Playoff Preview Round 2: Detroit vs. Anaheim

Shame on me for not posting about the Wings' 6-5 sweep victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets what feels like ages ago - while it might not have been the team's greatest victory (congrats to the Jackets and their fans for putting up the fight that they did; your team has a bright future ahead of it), it was a victory nonetheless which means the Wings have moved on to their next opponent - the Anaheim Ducks, a team that the past few years have turned into a pretty big rival.

Of course this preview is late as well, but let's just pretend no one noticed that.

Keys to Winning:

First and foremost the Ducks are one of the most physical teams in the league, and a huge part of this series is going to rest on the Wings' ability to deal with this and yet remain healthy. They have to play physically, but also stay smart - the Ducks are good at getting under other teams' skin, and there's a huge difference between playing pissed and letting that anger make you stupid. Unfortunately, staying healthy isn't always something a team has much control over (and the Wings are already missing Andreas Lilja, Kris Draper, and, at least for Game 1, Brian Rafalski), and thus there are plenty of other things the Wings are going to have to do if they want to move on. In line with this, the biggest factor in this series is going to be discipline. The Wings and Ducks both have some serious powerplays, but the advantage the Wings have here is that they've done much better than the Ducks at staying out of the box, averaging 10 minutes in the box per game to the Ducks' 17.

Another factor that could turn the series in Detroit's favor is their success at screening the goaltender. While the Ducks' Jonas Hiller looked great in the first round against the Sharks, the Wings will test him early, often, and constantly with the amount of pucks they put on the net in any given game, and even more importantly have some of the best screeners in the game to block his view and tip pucks in - guys like Tomas Holmstrom, Johan Franzen, and Dan Cleary. Hiller may be strong, but a lot of that is the Ducks defense in front of him - a team that shut down Steve Mason as easily as the Wings didn't shouldn't have a big problem putting pucks past Hiller, especially with the lineup and the depth they have.

Schedule:

Friday, May 1	at Detroit, 7:00 p.m.	VERSUS, TSN2
Sunday, May 3	at Detroit, 2:00 p.m.	NBC, TSN
Tuesday, May 5	at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m.	VERSUS, TSN
Thursday, May 7	at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m.	VERSUS, TSN
*Sunday, May 10	at Detroit, 5:00 p.m.	TSN
*Tuesday, May 12	at Anaheim, TBD	VERSUS, TSN
*Thursday, May 14	at Detroit, TBD	VERSUS, TSN

Around the Web:

The usual Detroit culprits can be found at:

• Winging it in Motown
  
• On the Wings
• Gorilla Crouch
• Abel to Yzerman
• Hockeytown Blog
  

And if for SOME reason (sorry Finny!) you like the Ducks look into:

• Girl With A Puck
• The Battle of California
• On the Pond
  

If you blog for either team and would like to be added to the list please feel free to let me know!

And Finally:

I know Game 1 is already over and the Wings won 3-2 (expect that post soon!) but I still felt the need to post a preview, because I expect this to be a hell of a series. I want to say the Wings will win, but I feel like, given the Ducks' gritty performances so far, and the outcome of tonight's game, that it may take 7 games to do it.

I leave you with one of my favorite Mike Babcock quotes ever, on my favorite Wings rookie and Grand Rapids favorite Jonathan Ericsson:

"Big body. Actually, he looks like Chris Pronger. Except for the cross checking."

Awesome. GO WINGS!

Playoff Preview: The Battle of NPI

It comes down to this, folks. The Detroit Red Wings vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins for the Cup. Me vs. Elly. I made a really awesome Battle of NPI banner for the blog, but my computer overheated before I thought to save it. I'm smart, I know.

We at NPI think the highlight of this series is that it is going to have to be some amazing hockey. The two best teams in the league facing each other head on, the likes of which each other has never seen - not since preseason. Whichever team takes this series is going to have to be nearly perfect to do it.

Key Matchups:

Offensively, everyone is talking about the one-two punches of Sid the Kid and Evgeni Malkin vs. the Eurotwins and Selke finalists, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. There's basically no arguing these are the two most exciting, skilled combinations in hockey. Both duos have 40 point between them (20 goals and 20 assists for Pav and Hank, 13 and 37 for Sid and Geno), and both have proven themselves absolutely deadly. Perhaps because neither of the Eurotwins singlehandedly saved hockey (I kid), they don't seem to get the league-wide attention Crosby and Malkin do - but perhaps this will be the season that ends that. The Penguins pair is glamorous and offensively gifted, but the Red Wings duo excels at both ends of the ice, as obvious by their twin Selke nominations, and may be the more well-rounded. Either way, neither can be taken lightly.

Of course these aren't the only weapons for either team - Pittsburgh is finally getting their money's worth out of 20-point Marian Hossa, and the Wings, until he was sidelined with concussion symptoms, had a 12 goals in 11 games scorer in the Mule, Johan Franzen, as well as Tomas Holmstrom being a pest in front of the net. And of course something must be mentioned of the WWGRD phenomenon creating Gary Roberts - just not sure what that something should be (I'm a fan of the bracelets, for the record - but I'm going to have to boycott them through this series). Each team has established secondary scoring and substantial depth.

Both teams look strong on the defensive front. The Penguins who were originally thought to have a suspect blueline going into the playoffs added Hal Gill to compliment Sergei Gonchar among others. The Wings, however have the unflappable Nicklas Lidstrom (if they take the Cup this year it will be his fourth with the team, an honor he shares with the Grind Line and Holmstrom) and his new partner Brian Rafalski who combined are at least among, if not, the best defensive pairs in hockey. And then there's Niklas Kronwall and new addition Brad Stuart - don't call the Wings a soft team. These two will hunt you down. They will find you. And they will smear you across the boards. This defense has been a huge part of the Red Wings' success - they've seriously limited their opponents shots on goal, and if you can't get the puck on the net, you can't put it in, either.

And finally, the goaltending. Veteran Chris Osgood, a cup winner but often criticized as being the winning goaltender on a team that could have taken the cup with a pylon in net, fighting to prove his goaltending worth against relative newcomer, though not without any credibility to his name, Marc-Andre Fleury. Osgood (10-2, 1.60 GAA, .931 SV%) stole the start from Dominik Hasek and has been stellar ever since, but surely the Wings defense has played a huge part in that. Fleury (12-2, 1.70 GAA, .938 SV%) has been the Pens go-to goalie from the beginning and likely the stronger overall between the two, not to mention he's managed an admirable 3 shutouts so far, but he's also got inexperience working against him. Osgood should be on a mission - if he takes the Cup this year will it redeem him against all the trash talk he's heard since his last victory? The worst goalie to win a Cup is one thing, but I'm not sure you can argue the worst goalie to win two cups.

When it comes down to it, the teams are incredibly even-looking. Which will wind up on top, the youthful Penguins or the renewed Red Wing dynasty? Will we stay friends? Will the series be everything that's being predicted of it? We can only hope.

Schedule:

Game 1 -- Saturday May 24th, 8:00 p.m. Pittsburgh at Detroit
Game 2 -- Monday, May 26th, 8:00 p.m. Pittsburgh at Detroit
Game 3 -- Wednesday, May 28th, 8:00 p.m. Detroit at Pittsburgh
Game 4 -- Saturday, May 31st, 8:00 p.m. Detroit at Pittsburgh
x-Game 5 -- Monday, June 2nd, 8:00 p.m. Pittsburgh at Detroit
x-Game 6 -- Wednesday, June 4th, 8:00 p.m. Detroit at Pittsburgh
x-Game 7 -- Saturday, June 7, 8:00 p.m. Pittsburgh at Detroit

Let's get it done before Game 7, okay guys? I'm lined up to go see The National in Pontiac that night.

Around the Web:

Elly and I are off to Toronto for the weekend so posting opportunities through Game 2 will be slim - thus, we refer you to some solid blogs from both teams to keep you posted in our absence.

Representing the Wings:

• Behind the Jersey
• On the Wings
• Gorilla Crouch
• Abel to Yzerman
• Gloveside

And the Penguins:

• Empty Netters
• The Pensblog, our oldest friends in the blogosphere!
  
• Talk Hockey To Me
• The Sidney Crosby Show
• Going Five Hole

Friends & Foes

When your team has been disposed of, is it time to jump on the bandwagon of one of the potential Cup champs? Whether the answer is yes or no, everyone seems to be swaying at least one way or another. Through this final stretch of the season, the Red Wings have lured in such esteemed bloggers as Katebits (at least for the day!), Kirsten and Nadine, and the Penguins, meanwhile, have earned the loyalties of Cat (by way of latent understandable Wings hatred) and have been Connie's sweethearts from the beginning...anyone else? So far the Wings have it 3-2; Heather apparently likes both, and Sherry is leaving it up to whomever between Elly and I are more convincing over the course of this weekend in which we'll all be in Toronto. Let us know who you're rooting for and we'll add you to the list!

Once again, the series promises to be amazing - I can only hope it follows through. Hold on, folks, it ought to be quite a ride.

And finally, it is friday.

After a week's worth of waiting, the final day is here. In less than an hour the start of what will undoubtably be an epic series awaits, and with it comes the possibility of a chance to stand on the Cup stage...or take a jump off a cliff at being defeated by the Flyers.

I'm not going to do a finals preview (especially not after Steph's Wings/Stars dazzling post!), everyone knows what this final is going to be about. Physical, chippy play, breakout plays and solid goaltending; all the makings of a super conference final. If your stomach isn't in knots, you had better figure out what's going on.

Want a nice preview? Check out these bad boys (and girls!):
Empty Netters (solid as always)
The Pensblog (essential)
The Sidney Crosby Show (anything and everything you ever wanted to know about Sid)
Going Five Hole (great collection from around the web)
And, of course, NHL.com has a nice spread up.

Enemy territory more your thing?:
Flyers.Femme and Eager to go Psycho, my HLOGin' sistas
The 700 Level (pretty solid Philly blog)

Honestly, that's about as deep as I went into Philly territory this round. I get enough lore from the fans around here, asked for or otherwise.

Being a big fan of the lolcats site, I was pleased to see this version pop up on the net. Go there. Love it. (big thanks to The Pensblog for that particular gem)

Now it's almost time to drop the puck, and I have to venture out into the bar world with Flyers fans. Only one thing left to do:

Go Pens.


EDIT: Thank you, Blogger, for posting this a day late. Sheesh.

Playoff Preview: Detroit vs Colorado.

This series is going to be exciting if Wings and Avs fans have to literally block out reality in favor of making up stories about the ridiculous events that take place on the ice. Since the possibility arose at the end of the regular season the internet has been abuzz with the prospect of a "renewal of the rivalry." In the next few weeks the stills of Roy and Osgood, Roy and Vernon, Draper getting smushed, Lemieux turtling, and the like, will populate your TVs, newspapers, and the internet like you wouldn't (or maybe you would) believe. Will it happen? Who knows - it's probably unlikely. But with the return of Darren McCarty to the Wings and Adam Foote and Peter Forsberg to the Avs, you never know.

Either way the potential for this series to resemble the frustrating one we just saw is there as well - during the regular season both teams played a close, rough game against the Wings with a similar sort of physicality and attention to preventing the strong puck control game of the Wings from overpowering them. In the end, the Red Wings wound up 4-0 against them, sweeping the season series.

Keys to Winning:

Unfortunately for them, however, their last game against the Avalanche was played February 18th - a week and some before the arrival of their trade deadline additions. While there was some discussion about whether or not the addition of Peter Forsberg would pan out and be worth it despite his injury-prone late career days, but he has one goal and four assists so far in these playoffs and has played every game. Ruslan Salei has looked great in an Avs uniform as well, notching four points throughout the first few games, and Adam Foote has provided a veteran presence that certainly hasn't help the idea of this renewed rivalry. The Wings had less going on in terms of bringing in new players, but they did bring back a familiar face in McCarty, who despite being doubted has looked better than expected thus far, even picking up a goal in Game 2. Their one acqusition on trade deadline day, Brad Stuart, has been quietly excellent. Paired up with Nik Kronwall he's given the Wings a physically-minded second defensive pair that's pretty intimidating, something the Wings get picked on for their lack of quite a bit. Stuart may miss the first game of the series, however, as the Wings have given him permission to stay in LA with his wife while they wait out the birth of his second child - very classy and sweet on the part of the organization.

After the first round of the playoffs and watching Dominik Hasek struggle while Dan Ellis was stellar, the importance of solid goaltending has only been emphasized. The Wings have decided to keep going with Chris Osgood for the time being - a decision that's very hard to argue when you look at his stats from the two games he played in Round 1 (.981 SV%, .39 GAA). Luckily it seems like, while others have been quick to attribute the term to the situation, there continues to be a lack of "goalie controversy" between he and Hasek - something that could only hurt the team. For now, Ozzie is the guy, and looking at his season and his experience, there's no reason to worry. Meanwhile entrenched between the pipes, in a serious turn-around season, for the Avalanche is Jose Theodore. Despite his shaky past couple seasons, Theodore has been strong this year, showing shades of his ultra successful past in Montreal. He made his way through six games against Minnesota with a .940 SV% and a 1.88 GAA - not too shabby. Theodore is far from impenetrable though, and not unable to be rattled. The Wings didn't let Ellis steal a series for the Predators, and there's no reason to expect Theo to get away with it either.

Looking at the blueprints, it seems as though the series will be a tight, low-scoring game with lots of checking, and in all honesty the key to winning is more than likely the team who plays the hardest; who wants it the most. The Wings top-notch defense will be focused on the top two lines, but as it was Ryan Smyth and David Jones' gritty third line who won them the final game in Minnesota. The Wings will need to respond in kind with plenty of secondary scoring (something they've done well to this point, given that Jiri Hudler and Niklas Kronwall are both tied with Pavel Datsyuk for the top playoff scorer to this point) and more than a little grit and determination. It won't be an easy series, but neither was the last one - the Wings have got what it takes; they just need to use it.

Schedule:

Once again the TV schedule is less than brilliant:

Game 1 -- Thursday, April 24, 7:30 p.m. Colorado at Detroit VERSUS, TSN
Game 2 -- Saturday April 26, 3 p.m. Colorado at Detroit NBC, TSN
Game 3 -- Tuesday, April 29, 10 p.m. Detroit at Colorado VERSUS, TSN
Game 4 -- Thursday, May 1, 10 p.m. Detroit at Colorado VERSUS, TSN
x-Game 5 -- Saturday, May 3, 1 p.m. Colorado at Detroit NBC, TSN
x-Game 6 -- May 5, 10 p.m. Detroit at Colorado VERSUS, TSN
x-Game 7 -- Wednesday, May 7, TBD Colorado at Detroit TSN

Cable exclusivity sure is a pain - FSN will not be able to cover any of the games VS has dibs on this round. Also unfortunately for me at least, Game 1 falls during the last final of my undergraduate career - but for once I'm happy about NBC's scheduling. My commencement is at 6 pm on Saturday night so this afternoon matinee allows me to catch it after all.

Around the Web:

For updates on Detroit make sure to visit the following:

• Behind the Jersey
• On the Wings
• Gorilla Crouch
• Abel to Yzerman
• Gloveside
  

And on the Colorado side of things:

• Jibblescribbits
• The Dog and Pony Show
• In the Cheap Seats
• Mile High Hockey
  

I'm going to predict the Wings take it in 6, but I won't be surprised if it goes to 7. I'm also going to miss Radek Bonk's name being bandied about wantonly. Game one is tomorrow night at 7:30 pm - GO WINGS!

Playoff Preview: Detroit vs Nashville.

The playoffs begin tonight, for those of us in Detroit, when the Red Wings take on the Predators, 7:00 pm at the Joe. Nearly every source I've found has all but written Nashville off - in fact I think every prediction I've seen has Detroit winning the game in either five or six. Christy Hammond has compiled a pretty comprehensive list of just about everyone's thoughts on the matter and it's unanimous. Does that scare anyone? I admit, going into this matchup I don't feel anxious at all - but that isn't to say it's going to be a total cakewalk, either.

Maybe it's just because I'm not a Nashville fan (although I think the amount of times we Wings fans see them per season gives us a little bit of clout in making statements like this), but names like Jason Arnott and Alexander Radulov (though he has been quite obnoxious against us this season) don't quite strike fear in the hearts of opponents the way the potent combination of Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk do. Nick Lidstrom and his collection of Norris Trophies are second in the league with +40 while Nashville's leading defenseman in points, Marek Zidlicky is approximately -7,000 (okay, okay, -5, but his presence on my fantasy team all season long has me convinced otherwise).

Keys to Winning:

There's a lot of discussion about goaltending, and for good cause. Dan Ellis is expected to star for Nashville and he has the potential to steal games for the Predators, it's true. He also has only 45 NHL games worth of experience, none of which have come in the playoffs, and he's shown that he can be shaky - he's been pulled several times in favor of Chris Mason and vice versa. Despite the fact that he's had a remarkable shut out streak and been a nice surprise for the Predators for most of the season, he still hasn't really shown enough to solidify his spot as the starter. The Wings need to get to him often and early to rattle his confidence. It's worked before, and it can work again. As for the Wings, they'll be going with Dominik Hasek who's had his own share of shakiness this season. As Kukla says, the Wings need him "insane, active and abrasive. Steady would be good, outstanding would be better and spectacular sets the stage for a long run." If Dom plays the way he did last year and the defense continues to play the way they have been in front of him, even a hot Dan Ellis shouldn't pose a substantial threat. Both teams have capable backups in Chris Mason and Chris Osgood, however, so if either starter falters, expect to see a switch made in attempt to save the series. Between them, Mason and Ellis have 5 games of post season experience. Osgood and Hasek have 202.

The Wings' powerplay has been a huge part of their success this season and it needs to stay that way. Nashville has the third best pk in the league, and the Wings need to render that statistic worthless. The combination of the Eurotwins in combination with Brian Rafalski and Nick Lidstrom on defense is positively lethal. Add Tomas Holmstrom and the hot Johan Franzen to that, and what will hopefully be plenty of scoring opportunities from the second group of Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula and the Wings should be able to crack the Predator's pk for certain. Both on the pp and off it, if the Wings play the aggressive puck-possession style game Babcock has had them running with all season against the Predators, they shouldn't have a problem, as long as they get secondary scoring and don't rely too heavily on the big guns. The team simply has too much all around talent and firepower to be stymied by Nashville's high-ranked pk and strong forechecking.

Nashville has a strong physical presence, and players like Jordin Tootoo and Shea Weber will certainly be making their presence known. Fortunately, the Wings faced three tough teams last year in Calgary, San Jose, and Anaheim, and seem to have learned how to adapt to playing against this sort of adversity. Added to that, the Wings did bulk up a bit for this season, picking up Dallas Drake, Aaron Downey and Brad Stuart, getting more out of Dan Cleary and Johan Franzen, and even reacquiring Darren McCarty, whose playing time may be limited but who will hopefully only help. Hopefully the Wings can initiate the hitting and goad the sometimes undisciplined seeming Predators into taking penalties, whereupon our pp can do its damage.

Injuries have taken their toll on both teams, but the Wings especially felt the damage through the month of February (which six of their regulars were out simultaneously) and are just beginning to really recoup their losses. Both Tomas Holmstrom (groin) and Brad Stuart (broken finger) are slated to be back tonight, as is, supposedly, Mikael Samuelsson (groin), but the Wings are still missing experienced grinder Kirk Maltby (hamstring) and have lost Tomas Kopecky, who had been playing strong lately, to a season-ending torn ACL and sprained MCL. Nashville has lost both Martin Gelinas and Jed Ortmeyer for the season (both with knee injuries) and David Legwand (foot) who is day to day and is doubtful for the opening game tonight. Needless to say, the Wings need to stay healthy to make a long run this season.

Schedule:

The playoff schedule, as updated as I've seen, is as follows:

Game 1 — Thursday April 10 at Detroit, 7 p.m., FSN, Versus
Game 2 — Saturday April 12 at Detroit, 2 p.m., NBC
Game 3 — Monday April 14 at Nashville, 7:30, FSN, Versus
Game 4 — April 16 at Nashville, 9 p.m., FSN, Versus, CBC
x-Game 5 — April 18 at Detroit, 7:30, FSN, Versus, CBC
x-Game 6 — April 20 at Nashville, 3 p.m., NBC, CBC
x-Game 7 — April 22 at Detroit, TBD, FSN, TBD

I had tickets to go to Game 2, but NBC decided to air the game last minute and changed its start time from 7 pm to 2 pm - I have to work a 1 pm baseball game in Kalamazoo that I can't get out of, so I'm out a substantial amount of money and likely won't catch a game until the semi-finals, thanks NBC. I also have class tonight and won't get to see Game 1 until I get home, so I for one am not thrilled with the scheduling!

Overall, the number of games I'm predicting it'll take the Wings is five. The number of times I expect to be entertained by Radek Bonk's name is infinite. GO WINGS!