Let The Battle Begin: WCSF: Red Wings at Sharks (Game 1)

4-2 Detroit, Cleary player of the game.

You also forgot to mention that 500 tornadoes touched down since we last played.

Just a note, Thornton and Heatley have played on different lines this year. Heatley plays on the second line with Logan Couture and Ryane Clowe. Either way though, shutting down Thornton is always a good way to limit the scoring from his linemates (Marleau and Setoguchi).

Teams spend a good bit of the first feeling each other out again and four of the goals in this game are scored on the PP.

Z POTG

Start the series off right. Draper is probably more important that Mo, just because of his history with the team. Both are very capable and will be ready to play if needed.

First game back after a long break, SJ will push play early to get the Wings on their heels. We’ll make it a game but not enough to win it.

but ahhhhhhhhhh hockey time again. Sadly, I’LL BE AWAY FROM TONIGHT’S GAME, TOO.

Solving Niemi is the biggest thing I think. The Wings have had trouble with him this year and although the Sharks’ offense is capable of putting goals up, if the Wings solve Niemi they can outscore them. But, a solid defensive performance would be grand.

I think I’ll just leave this as my daily pick until mid-June

Can the Wings figure out how to respond to McLellan’s (sp?) genius at special teams?

we KNOW the fish will be diving. Unfortunately, that is a successful strategy in today’s NHL, as the refs tend to base their call on the “result” and not the actual act. So, the wings had best have the PK rocking and a good PP if they want to crack through SJ’s PK.

My other, more optimistic question is in response to #2. Can the wings solve Nittymaki? Because they will chase Niemi right out of the series before the end of the weekend, forcing them to adapt to a new goalie.

I am so glad that shit is finally over with….ok sorry, rant over.

I think Detroit and San Jose split the first two games of the series…we NEED a better penalty kill, because its going to be a frustrating series if we A) start receiving two minute penalties for getting hit in the face with a stick again and B) cannot kill any of those off. Niemi is a concern…but at this point in the playoffs…every goalie is a concern. I think we will see a middle road between his performance against the Wings overall and his performance against LA… Jimmy Howard HAS to be as consistent as he was against Phoenix and cannot give up the weak goals that doomed the Red Wings last season.

I will be satisfied with a split in the first two games (less so if win G1 and lose G2, but more so if we lose G1 and win G2)…I will be pissed if we lose the first two, and ecstatic if we get out of there with two wins.

I think the Wings win tonight 4-2…it would make this series much more winnable if they can take one of the first two on the road…and it would be much easier on me if they take game 1

Niemi be damned, Detroit’s got the firepower to stand toe-to-toe with anyone and trade punches. However, to continue the analogy, PK’s are pretty much where you drop the gloves (not in the good way) and invite a haymaker.

no predictions…I think I will abstain from that…

Helm spends the game playing like the one-man rodeo he did in round 1.

I’m just so damn excited for tonight with nothing but high hopes BUT wtf? with the 10 pm start?? I was banking on a 10:30 start so that, when I get out of work at 10, I would be able to get home with enough time to change out of my work clothes and grab a beer and not miss a thing. Sigh…

I don’t care what all the “experts” are saying, they also predicted that the coyotes would take us to 7 games, and some of them also predicted that the coyotes would win, and most of them said Bryz would be our undoing. That’s the beauty of the playoffs. NO ON FUCKING KNOWS WHAT THE HELL IS GOING TO HAPPEN! that being said, my confidence lies with the Red Wings. LGRW!!

Ok, so someone on Yahoo is posting jokes about the Sharks. They’re generic and can be used with any team, but that doesn’t make them any less hilarious.

A first grade teacher explains to her class that she is a San Jose Sharks fan. She asks her students to raise their hands if they were Sharks fans, too. Not really knowing what a Sharks fan was, but wanting to be like their teacher, hands explode into the air. There is, however, one exception. A girl named Mary has not gone along with the crowd. The teacher asks her why she has decided to be different. “Because I’m not a Sharks fan.” “Then,” asks the teacher, “what are you?” “Why I’m proud to be a Detroit Red Wings fan.”, boasts the little girl. The teacher is a little perturbed now, her face slightly red. She asks Mary why she is a Red Wings fan. “Well, My Dad and Mom are Red Wings fans, and I’m a Red Wings fan, too!” The teacher is now angry. “That’s no reason,” she says loudly. “What if your mom was a @#$%, and your dad was a @#$%, What would you be then?” A pause, and a smile. “Then,” says Mary, “I’d be a Sharks fan.”

as if term papers weren’t enough, this is easily the most competitive series in the semifinals. so freakin’ excited.

In a good way of course.

While a player like Pavel Datsyuk will pick your pocket and sneak out the front door, Holmstrom is a guy who will kick in your windows and proceed to take a bite out of the steak you have sitting on the kitchen table. The man’s role is to cause a goaltender as much discomfort as possible in his own crease, to violate that sanctuary of safety. No player throughout the League toes that figurative and literal line between legality and infraction better than Holmstrom.

I’m literally picturing Homer doing this and them when you ask him what he’s doing, he mumbles in his Swinglish something that you don’t understand anyways and then walks away.

Battl eof california takes a look at who holds the advantage bases only on their wikipedia pages. It’s good for a laugh, and if you spend 15 minutes reading it, it’s 15 minutes closer to puck drop.

Wiki contest Pt 1

Wiki contest Pt 2

Wiki contest Pt 3

I’m really not being very productive at work today.

Helmy comes through with his energy/ penalty killing / and clutch goal

9 days is too long

As already pointed out, Heatley and Thornton are on two different lines now, though things are definitely more fluid during portions of the game. And as for the erroneous Thornton “choker” label, I enter the following into evidence:

In order to try to force Joe Thornton into a “choker” role statistically, people tend to pull out statistics from his Boston days. Seven years ago, he played injured (torn rib cartilage) in the playoffs and failed to score a point in seven playoff games. Thirteen years ago, he struggled as a rookie, scoring only three goals in the regular season and no points in six playoff games. Those thirteen games with no points bring down his averages and they are also irrelevant to today. They are useless numbers to hide behind when one wants to bash Joe Thornton as opposed to actually watching him play. They are a large part of the statistical argument for his being a "choker". When your argument about things today depends upon two seasons that occurred six and twelve years ago, you are most definitely wrong. You are merely grasping at anything to support your incorrect notion. Joe Thornton has won Olympic gold, the Swiss league title in 2005, World Hockey Championships and World Junior Championships. Clearly he must be a player who cannot win. How can any player who has won at so many levels not know how to win? It is clear that his choker label is meaningless.

Steve Yzerman is another “choker”. Everyone knew he couldn’t win the Stanley Cup – then at age 32 he did. He won it two more times in his career. Joe Thornton is also 30 years old. The potential parallels exist. I argue that the case for Joe Thornton as a playoff choker today is equally strong as the case for Yzerman when he was 30. I argue both cases are wrong.

I thought more people would pick the sharks. I hope they’re right.

FSD’s John Keating tweets that Draper and Modano are the scratches tonight.

Remember, that’s a twitter source. I like Keating, but they’re not always correct.

http://twitter.com/jaykay116/status/64043228046954496

FYI, shutting down Thornton won’t shut down Heatley, because they haven’t been playing on the same line in the last several months.

Marleau – Thornton – Setoguchi
Heatley – Couture – Clowe
Wellwood – Pavelski – Mitchell
Someone – Nichol – Someone else

(and for kicks, the D):
Boyle – Murray
Vlasic – Demers
White – God I hope it’s Braun, but probably Wallin

From last year, this is a really great article (I think) about Datsyuk that you all might appreciate if you haven’t seen it already.

http://www.fearthefin.com/2010/5/1/1453392/profile-of-the-enemy-pavel-datsyuk

They’re on different lines.

Thinking San Jose holds serve in the first game, as the Red Wings take a bit to get the machine humming. Thinking further that Detroit will take games 2-4, and then have to come back to JLA to wrap it up in 6…but I’ll admit to homerism tipping that balance.

Kinda crazy that Uncle Mike and TPH are only 7 years in age difference

I meant to say experts, except Drew Sharp who picked AGAINST the wings….like he did last series. I like journalists to honest and realistic. But Drew Sharp sucks. He is constantly negative about all Detroit sports teams. He just does it to be antagonistic and his writing sucks. Although I appreciated his argument with Bill O’Reilly. One of the few “journalists” who sucks worse than Drew.