Johan should benefit greatly from inheriting a larger role in Cleary’s absence. Let’s hope he takes advantage of the move to the top line.

2/4 Practice Update

Published

Matt Saler

on February 4, 2008

in Injuries, Lines and Niklas Kronwall

. 0 Comments

… Bruce MacLeod reports that Niklas Kronwall skated today with the team for the first time since his injury on Wednesday.

As good as that news is, it was countered by some bad news: new MRI results have indicated that Kronwall will be out longer than the 10 days originally reported. No specifics were provided, though Kronwall used the words, “a little bit longer than 10 days.” That could mean anything from two to three weeks.

Any setbacks in the recovery process would likely force Ken Holland to make a move for a defenseman, as the trade deadline is fast approaching.

Ryan Doherty says Kronwall wanted to be back by Saturday’s game in Toronto, but that is obviously not likely due to this latest development. Nik will make the trip to Minnesota with the team, however, so that he can continue on-ice rehab.

… In another post, MacLeod shows that Mike Babcock has mixed up the lines a little since the Boston game, promoting Valtteri Filppula back to the second line:

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

That third line has some good size to it, and Cleary’s wrecking ball style should give Hudler anf Filppula plenty of room.

11/5 Notes

Published

Matt Saler

on November 5, 2007

in Andreas Lilja, Brett Lebda, Chris Chelios, Dan Cleary, Derek Meech, Dominik Hasek, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, Lines, Links and Valtteri Filppula

. 2 Comments

Update (2:45 PM): Ansar Khan reports that Johan Franzen will wear a visor at least until the laceration (from taking the puck to his face off Brett Lebda’s stick Thursday) on his face heals, and maybe even after that, “to make his mom happy.”- Matt

… Bruce MacLeod reports that Niklas Kronwall (groin) did not practice today and will not be in the lineup Wednesday against Nashville. The Free Press’ George Sipple quotes Mike Babcock as saying, “He looks like he might be (ready) on Friday” for the game with Columbus.

Babcock on lines and pairings

Published

Matt Saler

on August 19, 2007

in Lines and Mike Babcock

. 6 Comments

Helene St. James has a brief interview with Mike Babcock in which he discusses defensive pairings and forward lines, among other things. It’s typical Babcock, all excitement about competition for the 7th defensive spot and having a banger like Dallas Drake threaten to move up in the depth chart.

It does look like, for now at least, Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk will be split up, as he has them slated to play with Mikael Samuelsson and Tomas Holmstrom, respectively, with Jiri Hudler and Johan Franzen filling in the other spots. Valtteri Filpulla is penciled in with Kris Draper and Dan Cleary at the moment. Babcock sees Tomas Kopecky, Kirk Maltby and Drake making up the fourth line. As he points out, Igor Grigorenko would throw all of that off, if he makes the team, but that’s a good problem to have.

The defensive pairings as he has them now are pretty obvious: Nick Lidstrom with Brian Rafalski, Andreas Lilja with Niklas Kronwall, and Chris Chelios with Brett Lebda.

Personally, I’d be surprised if this is quite the look we’ll see when the puck drops in October, as Babcock will have plenty of time to tinker and will undoubtedly come up with different combinations.

Khan: Post-practice Update

Published

Matt Saler

on April 29, 2007

in Brett Lebda, Henrik Zetterberg, Injuries, Kyle Calder, Lines, Links and Mikael Samuelsson

. 0 Comments

Ansar Khan has an update on Tomas Holmstrom, Brett Lebda, Henrik Zetterberg, the top line, and Kyle Calder. Basically, Homer is staying in Detroit until cleared, Lebda won’t be back until Game 5 at the earliest, Zetterberg did not skate, Todd Bertuzzi or Mikael Samuelsson will start on the top line tomorrow, and Kyle Calder is okay.