With Detroit on the verge of winning their fourth Stanley Cup since 1996 after a 2-1 win tonight that gave the Red Wings a 3-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals, I figured it was high time to give an excellent unit its due. Much of the hype pre-series was about star power on both sides. But as so often happens in hockey, highlight-reel offense has given way to great defense. Pittsburgh’s previously unstoppable offense has been stone cold against Detroit, scoring only four goals in four games, and never putting more than 24 shots on Chris Osgood in any contest. Sidney Crosby has been held to two goals - both at home in Game 3 - and Evgeni Malkin, hyped as the ‘real’ best player in hockey throughout the playoffs has been completely obliterated in the Finals, held pointless in four games.
Although I said in my last post there was no real compelling rooting interest I am sort of hoping Detroit wins, if nothing else but to end the so-called European captain hex. Few, if anyone would be more deserving than Nicklas Lidstrom, who’s been the best defenseman in hockey for a decade if not longer and does it with quiet determination. Lidstrom had a stellar Game 4 tonight, scoring the tying goal in the first period and being named first star because of his work on the high-powered Penguin offense during his team-leading 28+ minutes of icetime.
Plus, as a Devils fan I still have a soft spot for Brian Rafalski though I know a lot of my bretheren would give me a beatdown for expressing such sentiments. Then again the same was true when Rafalski was a Devil, since he was often underappreciated there by the fans, media and even management to an extent. Rafalski’s chipped in 11 points in the playoffs to go along with his typical 20-25 minutes of very good defense, though his assist on Lidstrom’s goal was his first point in seven games.
On the other hand, I’ve never been a big fan of Brad Stuart. I’ve always felt he got overhyped and was extremely overrated, as evidenced by his bouncing from team to team. And while he had only two assists in the first three rounds of the playoffs he’s putting up points like a machine in the finals. Call it the dash for cash if you will, since his five points and +7 against the Penguins while playing 20+ minutes a night through the first four games will surely convince someone to throw big money at him in a shaky FA market for defensemen.
Similarly, I’ve always thought injury-prone Niklas Kronwall would never live up to his immense hype. But he took a big step toward doing so this year by putting together a 35 point, +25 regular season and adding 13 assists during the Red Wings’ playoff push thus far. He had another terrific game tonight, playing 25 minutes with a +1.
And three cheers for the guy behind it all, Osgood. Yes as I stated above he hasn’t had to make a ton of saves in any game in the finals, and throughout the playoffs Detroit’s D has only given up 25+ shots three times in Osgood’s sixteen playoff starts but the much-maligned veteran has made the saves when he’s had to - particularly during Detroit’s first-round series against Nashville when he took over for an ineffective Dominik Hasek with the series tied 2-2 and won two straight.
Detroit hasn’t looked back since, and two straight shutouts of Pittsburgh - their first two times being shut out in the playoffs - is nothing to sneeze at. Osgood is on the verge of winning his third Stanley Cup (second as a starter) and quite possibly a Conn Smythe trophy with his 13-3 record in the playoffs, a 1.48 GAA and .935 save percentage. Not bad for a guy that’s bounced around the league the last several years and wasn’t even the number one goalie on his team heading into the playoffs.
With a hard fought 2-1 road win over the Penguins in Game Four, the Red Wings are a win away from winning the Stanley Cup. A hotly contested game which saw each team with a goal after 40 minutes was decided by a superior experienced Detroit club who carried the play to their younger opponent in the third.
Off a Pittsburgh turnover, Jiri Hudler’s backhander trickled through Marc-Andre Fleury to give the Wings their first lead of the night. They had trailed 1-0 early on a Marian Hossa power play goal before captain Nick Lidstrom tied it following a power play. The Pens’ failure to clear the zone would comeback to haunt them as this time, the team which entered with a perfect 9-0 mark on home ice couldn’t comeback.
Even a two-man advantage couldn’t get the game knotted. Instead, outstanding penalty killing work by Henrik Zetterberg, Niklas Kronwall and Lidstrom allowed the Wings to get out unscathed. In particular, Zetterberg’s doggedness was unbelievable. His anticipation on the backcheck denied Sidney Crosby a pointblank opportunity to tie it. But the worthy Selke candidate wasn’t done stealing the puck at the blueline while generating a shorthanded chance killing precious time. The Swede’s defensive work was something to behold as were his teammates, who did an excellent job protecting the lead.
Detroit outshot Pittsburgh 9-6 in the final stanza limiting their effectiveness. Evgeni Malkin couldn’t generate much and most of the Pens’ chances came from the perimeter. With Fleury pulled for an extra attacker giving a desperate Pitt club a 6-on-4, the Wings dug in getting in the path of shots and clearing the zone.
The Pens’ last gasp came in the final seconds when a puck nearly came to a wide open player but never got there due to Detroit’s pesky D allowing the Original Six club to go home Monday with a chance to wrap up the series and Cup back home.
As the buzzer sounded, a flustered Crosby had words for Zetterberg as he and teammates shrugged it off with ease celebrating their big Game Four victory which put them up 3-1.
The Cup will be in the building at Motown a couple of days from now.
It’s worth noting that the defensive work by Lidstrom and D partner Brian Rafalski was outstanding. They were just dominant in their zone controlling things and keeping the Pens’ forecheck at bay. As NBC guru Pierre McGuire noted at the conclusion, Mike Babcock did a great job running the bench. Maybe the experience of being there before rubbed off. He coached the Ducks when they lost to the Devils five years prior.
It should be interesting to see how the Pens respond to facing elimination with so much at stake. They haven’t been put in this predicament all postseason. Meanwhile, the Wings know a thing or two about leaving the door slightly ajar for opponents as was evidenced last round when they allowed the Stars to win two straight before finishing them off in Game Six.
[youtubeAlexei Cherepanov goal Omsk vs Lokomotiv]Alexei Cherepanovwas drafted by the Rangers last year 17th overall. The 19 year-old Russian had a good season with Omsk of the Russian Super Elite League posting 15 goals and 13 assists for 28 points in 46 contests. That followed an impressive 2006-07 in which he tallied 18 goals and 11 assists for 29 points in 47 games. Unlike last year where Omsk made the playoffs in which the skilled right wing tallied eight points (3-5-8 in 10 GP), they didn’t qualify.
The growing question headed into the offseason is whether there’s a chance of the Blueshirts getting Cherepanov signed away from Omsk. That remains highly doubtful due to his contract status with the Russian club.
In the mean time, here are a couple of highlight reels of the 2007 Ranger first rounder to check out:
Devils sign Salmela: The Devils made some news yesterday signing Finnish defenseman Anssi Salmela. The 23 year-old notched 16 goals and 16 helpers totaling 32 points in 56 games for Tappara of the Finnish Elite League last season. The 16 markers ranked best among all blueliners. Certainly, a glaring hole on the New Jersey blueline was lack of offense. With the exception of Paul Martin who had a very good 2007-08, the Devs didn’t have enough firepower coming from the back line. This seems like a good gamble by the organization.
Blackhawks to host Winter Classic? According to a Comcast Sportsnet report, the Chicago Blackhawks could host the next Winter Classic against Original Six rival Detroit. It’s still not certain whether it would be held at Wrigley Field or Soldier Field. If so, that would put a damper on the potential final game at Yankee Stadium where there had been rumors of the Rangers taking part in it against another participant. That would be too bad.
Pens look to draw even tonight: As Hasan already noted in a good recap, Sidney Crosby and the Penguins are looking to draw even in the Stanley Cup Final later tonight against the Red Wings. After getting blanked the first two games, the Pens finally mustered some offense thanks to Crosby (2 goals) and former Ranger Adam Hall, who notched the winner as they held on for a 3-2 win Wednesday. Now comes the pivotal Game Four at Mellon Arena which can be seen on NBC.
R.I.P. Luc Bourdon: I’d also like to extend my deepest sympathy to the family of Luc Bourdon. As many already know, the Vancouver Canucks defenseman tragically passed away after a fatal motorcycle incident. Just awful news. It’s hard to even put into words how badly I feel for his family. Anytime someone is lost at such a tender age, it’s very surreal and humbling. Bourdon was a promising player who Vancouver selected 10th overall in 2005. In 27 games last season, he posted two goals and a plus-seven rating. Obviously, he was viewed as an integral part of the club’s future. A devastating blow. God bless his soul.
Admittedly I haven’t watched a minute of this series yet - though that may change Saturday. As intriguing as the series is from a hockey perspective there isn’t really a black hat for me to root against (unlike some Devils fans I have no real beef with Pittsburgh or Detroit), or a Cinderella to root for. Plus my baseball team’s a better soap opera than anything that’s on during the day, so I’ve been preoccupied with the Met saga - but I digress since this is after all, a hockey blog.
Of course I didn’t really miss much the first two games, except a whole lot of Detroit dominance. They won Game 1 4-0 helped out by two unassisted goals from Mikael Samuelsson, a shorthanded tally from Daniel Cleary to put the game out of reach with less than three minutes left and Chris Osgood’s 19 saves, good enough to shut out the high-powered Penguin offense.
After putting away Game 1 with a fast finish, the Wings used a quick start in Game 2 to get another leg up on a Penguin team finally facing its first real adversity of the playoffs. Brad Stuart and Tomas Holmstrom scored first-period goals, again giving a dominant Detroit defense more than enough breathing room. For the second straight game Crosby, Malkin and company were held off the scoresheet. This time Osgood made 22 saves as the Wings took Game 2 3-0.
Back at the Igloo for the first Stanley Cup Finals game there since 1992, the Penguins rode the momentum of a raucous crowd to a Game 3 win. Sidney Crosby finally displayed his skills on a national stage by getting the first two goals, though it was Adam Hall’s third-period tally that proved to be the game-winner in a 3-2 Pittsburgh victory. Pittsburgh’s defense held on for dear life in the third period, as Samuelsson scored his third of the series to cut a two-goal deficit in half, and then the Penguins had to kill off a late power play to sew up their first win of the Finals.
So the NHL’s getting what it wants - at least for now. A Game 4 in a loud hockey arena with the series somewhat in doubt again, on Saturday night so Canadien television gets to broadcast another Hockey Night in Canada show and NBC gets a weekend night audience in two hockey markets. Hopefully the action resembles Game 3 more than the first two games.
Ending on a sad note: Everyone who’s a hockey fan was stunned by the sudden passing of Vancouver Canucks defenseman Luc Bourdon at the age of 21 in a motorcycle accident. There will be a moment of silence before Game 4 on Saturday, and Battle of NY passes on its condoldences to the Bourdon family and the Vancouver Canucks.
In case you missed it, the Stanley Cup Final is finally all set. With the Red Wings posting a 4-1 victory in Game Six over the Stars in Big D last night, the President’s Trophy winners and the Eastern Conference champion Penguins will meet for Lord Stanley beginning this Saturday with the first two games exclusively on Versus.
Why there’s that sort of delay to start this series is just another baffling reminder of how messed up the NHL is. Fyi…it’s worth pointing out that the Wings and Pistons don’t play in the same buildings. So, what’s the holdup?
It would make a lot more sense to give both teams Tuesday and Wednesday to prepare and have Game 1 faceoff on Thursday with Game 2 Saturday. But logic isn’t something that prevails much with league headquarters.
For some reason, they want to go up against the NBA. Granted. At least they got the desired final they craved. This really couldn’t have worked out any better. In terms of star power with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marian Hossa on one side and Nick Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg on the other, this is an enticing match-up pitting the two best overall teams for all the marbles.
You got a wealth of skill, skating and solid team defense along with timely goalkeeping from unlikely pair Marc-Andre Fleury and Chris Osgood. Can the Pens’ talent at center slow down Detroit in the faceoff circle and take away their puck possession game which drives opponents nuts? With the undervalued Jordan Staal also in the fold, they match-up well.
This series definitely has the potential to be a classic seven-game series. Hopefully, it can live up to that billing cause this postseason has lacked that one defining series which you could hang your hat on.
Want to give a ton of kudos to the Stars for not giving up a la the Flyers in their humiliating 6-0 defeat which thankfully I didn’t see much of due to a wedding. While it’s true they fell behind 4-0, they never threw in the towel playing an excellent third period getting one goal and forcing Osgood to make some big saves or it might’ve been much more interesting.
I also want to give props to the Dallas fans, who were extremely supportive standing up and giving their guys the kind of support you like to see. That was really cool how they saluted them at the conclusion. Though I kind of felt bad for Marty Turco and Brenden Morrow cause they really laid it on the line. If there’s one goalie I’d really like to see win, it’s Turco. And Morrow’s also a real good leader and easy to respect.
One final observation which I didn’t see coming. Not long ago, I questioned the candidacy of fine offensive players Datsyuk and Zetterberg for the Selke. It’s apparent though that they each are very worthy because in every sense they are “two-way” players who play both ends about as well as possible. Just watching their relentless work ethic while shorthanded has been a breath of fresh air. We’ve witnessed some highlight reel shorthanded markers including a Zetterberg tally Monday which put it out of reach.
I usually have a hard time giving the Selke to an offensive star but would have no such issue if either won the award. I don’t think that’s on either’s mind right now as they got something a lot more important to win.
The other cool storyline which is one to follow is whether the European hex will finally end. In Stanley Cup history, no team captained by a European-born player has ever won the Cup. But with Lidstrom leading the Wings, I think it could happen. This is one of the best players of our generation who leads by example in his fine play on the ice. He’ll need to have a large series against the Crosby-led Pens.
It should be interesting to see how it plays out. Enjoy the Finals!
Star credit. No other way to slice it. They looked dead and buried after Game Three but suddenly have risen up taking a pair of close games from the Red Wings to creep back within a game of getting this series even.
How awesome is this? Well, if you’re a Detroit fan, it’s got to be a little scary, huh? Especially when your team seemed so close. Now who knows. It’s going back to Big D for Game Six. Who ever thought that?
I just never imagined Joel Lundqvist having more of an impact than twin brother Henrik this postseason. Nice pass fake before surprising Chris Osgood for that winner in the second period. Why don’t more players do that? Smart play by a hard working player.
Marty Turco did get an assist on that winner too and has been absolutely splendid in the last two wins permitting just a goal in each. He’s plenty good enough to give his team a shot at this. Now, it’s up to the rest of his teammates led by vets Brenden Morrow, Mike Modano and Sergei Zubov to win on home ice and get this series to a remarkable Game Seven back in Motown with it all riding on the line. How much pressure would there be on the Wings? Are you kidding? It would be enormous.
It would still be hard to see Detroit losing this. They’re plenty good enough even without Johan Franzen and extremely capable of wrapping it up on the road.
At least now there’s something for hockey fans to get excited about.
All thanks to the Dallas Stars. Thank you for showing tremendous heart and not giving up.
According to Sean of GoingFiveHole, if both the Red Wings and Penguins finish off their opponents quickly, it’s possible that the Stanley Cup Final could begin by next Tuesday.
The Pens’ blogger had all the possible scenarios. If true, this is encouraging news because the last thing the NHL needed was almost a near two week hiatus before the respective teams took center stage for Lord Stanley. There wouldn’t be any logical reason to make either club wait assuming the Stars and Flyers don’t make things interesting starting tonight at American Airlines Center in Big D.
So, the question is can either team down 0-3 bring back any credence to the magical ‘33′ formula? One can only hope.
I finally figured out what’s been nagging me. No. Not the fact the Rangers weren’t good enough. Besides, they have a snake running the asylum who will probably push Sean Avery out the door while failing to address the glaring holes on a soft as vanilla custard team.
It’s just that these playoffs have totally sucked ass. Where’s the excitement? Where’s the one series that’s completely drawn you in as a fan? Nowhere!
Sure. There’s been a couple of close comebacks in the first round and that neverending Game Six between the Sharks and Stars with Dallas finally prevailing on their captain Brenden Morrow’s shoulders with maybe the hockey Gods looking down. Unfortunately for those Stars, maybe they should’ve put San Jose away earlier cause that was the last ounce of strength they had. Detroit has owned them even without Johan Franzen. Who still thinks Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are soft and can’t be relied upon in crunch time? Guess there won’t be anyone questioning that dynamic duo anymore.
What about the Flyers? What the heck happened to them? Apparently, playing Carey Price and Montreal was nothing like playing Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury and the rest of the Penguins. How awful has this series been? Let’s see. I didn’t bother to watch the first seven minutes and when I flipped it on for a score, there stood another reason to flip back to TNT:
Penguins 2 Flyers 0
I knew right there I didn’t have to bother turning back. The game and series were over and the Flyer fans dressed in orange may as well have started puking at what they were watching.
Face it. These NHL playoffs have sucked beyond incomprehensible belief. It doesn’t help that Versus the All Pens Network has covered it about as badly as humanly possible. There was yet another glaring mistake during last night’s Wings’ 5-2 win over the Stars in Game Three. Somehow, the production truck confused Datsyuk with Zetterberg giving the Swede a goal instead of the playmaking Russian pivot who posted his first career playoff hat trick. They look nothing alike.
Did the network bother to correct the graphic? Nope. Instead, Doc Emrick was there to announce Pavel’s sixth trying to save face. Why? Cause he’s the only one who even tries during these telecasts. Ed Olczyk has become a bland boring analyst with little to say much like that dreadful studio intermission show hosted by the boring Bill Patrick with Brian Engblom and Keith Jones. I miss Bill Clement! How freaking sad is that?
I’m not the only one either. If you want good coverage, you can still hear him, Sam Rosen, Dave Strader, Joe Micheletti and Billy Jaffe on NHL Radio with Joe Tolleson and Dave Maloney hosting. The level of energy’s better and their intermission coverage totally dwarfs the NHL’s National TV Network. Word of advice. Watch the NHL Network. They have much better stuff before and after games. It’s the only sane thing going for this league which badly needs more exposure.
You know that infamous quote from The Sixth Sense where the kid says to Bruce Willis’ character:
“I see dead people.”
Yes. That quote. Well, it applies to a network who can’t be bothered unless they’re showing 9,000 shots of Mario Lemieux or another 12,000 of Crosby. Dead people have actually put in more energy than what those intermission segments have become. Nobody wants to see stale analysts with little to say. Where’s the balls? Why can’t these guys take a stand? Even after Mike Ribeiro’s slash in response to Chris Osgood’s sneaky butt end, NOTHING! They just smiled. Could there be a little emotion?
In some aspect, I actually feel for the Flyers cause it hasn’t been a fair fight. They lost top two defenders Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn and that couldn’t happen for John Stevens’ club to stand a chance.
Finally, I did happen to catch the Pens’ third goal after flipping back just in time to see another brilliant turnover by rookie Steve Downie. Is he a moron? It was bad enough that his lazy play cost his team Game Two. Word of friendly advice to the rook. You don’t pass the puck to Malkin at his blueline with no teammates around and expect to get away with it. Not shockingly, it took Malkin and linemates Petr Sykora and Ryan Malone a few seconds to score and send the sea of puke home. It was a nice ride. Too bad for them the fat lady has already begun rehearsing.
One other thought based on what I’ve seen. What the heck happened to Daniel Briere?
If it’s true that these playoffs have been a letdown, then the league desperately needs a great Stanley Cup Final between the Pens and Wings. They must put on a good show because really. … nobody will watch. These are the best two teams left who possess the most skilled skaters with excellent supporting casts to go with it. So, you have to believe it should be interesting.
Personally, I believe in Detroit. They always seem to have the puck and are killing opponents in the faceoff circle. However, you can’t discount Pittsburgh. Especially with the size and skill they got at center. Jordan Staal really has gotten overlooked. He’s been a beast in all facets. He’ll probably see a lot of Datsyuk next round.
Who do you prefer? A team with experience and some youth mixed in well equipped who just stifles opponents? Or a younger team with the top two talents in the game who can impose their will on games along with an underrated supporting cast.
I’m still taking the Red Wings. They need to win this series for many reasons. One of which that this might be their last shot with that group even though a few of their core will be around a while. Because the Penguins shall only get better. Can a team really win with Chris Osgood in net? He hasn’t lost yet making Dominik Hasek into the NHL version of Wally Pipp. Is this some sort of twisted joke?
No. Only about as much as that crazy dream I had where me and my brother saw Martin Brodeur at a bank out at the Mall and he got all miserable when the talk centered around Sean Avery. No. It wasn’t even forced. But the sour puss look was worth every penny.
Maybe there is some truth to my mind as nuts as it’s become lately. Regardless, I sure hope the Stanley Cup Final isn’t a total bore. Please give us something.
It has been more than a week since I reported on anything going on. Between my disappointment in the way the Rangers were eliminated by a beatable Penguins team and impending graduation from college just under a week away, it got a little busy. I am able to think about the Rangers and the upcoming offseason a little bit today, so here are some thoughts.
The Rangers have all kinds of decisions to make. Most will directly impact the others, so Glen Sather has all kinds of things to think about. Including the minor leagues there are 11 unrestricted free agents (UFA) and 13 restricted free agents (RFA). As evidence of last year, signing RFA’s is just important as signing UFA’s quickly, or you risk losing or overpaying them.
Taking away all of those free agents, the Rangers have cap hit for next season of $32.4 million. With the cap expected to be raised to at least $55 million for next year, the Rangers have about $22.6 million to spend on their free agents. Here’s my take on how that money should be spent:
Jaromir Jagr - I don’t see him going anywhere. He made about $7 million last year, but the Rangers were only taking a $3.5 million hit, the Capitals took the rest. As evidence of the playoffs, he can still be a fairly dominant player in the NHL. He’ll end up in the Czech leagues soon enough, most likely in two years. I say give him $3 million plus incentives for two years. Incentives will carry over into the 2010 cap, which will undoubtedly increase again.
Brendan Shanahan - One year, $1.5 million, reduced role. His special teams and leadership is a great asset to the team. I don’t see him retiring quite yet, or joining another team. Put him on the third or fourth line, bump up a budding star like Ryan Callahan or Nigel Dawes and let them get the ice time they need to succeed.
Martin Straka - I don’t see Straka in a Rangers uniform next season. He lost a step this season, and the only way I see him back is if Jagr says that they are a package deal, which may happen. For now, I don’t expect him back.
Sean Avery - Why would you not resign him? He’s been the missing piece of the Ranger puzzle since he arrived last year. He made around $2.5 million this past season after salary arbitration over the summer. Supposedly, he’s looking for Mike Richards money, four years at $6 million per, which will definitely be turned down by Ranger management. Sign him to three years, $12 million. $4 million seems reasonable for the kind of player he is. It would be awful to have to face him, since I can see the Boston Bruins or Montreal Canadians pushing hard for a player like him.
Michal Roszival - If he hits the open market, his value could climb to $5 or 6 million, which is absurd. Sign him quick to two years, $4 million per. He worked well with Marc Staal and is valuable on the power play, if he shoots the puck.
Steven Valiquette - $800,000 - a small raise from last year, get him locked down. He’s a UFA, and is happy backing up Henrik Lundqvist.
Nigel Dawes - Two years, $1 million. It’s a nice pay increase, gives him a year to gauge what he can do in a full season at the NHL level and then they can lock him up when Shanahan and Jagr are gone.
Fredrik Sjostrom - One year, $600,000. Why not? He was decent and can play on the fourth line or fill in for injuries.
Paul Mara - Hewas alright, but was making too much for what he contributed. If we can get him back for around $1.5 million, I say do it. Makes Christian Backman the odd man out.
If my math is somewhat correct, that leaves approximately $6.2 million left for the Rangers to spend. They need a physical defender. Brooks Orpik fits the bill there. Two years, $3 million may be a little short of what he will be commanding, but start there. No more than $3.5 should be spent on him though, as he provides little else besides physicality, and is sometimes a defensive liability.
Forget Marian Hossa, who will get somewhere near $7-8 million from some team. It would be great to have him if Jagr wasn’t coming back, but I just don’t see that happening this year.
Other free agents for the Rangers such as David Liffiton, Andrew Hutchenson, Darius Kasparitis, Ivan Baranka, Josh Gratton, Mitch Fritz, Chris Holt, Rick Kozak and Bruce Graham have little chance of being resigned, although Liffiton and Baranka may be roster fillers towards the end of free agency, as they are RFA. The Marek Malik era should also come to an end in New York. Greg Moore, David Levenue, Matt Zaba and P.A. Parenteau will most likely be resigned, and then play in Hartford. Jason Strudwick’s tenure in New York is most likely over as well, although he was a fine seventh defenseman.
This leaves the lines looking a little bit like this:
Looks somewhat decent to me. Prucha and Backman are prime candidates to be included in trades this off-season, which would throw a whole wrench into what I just wrote up, but Backman makes close to $4 million next season, which is an incredible amount of money for Christian Backman. Prucha would be nice to have back, but only if he’s getting ice time and power play time. That is when he’ll be successful. If Jagr and/or Shanahan leave, we also have a different scenario. Hossa will probably be pursued hard. With the way Sather operates though, this is what I see happening.
Any suggestions? Anything I’m completely wrong about? Any interesting things anyone else can suggest? The off-season is just around the corner, should be an interesting one.
In case anyone forgot and it would be quite easy to considering how much time off there was between Rounds 2 and 3, there was hockey played last night in Motown where the Red Wings used three power play goals in a 4-1 Game One victory over the Stars in the WCF.
For the naysayers who don’t want to believe in the Wings just cause of who they played (didn’t realize that’s how it worked), they’re legit and proving to be more than a one trick pony as Dallas found out. Four different goalscorers not named Datsyuk or Zetterberg did the trick for top seeded Detroit with former Devil blueliner Brian Rafalski getting the party started on a five-on-three. Then Johan Franzen continued his torrid pace showing no rustiness by getting to the front of the net and deflected home his postseason leading 12th for a 2-0 lead after one.
Veteran Tomas Holmstrom also screened Marty Turco a bit illegally scoring in the paint where the Swede’s made his living. Before Dallas captain Brenden Morrow snapped Chris Osgood’s shutout bid with 1:07 left in the second, Valtteri Filppula got the Wings’ fourth putting the contest out of reach as they stopped the Stars’ early road success by taking Game One 4-1 at The Joe.
Entering last night, Dave Tippet’s club was a perfect four-for-four in the first two games of Rounds 1 and 2 in victimizing the defending champion Ducks and Sharks both from their Pacific division. Just maybe Detroit’s a step up in competition unlike what’s been sold because they feasted on the Preds and Avs. Couldn’t have been because they’re actually good? Nah. Why even give a team credit when it has proven to be very equipped to bring Lord Stanley back to Michigan?
The Wings have excellent skaters who can beat you a number of different ways. Whether it’s the skill and finesse of Datsyuk and Zetterberg or the grit and determination of Franzen, Holmstrom along with underrated secondary help Filppula, Jiri Hudler, Dan Cleary and Mikael Samuelsson, Mike Babcock’s Original Six club has the right mix to go all the way.
It should be tougher starting with Game Two where the balanced Stars should be sharper getting back to their defensive style. They’d be wise to stay out of the box where Detroit did most of their damage going three-for-seven. The Stars took the collar in four chances.
The Wings outshot them 31-21 making it a manageable night for Ozzie, who stopped 20 shots in improving to a perfect 7-0 since taking over for Dominik Hasek. Detroit also had the puck a lot winning 35-of-56 draws which played right into their puck possession attack.
Coming into this series, there was a lot to like about Dallas with Turco playing lights out and deadline pickup Brad Richards (2-9-11) performing up to expectations. With Morrow continuing to lead his hockey club and Sergei Zubov back healthy on the blueline, the Stars have a chance to comeback and reach their first Cup Final since 2000. They’ll need outstanding efforts from their best players along with point leader Mike Ribeiro (3-11-14), Stephane Robidas plus veteran champion forwards Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen.
The problem is that Detroit can more than match them up front with a very balanced attack duly noted above. The Red Wings also could have the edge on D with team captain Nick Lidstrom headlining it with Rafalski and emerging physical standout Niklas Kronwall, who with two assists raised his team-leading helper total to 10.
If Osgood continues his reemergence in net, it’s hard to see the Stars prevailing. They would’ve been wise to finish off San Jose earlier instead of requiring an ungodly seven more periods.
I don’t feel they’re overmatched but kind of see Detroit winning in six to advance to their first Final since winning it all back in 2002 when yours truly had a stint in Bristol, Connecticut.
Now to the other series which begins later tonight with a 7:30 start time at Mellon Arena. The Battle of Pennsylvania should be a fun filled series with lots of edge to it. These two teams don’t like each other. There were a couple of games during the regular season which saw lots of penalty minutes and fisticuffs. So, expect it to be very physical as well as entertaining due to the kind of aggressive fast skating teams both the Flyers and Pens have.
The Flyers got some bad news as top defender Kimmo Timonen is expected to miss the series due to a blood clot in his ankle. They were really depending on the very overlooked Finn D to see a lot of Malkin and Crosby. How John Stevens replaces him is beyond me. Maybe he’ll pair Braydon Coburn with the physical Derian Hatcher.
Team captain Jason Smith will have to be a beast in this series. I figure he’ll see a lot of Crosby while Hatcher and Coburn have their work cut out for them against Malkin. Stevens also could opt to move up Lasse Kukonen to pair with Coburn while sending out Hatcher with Smith to work over Sid the Kid. Randy Jones is decent.
Obviously, with no Timonen, the edge goes to the Pens, who boast superb offensive skating power play tandem Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney while also being able to send out the rough Brooks Orpik and Hal Gill. Plus Rob Scuderi, who always seems to fly under the radar. He’s real smart and plays his position well leading the Pens with a plus-seven rating during a postseason run which has seen them win eight of their first nine. Kris Letang also is a very good skating D who is solid overall.
When you assess that Pitt blueline, there really aren’t any glaring weaknesses. They can skate, jump into the rush and pinch in, take out the man making you pay a price while moving the puck effectively. While Malkin, Crosby, Marian Hossa along with a big talented forward crop which includes Ryan Malone, Petr Sykora and Jordan Staal all can hurt you offensively, it’s that D which has really been making a difference.
In order to have a chance, the Flyers must use their attacking cycle to make that defense work in its end. The Rangers just weren’t a fast enough skating team to exploit it. Philly has more capability featuring veteran offensive leader Daniel Briere, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Montreal killer R.J. Umberger (8 of 9 goals in Rd. 2).
The supporting cast of Mike Knuble, Vaclav Prospal, Joffrey Lupul, Scott Hartnell and the speedy Scottie Upshall have enough speed, size and grit to nullify the Pens’ attack. They must get in on the forecheck and disrupt Pittsburgh. Get in the face of Crosby and hit pest Jarkko Ruutu every chance they get. Also, playing Malkin physical will fluster the talented Russian. Hossa also doesn’t like being hit.
There’s little doubt that Martin Biron has been the best goalie in the first two rounds standing on his head to steal Game Seven over Ovechkin’s Caps and totally outplaying rookie Carey Price last round. He’ll need to be even more brilliant. Marc-Andre Fleury has played well for the Pens but is prone to bad rebounds. Shoot low on him and attack the net.
Even without Timonen, I see the Flyers making this one interesting. Their forwards are plenty good enough. They must win the battles down low and keep the Pens in their end. If it turns into a track meet, they won’t be able to win.
I still say this goes seven but figure a late marginal new NHL phantom hook will help the Pens advance making everyone except the hypocritical city of Pitt shake their heads in disgust.
A Pens-Wings final would work wonders for NBC. Crosby, Hossa and Malkin versus Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Lidstrom.
One final thought on the subject of the long layoff. Why the semifinal round couldn’t start on say Tuesday and Wednesday is inexplicable. Even the NBA doesn’t have this kind of ridiculous delay between rounds. They start their next round quickly not waiting for a long series to finish which is how it should work. Instead, our league is intentionally dragging things out catering to NBC, who cares more about silly horse races even when one tragically is murdered in their precious Derby than about our game.
Anytime someone is lost at such a tender age, it’s very surreal and humbling. Bourdon was a promising player who Vancouver selected 10th overall in 2005. In 27 games last season, he posted two goals and a plus-seven rating. Obviously, he was viewed as an integral part of the club’s future. A devastating blow. God bless his soul.
