Its the Wings board, of course theres going to be Wings bias.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wingtory
True, but my screen name doesn't exactly scream "fair and balanced" does it?
I can add more about the Wings to balance things out:
Franzen continues to blossom as a solid 2nd liner.
Filppula demonstrated why the Wings won't trade him.
Lilja played fairly strong on the blue-line after a few days out.
Are Datsyuk and Zetterberg linked by ESP? Looked like it on the first goal, anyway.
Refs sure swallowed the whistle in the last 5 minutes. Both teams were guilty of breaking the rules.
Helm is very fast.
I hate Forsberg.
Agreed on everything. Wings are awesome and clearly the Avs suck. Last night did everything to stir up the old Avs hate, and they didn't even do anything. It all started with a tiny chuckle at the fact that Floppa was injured...
I find it odd that Quenville is still talking about putting Theodore back in net on Tuesday. Its become quite obvious he isn't in the right mindset to win this series, and Budaj has played much better.
Also, I wonder if Forsberg is going to make a premature return now. If its really a groin injury, I don't think he'll be 100% next game, but I do think he might play anyways, in order to inject some emotion into his team. Same with maybe Hannan, though I'm not sure how bad he's injured.
And Franzen is an absolute beast. I don't think Babs needs to split the first line, let the Avs decide which line they think they need to cover harder defensively. It will only result in more room for the other line.
DETROIT - The Mule-led Detroit Red Wings are kicking the Colorado Avalanche when they're down.
Johan Franzen scored three times to lift Detroit to a 5-1 victory Saturday over the banged-up Avs, giving the NHL's top-seeded team a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinal.
The six-foot-three, 220-pound centre - known as "Mule" - redirected a shot in front of the net early in the game, scored on a wraparound in the second period and whacked a rebound out of the air in the third.
This just in:
The Avs are saying that Theodore will start game 3! Talk about an interesting decision! What has Jose done to earn this loyalty other than play a decent 20-game stretch? Budaj has looked much better positionally, he's been more aggressive on Detroit shooters, and he's shown tremendous quickness in the first two games. I can't complain, being a Wings fan, but I think its the wrong move by Coach Q.
Peter Forsberg is probably having issues with his foot. I know everyone is calling it a groin injury, but the dude couldn't play all year because of his mangled paw, and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if that thing is problem. Or, over-compensation on other muscles to alleviate pain in the Groin could contribute to an injury somewhere else.
Or it could be is groin. Its not like anything in that guy's body works right.
This just in:
The Avs are saying that Theodore will start game 3! Talk about an interesting decision! What has Jose done to earn this loyalty other than play a decent 20-game stretch? Budaj has looked much better positionally, he's been more aggressive on Detroit shooters, and he's shown tremendous quickness in the first two games. I can't complain, being a Wings fan, but I think its the wrong move by Coach Q.
Peter Forsberg is probably having issues with his foot. I know everyone is calling it a groin injury, but the dude couldn't play all year because of his mangled paw, and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if that thing is problem. Or, over-compensation on other muscles to alleviate pain in the Groin could contribute to an injury somewhere else.
Or it could be is groin. Its not like anything in that guy's body works right.
You've got to think that if Theodore lets in 2 goals he's going to be yanked, but by that time it might be too late and the Wings may have already grabbed momentum. I think Q needs to grow a pair and sit Theodore down and tell him he's sucked and isn't going to play. If Babcock can do it with Hasek, Q can do it with Theodore.
And I've been thinking the same thing regarding Floppa. I think he'll be in the next game though, but I don't think he'll make an impact right away due to not being completely healthy.
I just hope the Wings come out strong and challenge Theodore right away and don't give him a chance to gain confidence. Exploit the slow D to the sides and then centering pass or put it to the net with someone crashing. Its been working wonders so far.
Well, you said it right there: Exploit the slow D. I'm not sure if its that they're so slow, or just bad. But the Av's defense has been an achilles heel for them all year. If you want success, you need points from the blue-line. The Avs aren't/haven't been getting them.
Hannan must have a more severe problem that first thought. Whether or not bones are broken, he obvisously can't get a skate on if he's skipping practice. I wouldn't be surprised to see him for a game if they got the swelling down. Thing will puff right back up though, so he'll miss game 4 if he plays game 3.
Game 3 is in the books. What an effort by the Wings. Colorado made a game out of it, with gutsy performances by both Forsberg and Hannan, but the Avs are well-deserving of their 6-seed...they aren't even close to the Wings.
Top Line of Datsyuk Zetterberg and Holmstrom is better (by far) than the Sakic Forsberg Jones/Hedjuk line. I was in doubt until they went head-to-head. The Wings are stronger on the puck, faster off it, faster with it, and 100x more dangerous. As good as Sakic and Forsberg once were, they are not the same. And unlike Detroit, who surrounded their aging stars with young power-houses, the Avs traded all their young talent pre-cap to make ill-fated stabs at immortality.
Speaking of Forsberg, what an idiot. I had forgotten what a jerk he was until he cross-checked Sammy in the mouth. I will forever hate Peter the Great and I hope he always remains bitter about the way Detroit won more than his Colorado teams did.
Let's go Wings. One more night of hard work and you'll be on your way!
Game 3 is in the books. What an effort by the Wings. Colorado made a game out of it, with gutsy performances by both Forsberg and Hannan, but the Avs are well-deserving of their 6-seed...they aren't even close to the Wings.
Top Line of Datsyuk Zetterberg and Holmstrom is better (by far) than the Sakic Forsberg Jones/Hedjuk line. I was in doubt until they went head-to-head. The Wings are stronger on the puck, faster off it, faster with it, and 100x more dangerous. As good as Sakic and Forsberg once were, they are not the same. And unlike Detroit, who surrounded their aging stars with young power-houses, the Avs traded all their young talent pre-cap to make ill-fated stabs at immortality.
Speaking of Forsberg, what an idiot. I had forgotten what a jerk he was until he cross-checked Sammy in the mouth. I will forever hate Peter the Great and I hope he always remains bitter about the way Detroit won more than his Colorado teams did.
Let's go Wings. One more night of hard work and you'll be on your way!
I was very surprised at how easily the Wings handled the Sakic line last night. The only player who really looked dangerous was Jones. And Floppa is an arrogant ass... he was playing borderline dangerous. I understand playing with emotion and tenacity, but come on.
Here is my feeling:
Avs have to come out desparate and physical. They need to score first and if they can get the Detroit D back on their heels, that will help a lot. Look for a 2-man forecheck trying to put pressure on both D at once on dump-ins, similiar to how Anaheim attacked Detroit last year. The results will not pay off, however.
Detroit will weather the storm, and no matter who scores first, you will see Zetterberg and Datsyuk take the game over and force the momentum back to the Wings by simply out-playing the Avs.
The Avs will have to score 4 times to win the game. Based on their history this season with Detroit, that will not happen and Detroit will conclude the sweep.
Here is my feeling:
Avs have to come out desparate and physical. They need to score first and if they can get the Detroit D back on their heels, that will help a lot. Look for a 2-man forecheck trying to put pressure on both D at once on dump-ins, similiar to how Anaheim attacked Detroit last year. The results will not pay off, however.
Detroit will weather the storm, and no matter who scores first, you will see Zetterberg and Datsyuk take the game over and force the momentum back to the Wings by simply out-playing the Avs.
The Avs will have to score 4 times to win the game. Based on their history this season with Detroit, that will not happen and Detroit will conclude the sweep.
I'm going to have to agree. With Statsny, Smyth, and Wolski out, I'm not sure they have the offense to beat us. But, I do expect them to come out hard and take the body to us. I just hope things don't get dirty.
EDIT: Add Forsberg to the list of Avs being out. I think the Wings should wrap it up tonight.
Semi-Finals: Colorado vs. Detroit
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