HOCKEYTOWN
What a fantastic effort tonight by the Red Wings. It wasn't just the fact that they won, it was HOW they won - with grit, hustle and toughness. Mathieu Schneider set the tempo of the game with a huge hit on Matthew Lombardi and it just went from there. They matched the Flames - who are supposed to be so much more physical - hit for hit (as one recap said - may have been TSN's) and got every single player involved in the forecheck, including Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. While they didn't completely push the Flames around with the body, they definitely outplayed them in every way and ultimately dominated the game as a whole. This Wings team is tougher than they've been in years, and every player has become more and more defensively responsible, and even guys like Datsyuk are scoring goals by driving to the net. Oh man, that Datsyuk goal was a thing of beauty, and was vastly important to the team as a whole; with that goal and an assist shortly afterward, Datsyuk has shaken the curse of not scoring in the playoffs. That will give him a HUGE boost of confidence. You could see the change in his eyes after he scored that BEAUTIFUL goal - he just lit up, and his celebration was a little more joyful than usual. He needed that goal, and it helps out the entire team, because now he will feel confident, and we all know where that leads. There's a reason the Wings just re-signed him to a 7-year, $46.9 million deal. The guy is an elite talent, and one of the best players in the world. I have always believed in Pavel, and I have said time and again that his lack of points in prior playoffs had NOTHING to do with a lack of effort. Look at him in that Edmonton series last year - just watch the tape. He was hustling his ass off, making great passes and dragging Oilers on his back. The guy needed backup. He was getting the shit kicked out of him because teams were zeroing in on him. Now they can't do that anymore. The Wings have the best four lines they've had since 2002, and certainly the best for playoff hockey. Let's have a look:
Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Calder-Lang-Samuelsson (the latter of whom will likely be Bertuzzi on Sunday)
Maltby-Draper-Cleary
Hudler-Filppula-Franzen
This leaves one left over to be scratched once Bertuzzi returns. That's say something, when you have to scratch Jiri Hudler. I love each line: the Drapes line is a new grind line, full of spark and energy, speed and grit. And the fourth line is a WONDERFUL combination of talent and even nastiness. Having Filppula - one of the most talented young players in the NHL and an eventual star, in my opinion - centering Franzen on the fourth line is brilliant and says a hell of a lot about the depth of this team. Franzen is a beast, ladies and gentlemen. "The Mule" is one of the Wings' most important players, and will be a key in this series. It was him who connected with Filppula on the Wings' all-important first goal - a real beauty, I might add. But Franzen is a beast, and he's nasty. He gets feistier every day, and gets under opponents' skin. He's big and strong and he also gets timely goals - he's the next Darren McCarty (although he may not have the leadership qualities at this time as Darren). Franzen is a CLASSIC "Grind Line" type of guy - he's even better than Joey Kocur was for them back in 1997. And you throw Cleary in there and you have four great Grind Line guys - just like they had in the 97 Cup run, with Draper, Maltby, McCarty and Kocur. And Filppula - outside of his talent, the guy is a classic Scandinavian center: big, strong, responsible, extremely talented and VERY responsible defensively. He's a two-way guy, straight up. He mixes so well with Franzen, and presumably with Samuelsson on Sunday. That line will be all Swedes and Finns, now that I think about it.
And Kyle Calder. What a beast. He's another Grind Liner, but with more offensive upside. This guy gets nasty goals. I mean, at this point, HALF of the Wings' forwards are truly gritty, and the other half are defensively responsible, at worst. And the Wings' defensive corps are loaded with all the right qualities, too. Let's look at the list, sans Niklas Kronwall (who is unfortunately injured at the moment):
Lidstrom
Schneider
Chelios
Markov
Lilja
Lebda
Chelios, Markov and Lilja are tough as nails and beat the shit out of you. Lebda and Schneider, while they can be very physical (as Schneider showed, see above), are VERY offensively gifted, and move the puck extremely well. Lebda is a brilliant skater, too. And Lidstrom. The guy doesn't even NEED to be physical, he's so smart. Nicklas Lidstrom is the greatest defenseman of all-time, save only for Bobby Orr himself.
Also, Dominik Hasek. The guy wins games for you, and he lets you loosen up a bit. Time and again, we've all heard the Cup-winning Wings teams (and every other team, for that matter) talk about how they don't worry as much when they have a great goalie back there. They know Dom can make huge saves and steal pucks that should have been goals. They play with greater confidence and a little more passion out there, because they know they've got a safety net. If he can stay healthy, the Wings just might go far.
Man, I'm pumped. The Wings have to stay strong though, because the Flames are going to come out a lot stronger in game two. If the Wings can win it and keep home-ice advantage, I think they will hold on to win the series.
LET'S GO RED WINGS
Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Calder-Lang-Samuelsson (the latter of whom will likely be Bertuzzi on Sunday)
Maltby-Draper-Cleary
Hudler-Filppula-Franzen
This leaves one left over to be scratched once Bertuzzi returns. That's say something, when you have to scratch Jiri Hudler. I love each line: the Drapes line is a new grind line, full of spark and energy, speed and grit. And the fourth line is a WONDERFUL combination of talent and even nastiness. Having Filppula - one of the most talented young players in the NHL and an eventual star, in my opinion - centering Franzen on the fourth line is brilliant and says a hell of a lot about the depth of this team. Franzen is a beast, ladies and gentlemen. "The Mule" is one of the Wings' most important players, and will be a key in this series. It was him who connected with Filppula on the Wings' all-important first goal - a real beauty, I might add. But Franzen is a beast, and he's nasty. He gets feistier every day, and gets under opponents' skin. He's big and strong and he also gets timely goals - he's the next Darren McCarty (although he may not have the leadership qualities at this time as Darren). Franzen is a CLASSIC "Grind Line" type of guy - he's even better than Joey Kocur was for them back in 1997. And you throw Cleary in there and you have four great Grind Line guys - just like they had in the 97 Cup run, with Draper, Maltby, McCarty and Kocur. And Filppula - outside of his talent, the guy is a classic Scandinavian center: big, strong, responsible, extremely talented and VERY responsible defensively. He's a two-way guy, straight up. He mixes so well with Franzen, and presumably with Samuelsson on Sunday. That line will be all Swedes and Finns, now that I think about it.
And Kyle Calder. What a beast. He's another Grind Liner, but with more offensive upside. This guy gets nasty goals. I mean, at this point, HALF of the Wings' forwards are truly gritty, and the other half are defensively responsible, at worst. And the Wings' defensive corps are loaded with all the right qualities, too. Let's look at the list, sans Niklas Kronwall (who is unfortunately injured at the moment):
Lidstrom
Schneider
Chelios
Markov
Lilja
Lebda
Chelios, Markov and Lilja are tough as nails and beat the shit out of you. Lebda and Schneider, while they can be very physical (as Schneider showed, see above), are VERY offensively gifted, and move the puck extremely well. Lebda is a brilliant skater, too. And Lidstrom. The guy doesn't even NEED to be physical, he's so smart. Nicklas Lidstrom is the greatest defenseman of all-time, save only for Bobby Orr himself.
Also, Dominik Hasek. The guy wins games for you, and he lets you loosen up a bit. Time and again, we've all heard the Cup-winning Wings teams (and every other team, for that matter) talk about how they don't worry as much when they have a great goalie back there. They know Dom can make huge saves and steal pucks that should have been goals. They play with greater confidence and a little more passion out there, because they know they've got a safety net. If he can stay healthy, the Wings just might go far.
Man, I'm pumped. The Wings have to stay strong though, because the Flames are going to come out a lot stronger in game two. If the Wings can win it and keep home-ice advantage, I think they will hold on to win the series.
LET'S GO RED WINGS