Morning Skate: Stayin' alive
by Ryan Weiss on May 8, 2010 11:00 AM CDT
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PrintTake a deep breath Red Wings fans. It's time to do it all over again.
The Wings staved off elimination in emphatic fashion on Thursday, using Johan Franzen's four goal effort to rout the San Jose Sharks 7-1. Detroit still trails the series 3-1 however, and will need the same effort from Thursday and then some to knock off the Sharks tonight at HP Pavilion. Puck drop is at 10:00 p.m. EST on Versus.
- Speaking of Franzen, his hat trick the other night was the second-fastest three goals in NHL playoff history. Franzen potted three goals in a 3:26 span in the first period, just two seconds shy of Tim Kerr's all time record of 3:24, set in 1985. If Franzen tallies another point tonight, he'll match Gordie Howe for the longest post season point streak in Red Wings history at 11 games.
- Staying on that line, Todd Bertuzzi tied a Red Wing playoff record with four assists, which was previously done last by Nicklas Lidstrom in 2007. Bertuzzi went into a bit of a funk to start the playoffs, but produced a five(!) point night (1G, 4A) Thursday. Maybe a little shuffling is all he needs now and then.
- Mike Babcock shuffled the lines for Thursday, putting Todd Bertuzzi on a line with Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg. It seemed to work quite well, so I'd expect the same combinations for tonight.
- Jonathan Ericsson logged a game high 27:33 in Brad Stuart's absence on Thursday. Stuart sustained a lower body injury from a check on Rob Blake in Game 4, and along with Patrick Eaves is a question mark tonight. Ericsson didn't really do anything to turn any heads, which on most nights is a good sign. He didn't log any points and registered five hits
- Via Khan(!), Babcock said Eaves and Stuart will decide after the morning skate if they will play tonight. We''ll keep you updated on the situation. If neither can go, expect Mattias Ritola and Brett Lebda to take their places.
- The big goal differential on Thursday allowed Detroit to cut back on newly-40-year-old Nicklas Lidstrom's minutes. Lidstrom played just 21:17, a far cry from the near 30-minute showings we're used to.
- Jimmy Howard rebounded nicely, stopping 28 of 29 shots in picking up the win. Howard had allowed four goals in each of the previous three games, and looked especially shaky in the Game 3 loss. Howard will need to turn in a similar performance tonight to extend the series.
- The penalty situation on Thursday was a complete reversal from the previous three contests. In all, 26 penalties were issued, with the Sharks racking up 49 penalty minutes and the Red Wings with 33. Expect a much more disciplined contest tonight, as the Wings try to avoid elimination and the Sharks try to avoid blowing a chance to close out the series at home.
More after the jump
- Evgeni Nabokov had a rough outing, allowing five goals on just nine shots and was pulled to start the second period. Don't expect Thomas Greiss in net tonight; Nabokov didn't get any help at all on Thursday and is the Sharks' unquestioned starter.
- Joe Thornton had a particularly rough night for the Sharks. Thornton took four penalties, including a game misconduct, in the third period. Thornton has long been the scapegoat for the Sharks playoff struggles, and the 7-1 beatdown the Wings put on his team couldn't have sat well with him.
- After dominating the first two games, Joe Pavelski went silent upon arriving in Detroit. Pavelski only tallied one assist in Motown after notching six points (4 goasl, 2 assists) in San Jose. Perhaps not having an extended 5-on-3 to work with played a part.
- Pierre LeBrun wonders if the Wings' outburst in Game 4 was the start of something big or just a blip on the Sharks' radar.
- Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News notes that the Sharks' Game 4 disaster brought back bad memories of failed post seasons past.
- Fear the Fin is your SBNation Sharks counterpart.
UPDATE 7:06pm EST: Brad Stuart said he's optimistic that he'll play tonight, but remains a game-time decision. Patrick Eaves on the other hand will miss his fourth straight game. Babcock will use the same lineup as Game 4, which means that Mattias Ritola will be in the lineup for the second straight game. Brett Lebda will take Stuart's spot if he can't go.
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Win tonight
and we put the sharks on their heels. Bring this shit back to the joe for the love of god!
I'm happy with Game 4 of course
but I still probably couldn’t describe myself as optimistic (surprise!). I think this will be a tight game and Detroit has lost the tight games so far. 0-4 in one goal games doesn’t inspire confidence, and if there’s one thing I learned about the Rule of Averages as applied to sports, is that it (paradoxically) only screws the team you’re rooting for. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a return to the 4-3 trend tonight, with the usual results.
No Limits.
Hey, now! As Groucho once said
“A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere”. I am pretty sure he wouldn’t have cared much for the law of averages either.
Let’s just get to Nabby early and often!
Watching a few other series, no consistency in the reffing – some series are old school – takes something pretty obvious to get a call, some series are getting the weak ones. I would like to see the next couple(hopefully) decided by the players, not a Special Teams exihibition.
yesss
Exactly this. When I was watching Game 2 I remember thinking “Why couldn’t we have had the PIT-MTL refs?” I didn’t see the whole game, but I heard fewer whistles in about maybe 7 minutes of play than I heard in 45 seconds of SJS-DET Game 2.
Let me just say this before the series ends: I won’t blame the refs wholesale for games 1 and 2, since the Red Wings kept both games close and obviously a few plays could have developed differently. That said, you can’t possibly argue that the series being called the way it has hasn’t disproportionately favored the Sharks. The Sharks and the Wings both play similar styles of hockey, so all things being equal, stoppages in play should affect both teams equally…. but that will never be the case when half of those whistles are penalties and all of those penalties are against one team.
I guess my message to the NHL refs is “Shit or get off the pot.” I would argue the playoffs probably isn’t the best time to call games so tightly, but if you’re going to do it, at least be consistent about it. Don’t get into make-up calls, phantom-slashing, or the “uh… let’s call it ‘Holding’” shit.
No Limits.
Yeah, agreed. Let the boys play. Unless there’s cheap stuff like when Thornton went uncharacteristically bonkers in the 3rd. He said after the game that he and Holmstrom just accidentally collided a little….in the replay you can clearly see Thornton put his whole shoulder into Homer’s chest….
Thorton is a "classy" guy
It’s very classy to hit a guy after the whistle then immediately complain to the refs and claim it was a dive. “accidentally collided a little” my ass, Thorton stepped directly into Homer and made no attempt to get out of the way once the whistle was blown.
Funny thing is, Kevin Weekes of the NHL network actually PRAISED Thorton’s game 4 performance and showing his “grit” and “toughness”. I listened with my mouth gaped open…on NO occasion is a -4 effort with a bajillion penalties “good” for your team. And it shows the opposite of leadership. Granted, I understand the frustration and I understand he’s been singled out so much for disappearing in the playoffs the past few years…but come on. “Grit” is not going after people when you’re losing by 6 goals…that’s just called frustration and childishness, which most could be guilty of in a similar situation (though that doesn’t make it OK, especially if you’re a supposed leader on your team)
yeah
a Sharks fan mentioned after the game that there are probably some guys on the Wings that would do the same winding down a 7-1 loss and in most cases, I probably agree… but while we’re up 3-0 in a series? I don’t see it.
I’m not going out of my way to rip the Sharks or anything (and I don’t mind Thornton, in fact I haven’t even seen the footage of this incident), I just don’t agree with that reasoning under the circumstances. We got into a scrum with PIT last year in the final at the end of game 2 (I’ll never stop bitching about the rescinded suspension of Malkin, by the way) but that was a much tighter contest and was for the Cup, so I give it a pass.
No Limits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSvhYyGegB0&playnext_from=TL&videos=CIgCVe08mKg&feature=sub
Well I think the Wings would stand up for themselves, but I really can’t see Zetterberg purposefully hitting someone after the whistle, unprovoked. In fact, I’ve never seen him do that. Occasionally some Wings will do that stuff after the whistle (Maltby, Homer on occasion, etc.) but at least they don’t act like they’re surprised afterwards when there’s retaliation…also they’d never go after a player like Lidstrom like that. That was pretty ridiculous. Reminds me of Perry on Rafi last year, and Niedermayer on Dats.
Well, it's never fun to lose by 6 goals. Frustration, I can understand.
But that doesn’t make it right. Considering he’s a paid professional and his team is still prolly going to win the series, there’s no reason he should have vented his frustration so much like that. Especially being a supposed leader to his team.
yeah i should probably rephrase
i can definitely see the frustration coming from that game’s loss… but to take it to that extent when you need to win just one more game is just funny to me… notice lidstrom didnt even react to his antics
Lidstrom never reacts to crap like that
Hands down, classiest guy to ever play the game. Anyone who goes after him is either ignorant or dumb. He’s such a great role model to the realm of professional athletics, not just hockey, and it’s the reason why he’s been my favorite player on the Wings for the past 15 years.
one more game sounds great!!!!
I keep getting screwed over here in MN because VS. thinks I would rather watch the Pens/Habs than the Wings (when the games were in Detroit). Which makes total sense considering that I’m on the Western Conference side of the country…..
Just a side note—watching Halak has actually been really fun.
GO WINGS
If Howard hadn’t shit the bed in game 3, the series would be even.
How many times has a team been down 3-1 in a series, having outscored their opposition?
yeah
that was just… sigh… still got respect for the kid though…. without him we wouldnt have been watching him fuck up game 3 to begin with.
I have total confidence in Howard
I started to type “faith” but then I realized that faith is belief in the absence of evidence whereas confidence is belief WITH evidence, and Howard has (for the most part) provided it. Hopefully he matures as a player and as a person and doesn’t let his success this season get to his head. The media has been talking a lot about how he’s carried the team and they’re justified to do it, but I don’t want Howard to have a sophomore year like Steve Mason’s.
I’m still predictably gloomy, but I will say it’s been a wild ride; mad props to Howard for keeping us in the game when things could have so easily turned to shit. I would still probably bet our season ends tonight, but like you said we wouldn’t be here right now if not for his effort. Maybe Ozzy would have eventually established some consistency, but that’s not how it played out and it wasn’t an avenue we could really afford to explore, considering Howard’s generally strong play. Viva Howard.
No Limits.
lol mike, you must be a poet. Cause I can’t think of a better way to put it, “we wouldn’t have been watching him fuck up game 3 to begin with”. Brilliant, and 100% true. Some Wings fans are already forgetting that Howard kept us in the playoff hunt almost single-handed during the middle of the season.
Wings in 7.
Let’s go out, play our asses off, and kick some Shark ass and keep this series alive!
To me, tonight decides the series
I know that’s not actually necessarily true, but put me down as saying that if the Wings win tonight, they’re going to go on and win this series in 7. I don’t think mentally the Sharks could recover from losing tonight and having to make another trip to Detroit.
oh man.
this was too damn funny. the mike babcock imitation is freakishly spot on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEFrdVAqooo
by mikerlz on May 8, 2010 4:30 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
That shit
is hilarious… he need to grab his ear a couple of time ans drink more water… but yea good stuff
GET EMMMM
go wings!
TULO = 2010 MVP!
Troy Tulowitzki: "When people think of the Rockies, I want them to think of a winning organization."
LETS GO WINGS!
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