"We battled back and got a point...On the other hand it's disappointing losing in the first shift of overtime." Captain/Defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom
Detroit (41-23-14) @ Philadelphia (38-34-6)
After a heartbreaking overtime loss to Nashville yesterday, the Red Wings get a chance to pull even with Nashville again as they travel to Philly to tangle with the Flyers. The Wings have two games in hand on the Predators and a victory here will tie them for 5th seed with the Preds. I didn't really get any input from anyone on how the game yesterday went, so I'm still quite in the dark, highlights only tell you so much. But I'll do my best to come up with a Winning Formula that will ensure success for Detroit today!!
1.) Get Mad, Get Even - Detroit needs to come out pissed off in this game. The Wings have to turn the rarely-seen Flyers into a veritable whipping boy in this matinee affair and punish Philly for the loss to Nashville. Like Nick said above, it's disappointing to lose on the first shift of extra time, so get mad and take it out on Philadelphia, and if the Wings can do that they'll get even with the Predators. See what I did there? Of course you did.
2.) Stick to the Plan! - I could be way off here, again I didn't watch the game, but the way I see it is that Detroit battled back to send a 3-2 game into overtime by tying up with Nashville, and got a bad break on the very first shift in OT. That's just bad luck, that's not implying the Wings had a poor gameplan. They did get something from nothing. Detroit needs to come out with the same plan, just with more intensity. Anytime your team is able to rally from a deficit and keep themselves in the game, you know you're adapting well and playing good hockey. If the Red Wings can jumpstart their game early, they could wrap this up in the first two periods with little concern in the third. Of course should they do this, discipline will be tantamount to maintaining for the W.
3.) Two Words: Chris. Osgood. - This whole formula hinges on one key ingredient: Chris Osgood. If Ozzie can shake off the rust, we may have a shot at the win, but if he comes out lackluster, I would almost say we would need to can him after about 3 goals. We're too far into the season and points mean too much to spare Osgood's feelings. There's a big difference between playing Vancouver and playing Phoenix, and if it looks like Ozzie may compromise that I'd be giving him the hook with no hesitation. Chris has a lot to prove in this game, losing his last three starts and having a 4.10 GAA through his last five games. Ozzie needs to be in playoff mode now if he hopes to see any post-season playing time, because at this point, I'm quite alright with starting Jimmy once the Playoffs begin.
Ugh, why all the day games, damnit?! Looks like I'll be missing this one too, but I may be able to catch SOME of the NBC coverage during breaks, so hopefully that will mean the boys will win this one. Still kinda creeped that Detroit's only loss since I started this blog was the one day I couldn't see any live footage of the game...spooky. But for the rest of you Wingnuts, enjoy the game!! Let's Go Red Wings!!!
1 comments:
I was going to reply earlier regarding the results of the Nashville game, but then got wrapped up in watching the Wings/Flyers. Then I needed a nap.
Losing to Nashville didn't really bother me. The team played well. They just got bit by a couple of bad bounces. The first two Nashville goals went in off Red Wings players. Just bad puck luck. Whaddya gonna do? Just shake it off and move on. If I was going to pick on something, I'd say the Wings made too many turnovers at Nashville's blue line.
The Flyers game was a different story. The Flyers did a great job shutting down Datsyuk/Holstrom/Franzen. They were all over those guys like a wet blanket. Ozzie, who could have chosen to make some big saves to give his team some momentum, instead looked terrible. I clinched up everytime the Broad Street Bullies took a shot thinking it would go in. Oh, and Lebda looked completely lost out there. Grrr. I can't pin the loss on two people. It is a team game and requires a total team effort to win or lose. But sheesh, those two stood out.
Best Red Wings line: Eaves/Cleary/Helm. Those guys showed up to win today. They played with heart and passion. If they keep up that effort into the playoffs it will help the team immensely.
Best moment was when a ref skated over to explain a penalty call to Babcock. Babcock just gave him a "You've got to be kidding me" look and laughed. It's hard to read Babcock's lips, but I think some colorful language followed the laughter.
If we can get through this next week without getting anyone hurt, I'll be happy. I don't care who the Red Wings see in the first round because they can beat any of them.
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