Aussie_Wing 354 Report post Posted April 22, 2009 GAME 4: Hamilton Bulldogs @ Grand Rapids Griffins @ Tonight's result will go a long way towards determining who advances in this series. The Griffins still have the upper hand with a 2-1 lead and with 2 games to come at home but they would be best advised to finish off the series now before Hamilton possibly obtain a few quality players from Montreal. The Griffins lost their first home playoff game 5-4 and saw their series lead halved. Dick Axelsson's absence from the line-up is somewhat of a mystery as he appears to be over his finger injury and yet he has been out of the line-up for the first three games. Whether he plays tonight remains to be seen. Jimmy Howard will be hoping for a stronger performance in net and he'll be hoping to receive greater support from his defence. Tonight is a must win and I get the feeling whoever takes this game will win the series. Possible line-up: Leino - Abdelkader - Haydar Ritola - Andersson - McCarty Lemieux - Pare - Tardif Axelsson (?) - Gagnon - Downey Stafford - Lashoff Galvin - Kindl Kolosov - Josza Howard LarssonPlayoff Leaders:Goals: Abdelkader (4), McCarty, Leino (2)Assists: Haydar (5), Leino (4)Points: Abdelkader, Leino, Haydar (6)PIM: McCarty (6), 4 tied (4)Plus/Minus: Abdelkader, Leino, Haydar (3) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
uk_redwing 495 Report post Posted April 23, 2009 1 - HAM Henry, 0:34 - Roughing , 2 min 1 - GR Downey, 0:34 - Roughing , 2 min 1 - HAM Janik, 1:40 - Fighting , 5 min 1 - GR Abdelkader, 1:40 - Fighting , 5 min Woo! Physical game tonight... But seriously...Downey and Henry...just fight again already FFS!! 4 roughings now this season... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GROwl 5 Report post Posted April 23, 2009 1 - HAM Henry, 0:34 - Roughing , 2 min 1 - GR Downey, 0:34 - Roughing , 2 min 1 - HAM Janik, 1:40 - Fighting , 5 min 1 - GR Abdelkader, 1:40 - Fighting , 5 min Woo! Physical game tonight... But seriously...Downey and Henry...just fight again already FFS!! 4 roughings now this season... You missed mentioning the Griffins goal 34 seconds into the game scored by Gagnon! And now the one by Tardif. Man, I should have grabbed my daughter, sneaked out of house and headed Downtown to the game tonight! Oh well, she's pretty tired. I probably would have ended up having to carry her sleeping back to the car after the game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
uk_redwing 495 Report post Posted April 23, 2009 Hell yehs so far ma boy Downey is +2 with an assist! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204 Report post Posted April 23, 2009 (edited) Downeys +3 and has 2 assists and 6 PIMS in 5 games so far, and assist captain McCarty has 3 points in 3 games with 6 PIM's. Great to see two of my favorites doing well, not to mention super rookies Leino and Abdelkader, I expect all 4 to be up should Grand Rapids fall out anytime soon. (Downey's is including tonights game, and McCartys not because he hasnt scored ) Edited April 23, 2009 by Detroit # 1 Fan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
uk_redwing 495 Report post Posted April 23, 2009 Abs is now an assist away from a gordie howe! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
uk_redwing 495 Report post Posted April 23, 2009 3-3...damnit Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aussie_Wing 354 Report post Posted April 23, 2009 That's very disappointing, blowing a 3-0 3rd period lead and now we're going to OT. 3 consecutive goals? We need this win, losing two straight at home would be bad enough but especially conceding 4 straight goals to lose a game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aussie_Wing 354 Report post Posted April 23, 2009 Gee that didn't take long, Hamilton win in OT. Series in real danger now, losing two straight at home is a disaster. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MacK_Attack 108 Report post Posted April 23, 2009 Gee that didn't take long, Hamilton win in OT. Series in real danger now, losing two straight at home is a disaster. And now Hamilton is eligible to get Sergei Kostitsyn, Gregory Stewart & Yannick Weber back from the Habs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightfall 871 Report post Posted April 23, 2009 I don't see the Griffins winning this series now. I am just going to go to the Friday game, have my dollar beer and dog, and enjoy what probably will be the last of the season. Course, I didn't see them winning two games in Hamilton so they may surprise me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Pred 48 337 Report post Posted April 23, 2009 Coming back from 0-3 with 12 mins left in the 3rd will have given the Dogs great momentum for the next game. The boys have to dig really deep, they have the skill to do it. The vets have to come into their own now and steady the ship. Maybe Howie can put on a clinic and steal one for us, he's due one. Keep going boys, 3 game series now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coyote0106 2 Report post Posted April 23, 2009 (edited) What a BS game. They absolutely DOMINATE Hamilton for the first 40. Then the Griff defense realizes they were overachieving for what they have done all year, and decides to start the turnover game. Kindl has the biggest brain cramps I've seen since...well, the guy that screwed up our national anthem to start the game. Get Kindl and Galvin off of the same pairing. Our offense is getting it done, our defense is blowing chunks. This team doesn't quite realize effort wins you these games. The players preach it to the media, the coach wont stop talking about it, and yet the team can't figure out what it means to actually do it. I can't help but wonder how big of a issue it is without having McGrath or Oulahen in the line up. Edit: Dang, I seem ticked now. It's a good thing I didn't post anything last night. Edited April 23, 2009 by Coyote0106 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aussie_Wing 354 Report post Posted April 23, 2009 Pare and Lemieux are doing nothing, they badly need McGrath alongside. That line was ridiculously hot there for a while, we need them back together. Although to be fair, scoring is not the issue, the defence and goaltending is. I understand Howard isn't getting much support but his last few games haven't been stellar either. I hope the Wings aren't expecting much from him in the future, his inconsistency is a major flaw. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coyote0106 2 Report post Posted April 23, 2009 Although to be fair, scoring is not the issue, the defence and goaltending is. I understand Howard isn't getting much support but his last few games haven't been stellar either. I hope the Wings aren't expecting much from him in the future, his inconsistency is a major flaw. That's why I think Oulahen and McGrath are sorely missed, maybe Oulahen more so. They are both responsible defensively, as well as offensively. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
