Up next: Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and the Detroit Red Wings
by FrankD on Mar 22, 2010 8:45 AM EDT
in 2009-10 game previews
26 comments
[SBN Red Wings blog - Winging it in Motown]
Record: 35-23-13 (8th in the West)
Scorers: Pavel Datsyuk (23g, 37a), Henrik Zetterberg (20g, 40a), Nik Lidstrom (8g, 35a)
What is it about the Detroit Red Wings? Their season started off with a brash number of injuries, their first-string goalie Chris Osgood took a seat behind Jimmy Howard and yet still - STILL - they remain in the playoff hunt. Now, with Calgary's 4-3 loss to Minnesota last night, the Red Wings have a chance to pull ahead by three or four points by the end of tonight's game. With 11 games remaining on the schedule, Detroit is looking at about five more wins to guarantee a playoff berth.
Frankly, a healthy Red Wings roster landing the eighth seed is just about as scary a first round opponent for the Western Conference leader. One can argue whether or not the age of the Wings could come back to haunt them in the later rounds, but for at least one round Detroit has the potential to be a certifiable threat. And when it comes to eight seeds, that's not the sort of thing a top team wants to hear.
If the playoffs started today, Chicago would come out on top and draw Detroit in the first round. Given Chicago's recent goaltending issues, season-ending injuries to Brian Campbell and the team's 1-2-2 record over the last five, I think it's safe to say that has the makings of an upset written all over it.
Jimmy Howard is simply on fire this month. How good, you ask? How about 7-2-1 sort of good. This could be problematic, but let's not head into this one thinking he's unbeatable. After all, similar to Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury, Howard has only one shutout this season.
Back on January 31, when these two teams first met since the Stanley Cup Finals (minus an irrelevant preseason game), Pittsburgh came out on top in a 2-1 shootout win. For an NBC game it was just about as low scoring and boring as any TV exec would fear, but at the least it ended with one of the hailed and hyped shootouts that tend to draw constant debates. Plus you may remember Winging it in Motown had a pretty solid Haiti Relief thread going down at the time.
If you've grown tired of hearing constant references to the Staal brothers, then at least prepare yourself in advance for tonight's reptitious mentions of this game posing as a Stanley Cup Finals rematch. Plus, it's on Versus so you can more or less bank on that.
Puck and thread at 7pm. Come on by and chat it up.
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I think we all remember the last time the Pens were in that building. Hopefully the aura of going to the lockeroom they celebrated the Cup in will give them a boost. Maybe it won’t be anything more than a nice memory, but maybe it’s just what they need to go in there and remember how it feels to be the champs.
Wayne Gretzky had it wrong: 100% of the shots Gary Roberts doesn't take DO go in.
I am really pumped for this week. This is exactly what the Pens need right now. I feel they are slowly realizing that you just can turn it on and off like a light switch. They need to play playoff-level hockey in each of the last 10 games in order to be prepared for the playoffs.
This week can be really good. It’s like the league’s way of saying “we’re sorry it’s not playoff time yet, but here, have some playoff-like games while you wait”.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Mar 22, 2010 10:22 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah it’s the perfect time to start ratcheting it up a notch. The light at the end of the long regular season tunnel is almost here.
Wayne Gretzky had it wrong: 100% of the shots Gary Roberts doesn't take DO go in.
by Hooks Orpik on Mar 22, 2010 10:31 AM EDT up reply actions
Last time Pens were at the Joe was SWEEEEET!
.
.
A Wings 1st round upset of the Hawks would ruin the dream of having Hossa become the 1st player ever to lose in the Cup Final 3 straight years with 3 different teams.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Mar 22, 2010 10:19 AM EDT up reply actions
Why has Tyler Kennedy been sent to the 4th line? He seems to be the only guy who’s willing to shoot the puck and not go for the pretty centering pass.
He shoots … he doesn’t so much score. But I agree: I like him much better on the third line, and I think he has the potential to become a top six winger. Hopefully with some good coaching he’ll get there.
I don’t think he has the pure skill or durability to ever be a top 6 guy. I like TK, but he’s better suited to be an energy lower line player than a point producing top forward.
Wayne Gretzky had it wrong: 100% of the shots Gary Roberts doesn't take DO go in.
Don’t get me wrong: I don’t think he is currently a top-six prospect. But we’ve seen signs of brilliant play from him, and if he can figure out how to score from more than one location, I could see him turning into a Chris Kunitz type of player (who I think is a legitimate top-sixer). Right now he’s the energizer bunny, but I think he could be more.
Maybe he can develop more, but I think Kunitz makes better decisions with the puck and moves it a little better in terms of passes.
TK definitely has a shot and some decent dangles, but compared to the most elite players, it’s nothing. I see him as a 15g, 15-20a guy who always missed 10-20 games a season for injuries.
Wayne Gretzky had it wrong: 100% of the shots Gary Roberts doesn't take DO go in.
I need a little help here. I’ve seen references here to ringtones that are audio from Game 7. Does anyone know where I can get those? I’m also looking for decent (hopefully free) cell phone screen savers.
The reason’s relevant here. I’ve mentioned that my Beloved and a good friend of ours are rabid Red Wings fans. Well, we can’t afford to bet money, so there’s a pride-bet going, and it got so huge I’d almost rather just put down $20. Should (knock on wood) the Wings win, I must wear Winged Wheel earrings for 24 hours, put a Red Wings screensaver up on my work computer, post a recipe for the Detroit Red Wing cocktail onto my blog, and change the blog’s colors to red and white for the day tomorrow. Should the Pens win, my friend has to wear my Penguins cap all day as he drives his cab, display a Sid-hoisting-the-Cup poster on his bedroom door for 24 hours, and have a Pens screensaver and ringtone on his phone for a week.
Someone please help. I really hope I have occasion to “help” him fix up his cell phone real nice for the week.
"Darling, you say Brooks Orpik 'checked' that guy. He did not 'get under him and put him into the wall'."--Beloved to me, Winter 2007
Cocktails With the Penguins, where Pens fans toast victories and drown defeats.
Try the Pens website, under Multimedia, Text Messaging and Ringtones. Here’s a link.
He should have to put up the Sid-hoisting-the-Cup poster in his cab somehow. That would be brutal.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Mar 22, 2010 1:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Those ringtones cost $1.99 apiece, so technically break this week’s “pride, not money” rule, but it would be oh, so worth it to make him go around with one of those for the week. Unfortunately, there’s only so much that can be done to the cab without him getting in trouble, and his daughter and I have already done that after the last game. Thanks so much!
"Darling, you say Brooks Orpik 'checked' that guy. He did not 'get under him and put him into the wall'."--Beloved to me, Winter 2007
Cocktails With the Penguins, where Pens fans toast victories and drown defeats.
by GreenEyedLilo on Mar 22, 2010 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh, I guess I didn’t look closely enough to see that they were charging for them.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Mar 22, 2010 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions
What kind of phone is it? Depending on that, you can probably send him the audio and he can make it his ring tone. Or, if his phone can record audio, you can record the clip and make it his ringtone.
Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.
Thanks, Frank! I think that’s doable. I’ll try that first before buying the ringtone. Hopefully this is what I’ll be doing after the game! Now the guys have to do their part!
"Darling, you say Brooks Orpik 'checked' that guy. He did not 'get under him and put him into the wall'."--Beloved to me, Winter 2007
Cocktails With the Penguins, where Pens fans toast victories and drown defeats.
by GreenEyedLilo on Mar 22, 2010 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Looking forward to the game, should be a good one. However, i’m a little at a loss with all the Hossa hatred. Look, i was pissed off as the next fan when he signed with Detroit, i felt betrayed (anybody but Detroit, they just frikkin beat us!) but he got what he deserved.
I’m convinced the hockey gods are real because of what happened to Hossa last year, it was a storybook ending. As far as i was concerned, that was it for Hossa hate, perfect retribution. Now it can be argued that he’s Cup chasing but he’s not braking any rules and there are plenty of other guys doing the same in the NHL. (and i would love him on the Pens at 5. something the Hawks got him for, not at close to 8 mil, that would of screwed up our cap situation)…
I basically agree with you, and I think Hossa got his payback already, but it wouldn’t bother me to see a Hawks-Pens final where we get to beat him again.
Plus, I just can’t get that damn Hossa song out of my head, it’s so catchy
“Hossa, you chose-a, the wrong guys….”
by PensAreYourDaddy on Mar 22, 2010 1:56 PM EDT up reply actions
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