Morning Skate: Floppa

by JeffHancock41 on Oct 8, 2011 8:00 AM CDT in Game Preview

And we're back! Twenty four hours or so later and the Red Wings will be at it again.

Last night the team took care of business in a 5-3 victory over Paul MacLeans' Ottawa Senators. Tonight the opponent is an old, familiar foe, the Colorado Avalanche. These two teams have gone to war with each other in the past, but not so much lately because the Avs suck.

Colorado will honor one of the great competitors and divers from their battles against the Red Wings in the late 90s, Peter "Floppa" Forsberg. They will retire his number 21 and place it in the rafters alongside great, long time Avs like Ray Bourque. In my mind, I will always remember Forsberg for getting taken down by Igor Larionov way back in 1997, his awesome career in Nashville, and his 57 retirements.

Mile High Hockey is your SBNation Avalanche blog.

Puck drop is just after 9p ET.

The Expected Lineup

Jiri Hudler -- Pavel Datsyuk -- Danny Cleary

Valtteri Filppula -- Henrik Zetterberg -- Johan Franzen

Justin Abdelkader -- Darren Helm -- Todd Bertuzzi

Drew Miller -- Cory Emmerton -- Tomas Holmstrom

Nicklas Lidstrom -- Ian White

Niklas Kronwall -- Brad Stuart

Jakub Kindl -- Jonathan Ericsson

Jimmy Howard (starting)

Ty Conklin

Scratches: Fabian Brunnstrom and Patrick Eaves

Injuries: Mike Commodore (knee) and Jan Mursak (ankle)

Don't be surprised to see the lineup juggled a bit. It's the second night of a back-to-back to start the season and I wouldn't be shocked to see Babcock get Brunnstrum and Eaves into the game to see some action. Who sits though? Most likely it would be the team's leader scorers, Emmerton and Miller.

Detroit is 57-39-5-5 (W-L-T-OTL) all-time against the Avalanche/Nordiques franchise.
With a victory in Denver, the Red Wings would start the season with 2 straight wins for the 3rd time since the lockout. The Wings started the year 2-0-0 last season and began 3-0-0 in 2005-06.
Yesterday I mentioned the Sens had 74 points and the last time the Wings had 74 points or less was the 1989-90 season when they finished with 70. Well it was worse for Colorado. The Avs finished with 68 points. They last time the Wings had 68 points or less? You have to go all the way back to the 1984-85 season. Three years before I was born.
Not that it means anything, but the Avs finished 2-4-0 in the preseason. They even suck when the games don't count.
Another potential Calder candidate in tonight's game. It will be the NHL debut of 2nd overall picks Gabriel Landeskog.

Prediction: It's the Avs first game of the season and the Wings flew out west the night after a game. This has close contest written all over it. Red Wings win 3-2 and Filppula is your player of the game.

Let's Go Red Wings.

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Comments

4-3 Colorado, Filppula

get the first loss of the season out of the way. not feeling it tonight, but i’m more than happy to be wrong.

on the other hand, if i am wrong, i really hope it means that Detroit can learn to shut it down before the opposition gets some life.

on another note, a power play goal tonight would also be nice.

You wanna tell me that to mah face?!
YET ANOTHER Detroit Red Wings blog.

by uvgt2bkdnme on Oct 8, 2011 8:10 AM CDT reply actions

3-1 Detroit, ZetterCheddar

Hank lights the lamp twice. If Brunnstrom gets put in tho, the score will be 76-0.

by PavelPicasso on Oct 8, 2011 8:22 AM CDT reply actions

4-1, Detroit

Datsyuk is going to make up for not being amazing last night.

You're wrong Mick. That blob may have peanuts, but it ain't no Baby Ruth.

by Dannik99 on Oct 8, 2011 8:40 AM CDT reply actions

3-1 Detroit - Franzen

by J.J. from Kansas on Oct 8, 2011 8:42 AM CDT reply actions

5-2hudler

Happy gets a hat trick tonight!

I'm a Homer

by holmstrom96 on Oct 8, 2011 9:01 AM CDT reply actions

4-2 Colorado

Tough task to fly out to Colorado and win on the tail end of a back-to-back.

Fan of the Detroit Tigers, Lions and Red Wings.

by Elfuego51 on Oct 8, 2011 9:04 AM CDT reply actions

3-2 Wings

Pavel PotG

Bonus Prediction: Game is delayed midway through the third when Peter Forsberg tries to un-retire and walks out onto the ice with a ladder in an attempt to pull down his number from the rafters

"I'm a simple man. I like pretty, dark-haired women and breakfast food" - Ron Swanson
twitter

by rock n rye on Oct 8, 2011 9:39 AM CDT reply actions 3 recs

surely only a loser fan base for a loser franchise would misspell

Lidstrom on their blog entry for tonight’s game. Idiots. check out Mile High Hockey for a ridiculous preview and some good Detroit bashing in the comments.

DETROIT RED WINGS – "war were declared"
Twitter - @TheIngles22

by Eric @ PRBU on Oct 8, 2011 11:12 AM CDT reply actions

sigh

I really don’t see why it’s so hard to spell Lidstrom.

by dewman8810 on Oct 8, 2011 1:56 PM CDT up reply actions

Tonights prediction

since last night went SO well (well had the score til Jimmy let one by late…), I’m thinking…

4-2 Wings, and Niklas Lidstrom is tonights PoTG…
and also for a change of pace

6-3 Tigers, PoTG Justin Verlander

Fan of the Tigers ~ Red Wings ~ Lions - No Better Town to be a sports fan of!
Fantasy Teams: Pride of Detroit Bench League (PackMules (1-3) & Winging It In Motown Mursak League - (Wingedmule)

by MuleRules on Oct 8, 2011 11:18 AM CDT reply actions

Agreed...

my prediction, except Dats POG

also like Tigers predict =)

by wingsluver4ever on Oct 8, 2011 2:20 PM CDT up reply actions

3-2 Wings, Datsyuk POTG

7-4 Tigers, Justin MFing Verlander POTG and Cabrera starts to wake up his bat.

Also, I will feel like vomiting at least twice during the baseball game. I love the playoffs.

Random nonsense at @Baroque97

"It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time." --Sir Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965)

by Baroque on Oct 8, 2011 11:28 AM CDT reply actions

Looking forward to Michigan Football, Tigers Baseball and Red Wings hockey.

Will have to have 3 TVs going tonight.

by dewman8810 on Oct 8, 2011 1:57 PM CDT reply actions

Heyall

Long time lurker, posting from Denver — completely unable to get tickets for tonight :(

Anyway, just thought I’d say hi since I’ll be participating in prediction contests this year!

4-3 wings, Franzen

by jwin on Oct 8, 2011 3:24 PM CDT reply actions

Welcome!

Make sure you rock your Winged Wheel everywhere today, and remind any Avs fans who give you shit that at least our GM didn’t trade a lottery pick for a guy that lost his job to Michael Neuvirth.

Winging It In Motown

by Amerinadian on Oct 8, 2011 4:35 PM CDT up reply actions