WCQF GAME 2 GDT: Red Wings 4, Blue Jackets 0

[Heroes of Hockeytown 694]

This game will be real tight

Hank with two touchdowns passes to Pavel, and Homer will bang one home on a goal line rush.

Wings 21, Jackets 0.

[RedWingAbner 13]

I think this game is already a must-win for CBJ. It's gonna be a good test for the Wings because the Jackets are gonna play the trap or some variant.

This is the kind of game that could be 2-1 or 5-1, depending on if the goalies are on top of their games. I really believe another big scoreline vs. Mason could hurt his confidence.

My predictions:

Wings 2, Blue Jackets 1 O.T.

Blue Jackets score 1st (Nash); Wings get goals in 3rd by Helm and in OT by Hudler.

[Red Winger 0]

Tonight will be a test of whether Ozzie and the Wings can maintain the focus and intensity they displayed in Game 1. Young Mason has been rattled - it remains to be seen whether he can recover. I expect a bit of desperation from Columbus tonight, so that may either cause them to play better, or cause them to unravel. But if the Wings do exactly what they did in game 1, no problem. LET'S GO RED WINGS!!!

[Red Winger 0]

This game will be real tight

I'm not so sure. If Ozzie is sharp again, I'm confident the Wings can shut down Nash and that's pretty much all they have to do.

[IceMunkee 15]

Let's Go Wings!!!

[55fan 5,133]

Wings get 95.3% of the faceoffs and 100% of the goals.

Sammy: off Mason's chest, off Nash's helmet, off the glass, off the line judge, off Nash's rump. Nothing but net.

Ericsson: a puck bounces off his stick from a failed clearing attempt, making him the most prolific goal scorer to date in the playoffs for the Wings.

Draper: ENG

Let's Go Wings!

[ehorn3 2]

Red Wings cheat and win 75% of the faceoffs then bounce 16 of those off jacket defensemen for a 17-0 win. Dats gets the only goal not off of a deflection

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

Current Streaks

Playoff Streaks

Overall: 1-game winning streak

Home: 1-game winning streak.

Playoff Streaks vs. Columbus

Overall: 1-game winning streak

Home: 1-game winning streak.

Series Games

This is the 108th series Game #2. The Club's record in the previous 107 games:

65W-42L.

This is the 16th Conference Quarterfinal game #2. The Club's record in the previous 15 games:

11W-4L.

Home Ice Advantage

This is the 59th 7-game series enjoying home ice advantage.

This is the 40th 7-game series enjoying home ice advantage and winning Game #1..

The Club's record in Game #2 following a win in Game #1:

28W-11L.

This is the 15th 7-game Conference Quarterfinal enjoying home ice advantage.

This is the 11th 7-game Conference Quarterfinal enjoying home ice advantage and winning Game #1. The Club's record in Game #2 following a win in Game #1:

8W-2L.

Record on this Date

This is the 11th game played on this date. The Club's record in the previuus 10 games:

2W-8L.

This is the 9th playoff game played on this date. The Club's record in the previous 8 games:

2W-6L.

LGW.

[HOCKEY MATTERS 167]

Going to Cheli's Chili in Clinton Twp. to watch with some other LGWr's. Check out the link in my sig. Show up if you can. I feel a little "dirty" for pimping this gathering in the GDT, but I'm already getting over it.

On Topic: Wings continue to fire on all cylinders and systematically dismantle the trap that the Blue Jackoffs try to implement. Wings match physical intensity with the "message" the BJ's try to send, and reaffirm that the cup, in fact, is still in Hockeytown.

[xBrave_Heartx 0]

Wings - 3 (Cleary,Val,Kronner)

Jackets - 2 (Malhotra,Nash)

Im expecting a repeat of Thursday in the sense of not to much emotion. Minimal physical play. *compared to the other games that have been played so far*

[servo 15]

Drapper scores off his face from the press box tonight!

GO WINGS!!!!!

[cupcrazy 13]

I broke down and payed for the hockeystreams HD plus service,and there showing the game tonight! I won't waste my money on the nhl game center again,they didn't show the game Thursday.

Anyway GO WINGS,now I can watch the playoffs...............

[lacrossekid2 5]

I knew the Bluejackets were going to lose while the National Anthem was playing. If you saw them on the ice they looked someone put Liquid Heat in their pants as they were all figeting like crazy while the 5 Red Wings on the ice were nice and calm just like any other game. I don't see much difference tonite as the BlueJackets are a little shaken from getting beaten pretty solidly a couple nights ago. I think Game 3 is going to be a different story as the BlueJackets are going to be crazy excited for that one. But for now expect a 2-0 series lead

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

Red Wings' third line gives Blue Jackets fits

by Ansar Khan

Saturday April 18, 2009, 12:10 AM

DETROIT -- Most teams would be delighted to have a second line consisting of Jiri Hudler, Valtteri Filppula and Mikael Samuelsson. One or two of them might even be able to play on the Columbus Blue Jackets' top line.

But on the depth-laden Detroit Red Wings, that trio forms the third line. And that can provide matchup problems for opponents, as the Blue Jackets learned in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals.

Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Marian Hossa combined for only one assist Thursday, but it did not matter because the third-line players each contributed two points.

"Our third line is not a normal third line," Red Wings forward Dan Cleary said. "I think it's a real big advantage when you're splitting up Pav and Z and you can roll Fil on your third line. That line was by far the best line out there. They had the puck in their zone, created a lot of offense, a lot of pressure."

Filppula's line gives Columbus something else to worry about tonight in Game 2 at Joe Louis Arena.

Hudler, Filppula and Samuelsson combined for 54 goals and 137 points. Columbus' third line (Jason Chimera, Michael Peca, Fredrik Modin) totaled 21 goals and 69 points.

But it was the Blue Jackets' fourth line (Rafi Torres, Jason Williams, Jared Boll) that was on the ice against Detroit's third line for two goals (Williams was not on the ice during Jonathan Ericsson's goal as Manny Malhotra got caught on a long shift).

Afterward, Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock called Filppula's unit the game's best line. On Friday, he backtracked slightly, saying three of the Red Wings' goals happened when his players got caught on the ice during long shifts.

"Our job is to negate key guys. You're not going to negate everybody," Hitchcock said. "If you walked into Game 1 and said Datsyuk's line and Zetterberg's line didn't get a point, you'd be pretty happy. That's what good teams do, they find a way to beat you with other people."

Zetterberg's line actually did score, as he set up Johan Franzen's third-period goal. But the point is, the Red Wings come at opponents in waves. It's why they led the NHL with 289 goals.

"Good teams, from night to night, a (different) group picks you up, that's what you're hoping for with depth," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "Filppula can really skate, Sammy's a big, big body, he was physical. Huds just has a nose for the net, better both ways than what people think."

The line can match up against anybody because Filppula is strong defensively and Samuelsson is responsible as well.

"It gives us the edge when we got a third line that can keep the puck in the offensive zone for a long period of time, take some of the pressure off our top two lines," captain Nicklas Lidstrom said.

Babcock has shuffled in various players on the third line this season, but this trio has played together enough the last three years to form good chemistry.

"It's a little natural, and you kind of know where they are all the time," Filppula said. "Obviously, (Datsyuk and Zetterberg) are our big guys and other teams need to be focused on them because they can really do some damage. Especially at playoff time, you need more lines than just a couple."

The Red Wings are hoping to take advantage of this depth while they can, because they might not be as stacked next season due to the salary cap.

If they re-sign Hossa after the season -- and some in the organization are confident they will -- they won't have room to sign Hudler, a restricted free agent, and Samuelsson, who is unrestricted, without trimming some salary.

And that is exactly what they will try to do because they want to keep both Samuelsson and Hudler. And both players want to stay.

"I wish I could stay. I like it here," Samuelsson said. "At the same time, it's part of the game, salary cap, guys sign big deals. If it happens, it happens."

Said Hudler: "I want to stay. We'll see what's going to happen."

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

I knew the Bluejackets were going to lose while the National Anthem was playing. If you saw them on the ice they looked someone put Liquid Heat in their pants as they were all figeting like crazy while the 5 Red Wings on the ice were nice and calm just like any other game. I don't see much difference tonite as the BlueJackets are a little shaken from getting beaten pretty solidly a couple nights ago. I think Game 3 is going to be a different story as the BlueJackets are going to be crazy excited for that one. But for now expect a 2-0 series lead

Welcome aboard

[Never_Retire_Steve 35]

Go Wings!!

[ehorn3 2]

along with winning 17-0, Kronwall has 3 big hits, one of which sets the tone of the game

[Ms_Hockey 0]

I will be at the game tonight, cheering my butt off, and trying to jump high enough to see over everybody else's head. (Yes, I really am that short.)

I am bringing my digital camera (which is an adorably girly pink color), and I will ask my dad to take some pictures so the LGWers can feel like they were 15 rows from the ice as well.

How does that song go? "Everything I do, I do it for you."

[Red Winger 0]

LET'S GO RED WINGS!!! LET'S GO RED WINGS!!! LET'S GO RED WINGS!!!

[Foog00 0]

LET'S GO RED WINGS!!! I look forward with anticipation to the 6 o'clock eastern hour.

[3chrisosgood0 7]

GO WINGS

hope for a strong game from ozzy

that is all

[Vladifan 680]

I'll be at this game 4th Wings game 1st one at the Joe (other 3 in Chicago) Can't wait to get on the road. GO WINGS

I expect to hear you hollering from Texas, OK? Cool.

[Vladifan 680]

Goals against average is calculated in minutes played, not games played. Any time the goalie leaves the net for an extra attacker, either late game or delayed penalty, his goals against should go up ever so slightly; and any time a goalie is yanked, his GAA for that single night is usually monstrous as part of giving up multiple goals in often a third or half of a game.

With that said, Mason played 59:52 of the last game and Ozzie played 59:54. Calculating their GAA with the proper formula puts Mason at 4.008 (rounding up to 4.01) and Ozzie at 1.001 (rounding down to 1). Some sites (including NHL.com) chose not reflect this, while others (namely Yahoo!) do.

Whoa! I learned something new today. Thanks!

[HanKarin40 7]

If the Wings play like they did in the first game, this one should be no problem! I think it will be a closer game though. Hope they come out flying and Ozzie has a hell of a game! Experience will prevail! Let's Go Wings!

Wings win it 4-2

[wmubronco420 25]

Lets Go Wings!! im predicting a hossa goal and ozzie with another solid performance

wings win 4-0 Hossa, Dats, Stuart, Ozzie(EN)

Edited April 18, 2009 by wmubronco420