Preview: Of Ducks and Fries

Detroit (16-4-2) @ Anaheim (13-11-3)

Detroit continues their California roadtrip with a visit to Anaheim to square off against the Ducks.

NOW ON TO REAL NEWS

Supposing a Red Wings player scores a hatty tonight, do you REALLY want a stupid BURGER for the accomplishment? The correct answer is NO, you DON'T want a stupid BURGER, you want CURLY FRIES!

Well guess what, Wingnuts? Unless you've been under a rock the last day or so, we finally have a chance to right this wrong!! Go to this link and vote for your beloved curly fries (or be a loser and vote for stupid roast beef)! Voting is on from now till December 10, and the winner will be declared triumphantly on December 11.

Let's look at The Geek's Winning Formula!

1.) CURLY FRIES! - Detroit has mustered some pretty good offense this season and it would be nice to keep it going tonight, maybe give Mick a reason to yell CURL-mmmmm, not just yet...

2.) CURLY FRIES!! - Anaheim doesn't get curly fries for a hat-trick, I doubt Anaheim even 'gets' gets it. As such, the Red Wings need to keep the Ducks' productivity down, stay tight and battle hard along the boards, win the battles for puck control and maximize time in the offensive zone. Above all: WIN FACEOFFS. We haven't been doing that enough...

3.) CURLY FRIES!!! - We will maximize our chances of what should be curly fries if we capitalize on powerplay opportunities. Similarly, we can minimize Anaheim's chance of getting some dumb loser prize (probably roast beef) by being disciplined and not giving the Ducks unnecessary chances on their man-advantage. This logic dictates one thing: smart hockey = curly fries. That is all.

Have I mentioned curly fries...?

Enjoy the game, Wingnuts!! Let's Go Red Wings!!!

(UPDATE: Added actual link, so now you can GO VOTE CURLY FRIES!!)

Preview: Power Outage an Omen for Sharks?

Detroit (15-4-2) @ San Jose (11-7-4)

Well, what better way for the Red Wings to get into the heads of the Sharks than to sabotage their arena early in the day? I'm sure Todd Bertuzzi was laughing maniacally as he wreaked havoc on the building's electrical systems and beat down any security that tried to stop him from fulfilling his lust for carnage!

Meanwhile, back in reality, the Wings look to start their newest road trip on a positive note. The last time Detroit faced San Jose was during the Wings' elimination from the post-season, so a lot of bad memories can begin to be erased tonight. To do that, let's look at The Geek's Winning Formula!

1.) Stay Disciplined - Detroit played a great game against Columbus: Good offense, great defense (that 5 on 3 kill was phenomenal), and solid goaltending. Simple, smart hockey. Now, the boys need to make sure they don't fall into the trap of routine and stop working hard to improve. Keep pushing the limits and keep coming out with better games each night, that's how you hold onto a top playoff spot.

2.) Blood in the Water - Put the sharks on their heels early. Anttero Niitymaki is no Jimmy Howard, so let's make sure to pound him with shots early and often to open up the chinks in the armor.

3.) Moar Energy Please!! - The energy line for the Wings was crazy last game! If we can keep getting that kind of ferocity from the bottom three forwards, teams are never going to get a chance to rest. The 3rd line has been good as well, but Helm, Eaves and Miller just bring a tenacity and speed that the 3rd line just can't match. I hope to see lots of guts from these guys tonight.

Enjoy the game, Wingnuts! Let's Go Red Wings!!

Preview: BJ's Blow Into Town

Detroit (14-4-2) VS Columbus (14-7-0)

Thanks to @Winghead19 for the photo!

I'm extremely tired from barely sleeping last night, so get ready for a real simple pre-game, folks.

The Red Wings are completing the home-and-home as they host the BlueJackets this evening. Both teams played well and the Wings will need to up their game to come away with 2 more points.

The Geek's Winning Formula:

1.) Maintain Pressure - The Wings did well with this last game and were pretty consistent, they'll need to do so again today.

2.) Avoid Penalties - How the hell we didn't get burned by all those penalties we were called for is beyond me, but boys? Be on your best behavior today, we likely won't be that lucky again for a while.

3.) Don't Shy from Shooting - A lot of our chances would likely convert if more of the Wings would suck it up and shoot instead of ALWAYS dishing off to someone else. This was evident last game. Sure, it works sometimes, but I'd go so far as to say teams expect that given the choice, there will be a pass before a shot on every scoring chance.

I'm gonna go dead now, goodnight.

Enjoy the game, Wingnuts! Let's Go Red Wings!!

Cram Session Preview: Wings @ Jackets

Running late to get this up by gametime, so here we go!

Detroit (13-4-2) @ Columbus (14-6-0)

The Red Wings were horrible last game, and they better get their act together tonight, as the Bluejackets are tied for points with Detroit and holding on to good playoff positioning early will help us down the stretch. No sense giving up the division lead now!

Here's a quick Geek's Winning Formula!

1.) Tighten the Defense! - I'm glad I missed the last game, because the numbers spoke for themselves: minuses across the board tell me that there weren't just a few guys having defensive breakdowns, the whole team was swiss cheese. We can't keep relying on scoring 4-5 goals per game to win hockey games. Sooner or later, we need to start shutting down opposing offenses.

2.) Communicate! - It just seems like in most scenarios, the Red Wings aren't communicating well. sure we see bursts of greatness that lead to 4 goals in a period, but there just seems to be so many miscues between players, bad and missed passes, missed assignments, etc. Detroit needs to simplify and start looking for each other, be aware of where YOU are and where your TEAMMATES are.

3.) Break the Huddles Hex - Okay, Jiri, you got your laugh. We benched you to punish you for poor play, and the whole team melted down. Now it looks like Rex will be back in tonight, and now would be a great time for him to reverse his fortunes. Give us a hand here and get some offense going so other people can worry abut playing more defensively!

10 minutes to puckdrop!

Enjoy the game, Wingnuts! Let's Go Red Wings!!