Rice

The gap between Crosby/Malkin and Zetterberg/Datsyuk isn't that great. Plus, the Wings get much better offensive production from their blueline than the Penguins do. Kronwall has 11 points, Gonchar has 10, Rafalski has 10, and Lidstrom has 9. The next closest guy on the Penguins is Whitney with 6 then Scuderi with 3. So, that's 30 points from the Wings' top three defensemen and 19 from Pittsburgh's. I think you'll see Lidstrom's production increase too, because he's going to be playing at least 30 minutes a night this series.

Another thing that I pointed out on another forum: the Penguins were dead last this year in faceoff percentage. That doesn't bode well for them. To me, Pittsburgh is similar to Colorado in this regard. Who takes the puck away from the Wings? The Wings have been excellent in the faceoff department all year while Pittsburgh has been weak. Pittsburgh obviously has loads of skill, but where are the shutdown forwards and defensemen? Is Hal Gill really going to strip Datsyuk of the puck? A lot of Pittsburgh's game is waiting for the other team to screw up and capitalize on turnovers -- which was essentially how Dallas was playing prior to this series. Edit: I think we'll be seeing a lot of my avatar in this series.

Another thing to remember is the fact that Lidstrom is only averaging 25 minutes per game so far in the playoffs...and the Wings are still dominating teams. You can bet that Nick will be matching up with Crosby and Malkin for at least 30 minutes a game in the finals. Seems to me Babcock has been saving Nick for the most important games.

I was just going to say, on paper it's not even close (knock on wood); Gonchar would be Detroit's number four. However, the Penguins do play impressive team defense -- more impressive than they get credit for, IMO. People seem to think they are all offense but from what I have seen that's not the case. Overall though, I don't think there's a team in the league that can match Detroit's defensemen or their forwards' dedication to defense.

QFP'd, too.

Here's what Waborat was talking about, in case anyone was wondering:

I've actually noticed Turco doing this a lot during the playoffs.

The Wings are destined for a first-round exit. Can we make this a crow-eating thread please?

Christ, talk about overpayment. This guy is a second liner at best. Why did Nashville even bother dumping all that salary over the summer?

It's still harder for Dallas to make plays, too. Yes, they're used to it but the Wings beat Nashville 3-0 on their own (bad) ice to close out the series.

According to Bruce MacLeod at Red Wings Corner, here's what Babcock had to say:

Yeah, he was brought here for the post-season. He's doing a great job.

The fourth line has been very effective, no reason to separate it. It's odd, because Hudler seems to be more effective with less minutes. This guy is going to be useless in the playoffs!

Here's a good one of Ribeiro, no photoshop needed:

McCarty is in, according to CBC.

f***. This is horrible news. Time for Cleary to step up.

So does anyone know what his ceiling is as an NHL'er?

Well, you know what I mean. They lost three top-six players. Their role was to score. The Wings didn't sign any scoring forwards during the off-season and they still replicated what they did last year which is amazing.

Yeah, it is pretty amazing. What other organization could lose literally their entire second line and not experience a drop in production?

Great picture but the empty seats kind of kill it.

Ansar Khan: There's more in the article, but it appears Stuart wants to stay in Detroit. Obviously this isn't a guarantee, as Bertuzzi said the same type of thing last year. It is, however, a very good sign. It seems that a lot of people forget (at least I forget) that Stuart is only 28 years old. He hasn't even reached his prime yet. I love his game and I think he's a perfect fit here. Stuart's play isn't the only benefit of having him on the roster, because I think he has truly enabled Kronwall to play his own game. Lidstrom-Rafalski Kronwall-Staurt That's the best top-four in the NHL outside of maybe Anaheim's. Rafalski is signed for four more seasons, Nick for two, and Kronwall and Stuart are both under thirty years old -- all with Ericsson, Quincey, Meech, Kindl, and Smith waiting in the Wings. There's a lot of stability on the back-end if Stuart signs here. Hell, there's a lot even if he doesn't -- but it would really lay a great foundation for the future if he does sign here.

Goodbye, San Jose!

The Stars and Sharks have played half as much tonight as the Wings and Avs did in their entire series.

...and the more fatigued the winning goalie and their entire team will be.

Jesus, Turco is stopping everything.