Osgood to start vs. Preds

[Mike 0]

Update from Saturday's practice: Chris Osgood will make his second straight start Sunday when the Wings host Nashville. The last time the teams met, Feb. 28 in Nashville, the Predators rolled to an 8-0 win. Defenseman Brian Rafalski was given the day off, but he will play Sunday.

Here are the lines they skated with:

Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom

Cleary-Zetterberg-Hossa

Hudler-Filppula-Samuelsson

Kopecky-Draper-Maltby

Lidstrom-Meech/Chelios (subbing for Rafalski)

Kronwall-Stuart

Ericsson-Lebda

Osgood (starting)

Conklin

MLive

[Guest mindfly]

Why has Rafalski been given days off lately? Is he lazy?

[Electrophile 3,554]

Oooh, that'll be bound to piss someone off.

[XxGoWingsxX 0]

I hope those lines are for practice ONLY, and not the game. Hank and Hossa just do not work well together at all. Not only that but, Our offense has looked very stale for the past 3 games and only turning it on when down and going into the 3rd period by which time it has been too late twice now. I know the point of line juggling but it has been done way too much and it seems as though once a line starts building some chemistry, babcock throws them a changeup and puts them on different lines....I am baffled as to why he wouldn't want certain lines to build some chemistry together?

[Vladifan 680]

Oooh, that'll be bound to piss someone off.

"Someone"?

I want some of whatever you've been drinking.

When it comes, and it will come - you could call it The Horde; you could call it the madding throng; you could call it pestilence/famine/locusts, or you could probably call it any Large Thing, but just don't call it late for the pillorying.

...is that a word?....

[Electrophile 3,554]

"Someone"?

I want some of whatever you've been drinking.

When it comes, and it will come - you could call it The Horde; you could call it the madding throng; you could call it pestilence/famine/locusts, or you could probably call it any Large Thing, but just don't call it late for the pillorying.

...is that a word?....

A quick check of the dictionary confirms that it is in fact, a word.

And if you want some Diet Coke, I'll be happy to share.

[Vladifan 680]

A quick check of the dictionary confirms that it is in fact, a word.

And if you want some Diet Coke, I'll be happy to share.

Thanks! That should go very nicely with a Triple Whopper.

[Guest Shoreline]

Good luck to Ozzie. This might be prepping for a first round matchup so I hope he and the team take this game a lot more seriously than they did the Isles game.

[Electrophile 3,554]

Thanks! That should go very nicely with a Triple Whopper.

Triple Whopper? Damn girl. Do you go all-out and get cheese on it too? You can't decide to go for a TW and forget the cheese.

[Guest Shoreline]

I think she's making the same joke I do about people on diets here getting a Diet Coke and Triple Whopper and how ridiculous that looks.

Took me a few reads to get that.

Edited March 28, 2009 by Shoreline

[KrazyGangsta 79]

This team will show it's true self in the playoffs, you could tell there just playing for heck of it cause they know they in playoffs and they know very well that they could kill any team in the league.

[Guest MrSandMan]

Babcock is playing these lines together so they get more time to gel. I doubt these lines will be the primary in the post-season, I think he is just familiarizing them because on the road we'll get last change, which will throw off our primary lines.

Another smart move by Babcock. :thumbsup:

[Vladifan 680]

Triple Whopper? Damn girl. Do you go all-out and get cheese on it too? You can't decide to go for a TW and forget the cheese.

Like, of course!!??! I'm storing the fat grams for next winter. That is, if Texas decides to have a winter...

[Vladifan 680]

I think she's making the same joke I do about people on diets here getting a Diet Coke and Triple Whopper and how ridiculous that looks.

Took me a few reads to get that.

Yessirr. And, I'm going to write a formal essay about how the two actually balance each other out. Chemically, physically and spiritually. Would I stretch the truth? Maybe my jeans, but never the truth.

:burger:

[55fan 5,133]

With the Preds as a potential playoff adversary, I think whoever Babs plays Sunday will be what he will play in the playoffs.

That said, if the Wings blow this one, I'm going to stick my fingers in my ears, and say, "la la la, la la la, they're just giving them a false sense of security, la la la, la la la" and no amount of intelligence and reason will sway me from my delusions.

[Electrophile 3,554]

With the Preds as a potential playoff adversary, I think whoever Babs plays Sunday will be what he will play in the playoffs.

That said, if the Wings blow this one, I'm going to stick my fingers in my ears, and say, "la la la, la la la, they're just giving them a false sense of security, la la la, la la la" and no amount of intelligence and reason will sway me from my delusions.

Ah, the old rope-a-dope. Don't put it past the Wings to try something like that. Sometimes lulling your opponent into a false sense of security is the best way to expose their weaknesses.

[Vladifan 680]

With the Preds as a potential playoff adversary, I think whoever Babs plays Sunday will be what he will play in the playoffs.

That said, if the Wings blow this one, I'm going to stick my fingers in my ears, and say, "la la la, la la la, they're just giving them a false sense of security, la la la, la la la" and no amount of intelligence and reason will sway me from my delusions.

DO I HAVE TO YELL TO TALK TO YOU RIGHT NOW?

OK, mebee not... Here's two little positives and potential good omens. The Preds are playing as we speak so it'll be a back-to-back. Secondly and even more important, the Kings just scored on 'em in the first period.

Edited March 28, 2009 by Vladifan

[Dimaline312000 51]

Come on Ozzie get back on the winning side of things!!

[Mike 0]

Hopefully the offense decides to show up against the Preds.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Uggg... I really hope Babcock manages to get these defensive pairings gelling again because they still look like s*** compared to last year

He loves mixing up the forwards and leaving altered lines up for a few games... why can't he just do the same with the defensive pairings? It worked pretty well in the middle of the season.

[XxGoWingsxX 0]

I think she's making the same joke I do about people on diets here getting a Diet Coke and Triple Whopper and how ridiculous that looks.

Took me a few reads to get that.

Lol you joke about that too huh? I find it funny when (and by when, i mean rarely because i try to stay healthy and in shape) I go to a fast food joint, i hear the car in front of me order like 2 triple whoppers with cheese, large fry, and one of those hershey pie things, then you hear the guy on the speaker say "and what to drink with that?" ummm diet coke.

AS IF THAT DAMN DIET COKE will offset the 2000 other calories you're about to eat OMFG LoL

[Probie 7]

Uggg... I really hope Babcock manages to get these defensive pairings gelling again because they still look like s*** compared to last year

He loves mixing up the forwards and leaving altered lines up for a few games... why can't he just do the same with the defensive pairings? It worked pretty well in the middle of the season.

No doubt defense this year has been "OFF". Once everyone is healthy, come playoffs, I'd like to see stuart and Kronwall split up as i feel they suck this year together, and I'd also like Lidstrom & rafalski not paired up as well. With everyone healthy, I'd like to see:

Lidstrom stuart (stuart gives the pairing some physicalness , lets nick be offensive from time to time, nick covers for occasional stuarts gaffs)

Lilja-rafalski (lilja stays at home, is physical, rafalski can relish being offensive, lilja helps stablize the line-rafs defensive gaffs)

Erricson-kronwall (crazy that I think a rookie can stabalize kronwalls mistakes...speaks volumes). This could be a good physical pairing!

lebda extra over meech

Offense:

Z-D-H (chemistry)

Mule-Flip-Hossa (some chemistry, Hossa creates his own offense, flip can set up ok)

Cleary-Huds-Sammy

Lieno-draper-helm

(Maybe switch malts for Lieno)

To be honest, I wouldnt mind Lieno over Sammy on the third, I feel he is better, not that sammy should sit, but with Lienos offensive talent it seems wasted on the fourth line, although he could be used to jumpstart the 4th offensively. What do people feel about switching flip and huds, i feel huds would be able to set up hoss and mule better then flip, although huds isnt as quick, its a trade away).

Edited March 29, 2009 by Probie

[sixer 37]

No doubt defense this year has been "OFF".

No doubt Ozzie has his worst career stats and is yet to look confident in net. Conklin on the other hand has some of the best stats in the league and remains consistent to last year.

Hmmm, all the blame can't be on the defense.

Even with the Pens last year, Conklin was great. I'm praying Ozzie is not starting in the playoffs and that he blows yet another game today so management can comfortably be able to tell him to sit on the bench and don't move, Conks is our man.

Ty Conklin

Year GP GS MIN W L T OTL EGA GA GAA SA SV SV% SO

2007-08 PIT 33 30 1866 18 8 0 5 1 78 2.51 1013 935 .923 2

2008-09 DET 38 35 2128 25 9 0 2 3 86 2.42 975 889 .912 6

Chris Osgood

2008-09 DET 41 39 2360 24 7 0 7 0 124 3.15 1078 954 .885 2

[eva unit zero 271]

Offense:

Z-D-H (chemistry)

Mule-Flip-Hossa (some chemistry, Hossa creates his own offense, flip can set up ok)

Cleary-Huds-Sammy

Lieno-draper-helm

Zetterberg/Datsyuk/Holmstrom

Franzen/Hudler/Hossa

Cleary/Filppula/Samuelsson

Kopecky/Draper/Helm

[Taosuntzu 0]

Like most others on this forum, I think the wings defense has been sub-par this year. (I use sub-par instead of

substandard because it hasn't been as bad as I and everyone else makes it out to be.)

Well it has me thinking about what is different from last year to this year. Aside from our free agent signing of Hossa, and the loss of the wings defensive coach, there really isn't much of a change. So, what's different? For the few remaining games I'm going to try to keep my on what defensive pairing is matched with what opponents line.

My theory is that (unlike the play-offs) each pairing is averaging 20 mins of a 60 min game. If all the wings opponents are approaching the wings with their play-offs mins, then that means there is a majority of the game that the wings 2nd and 3rd pairings are playing a higher quality of line then they will be in the play-offs. (when Lidstrom and Rafalski start playing 35-38 mins a game).

After all, there has been very little doubt all year long that the wings would make the post season. Why not keep your slightly older top pairing injury free, and at the same time get your 2nd and 3rd lines some time against stiffer competition?

tl;dr Just curious about average ice time for our top defensive pairing.