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Early World Cup Action
When you are playing the best, you better have a good strategy if you want to win. The San Jose Sharks have devised such a strategy. It’s sad and embarrassing. Not only to themselves, but the entire sport of hockey. It’s a strategy no less, I guess.
Photo courtesy Freep.com
Pass the Marleau
Sharks fans couldn’t have been excited when they announced Patrick Marleau would not be playing in game one. Is this some kind of conspiracy? Why do the captains of the teams the Wings face keep ending up out of the line up? Very weird. Something else that’s strange about it, those teams keep winning the first game with their captains are absent for.
A no show
Technical Difficulties: My apologies everyone. I was cut off from the world as, sadly, my PC crashed. Fortunately, I am back among you fine folks and looks like I’ll be staying, for a series at least.
The Worst part is Over
This was the biggest game of Jimmy Howard’s career and he played like it was.
Jimmy Howard
I wouldn’t say he faced the most difficult shots, but he still stopped over thirty shots, only allowing 1 goal. With a confident goalie who has shown the ability to bounce back again and again, things look good for the Wings.
Well folks, there’s not much howling going on now.
Photo from Zimbio.com
With a 4-1 victory in Phoenix, the Wings have now taken a strangle hold on a series some were thinking they might not make it through. Of course we aren’t done yet, but a confident Wings team, at home, up 3-2 is every NHL players nightmare, or should be. It pretty much means it’s time to get the clubs polished.
It’s an interesting statistic:
The Detroit Red Wings have now won the last 6 game four’s they’ve played down 2-1 in the series. Talk about deflating your opponents. It’s hard enough to get momentum in a series, it’s even harder to get it back. The trick is to not let the pressure get to you.
Photo courtesy Zimbio.com
The Phoenix Coyotes displayed extraordinary character as they beat the Wings 4-2 in Hockeytown, without the services of draw guy Vernon Fiddler and captain Shane Doan.
Fiddler was out of the line up to start the game, replaced by ex-Wing Robert Lang. Doan left the game after crashing hard into the boards while charging the net after a dumped puck. It looked innocent enough, I was surprised to see him leave and I know Coyote fans are hoping it isn’t serious.
The Detroit Red Wings looked like a completely different team as they evened up the round 1 best of 7 series with the Coyotes of Phoenix. Their PP was successful, their PK was stifling and, like I called for after game 1, the hits kept on coming.
Photo courtesy Detroit Free Press
The focus of game 1 was the physical play the Coyotes brought to the table. Shane Doan and Ed Jovonovski made it apparent they had decided to throw the Wings off their game through intimidation, and it worked, in that game. The problem is that 1 game doesn’t decide a series. By announcing their intentions to pick on Detroit, Phoenix may have tipped their hand too soon.
Aaaooooooo!
4-5 Match-up
For obvious reasons this is widely considered the best playoff match-up of the first round in each conference. But how close is the match-up between the Detroit Red Wings and the Phoenix Coyotes? Maybe closer than we would have thought prior to game one. The Coyotes win 3-2 at home.
Shane Doan
