Next opponent

[rage 24]

My bad i overlooked that big time hahah. You guys are right because if the Sharks were to win they play the winner of Chi and Calgary. If the Ducks win we obviously play them. So yeah its down to Anaheim or Vancouver. Sorry bout that wasn't thinking right.

My previous comment wasn't meant to make fun of you, just so you know.

[stactum 4]

But here's what it boils down to, assuming Detroit wins, here's how it goes:

San Jose beats Anaheim: We get Vancouver in the second round

Anaheim beats San Jose: We get Anaheim in the second round

I don't know if we can beat Vancouver in the second round, their too confident and playing better then they should be. If Osgood and friends could crack rookie Mason, Hiller shouldn't be too much tougher.

I don't understand why people are too concerned about Vancouver, do not forget they beat St.Louis freakin Blues with no defense and no offense. Our next opponent won't be sugar in any case but they all beatable and I am pretty sure that this rest that Van is going to get won't do them any good.

Anaheim on the other side I hope will be beat up and it won't be a huge problem.

What concerns me though is that other team will get an easier matchup in the second round whether it's VAN playing CAL/CHI or SJS playing CAL/CHI.

[wingslionstigers 12]

Any of you guys crying about a thread being started before the series is over want to place any bets? I'll bet you my house and my vehicle Wings win this series. Any takers? K now thats what i thought, now go find a different thread to cry about something in.

[Dabura 12,232]

When you're up 3-0, the question is "when", and not "if" you're going to advance.

The OP did the right thing in starting this thread. At this point there's nothing wrong with looking ahead to who we're eventually going to face.

If we don't win the series, LGW will be the busiest it's ever been in its history for the next couple of months, thus we'll have other threads to worry about way worse than this.

Anyway, people need to get off the OP's case.

For once, I agree.

Between the Ducks and 'nucks, I'd rather the Wings face the latter. The Ducks have the second best blue line in the league, a hot goalie, scoring punch up front -- and they play a nasty, physical game. The 'nucks have an elite goalie, some scoring threats, and a tight defensive game...which is centered squarely on Luongo's shoulders. Luongo is a phenomenal netminder, but he hasn't exactly proven unsolvable for the Wings. I'd like to see how he does with Homer and Mule parking in front of him.

[8 Legged RedWing 367]

hiller or luongo? are you serious? DUCKS please...

[Dabura 12,232]

Hiller =/= Ducks

Luongo = 'nucks

I think if I'm a Wing, I want to face the team that puts all its eggs in one basket. Especially when the Wings have shown they can, uh, stomp that basket. The Ducks, though far-removed from their dominating selves of a couple seasons ago, can still hut you (in some cases, literally) in a number of ways. The 'nucks...they strike me as fairly thin, one-dimensional.

[WingsCaptain 0]

hiller or luongo? are you serious? DUCKS please...

Both goaltenders are doing a great job at keeping their teams headed on, but let's not forget that Osgood is currently leading the playoffs -- 0.67 GAA and a .974 save percentage. And I'm not counting Varlamov because he didn't start (or finish) game 1 of that series.

Personally, I'd rather beat Luongo sooner than later. Plus, I'm thinking that a Photoshop of Bobby Lu from the NHL commercial where he was curling his hair has endless possibilities.

- Z

Edited April 22, 2009 by WingsCaptain

[HockeyCrazy3033 168]

We have to win one more game then we can talk about who we'd want to face.

[WingsCaptain 0]

Anyone seen that dead horse?

- Z

Edited April 22, 2009 by WingsCaptain

[Chunkylover 26]

The Ducks have the second best blue line in the league, a hot goalie, scoring punch up front -- and they play a nasty, physical game. The 'nucks have an elite goalie, some scoring threats, and a tight defensive game...which is centered squarely on Luongo's shoulders.

I think the Duckheads and the Canuckleheads have a lot more in common than you are giving them credit for. Vancouver has a great goalie, a big steady defense (probably underrated by most), and pesky grinders on every line. That Vancouver/St. Louis series was far more physical than the Ducks/Sharks series has been to this point.

The Canucks, Sharks, and Ducks can all play aggressive hockey, but so can Detroit. When the Wings match the intensity it disrupts their opponent and makes them susceptible to the Wings puck-control game. Anaheim didn't beat Detroit in '07 because they beat them up: they won because the Wings didn't play a complete game five, and didn't show up on time for game six. They won't be beaten by anything but their own lack of determination.

[Dabura 12,232]

Anaheim won in '07 because we were missing two key defensemen.

And I guess I can see some similarities between the Ducks and 'nucks. Bottom line, though: I think the Ducks can do more damage against this team over the course of a series. I can see Vancouver falling apart if Luongo gets rattled. And I can see him getting rattled.

[Vladifan 680]

Oh you know, they're built for the playoffs and all that.

No, I don't have problems with ants. Especially not on Earth day, where we celebrate our Mother Earth Goddess' birthday by reminding her how capable we are of destroying her. :hippie:

I totally agree with you about Mother Earth and what we're doing to her. That's one of the main reasons I voted for Obama.

As for the ants thing, sorry that didn't go over so well. I was kidding. But obviously my timing was bad. Not the first time, nor will it probably be the last.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

But here's what it boils down to, assuming Detroit wins, here's how it goes:

San Jose beats Anaheim: We get Vancouver in the second round

Anaheim beats San Jose: We get Anaheim in the second round

I don't know if we can beat Vancouver in the second round, their too confident and playing better then they should be. If Osgood and friends could crack rookie Mason, Hiller shouldn't be too much tougher.

Both teams will make for a tough, tough series, but I'm confident the Wings can beat either team in a 7 game series as long as they play Red Wing hockey.

Luongo is playing out of his mind right now (along with the rest of the Canucks and the genefreaks). But everyone knows the secret to beating a hot goalie- crash the net, block his view and pour shoots onto him while a big ass is sticking in his face. The Wings are a team optimized to meet that kind of threat. Holmstrom, Franzen and Cleary all excel at cracking nuts like that. Easy series? Hell no. But it's definitely a winnable series.

Hiller would probably be easier to beat using those methods, but the team around him is a bit scarier in terms of their potential for deliberately causing injury.

The Canucks' physicality shouldn't be underestimated, though! As a student in Canada I find that the later half of Hockey Night in Canada frequently coincides with my free time I definitely wouldn't describe the Canucks as a soft team, but I wouldn't describe them as overly dirty either.

The Ducks, on the other hand, are dirtier than a hobo's underwear.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Anaheim won in '07 because we were missing two key defensemen.

And I guess I can see some similarities between the Ducks and 'nucks. Bottom line, though: I think the Ducks can do more damage against this team over the course of a series. I can see Vancouver falling apart if Luongo gets rattled. And I can see him getting rattled.

The confidence of the entire Canucks team is definitely closely tied to Bobby Luongo's, probably moreso than any other team aside from the Devils. While that's a weakness, it didn't stop some of those Devils teams from getting their name on the Cup...

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Yes, call me superstitious but there is way too much cockiness around here lately. I won't rest easy this round until the final buzzer sounds.

I won't rest easily this summer until I see Lidstrom with the Cup over his head on live TV.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

I won't rest easily this summer until I see Lidstrom with the Cup over his head on live TV.

Actually, on that note- did anyone else here have a bit of a depression set in after the Ducks won in the 06-07 conference finals? I couldn't shake that miserable feeling in my gut for weeks. I ended up having the best summer of my life at the gym, though. Maybe bitterness helped fuel my gymrage?

[zettie85 106]

If the Wings were up 2-0 i wouldnt have made this post. They are up 3-0 against CBJ the series is over. Do you really think the Wings could possibly loose all of the next 4 games?

As slim as the chances are did you not see the Ducks sweep the wings in 03? A series can change in the blink of an eye. Bad bounce here and there, penalty trouble, ozzie offf his game are all things that could happen as much as the odds are in favour of thing wing's, it's not over till it's over.

Edited April 22, 2009 by zettie85

[chrisdetroit 189]

Good. This is what I thought...

If and when we finish and win with Columbus, I'm not as worried as I was about playing Anaheim. So far, the Sharks have not come close to finishing on power plays. So I'm hoping if it comes down to it, the Wings can figure out Hiller just like they seem to have done with Mason.

Yeah, I know that Columbus itself is responsible for some of our goals, but still...

I have a question about the Ducks. How many good lines do they have? I can't believe they have the depth the Wings do.

Here's a comparison. The Ducks have 9 guys with 10 goals or more. The Wings have 17...

[CUJO#31 0]

:nonono:

I hate these threads. Regardless of how inevitable it looks, its the epitome of counting chickens before they're hatched.

I was thinking that. It also makes you sound like a pompous prick if you take part in the speculation. There will be plenty of time to kick the tire when the truck stops moving. Why do it now and sound like a dick? It's not like we are playing the Blues, show some respect until the series is over.

[Electrophile 3,554]

Any of you guys crying about a thread being started before the series is over want to place any bets? I'll bet you my house and my vehicle Wings win this series. Any takers? K now thats what i thought, now go find a different thread to cry about something in.

Who's crying? Pardon me for thinking it more sensible to wait until we've actually won the series to start talking about the next opponent. Gee, how unorthodox.

[GMRwings1983 8,804]

For once, I agree.

Between the Ducks and 'nucks, I'd rather the Wings face the latter. The Ducks have the second best blue line in the league, a hot goalie, scoring punch up front -- and they play a nasty, physical game. The 'nucks have an elite goalie, some scoring threats, and a tight defensive game...which is centered squarely on Luongo's shoulders. Luongo is a phenomenal netminder, but he hasn't exactly proven unsolvable for the Wings. I'd like to see how he does with Homer and Mule parking in front of him.

I'm mixed on this right now.

For one thing, Vancouver seems like a much tougher place to play.

Hiller seems like he can be rattled much easier than Luongo can, since Luongo is maybe the best goalie in the world, while Hiller is just an upstart.

I also think Vancouver has a faster team than Anaheim, which could pose some problems. With Anaheim you have to shut down their top line to beat their team. Their other lines don't impress me with any kind of speed or skill.

The upside to playing Anaheim is that they'll be presumably coming off a tough series against San Jose (if they are to advance), while Vancouver is a rested team thanks to the Blues pitiful playoff display. Also, I'd love to see the Wings get revenge on their team. And finally, Lilja will hopefully be back by then, and well they have this guy named Parros..... but I'll hold off on posting more until later.

I was thinking that. It also makes you sound like a pompous prick if you take part in the speculation. There will be plenty of time to kick the tire when the truck stops moving. Why do it now and sound like a dick? It's not like we are playing the Blues, show some respect until the series is over.

Is being one of those not allowed here on LGW?

[soonboomer 31]

Anaheim won in '07 because we were missing two key defensemen.

And I guess I can see some similarities between the Ducks and 'nucks. Bottom line, though: I think the Ducks can do more damage against this team over the course of a series. I can see Vancouver falling apart if Luongo gets rattled. And I can see him getting rattled.

Anaheim won in 2007 because they were the best team. That being said, I'd rather play the Ducks in the 2nd round also. Their lack of scoring depth plus inexperience at net make them a slightly easier matchup.

[soonboomer 31]

Anaheim won in '07 because we were missing two key defensemen.

And I guess I can see some similarities between the Ducks and 'nucks. Bottom line, though: I think the Ducks can do more damage against this team over the course of a series. I can see Vancouver falling apart if Luongo gets rattled. And I can see him getting rattled.

Anaheim won in 2007 because they were the best team. That being said, I'd rather play the Ducks in the 2nd round also. Their lack of scoring depth plus inexperience at net make them a slightly easier matchup.

[Echolalia 2,961]

Anaheim won in 2007 because they were the best team. That being said, I'd rather play the Ducks in the 2nd round also. Their lack of scoring depth plus inexperience at net make them a slightly easier matchup.

This is probably going to sound incredibly homerish to many people, but I'm convinced that if we had any other pathway to the WCF, the Wings would've won the cup.

Going up against Calgary, then San Jose, then Anaheim was far and away the most difficult and physically demanding way of winning the cup. Anaheim took on the Wild and the Canucks. It doesn't get much easier than that. Now I'm not discrediting the Ducks for their accomplishment, but the Wings were worn down much more than the Ducks were at that point, and picked the Wings off in a vulnerable position, much like we picked off the Stars last year.

[StevieY'sguy 1]

First of all, let me say that everyone who is scared to talk about this for fear of jinxing the Wings is retarted for two reasons. 1. the Wings are absolutely gonna win this series, if you don't truly believe that then i would suspect you have been hitting the bottle wayyyyy too hard, open your eyes and start paying attention, Columbus can't keep up!!! 2. Why not talk about this topic??? If we win then it is a viable topic, about who we will see next, and even if we were losing this series it would be a viable topic, because it is more exciting to talk about than any off season talk I'm not sure who i want to play next round.....on one hand Anaheim has better leadership, more postseason experience and would beat the piss out of us physically, but on the other hand Vancouver has Luongo who can steal a series without batting an eye. If we can get some calls from the refs Anaheim will spend some time in the box so if our power play is clicking then we should be all set.....however if the refs decide to swallow the whistles we could be in for a long series. Vancouver is less physical than Anaheim but also takes less penalties, Vancouver has a ton of depth on defense and plays a much smarter game. The drawback for either of these teams is that they don't have enough offenseive firepower to keep up with us.