Bad Habits Bite Detroit, Coyotes Force Game 7

"They won the special teams battle. That sucked the life out of our team." - Coach Mike Babcock

Unfortunately Mike, Phoenix won more than the special teams battles. Phoenix came into Detroit knowing they faced elimination and did what they needed to do to survive: outplay the Red Wings. Of course, the Wings didn't necessarily make that a difficult task. Detroit amassed 33 shots on goal in yesterday's 5-2 loss, and a lot of those shots were pretty good ones, quality scoring chances. Here's the problem: you need to SCORE on scoring chances for them to count for something. The Red Wings, in what is becoming a frighteningly typical fashion, blew a lot of opportunities given up by Phoenix that would have allowed Detroit to blow this game wide open. Greatest of these has to be the almost half-a-period powerplay Detroit was awarded early in the 1st period. Phoenix garnered 6 minutes of penalty time within the first 4:42 of the game, the later stages of which was a 5 on 3. What did Detroit get out of it? A 1-0 deficit by giving up a short-handed goal!!

It was from this point on I knew it was going to be a rough game. If the Wings couldn't even tie the game after the shortie went in and before the man-advantage was over, we were basically relying on lucky bounces to get pucks past Ilya Bryzgalov. Lucky bounces didn't cut it. Even when we scored to make it 5-2, the play was reviewed and ruled initially as no goal. As I stated before, the Hockey Gods do not bandwagon one team all the time, and they surely swapped jerseys from Detroit to Phoenix for the game yesterday afternoon. This is just more proof that Detroit is not giving its all in these games and that is a big BIG concern, because tomorrow is the big one, either the Red Wings win and advance, or they're done, a first round exit for the first time in years after going to the Cup Finals two years in a row.

I don't want that to happen, obviously, but the Wings have to share that sentiment and act on it!! They can't just wish their way into Round 2, damnit!! Detroit needs to bury those chances instead of shooting wide and hitting posts!! Stop wasting time cycling the damn puck for 80% of a powerplay and get guys to the net for rebounds!! Stop peeling off at the blueline and take that puck deep into the offensive zone, make guys chase you and pull them out of position!!!

You may have noticed I'm avoiding the Winning Formula in this report. The reason for this is simple: You can have the greatest, most unbeatable strategy in the world. But at the end of the day, if you can't put the puck in the net when the chance shows itself, you are not going to win hockey games. The Formula for yesterday was made irrelevant because Detroit just could not cash in when given the chance. Phoenix did, and Phoenix won. There's a simple formula if I ever saw one.

Well Wingnuts, brace yourselves for Game 7. Back in Arizona, Jobing.com Arena will be the loudest it's ever been, Shane Doan will likely be back in the lineup, and the Wings are going to get more battered than they've ever been in this series. If they don't come to play for reals, there's gonna be a desert funeral with Detroit's name on it.

Keep the faith Wingnuts, one more game to decide it all for this Round!! Let's Go Red Wings!!!

Preview: Wings VS Coyotes, Round 1 Game 6

"The bottom line is, we've got to make sure our legs are ready to go. The last time we came back for an early game, we didn't play very well." - Coach Mike Babcock

The Red Wings look to do something they've been unable to do in recent memory: win a damn day game!! Detroit plays host to Phoenix in Game 6 of this WCQF matchup and I personally do not want to see Jobing.com Arena again till next season. Should the Wings win their first afternoon match in eons, they will advance to Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with their 2nd round opponent yet to be decided.

So, hopefully for the last time in Round 1, let's calculate The Geek's Winning Formula!!

1.) Seize The Day!! - It hurts me to look back at how long it's been since Detroit last won an early game. I can't remember the last one they were victorious in, and this is going back months!! Detroit has got to come out standing on the gas and cannot afford to give Phoenix an early advantage. I think it was very wise of Babs to have the boys practice after getting home. As he said himself, the Wings did not benefit from the rest they took previous to Game 3. As long as the Red Wings come out fresh and raring to go, we should be fine; however, if the Wings come out flat, we're gonna need the Hockey Gods on our side to prevent a runaway game by the Coyotes.

2.) WTF Face-offs!!?? - Again, what the hell happened to all our face-off guys!? We're barely breaking 50% every game on the draws and this really really bothers me! Your first chance to control the puck comes from the face-off and we're giving that away to a Phoenix team that should not be winning as many draws from Detroit as they are. Our centers need to improve heavily on this to help ease the pressure created by badly timed face-off losses at key points of the game. Again, we've relatively gotten away with this without getting burned but man oh man, one of these times it's gonna come back and bite us bad, like leading to a tying or go-ahead goal late in a game we should have won. It just better not happen today.

3.) Maintain Physicality - We've been fortunate that Shane Doan has been out the last couple games, but should be make it into the lineup today, expect to see a much-revived Phoenix hitting game. If that is the case, Detroit will need to stand its ground. The amount of hitting and aggressive forechecking we've been doing the last while is proving effective and we cannot let up on this if the Coyotes all of a sudden start hitting back harder like early on in the series. We still need guys to drive hard to the net, punish opposing forecheckers, and win those grinding battles for puck-possession. As soon as we start letting up because of Phoenix's aggression, we're tipping the scales in their favor: physical is their style and they know it.

There are always little things that also factor in. Personally I'd like to see Detroit tighter in the neutral zone, but the Wings have tightened up greatly in the defense department, so I'm gonna lay off that for today's game.

It's almost gametime, Wingnuts! Let's cheer our team into Round 2!! Let's Go Red Wings!!!

Patient Red Wings Pound Pups, Take Game 5 in Phoenix

"All I'm saying is if I got a skate blade on my thigh looking like Cpt. Morgan, I'm being interfered with..!" - The Geek

Detroit came into Phoenix facing a strange situation: the Wings were playing Game 5, and it was not in their own building. Not since 1966 have the Red Wings won a road Game 5, but thanks to another outstanding performance by Jimmy Howard and timely offense from the top lines, my main man included, Detroit exploded for three goals in the third period to snatch the 5th game of this series away from the Coyotes by a score of 4-1.

I'm going to get this out of the way right now, as I'm still conversing about it as I write this and tweet simultaneously: That Jovo goal...this is why people have no confidence in the NHL officials anymore. Hi, your skate blade is about 5 inches from giving me a vasectomy, and that's not someone being interfered with?? Not that it mattered in the end, I know, but it's principal damnit!! Howard was sparkling all game long and it took a lumbering idiot stomping down on his leg to keep him from stopping the one puck that got in!!

As many said on Twitter tonight while this was going on, there's not a person living who knows hockey that can say that, had that been Tomas Holmstrom, the goal would have been reviewed, called back, and homer would be sitting in the sin bin. No contest. Had to try and keep the game interesting, didn't we Gary...?

Anyway, putting away the tinfoil hat for a sec to go over The Geek's Winning Formula!!

1.) Solid Special Teams - Mmm...we were close...! The PK units definitely passed here, as they kept Detroit in the game. We're still taking waaay too many penalties for the playoffs, and at agonizingly horrible times!! It's bad enough to give a team the man-up, but to do it late in a game with a chance to take the lead?? Discipline: we have it, we use it, but we don't maintain it. If pressured, the Wings have a penchant for getting lazy and that leads to hooks and holds and trips and...yeah, you see what I mean. PP units got to take it easy in this one but I'm still going to rip on their ineffectiveness, especially after their recent success! The cup-winning Wings squads have all had something we've yet to see fully on this year's roster: consistency. Once we see that, we'll be fine all the way to the finals.

2.) Don't Get Cocky - I definitely think Detroit passed this criteria. the Red wings could have swaggered in, but instead laid low, watching the Coyotes carefully and picking them apart piece by piece, looking for chances and exploiting them. The Wings, whether by intent or not, let the game lull its way into the third, then blasted awake from out of nowhere for a 3 goal barrage!! One has to keep their eyes peeled for opportunities, and the Red Wings did just that. Even with a 2 and 3 goal lead, Detroit never slowed, even looking for an extra goal on the very late powerplay that closed out the game. That's the kind of hunger that drives you through playoff rounds.

3.) Control the Face-offs - Oi...I'm thinking Detroit would have a much easier time of it if they really say down and worked on this. Yet again, we saw the Red Wings decimated at the dots: 25 won, 29 lost, many wins late in the game, 38% in the 1st period alone!! This is not how a team that prides itself on puck-possession should be conducting itself at the face-off!! Also, we again saw Detroit losing a lot of the critical face-offs: draws in the offensive zone, draws on the PK, on the PP. It's not the even-strength draws that kill you, it's the ones that mean something! How many goals would Detroit have had on the PP had the centers won some of those face-offs and got a quick setup?? Phoenix has been very generous in not making us pay for this, but we only get Phoenix for two more games, maximum. Round 2 would be a whole new monster, and whoever it is could very well punish Detroit for losing as many draws as they are currently.

With just one more win, the Red Wings can advance to Round 2 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs. This series with Phoenix is just what Detroit needed early: a tough series to keep them honest and not let them become complacent. All credit in the world to the Coyotes for a hard-fought series, but I wanna see some Coyotes get kicked around one last time, then leave Phoenix as nothing more than dust in the wind...

Until Game 6, Wingnuts!! Let's Go Red Wings!!!

Preview: Wings @ Coyotes, Round 1 Game 5

"Special teams has been a big part of our success as of late. Strong special teams can win you a series or win you a game at the right moment." - Defenseman/Captain Nicklas Lidstrom"

The Red Wings will need to keep their Captain's words in mind as they suit up to battle Phoenix tonight when Game 5 of this Wings/Coyotes series gets underway. The Coyotes have already made their statement that they will be trying to press for improvement in their special teams, particularly the powerplay. I say let them, as long as we stay disciplined and don't take stupid penalties, they won't get a chance to capitalize. On the other side, Detroit is finally seeing some success on the man-advantage and I really want to see that continue. I'm sure this is big news to everyone.

Humor/sarcasm aside, let's recalculate The Geek's Winning Formula!!

1.) Solid Special Teams - As mentioned above, this will be key. Do not give Phoenix PP chances and cash in when they give the chances to Detroit. The Wings are 4 for 11 on the powerplay from Game 2 onward, much improved from the regular season stats. The PK has gotten its engine running again, yes, but let's not push luck any harder than we have to, eh? Detroit has gotten into the right rhythm to hold down the Coyotes during even-strength play, so this factor could tip the scales in one team's favor.

2.) Don't Get Cocky - The Wings are bad for this, we all know it, but we can't afford for Detroit to ease itself into this game. We need full throttle from the get-go and no letting up on a hungry Phoenix team that will make Detroit pay for taking the skate blade off their throat. Last game was the only real blowout game on the scoresheet, but the match was much closer than the boxscore would lead you to believe: the Wings fought for and earned that win, and will need that same grit two more times to get through this series.

3.) Control the Face-offs - This was the biggest concern after Game 4. Detroit did manage to pull even with Phoenix by the end of the game, but for a long stretch of Game 4, Detroit was being badly beaten at the dots. This is not something a puck-possession team should be allowing, as it prevents Detroit from possessing the puck. Call it a cardinal sin of puck-possession, call it bad luck. Whatever you want to call it, we need to make sure it doesn't happen again, because the Hockey Gods may not be wearing the Winged Wheel this time around and may just make the Wings pay for losing key draws in the face-off circle.

I'm not sure what my plans are for tonight. May be home, may be at a friend's place, might even be out at the sports bar begging the management to put the Wings game on. Hopefully you'll see me on Twitter though!

Till then, Wingnuts!! Let's Go Red Wings!!!