Why the Wings will lose this series

[Red4wings4life 0]

First let me say that I've been a huge Wings fan since 1993 and was HIGHLY confident that we would win each time we've been in the Finals (even against the NJD, but that didn't turn out so well). However, after watching the first two games of this series and taking into account some other factors, I am extremely concerned that we will lose this series in 6 or 7 games despite being up 2-0. I'm usually not an ultra pessimistic person so I'm a bit concerned that my thinking may have some merit.

Here are my thoughts:

In the first two games, I felt that from an overall effort and quality of play perspective, the edge has to go to the Penguins. Detroit has been outshot, had way too many giveaways, and spent a significant amount of time chasing the puck rather than playing our puck possession style of game. The Wings are dumping it in more than usual as the neutral has been effectively clogged and Malkin and Crosby are getting some looks but we've had some luck with posts (and of course Ozzy has played well).

But as this series transitions to Pittsburgh, the major concern I have is matchups. With the Pens getting the last change, I believe this gives them a significant edge, more so than against most other teams. Zetterberg has been huge on Crosby, and whenever the wrong lines have been out against the Pens, you can tell that the danger level of Malkin and Crosby is elevated significantly. The absence of Datsuyk only exasperates this problem, and I believe that he is likely gone for the series.

So with this in mind, I truly believe the Pens will take the next two games bringing it back to Detroit tied 2-2 with all the momentum. Our guys will be more exhausted then theirs at this point given injuries and the fact that our top D-man and guys like Zetterberg are actually playing more minutes than their top guys (this will begin to affect us immensely as this series roles on). And if they can make it 2-2, they'll have the momentum, the energy, and they'll be able to smell the trophy at that point and I believe they'll have that extra bit of desperation to put them over the edge in a six or seven game series.

I don't know guys, I'm not your average mindfly pessimist. I was highly confident the Wings would win in past SCF, but I have no confidence this time around and I hope I am dead wrong about them.

Go wings....

Yet the Wings still find a way to win hockey games. Period.

We get out shot, out played but still win.

[Barrie 900]

On another note, why do Penguins fans and pessimists alike keep bringing up the amount of posts Pittsburgh has hit? Hitting the post is no different than firing the puck 15 feet wide of the goal. If you don't hit the back of the net, it's a missed opportunity. Nothing more, nothing less.

Wings in 5.

Right, I was thinking today that Ozzie's positioning is so good that Pittsburgh has to shoot wide to have any kind of chance of beating him, leading to the posts.

[e_prime 1,936]

Hey, this guy said some stuff that wasn't all rah-rah about the Wings!

Get out all those troll signs guys!

The nerve!

It's just such a depressing post.

I mean, if he's a supposed fan since '93?!

There have been some let-downs between then and now, sure...

but I just don't see this year being one of those years.

You know, I'm all for cautious optimism... or as least tempered enthusiasm...

He's not screaming from the rafters that the Wings are going to lose the next four games,

but putting statistics, percentages, and everything else aside...

He doesn't think the Wings can pull it out.

Where's his ******* team pride??

[bdavis 28]

Just because the Red Wings are being out-shot doesn't mean that they are all quality shots. It seems like the Panicguins are getting desperate and throwing everything at the net. Kind of reminds me of the Blackhawks series, some of the games, I think the Wings were out-shot..

[cupcrazy 13]

The reason this thread hasn't been deleted yet is???????

[rwfan007 18]

The reason this thread hasn't been deleted yet is???????

there is no hockey tonight and we have nothing better to do. lol

[Red4wings4life 0]

Right, I was thinking today that Ozzie's positioning is so good that Pittsburgh has to shoot wide to have any kind of chance of beating him, leading to the posts.

Why should a goalie stop a puck that is not going to go into the net. That is what I think of when a puck hits the post.

Ozzie is playing great, he is challenging shooters, He made a couple of saves last night at the top of the blue paint. That is confidence. A Goalie with Confidence is hard to beat.

Then Ozzie gets to look down at the other end of the ice and think that Flurey is not worth the hype leading up to these series. He (MAF) looks shaky and is losing confidence after each goal.

Edited June 1, 2009 by Red4wings4life

[Heroes of Hockeytown 694]

Why should a goalie stop a puck that is not going to go into the net. That is what I think of when a puck hits the post.

So that it doesn't rebound back into play.

He wouldn't know it was going to hit the post until after the fact. I'm sure he would have tried to get his pad on it if he had seen it in time.

[Barrie 900]

Ozzie is playing great, he is challenging shooters, He made a couple of saves last night at the top of the blue paint. That is confidence. A Goalie with Confidence is hard to beat.

A goalie with confidence wins the Conn Smythe Trophy too.

[Carman 387]

The longer the series the slower the Pen's defenseman get and the better the chance of getting the best player in the NHL healthy. I like the wings=)

[greenrebellion 415]

He doesn't think the Wings can pull it out.

Where's his ******* team pride??

I wouldn't say its a lack of team pride. Even if we lose, I will be extremely proud of what these guys accomplished. Getting to the SCF after winning it all last year is absolutely incredible. I guess I was just trying to approach the series objectively, giving my thoughts on what I see so far. Again, I was highly confident we would win all 5 other SCF appearances, so this is an unusual stance for me.

[spydrwebb 0]

the last shift is an advantage but not "the" difference in this series.

the bottom line is "WILL" and you better believe that the veteran players of the wings know very well what it takes to play mind over matter hockey.

both games have been solid for each team and it would make just as much sense at this point to suggest this could still be a 7 game series, or a sweep... time will bring us the answer.

nobody has lacked effort, for the most part. "the" difference and key to the wings finding themselves up 2-0 is FINISHING.

getting one puck behind a goalie each game is not going to do well for your chances of winning a game, let alone a series.

case and point, defensive disciplined corps and a poised mature goalie have improved the chances of the wings' repeat immensely.

don't reserve your spot for the parade just yet. hold off for a split or a sweep, if either should happen.

[weGotTheCup89 41]

Don't forget we only got 2 days off after the Chicago series, which we had no break going into the series... we haven't had Datsyuk or Draper playing yet... we played 2 games in 2 nights..

That might explain some of the "dumping and chasing" and un-Red Wing - like play.

We're 10-1 at home and 4-3 on the road this playoffs...

Let's just win game 3, and things look great. =)

[Red4wings4life 0]

So that it doesn't rebound back into play.

He wouldn't know it was going to hit the post until after the fact. I'm sure he would have tried to get his pad on it if he had seen it in time.

He is squaring to the shooter and the shooter has to put it wide and it hits the post. I hear what your saying though.

What I am saying is a shot off the post is not a shot on net and the goalie does not need to stop shots not on net.

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

First off, the OP has a right to post this, since believe it or not this is a free internet forum.

We haven't played that well, and there are some causes for concern, but the Pens have a lot more to be worried about right now.

My biggest worries are about the Wings possibly coming out flat in game 3, much like they did last year against the Pens and this year against Chicago. Another concern is what will happen if the Pens start getting many PP's, where our team defense will be neutralized due to them having more room on the ice.

As for the series itself, I don't see us losing. Nothing is impossible, but it's highly improbable.

[kook_10 1,705]

while you are in that unusual stance of yours you may want to check for some sack, and move your post over to the nervous nellies thread.

[OsGOD 3]

In the first two games, I felt that from an overall effort and quality of play perspective, the edge has to go to the Penguins. Detroit has been outshot, had way too many giveaways, and spent a significant amount of time chasing the puck rather than playing our puck possession style of game. The Wings are dumping it in more than usual as the neutral has been effectively clogged and Malkin and Crosby are getting some looks but we've had some luck with posts (and of course Ozzy has played well).

whats all this crap about matchups and that giving the pens the edge to win the series.... last i check the wings are 2 games away from the cup AND they have 2 more games at the joe (to only 3 games at mellon) where THEY have the upper hand in matchups.

game set match... wings arent going to lose this best of seven

[hail2ducks 0]

First let me say that I've been a huge Wings fan since 1993 and was HIGHLY confident that we would win each time we've been in the Finals (even against the NJD, but that didn't turn out so well). However, after watching the first two games of this series and taking into account some other factors, I am extremely concerned that we will lose this series in 6 or 7 games despite being up 2-0. I'm usually not an ultra pessimistic person so I'm a bit concerned that my thinking may have some merit.

Here are my thoughts:

In the first two games, I felt that from an overall effort and quality of play perspective, the edge has to go to the Penguins. Detroit has been outshot, had way too many giveaways, and spent a significant amount of time chasing the puck rather than playing our puck possession style of game. The Wings are dumping it in more than usual as the neutral has been effectively clogged and Malkin and Crosby are getting some looks but we've had some luck with posts (and of course Ozzy has played well).

But as this series transitions to Pittsburgh, the major concern I have is matchups. With the Pens getting the last change, I believe this gives them a significant edge, more so than against most other teams. Zetterberg has been huge on Crosby, and whenever the wrong lines have been out against the Pens, you can tell that the danger level of Malkin and Crosby is elevated significantly. The absence of Datsuyk only exasperates this problem, and I believe that he is likely gone for the series.

So with this in mind, I truly believe the Pens will take the next two games bringing it back to Detroit tied 2-2 with all the momentum. Our guys will be more exhausted then theirs at this point given injuries and the fact that our top D-man and guys like Zetterberg are actually playing more minutes than their top guys (this will begin to affect us immensely as this series roles on). And if they can make it 2-2, they'll have the momentum, the energy, and they'll be able to smell the trophy at that point and I believe they'll have that extra bit of desperation to put them over the edge in a six or seven game series.

I don't know guys, I'm not your average mindfly pessimist. I was highly confident the Wings would win in past SCF, but I have no confidence this time around and I hope I am dead wrong about them.

Go wings....

can you please give me some of the crack your smoking, there is no way the pens are going to win this!!

[Jake Ryan 1]

The Wings have played very inconsistently for the first 2 games, and they've still managed to stifle the Penguins. So how the hell is Pittsburgh going to stack up against the Wings when the Red Wings actually get their legs back and play a full 60 minutes of good hockey? I can't believe people think the Wings are going to lose this year.

[The Secret 304]

We haven't even played our best hockey and we are still up 2 - 0. Pitsburgh has a very good team but we have a better and deeper team then them. Be happy with the fact that despite not having our best games we are still winning the series and know that our best is still to come... I'd be nervous if I were a Pitsburgh fan, our rookies are killing them wait till the big dogs have their say. Hoss is on the verge.

[BlueMonk 102]

Just because the Red Wings are being out-shot doesn't mean that they are all quality shots. It seems like the Panicguins are getting desperate and throwing everything at the net. Kind of reminds me of the Blackhawks series, some of the games, I think the Wings were out-shot..

When the Wings were busy getting knocked out of the playoffs early against the Ducks, Flames and Oilers, a lot of people thought they were "unlucky," too. Got a lot of shots on goal, played in the other team's end all game long, then caught a "bad break" or "unlucky bounce" and the other team scored the winning goal.

The truth is that there's a reason why some teams are outshot and their goalie seems to stand on his head and they win in the playoffs. Keeping the other team away from the dangerous areas of the ice will lead to some not-so-dangerous shots on goal. Protecting a lead by just chipping the puck out instead of taking chances by pinching with the defense will inflate the other teams shot totals. Those things also make the goalie's save percentage look good.

But those things also win playoff games. The Wings were outshooting Pittsburgh after two periods last night. They sat back in the 3rd with the lead. Look at Anaheim in the 2nd round this year. They did many of the same things to Detroit that Detroit is now doing to Pittsburgh. It was NOT luck that the Ducks hung around in that series. They execute that style of hockey to perfection and it led to an upset of the 1 seed and a series against the defending champs that came down to the last 3 minutes of game 7.

My point is that teams have to find a way to win when they're not at their best. Detroit has done that in games 1 and 2. They're beat up and have had a gruelling road to the Final. If Pittsburgh had to go through Anaheim, the roles might be reversed. If Pittsburgh could even get through Anaheim, that is.

The Pens are playing very good hockey. They controlled enough of the ice that either game could have gone either way. But the Wings are making the most of their chances, and that's what teams did to Detroit a few years ago. I, for one, find being on the other side of that equation pretty sweet.

[truebladearmy 33]

Here's a stat:

Wings win even when they're playing s***ty.

What does that tell you?

If Wings are beating Pittsburgh and doing so while playing like crap, what happens if Detroit happens to get 1 or 2 "good" games in?

Pittsburgh is giving it everything they have to even attempt to hang with the Wings. Wings are still winning.

Should say a lot, when you win 2 games while playing like crap

Dats and Drapes are still out. It was back to back with little rest time before the series. We have FOUR people from Grand Rapids in our line up.

Let me stress this:

We just won games 1 and 2, with 4 people from Grand Rapids, and short our top faceoff man, and top dangler.

First game, Detroit won 39-16 faceoffs, short our top faceoff guy.

Last game, TWO people from Grand Rapids scored, short our top setup guy.

I think......I do dare say......we're doing fine

Edited June 1, 2009 by truebladearmy

[Red4wings4life 0]

Bottem line is that Wings find a way to Win. Period.

Does not matter if we are injuried, out shot, out played, ect. The Wings just find ways to win hockey games.

2 of 5 games should be no issue.

[rinkleroot 0]

According to Cindy the Wings are cheating on face-offs, Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Cindy needs his mommy, Again!!!

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

According to Cindy the Wings are cheating on face-offs, Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Cindy needs his mommy, Again!!!

How could we be cheating when we're not even allowed to take faceoffs? Invariably, the refs always force one of our wingers to take a faceoff instead of the centerman.