Games now equal, San Jose is closing in

[lets go pavel 2]

Yet theyre middle of the pack since the ASG...interesting...

we've been without most of our defense for a good stretch of that ... still not feeling very "lowly", sorry ...

[YoungGuns1340 1]

we've been without most of our defense for a good stretch of that ... still not feeling very "lowly", sorry ...

You dont have to feel lowly. This about the fact that San Jose is hot, and Detroit is luke warm at best.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

I like the way the standings look for now, I think we could mop the floor with Colorado in the first round...in theory anyway (3 shutouts in 4 games against them this season right?)

My point exactly. Even though the standings arent set, Im banking on Colorado being the 8th seed. Personally Theo and Stastny scare me a lot less than Luongo and Iggy..

But thats just me.

[kylee 727]

i hope the Wings can hang onto the 1st spot. right now arent the canucks in the 7th seed? plus of course, 1st seed in the western conference gets home ice throughout..

[YoungGuns1340 1]

i hope the Wings can hang onto the 1st spot. right now arent the canucks in the 7th seed? plus of course, 1st seed in the western conference gets home ice throughout..

Yeah. The Flames, Canucks, and Avs are likely going to be the 6-8 seeds, and theyre in that order now.

[kylee 727]

Yeah. The Flames, Canucks, and Avs are likely going to be the 6-8 seeds, and theyre in that order now.

the only team i dont want in that grouping is the canucks.

the flames , well we all see what happens to the flames when they get frustrated and cant score - they goon. no big deal to me.

colorado seems like a paper tiger.

canucks have luongo who is indeed streaky, but i dont want to chance it.

so for me, most realistically,

id be comfortable with the Wings playing the Preds, or the Flames, or Avs.

[Quadnational 3]

Yeah, the playoffs are all about matchup, and not really rankings... it's the "second season" and many times it almost feels like a clean slate. Besides, teams have changed by the time the post-season starts - we swept Colorado in the regular season, but that was before they got Foote and Forsberg back and that other defenseman, and before we got Stuart. Other teams have had similar changes, plus players were in and out of the lineup during the seasonal games.

So, regular season is a rough indicator of who's the favorite, but it's a whole new ballgame once the playoffs start. I think as well as the above differences, in the playoffs the physical play picks up and there's a lot more bodychecking. In the regular season Pav can beat defensemen one-on-one 'cause they go for the puck, whereas in the post-season the defense will automatically play the body much more and the games are a lot tighter. It seems to me like a different style of play.

When the playoffs start I throw what's happened before out the window, and it's more about mental and physical toughness and a bit less about skill level.

[GoWings1905 2,694]

I would rather see Anaheim and San Jose play in the first round. I just don't see Dallas as a real threat in the Western Conference, and I certainly don't believe Dallas has a prayer of beating Anaheim in a seven-game series.

As far as the Presidents Trophy goes, it's nice if the Red Wings win it, but not necessary. They won twice in San Jose last season during the playoffs, and Anaheim won twice at JLA. You have to win on the road regardless of the seeding.

[wingslogo19 281]

Wings will win the 1st spot in the west, and the Sharks will come in 2nd

[YoungGuns1340 1]

I would rather see Anaheim and San Jose play in the first round. I just don't see Dallas as a real threat in the Western Conference, and I certainly don't believe Dallas has a prayer of beating Anaheim in a seven-game series.

As far as the Presidents Trophy goes, it's nice if the Red Wings win it, but not necessary. They won twice in San Jose last season during the playoffs, and Anaheim won twice at JLA. You have to win on the road regardless of the seeding.

Dallas is 5-1 against Anaheim this year and this would be the first time they'd be the undergo in the early rounds. I like Dallas' chances.

[BlackhawksFan 4]

At the beginning of the year, I figured San Jose-Ottawa would be the Cup Finals. Than San Jose faltered out of the gate and I didn't know what to think. Looks like they may have found their stride.

[GoWings1905 2,694]

Dallas is 5-1 against Anaheim this year and this would be the first time they'd be the undergo in the early rounds. I like Dallas' chances.

No offense, but a regular season series is a far cry from the playoffs. I believe Pittsburgh did quite well against Ottawa last year during the regular season, and the result was quite different during the playoffs. The Red Wings have stuggled for the most part with every team in the Central, but could any of those teams beat the Red Wings in a seven-game series?

Beyond that, Dallas is a classic choke-artist during the playoffs. Three straight 100-point seasons (possibly four), and they haven't won a playoff round in that span. Eliminating either San Jose or Anaheim in the first round would be way better for the Red Wings chances. Dallas isn't beating either of those two teams in a seven-game series.

[Cern 0]

I'm actually kinda hoping that San Jose overtakes them. The Wings have topped the league so many times now and if the last two games are any indication it's resulted in uninspired play. Maybe having a bit of a mental shake-up and change in perspective in the playoffs will help them go all the way.

[adtthosa 5]

I don't care if we finish in first or second and I'll tell you why. The only thing that matters in my mind is the outcome in the #3 vs #6 series. Say we finish in first and #3 beats #6. Assuming there are no upsets in the first round, we get Anaheim in round 2 and likely San Jose in round 3 if we get that far. Now, if we finish in second and #3 beats #6, we get #3 in round two and San Jose/Anaheim duke it out. It could also work the other way around, where we finish first and #6 upsets #3 (this would be the best scenerio in my mind). Considering how close the #3 and #6 seeds are, it really is a coin toss as to who will win that series.

Would it be nice to have Game 7 at the Joe if necessary? Absolutely, but I'd say it's worth not finishing first if we can avoid the two deadliest teams until the Conference finals.

[GoWings1905 2,694]

I don't care if we finish in first or second and I'll tell you why. The only thing that matters in my mind is the outcome in the #3 vs #6 series. Say we finish in first and #3 beats #6. Assuming there are no upsets in the first round, we get Anaheim in round 2 and likely San Jose in round 3 if we get that far. Now, if we finish in second and #3 beats #6, we get #3 in round two and San Jose/Anaheim duke it out. It could also work the other way around, where we finish first and #6 upsets #3 (this would be the best scenerio in my mind). Considering how close the #3 and #6 seeds are, it really is a coin toss as to who will win that series.

Would it be nice to have Game 7 at the Joe if necessary? Absolutely, but I'd say it's worth not finishing first if we can avoid the two deadliest teams until the Conference finals.

I could be mistaking very easily, but I always thought the NHL re-seeded teams according to points after the first round. For instance, lets say the Red Wings finish first, San Jose second, the Northwest winner third, and Anaheim fourth. If those teams all advanced, but San Jose and Anaheim finish with more points than the NW winner, then the Sharks and Ducks would play, leaving the Red Wings with the lowest point total team remaining.

I always get the NBA and NHL formats confused, so I could be wrong about this...

Edited March 19, 2008 by GoWings1905

[YoungGuns1340 1]

No offense, but a regular season series is a far cry from the playoffs. I believe Pittsburgh did quite well against Ottawa last year during the regular season, and the result was quite different during the playoffs. The Red Wings have stuggled for the most part with every team in the Central, but could any of those teams beat the Red Wings in a seven-game series?

Beyond that, Dallas is a classic choke-artist during the playoffs. Three straight 100-point seasons (possibly four), and they haven't won a playoff round in that span. Eliminating either San Jose or Anaheim in the first round would be way better for the Red Wings chances. Dallas isn't beating either of those two teams in a seven-game series.

Hmm...sounds quite familiar. As someone on another board suggested, this would also be the first series in a long time for Dallas where they were coming in as the underdog...

Also, Pittsburgh is also a terrible comparison. The majority of their roster had never even seen playoff ice.

Its also a terrible comparison in terms of the Central. The Wings don't get up for those games. They have a history of not doing so. Dallas and Anaheim have been good teams throughout this season and last...

Im not saying Dallas is gonna win it - I think its stupid to make playoff predictions considering hockey's history - but to say they don't stand a chance is joke.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

Seeding matters very little in the playoffs now. 2005-06 attests to that as 5-8 beat 1-4 in every series in the first round of the WC.

Would I like to see the Wings finish first? Of course, but they are in the playoffs already and the fact that they are still going to be playing hockey after the beginning of April before the regular season has even ended yet is fine with me.

[Guest Crymson]

Sharks 2-2 Wild in the 3rd.