Projecting the Lines for the Blues
by Casey Richey on Feb 8, 2010 9:55 AM CST
in Opinion
33 comments
I sat down last night during the Super Bowl, which I found to be probably the most boring in a loooooong time, and tried to figure out how Babcock would juggle the lines with the return of Johan Franzen and possibly all three of the players that left the game against the Kings could be back to the line-up.
So many names to choose from, it's actually kind of fun for once. I couldn't really decide on who goes where because for the first time since October, the Wings will have scoring depth on every line.
Wait, what?
No matter how you juggle the lines, there will be a more than capable scorer on that line. That's an odd thought for this season and may begin to solve some of the scoring woes that have plagued the Wings all season long.
Here's what we know: the line of Draper-Helm-Eaves isn't going anywhere. They're too good together and are lightning out on the ice. In all likelihood, they'll drop down to the fourth line but will still see substantial playing time. But where do you go from there?
Who makes the top line and who gets pushed down to the third?
33 comments | 0 recs |
SBN's Got You Covered on Super Bowl Sunday
by Casey Richey on Feb 7, 2010 12:33 PM CST
in News
3 comments
Might as well take the day off today as hockey fans and try to forget about the horrid play by the Wings after the first period yesterday against the Kings. SBN's got a whooooole bunch of stuff going on for the Super Bowl. I'm talking interviews, pictures, game threads, the works.
Guacamole recipe for the snacks of course. Yes, we went Food Network on you.
Stampede Blue is the Colts side of things. Has a whole section on the Super Bowl from the Colts point of view.
Canal Street Chronicles has the Saints side of the game. Who Dat?
For the event page, check here
SBNation.comwill have a game thread running during the game. Should be a MASSIVE game thread if you want to join. I'll probably pop in for a bit at least..
3 comments | 0 recs |
Days of the Week
by bleep bloop on Feb 7, 2010 6:26 AM CST
3 comments
Someone posted before about the Red Wings records on different days of the week. Here's the continuation of that.
The Red Wings are currently on pace for 91 points this season. What happens if that projection is adjusted for days of the week?
3 comments | 0 recs
Disaster In LA: Wings Lose Three-Goal Lead, Game, And Three Players
by joehass on Feb 6, 2010 6:17 PM CST
in Game Recaps
32 comments
At the end of the first period, the Detroit Red Wings had a 3-0 lead, having played one of the best periods of hockey they'd play all year featuring a pair of goals by Henrik Zetterberg.
It may well have been the last happy moment for a while.
The Los Angeles Kings scored three goals in the second period, then Michal Handzus scored his second goal of the game with 2:21 left in the game to complete a stunning comeback and reach a franchise-record nine-game winning streak with a 4-3 win.
To make matters worse, three Red Wings players left the game with injuries. Tomas Holmstrom left the game with a leg injury late in the first, then Patrick Eaves and Drew Miller both missed the entire third period after blocking shots with their bodies. While it was unclear at the end of the game what the extent of the injuries would be or if the three players would miss any more time, the losses in addition to the absence of Niklas Kronwall for the second straight game makes Wings fans even more jumpy.
It was three distinct periods of hockey: the first dominated by Detroit, the second dominated by Los Angeles, and the third with the Red Wings having far more chances, but the Kings managing to put one of theirs into the net.
Jimmy Howard made 23 saves, but one huge misplay that lead to the Kings' second goal. For the Kings, Jonathan Quick recovered from a rough first period where he made only five saves on eight shots to blank the Red Wings the rest of the way with 20 saves.
Pavel Datsyuk started the scoring when brought the puck from the far blue line diagonally to the near corner to the left of Jonathan Quick. He waited for a couple seconds, then put the puck straight across to Zetterberg, who was camped out on the right side of the crease. Zetterberg's quick shot gave Quick no chance. Brian Rafalski picked up the second assist on the goal.
Just 16 seconds later, Valtteri Filppula came in across the crease from Quick. After getting to the right of Quick, Filppula spun around and fired a backhand that beat Quick for his fifth of the season. Dan Cleary and Todd Bertuzzi each picked up assists on the goal.
As the first period came to a close, Nicklas Lidstrom put a shot that was well to the right of Quick, where it came to Rafalski. Rafalski's shot was glove saved by Quick, but Quick couldn't hold onto it, and Zetterberg put the puck back into the net for his second of the night and 16th of the season, giving him the team lead with just 4.7 seconds left in the period.
In the second, Cleary turned over the puck behind the net, where Jarret Stoll found it and gave it over to Scott Parse. Parse went behind the net with the puck, brought it out the right side, and gave it a shot that Howard stopped, but Alexander Frolov brought the puck from the opposite side of the goal line and jammed it in along the post for his 13th.
Then, on what was a routine dump-in, Howard lost control of the puck playing it to the right of the net. Handzus was there, and he was able to push it past Howard to get his 14th unassisted.
But the Kings weren't done in the second. Wayne Simmonds took the puck from behind the net to the right of Howard and pushed it into traffic in front of the net. Ryan Smyth somehow found it amongst the sticks and legs and went through Howard for his 18th of the season, while Matt Greene picked up the second assist.
Frolov had Brad Stuart covering him as he skated out from behind the net. He passed the puck to Parse, who was moving towards the front of the net and put a shot on Howard. While Howard was able to stop that, the puck dribbled to his right, where Handzus was waiting to put it in the lower far corner for his second of the night and 15th of the season to complete the comeback.
The Red Wings are off until Tuesday, when they face the St. Louis Blues in St. Louis.
Player of the game: Henrik Zetterberg. On top of his two goals, he had 15 attempts on net (including nine shots), two of which hit posts in the third period.
32 comments | 0 recs |
Overflow thread: Kings/Wings
by Casey Richey on Feb 6, 2010 4:39 PM CST
in Game Threads
307 comments
Wings have blown a 3 goal lead and knotted up at 3 heading into the third and final period, which team will emerge?
The one from the 1st period or the lazy one from the 2nd period.
Comment below.
307 comments | 0 recs |
Game Thread: Red Wings vs. Kings
by joehass on Feb 6, 2010 2:00 PM CST
in Game Threads
558 comments
In some sort of revenge from the scheduling gods, the Red Wings had to play back-to-back nights between Anaheim and San Jose, but had two days off between Anaheim and Los Angeles as they play the Kings today.
The Red Wings sit two points behind Calgary for the final playoff spot. With the trade of Ville Leino to Philadelphia, Detroit seems to have started the preparation of having both Johann Franzen and Andres Lilja back from IR. Meanwhile, coming off the disappointing 4-2 loss at Anaheim Wednesday night, have to hope that their struggles getting the puck into the net had more to do with Jonas Miller Hiller than their own deficiencies.
Meanwhile, the Kings come in on a blazingly hot eight-game winning streak, led by Anze Kopitar's seven goals and 15 points on this streak. They beat the Red Wings once already during this run back on January 23, coming back from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2.
Start time for today's game is 4:00 pm, with the game on Fox Sports Detroit and Fox Sports West. Please feel free to comment below.
558 comments | 0 recs |
Ville Leino Traded to the Flyers
by Casey Richey on Feb 6, 2010 11:06 AM CST
in News
27 comments
The Ville Leino experiment in Detroit is over.
According to Detroit Free Press, Ville Leino has been traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for a 5th round pick and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen. What this means is Detroit is making enough room to return Franzen to the line-up. The highly touted elite scorer in the Finnish league struggled to produce in the NHL under the Red Wings system.
It's kind of up in the air about where Tollefsen will fit in the line-up. Leino had a good couple of games last regular season but was largely ineffective in the playoffs and this regular season. One of the keys to this trade is that the Wings add some defensive depth, eliminate some contract money, and possibly set themselves up to move Tollefsen in a future trade.
Tollefsen brings a fairly cheap cap hit at $600,000 so you could very well see Lebda and Meech both being moved if Andreas Lilja is able to make a full recovery.
UPDATE: Tollefsen was already waived in attempt to put him in Grand Rapids. If he's claimed on waivers, the Wings probably won't be all that upset. He will appear in Grand Rapids on Monday if he clears waivers.
We want to hear your thoughts on this, comment away below.
27 comments | 0 recs |
Age no concern for Tomas Tatar
by KyleKujawa on Feb 5, 2010 11:23 AM CST
in Prospects
6 comments
The World Junior Championship is typically a tournament for 19-year-old players. It's by far the most prestigious and most popular tournament for junior hockey, earning the eye of scouts and fans alike each December. Despite the incredible talent at the tournament every year, it's not considered to be a big tournament for draft eligible players. The best of the best will certainly find their way on the team, but every year is crucial in development -- 19-year-olds are just better prepared for the tournament. Look no further than Colorado's Matt Duchene for a player passed over for this tournament.
For a country like Slovakia, winners of just one medal (a bronze) in the history of the tournament, the tournament can be tremendously challenging. Slovakia has put together competitive clubs over the years, but it's very difficult for a young player to stand out, even if they're given ice time.
Apparently, no one this to told Tomas Tatar. Barely 18 and a virtual unknown before the tournament, Tatar emerged as a star at the 2009 WJCs. Tatar led Slovakia in scoring with seven goals and 11 points in seven games, including several highlight reel goals and a pair of clutch goals in a huge upset over the United States.
After Detroit selected Tatar in the 2nd round the following June, many were wondering if Tatar's WJC performance was a fluke, or if he was the real deal. That was a question that Tatar soon answered. Despite being drafted into the OHL, and having an offer to play professional hockey in Slovakia, Tatar focused in on making the AHL and earning a contract from Detroit. He did.
Visa issues kept him out of the first few games, but Tatar found himself a regular after the first month of the season. Production was slow at first, but Tatar started to catch fire in November, becoming one of the top scorers on the Griffins during that team. All this was despite being the youngest player in the league. Tatar not only proved his WJC was not a fluke, but he proved to be a steal for Detroit at 60th overall.
Winging it in Motown had a chance to speak with Tatar about his adjustments to the AHL, his performances at the WJC, and being invited to Slovakia's Olympic camp.
6 comments | 2 recs
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