jvxp 0 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 Anyone worried? I'm a little since the return of guys like Forsberg and Sakic. Hopefully our D can shut those top guys down on offence for them. I'm not worried about the Avs. I think it will be a good series. Let Dallas and the Sharks beat each other up, hopefully that one will go 7 games. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
redwings56 1 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 theres a lot of analysts that feel the Avs are the best team in the West right now. I totally disagree, The wings won all the games versus the Avs this year and the Wings are also considered to have faltered a bit against Nashville ITS LIKE THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO WIN IN 4 and anything else was them looking weak. Nashville had a good goalie and played Detroit hard all year long. Wings will win this series. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cruiser008 37 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 Oh ya baby!! This is the way it was MEANT to be! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,803 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 I will say this. Their group of forwards is better overall than our group of forwards. They have Sakic, Forsberg, Stastny, Smyth, Hejduk, Brunette, Wolski. They don't have any questions about secondary scoring like we have. Our defense is better than theirs, but against Nashville our defense got outscored by Nashville's, which has to change. The good thing for us is that Joel Quenneville has never had any success against us, we own the Pepsi Center, and we have owned their team in recent memory. Also, they don't have the type of big, physical team that the Wings usually struggle against. I think we'll take this series in 4 games, because we're just plain better than they are with our system and structure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eva unit zero 271 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 But Dom has. Who knows, maybe this team is lucky to have the luxury of switching goalies mid-way through a series. There are clearly some goalies who play better against certain teams. Let's compare the Wings' offensive performance, in games either goaltender has played vs Colorado. Hasek: 488 Mins, 22GF, 2.70 GF/G, 0 SO Osgood: 767 Mins, 26GF, 2.03 GF/G, 3 SO That difference can't be overlooked; Colorado shut out Detroit THREE times with Osgood in net for all or part of the game for Detroit. Detroit only scored four more goals in 279 minutes in games Osgood has played, than they did in the 2002 series. Hasek also faced fewer shots per 60 minutes than Osgood did; it was 20.7 for Hasek to 23.9 for Osgood. In other words, the primary between Osgood's games and Hasek's was a combination of two things; the difference between Detroit's offense from 96-2000 and 2002, and Colorado's defense/Roy's goaltending from 96-2000 and 2002. And the most recent series was 2002 for Hasek and 2000 for Osgood, and both goaltenders' play has changed dramatically since then, so to argue that it has any bearing on this series is silly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
awingsincebirth 0 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 AGREED on downey dressing. McCarty still talks up a good s*** storm but i don't know if he's got fisticuffs in his loins anymore. but i guess if he throws down against anyone, it will be the avs... stoked to see this series, and lets hope theodore returns to the jose of old and leaks like a sieve. its gonna be fun to watch thats for damn sure... :rotflmao: I, too, have thought that McCarty has been displaying some fisticuff-less loins. With that said, I remember on some thread yesterday it showed all the first round series by number of hits, and Colorado v Minny had the lowest, Detroit v Nashville was the second lowest which leads me to believe that we should be able to carry the physical play in this series. However, we know that they are gonna play us real hard considering how much we owned them during the season. I mean, we beat them 4-0 with a fairly depleted lineup, and they are looking revamped. Should be a doosie! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VM1138 1,921 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 I'm not worried in the sense that I think we'll lose. But I'm worried because they are a good team, and this series will not be a cakewalk. I'm worried in the sense that I don't know what to expect. This Colorado team is different than the one we played this season. They are healthy (but so are we now). On the one hand they are very talented, but on the other, the Wings have beaten them before. Just think, both these teams are well-rested, physical, and talented. It's going to be a bloodbath! But I still think the Wings have the edge. Hopefully. I have faith. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VM1138 1,921 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 The league better hype the hell out of this series. It's going to be freaking EPIC. But I'm uneasy, because for the first time we're playing a team that can match us. I still think we'll win, but nobody better get cocky and jinx us. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
akustyk 84 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 theres a lot of analysts that feel the Avs are the best team in the West right now. so... they no longer sing the "Almighty Sharks" tune? huh? in absolute terms Avs actually get 4th spot of the remaining playoff teams in West. Wings, Stars and Sharks are all stronger on talent than them. the point is it's not just about talent but also about teamwork and especially about matchups. nobody cares if you're better than Stars (for now) if you play Wings Avs have a number of good assets which make them difficult team to beat. be it hot Theodore, be it Sakic and Forsberg, be it Ryan Smyth who'll be a beast in front of Oz, be it Wolski and Stastny, finally be it Joel Quenville who's among most experienced NHL coaches now... they have plenty of tools to give us hard time. the thing is we have easilly as many tools and we match up well against them. I totally disagree, The wings won all the games versus the Avs this year and the Wings are also considered to have faltered a bit against Nashville ITS LIKE THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO WIN IN 4 and anything else was them looking weak. at the same time, Sharks failing to bring enough mental power to match Flames (I'm not even saying to beat - just to come out strong and challenge) is of no concern to those "analysts". they just read to much paper documents and don't think about what they see. Wings did undergo some problems against Preds. that was mainly about focus and composure. but they played two excellent games afterwards and I'd rather use this as an indication of what this team is capable. because they look like heading in the right direction. the analysts choose to dig on those 4 awful games to the start of the series. fine. hope they don't awake too soon and continue underrating us all the way to the finals if this influences the mindset of other teams I'm 100% happy about us being underdogs. we were last playoffs and came short on reaching SCF Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VM1138 1,921 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 I think the Wings will play better as time goes on. And I wouldn't say Colorado is the best in the West. Although, think about this: I do think whoever wins this series will win the Cup. When the Wings and Avs play, the winner has always gone on to win the Cup, haven't they? I can't recall. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eva unit zero 271 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 I will say this. Their group of forwards is better overall than our group of forwards. They have Sakic, Forsberg, Stastny, Smyth, Hejduk, Brunette, Wolski. They don't have any questions about secondary scoring like we have. Our defense is better than theirs, but against Nashville our defense got outscored by Nashville's, which has to change. The good thing for us is that Joel Quenneville has never had any success against us, we own the Pepsi Center, and we have owned their team in recent memory. Also, they don't have the type of big, physical team that the Wings usually struggle against. I think we'll take this series in 4 games, because we're just plain better than they are with our system and structure. Let's compare the seven Avs forwards to their most comparable Detroit counterpart. Forsberg v. Datsyuk. Playmaking two way center, also capable of scoring some goals. Edge: Detroit Sakic v. Zetterberg. Two-way center with a wicked shot and strong passing skills. Edge: Detroit Stastny v. Filppula. Young all-around center. Edge: Colorado Smyth v. Holmstrom. Garbage goal and deflection expert, PP specialist. Edge: Detroit Hejduk v. Cleary. Small, quick, goal scoring winger. Edge: Detroit Brunette v. Samuelsson. Big winger with good hands who probably should score more goals than he does. Edge: Colorado Wolski v. Hudler. Young, promising scorer with loads of talent who has gotten inconsistent ice time this season. Edge: Even. I'll even add one more. Arnason v. Franzen. Youngish, two-way winger capable of amazing hot streaks or unbelievable cold streaks offensively. Edge: Detroit Totally not concerned about a supposed 'advantage' the Avs have at forward. Detroit is clearly at very least on par with Colorado in the top 8. And after that, it's Guite/Laperriere/McLeod/Jones vs Draper/McCarty/Drake/Helm or Maltby, which favors Detroit greatly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Superman54 91 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 All I want: OZZIE VS THEODORE KICK HIS ASS OZZIE! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LionsAndRedwingsAndPistonsOhMy 3 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 Any team that makes the playoffs is there for a reason, and obviously dangerous. That said, I'm taking the Wings in 5, 6 tops. The Avalanche just don't impress me all that much, but they are a good team again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eva unit zero 271 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 I think the Wings will play better as time goes on. And I wouldn't say Colorado is the best in the West. Although, think about this: I do think whoever wins this series will win the Cup. When the Wings and Avs play, the winner has always gone on to win the Cup, haven't they? I can't recall. Year - Round - Cup winner 1996 - 3 - Avs 1997 - 3 - Wings 1999 - 2 - Stars 2000 - 2 - Devils (over Stars) 2002 - 3 - Wings History seems to suggest that a second round meeting between the Wings and Avs will result in Dallas defeating the winner and playing in the Cup finals. Then again, Dallas has never once beaten Detroit in the playoffs in their history...so history also seems to suggest that if the Wings win, and Dallas wins, Detroit is in the Cup finals. Damn paradoxical correlations. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,803 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 (edited) Let's compare the seven Avs forwards to their most comparable Detroit counterpart. Forsberg v. Datsyuk. Playmaking two way center, also capable of scoring some goals. Edge: Detroit Sakic v. Zetterberg. Two-way center with a wicked shot and strong passing skills. Edge: Detroit Stastny v. Filppula. Young all-around center. Edge: Colorado Smyth v. Holmstrom. Garbage goal and deflection expert, PP specialist. Edge: Detroit Hejduk v. Cleary. Small, quick, goal scoring winger. Edge: Detroit Brunette v. Samuelsson. Big winger with good hands who probably should score more goals than he does. Edge: Colorado Wolski v. Hudler. Young, promising scorer with loads of talent who has gotten inconsistent ice time this season. Edge: Even. I'll even add one more. Arnason v. Franzen. Youngish, two-way winger capable of amazing hot streaks or unbelievable cold streaks offensively. Edge: Detroit Totally not concerned about a supposed 'advantage' the Avs have at forward. Detroit is clearly at very least on par with Colorado in the top 8. And after that, it's Guite/Laperriere/McLeod/Jones vs Draper/McCarty/Drake/Helm or Maltby, which favors Detroit greatly. How can you take Cleary over Hejduk? Cleary has done nothing offensively, while Hejduk is a great sniper. Also, it's not a one on one comparison as much as an overall comparison. Yeah, you admitted that Brunette is better than Sammy, but it's the disparity between those 2 that you didn't mention as far as gravity goes. The same thing could be said about Stastny and Fillpulla. The difference between those 2 players as far as production is huge, since Stastny is way better. Thus, your comparisons are greatly misleading. Edited April 23, 2008 by GMRwings1983 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
interminded 1 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 Let's compare the seven Avs forwards to their most comparable Detroit counterpart. Forsberg v. Datsyuk. Playmaking two way center, also capable of scoring some goals. Edge: Detroit Sakic v. Zetterberg. Two-way center with a wicked shot and strong passing skills. Edge: Detroit Stastny v. Filppula. Young all-around center. Edge: Colorado Smyth v. Holmstrom. Garbage goal and deflection expert, PP specialist. Edge: Detroit Hejduk v. Cleary. Small, quick, goal scoring winger. Edge: Detroit Brunette v. Samuelsson. Big winger with good hands who probably should score more goals than he does. Edge: Colorado Wolski v. Hudler. Young, promising scorer with loads of talent who has gotten inconsistent ice time this season. Edge: Even. I'll even add one more. Arnason v. Franzen. Youngish, two-way winger capable of amazing hot streaks or unbelievable cold streaks offensively. Edge: Detroit Totally not concerned about a supposed 'advantage' the Avs have at forward. Detroit is clearly at very least on par with Colorado in the top 8. And after that, it's Guite/Laperriere/McLeod/Jones vs Draper/McCarty/Drake/Helm or Maltby, which favors Detroit greatly. Your comparisons are (as always) quite accurate, but you seem to forget two things: - It's all about the team, not about one individual hockeyplayer against the other. - It's the playoffs. There are no guides on how to play ... anything's possible. We've seen to many examples over the years, right ? We had the edge on every position against the Oilers... and we know what happened there.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
falconski 0 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 The league better hype the hell out of this series. It's going to be freaking EPIC. But I'm uneasy, because for the first time we're playing a team that can match us. I still think we'll win, but nobody better get cocky and jinx us. they won't Corsby's still in the playoffs, they'll be wasting most of their effort on that Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
falconski 0 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 I swear, if I see Avs spelled with an E again, I'm going postal. as an avs fan, I agree Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NeverForgetMac25 483 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 I don't know if worried is the right word, but anyone that overlooks Colorado is mistaken IMO. Any team in the playoffs is there for a reason, and regardless of what happened in the regular season, things can change quite quickly. That being said, I do like the Wings chances though and feel that if they play their game they'll be fine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
falconski 0 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 How can you take Cleary over Hejduk? Cleary has done nothing offensively, while Hejduk is a great sniper. Also, it's not a one on one comparison as much as an overall comparison. Yeah, you admitted that Brunette is better than Sammy, but it's the disparity between those 2 that you didn't mention as far as gravity goes. The same thing could be said about Stastny and Fillpulla. The difference between those 2 players as far as production is huge, since Stastny is way better. Thus, your comparisons are greatly misleading. in his defense Hejduk was pretty much useless this year until Forsberg showed up Hejduk with Forsberg on the other hand has a definite advantage, Foppa healthy is more of a setup guy than anyone but Gretzky(yes I'm exaggerating, but not that much) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
redwing_sparty 0 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 can't wait for this series to start!!! should be a good one. some earlier post said mac doesnt fight anymore, well he did in grand rapids, and the only reason no one fought during the nashville series was b/c games were so close neither team could risk the extra penalty. if we;re up 4-1 or something like that in one of these games, expect the fists to fly!!! WHOOO! GO WINGS!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AVAL 0 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 Well there was never a Koslov on the Red Wings. So maybe thats why Burke didnt suspend any Red Wings players. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOkkkkkkkkkk if you say so http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vyacheslav_Kozlov Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cruiser008 37 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 They've got the deepest group of skilled forwards in the league (Sakic, Forsberg, Hejduk, Stastny, Smyth, Wolski, Brunette, Svatos, Arnason) and a decent top-4 D of Foote, Liles, Salei and Hannan. However we a little bit younger up front (shocking I know! ) have more team speed and a significant edge on D. In the end I don't think their defense can cope with our aggressive forecheckers. Detroit in 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CincyWINGnut14 0 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOkkkkkkkkkk if you say so http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vyacheslav_Kozlov He was referring to the way you spelled his name moron. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chris L 0 Report post Posted April 23, 2008 I have total confidence in Osgood. Always have, even back in 1996 when Vernon replaced him for the playoffs. Although I do like this Osgood versus the kid Osgood much more. Calm, confident and comfortable living under #1's shadow. Ozzie can do this, no sweat. If Wings stick to a stingy D and we'll be fine. Our veterans know their veterans well (Lids vs Forsberg or grinders versus Foote) Our guys knows what it takes to beat the Avs and they'll step up. The younger kids will follow that example. These teams have too much history and old timers hanging around, they hold no surprises for each other. The only x-factor here is Theodore. But Z and Dats and the other Swedish wonders will pick his locks. Having said all that, this is going to be tough (aren't they all tough at this point?) Epic is the right word to use here, this will be a battle. Wings in 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
