titanium2

He's saving energy so that he can have both extremes and use each one accordingly depending on the situation.

Beautiful. With the way they dodge checks it's as if the Wings take judo classes.

Seriously, I hope the Red Wings had a good look at this incident. I love Downey but what he did was just plain embarrassing to the organization. It was just sad. Is that what the pro-enforcer movement really wants for this team?

I seriously think that is something Kenny and Co. will bring up during negotiations, as they should. Hossa is a guy who can really carry a team through the regular season but the playoffs are what's most important, especially in Detroit. And imo, Hossa is still in the process of shedding that "playoff choker" label he had seeing as how he's only had one good year of playoff stats. I love Hossa, but if he really wants to stay then he'll probably end up with a contract that has the average cap hit between Pav, Z and Mule.

I can kind of see where that poster is coming from. When we think of Hossa's defensive game, sometimes we get a little blinded by his superb, excellent backchecking. In that area of defense for the forwards, he's probably the best on the Wings. However, what if the opposition already has the puck deep and they already have it on the cycle? This is where defensive anticipation is so useful so that you can establish good positioning to get the puck back and clear it out. It is this area where, in comparison to others on the team (commonly those centermen who grew up in Sweden's defense-first from infancy system), Hossa just isn't as good. That doesn't mean he's useless in the defensive zone. He's quite able-He's just not as good as some others. And I think it's that comparison that the original poster is making that may be clouding his judgment a little.

Great post. Really. It's just a little bothersome when he or Pav in the O zone has the puck but just circles around the perimeter only to lose it while Homer does all the dirty work in front of the net. One of those two has to go to the net more often and I don't care who. Overall, I have faith that they will do whatever they need to do to win and that's all that matters. The series just began and some things are still a work in progress.

Possible line change for tonight with the Ducks. http://www.latimes.com/sports/hockey/nhl/d...story?track=rss "The Ducks are likely to go with the same lineup as they used in Game 1, though the lines might be reconfigured. Ryan Carter skated with Andrew Ebbett and Teemu Selanne on Saturday in place of Erik Christensen, reuniting a trio that had some success in the Ducks' six-game first-round victory over San Jose." Carter-Ebbett-Selanne Thoughts on that line?

Last year in the second round they went up 1-0 on the Avs in a close game and then in Game 2 they blew it open. Hopefully we get the same result in the Wings favor this time around.

Neither do I unless they're on the Power Play. Both have had to shed reputations of being unnoticeable intensity-wise in the playoffs. Joe Thornton syndrome as some may call it. They've both gotten a little better in that department. I think it helped Datsyuk last year to play with Zetterberg, a guy who without question gives his intensity on the defensive end. I'm just saying some need those kind of linemates to help them dig deeper in the moment when they're on the ice.

Or a game against the Wings in which the Wings lose and they use the game winning goal in nationally televised commercials.

...Great point.

Offensively, yeah I think they're that good. Defensively? They could use a little refinement for playoff hockey.

I know. It makes you think that maybe a close game tomorrow might not be such a bad thing, even if they are nerve racking. In that case, at least you know that the Wings will have constant motivation to play 60 minutes. Meltdowns like VAN tonight are unfortunately all too familiar to Wings fans.

Don't be so sure the Wings will even get there. And CHI does look kind of scary with the way they can take a big hit but keep playing.

So... Are the Hawks still the worst team in the playoffs right now?

This is old, but Dick Axelsson scores a goal in Red Wings training camp at 2:24. I remember reading a report that said he scored two goals that night and they were "goal scorer's goals."

http://ducks.freedomblogging.com/2009/05/0...n-game-2/12409/ DETROIT — The constant adjustments that are so much a part of the Stanley Cup playoffs figure to involve more than just players and coaches when the Ducks and Detroit Red Wings meet Sunday in Game 2 of a second-round series. Joe Louis Arena fans who have made careers of booing Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger since his days with the rival St. Louis Blues are likely to turn much of their attention to Mike Brown after the NHL on Saturday declined to suspend the Ducks rookie winger for his controversial Friday night hit on Jiri Hudler in Detroit’s 3-2 victory. Brown received major and game-misconduct penalties for the neutral-zone check that left Hudler’s face bloodied at 11:29 of the first period, and the Red Wings erased an early 1-0 deficit when Johan Franzen scored on the ensuing five-minute power play. The call also left the Ducks down a man the rest of the night, which resulted in top-line center Ryan Getzlaf playing nearly 28 minutes, much of the time filling Brown’s vacated spot on the penalty-killing unit. “It was definitely a long night, with all the penalties and stuff like that,†Getzlaf said after the Ducks went through a short Saturday morning practice at the Detroit City Sports Center. “That stuff’s not the easiest to deal with, but I feel pretty good today.†While Brown and the Ducks could find some vindication in the league looking past what Coach Randy Carlyle reiterated Saturday was nothing more than “a hard hockey hit,†frustration remained evident. In addition to the Ducks having surrendered the decisive goal to Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom with 49.1 seconds left, Carlyle was unhappy that Franzen did not receive a penalty for bowling over Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller after having scored at 12:33 of the first period. The Ducks also took exception to a first-period hit by Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall that cut Ryan Carter and left the Ducks center with other facial damage that remained evident Saturday. “It’s amazing there weren’t any replays on the Kronwall check on Ryan Carter,†Carlyle said. “He jumped and left his feet, but there were no replays on that.†While Carlyle had acknowledged Friday night that the work of referees Kelly Sutherland and Marc Joannette had “some effect†on his “temperament,†and Detroit enjoyed a 6-4 advantage in power-play opportunities in Game 1, there were no plans to lodge any complaints with the NHL. “If you’re going to call the league on every little thing that goes on, they’re going to get a little sick and tired of you — I guarantee you,†Carlyle said. “And that’s not what this is about. You move on.†The more immediate concern for the Ducks is shoring up some breakdowns that cost them Friday night. Cutting down on penalties, minimizing turnovers, lessening congestion in front of Hiller, making it more difficult for the Red Wings to penetrate their blue line and challenging Detroit goalie Chris Osgood with more shots and traffic are among “a few points of emphasis.†Another is faceoffs. The Red Wings piled up a monumental 36-15 advantage in the circles, providing a huge leg up with the puck-possession style they employ so effectively. “There are a few things we can do to change that,†Carlyle said. “They did a better job of supporting their centers in those situations, as far as that loose puck. Their winger or their defenseman got to it before ours did. Their mandate is that they’re going to jump one of their wingers into the middle. You can call it cheating. You can call it aggressive, whatever you want to call it. That’s up to the linesmen to control. I don’t call it cheating.†Aside from center Todd Marchant, who won 11 of 21 draws, Detroit captured 26 of 30. The usually reliable Getzlaf, who won 50.2 percent of his draws during the regular season, planned to spend part of Saturday watching video after having lost 18 of 21. The top two Red Wings centers, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, went 12-4 and 16-7, respectively. Datsyuk ranked ninth in the NHL in faceoff winning percentage at 56 percent during the regular season, while Zetterberg was 20th at 53.3 percent as Detroit posted a league-best 55.1 team winning percentage. “They’ve been a good team all year on faceoffs,†Marchant said. “They have guys that battle. They don’t quit on pucks. That’s an area we have to be better at. If we have the puck more, then they have to come and get it from us.â€

I think it was just good defense by Caps. Caps... Defense... Odd, but if Poti didn't get his stick in the way then Crosby would've had room to elevate. Moving as fast as he was with Poti in his space, Sid got off the best shot he could and Varlamov had the desperation to keep it out of the net. I guess you could say that it's lucky that it all worked out like that but I think it was just good defense.

http://sports.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/...ortsHockey/home "Holmstrom at times gets away with a lot more than most players do," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "He's probably the guy that has the most penalties called against him for goaltender interference. It seems that (Johan) Franzen and now (Tomas) Kopecky are following that lead of trying to get in front of the net and be effective."

Humble Hossa earns his Wings Bob Wojnowski He was quiet from the start, too quiet. Marian Hossa eased into the Red Wings' dressing room so deftly, it was easy to forget the screaming headlines when he made the shocking decision, disdaining millions to come to Detroit for a one-year contract. None of that mattered in the early days of the season, when the Wings' hopes for Hossa were pretty simple. They just wanted him to shoot the dang puck. "I don't know if he was trying to please his new teammates, but he was always making the extra pass," Nicklas Lidstrom said, chuckling. "We mentioned to him, 'You have a great shot -- take it.' Once he got over that hump, he was a perfect fit." This is the story the rest of the NHL hates. This is the tale of how the defending Stanley Cup champs defied logistics and welcomed a superstar interloper, and then the oddest thing happened: It worked fine, no ego clashes, no problems. The New Guy was humble and hungry and didn't disrupt the winning chemistry. As the Wings head into the second round tonight against Anaheim, Hossa is in the spot he always envisioned. He's needed and wanted but doesn't have to do it all, or even the bulk of it. No one on the Wings ever does. And really, of all the unusual reasons Hossa took the Wings' one-year, $7.45-million offer instead of long-term treasures elsewhere, this is the main one, for this time right now. "Look around, you've got legends in here, and it's a great group of guys," Hossa said. "It's just fun to be a part of it. And they play the way I like, the puck-control game. Playing with so many stars, the pressure is spread, there's no focus on one guy." Pressure? What pressure? And there's the dichotomy of the Hossa Experiment. He came to Detroit to win his first Stanley Cup, and by accepting a one-year deal, he put enormous pressure on himself. But the truth is, it's actually less pressure than if he'd stayed in Pittsburgh for a reported $35 million, or gone to Edmonton for the rumored $80 million. If Hossa is skating with a burden, he sure isn't showing it. He led the team with 40 goals in the regular season, and often was brilliant. He was clutch in the first-round clincher against Columbus, scoring his first two goals of the playoffs. GM Ken Holland, relentlessly creative, hopes to keep Hossa with a long-term deal, after signing Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen to lengthy contracts. It will be tricky under the salary cap, and negotiations are on hold during the playoffs, but I bet Holland and Hossa get it done before free-agency July 1. "Hopefully, if everybody's happy and things work out, I can re-sign," Hossa said. "If not, life goes on. I knew what I was doing when I signed. I like the way everything is going so far. I have no regrets." Said Holland: "We want him to stay and I think he'd like to stay, and I'm hopeful we can find a cap number that works. I don't think he's all about money, he's made that pretty clear, and that says something about him. He's humble, respectful, hard-working. He's not arrogant, he's not loud. He just wants to fit in." Chemistry It's amazing it has worked so well, because adding a star to an established championship team could be a recipe for discord. But Hossa quickly exhibited what the Wings crave -- star skills without the star trappings. They like him not because he sacrificed long-term security, but because he's likeable. "He's a typical Red Wing already," goalie Chris Osgood said. "He's laid-back and he doesn't have that superstar mentality where he thinks he's better than other guys. We've always had Steve Yzerman and guys like that -- great players who never put themselves ahead of anybody. Hossa gets along with everybody, he talks to everybody." Well, actually, he triesto talk to everybody. Linemate Datsyuk, who uses a clever mix of broken English and unbroken Russian, is known as the dressing-room quipster, whether the joke is understood or not. Hossa knew if they were going to enjoy unspoken communication on the ice, it had to work off the ice. "When he tells a joke, it takes me a couple seconds, then I just start laughing," Hossa said, laughing. "It did take me through training camp to figure out what kind of style they want from me. But with Pavel it's easy, because he just tries to find me and throw the puck to the open spot. That's basically our game, and so far it's been working." Working well enough that Datsyuk is a finalist for the Hart Trophy, and the Hossa-Datsyuk-Tomas Holmstrom line is as dangerous as any. Hossa is a solid 6-foot-1, 208 pounds, a terrific skater with a wicked shot. He's only 30, and after a few years of playoff underachievement in Ottawa and Atlanta, he has a chance to find his peak here. But first, he had to find his shot, and then he had to find his seat. Uh, that would be the seat in the rear of the team plane, where the elders gather. It took a while for Hossa to join captain Lidstrom, Chris Chelios, Holmstrom and others back there. Lidstrom said Hossa finally took Dominik Hasek's old seat, and likes the fit. "I really think he feels comfortable here," Lidstrom said. "Seeing him on an everyday basis now, I had no idea how quick he was. I knew he had that shot, but I didn't realize all the other stuff, especially how humble he is." With the Wings, all egos are checked at the door, and all must check on the ice. No problem for Hossa, who gambled and brought his best shot to the team with the best shot, and now happily fires away.

http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2009/05/re...nwall_keep.html Red Wings coach Mike Babcock deserves the last word here: "What do I know?" he said. "Nothing's changed for me. It doesn't matter what I think. I'm not making these decisions. It doesn't matter what I think ... I want to make that real clear. They don't care what I think. To me, I think we're supposed to be protecting each other's heads. That's it. That's all I've got."

Brooks Orpik is a scary dude. I don't mean scary as in intimidating I mean scary as in he looks like a psycho.

Brett Farrve.

All true, he's been fine in pretty much every area except the noticeable tendency for him to circle around the perimeter and not go to the net. Both him and Datsyuk have been a little shy around the "hard areas" so far, but they'll get there.