38 replies to this topic

[GMRwings1983]

Why is everyone afraid of the Preds goaltending?

Rinne gave up a lot of goals in their series against Anaheim. He's overrated as s***.

The only reason they won that series was because of Ray Emery.

Edited by GMRwings1983, 25 April 2011 - 03:40 PM.

[sputman]

you mean the officials help teams? You mean like a Penalty Shot call that was totally wrong to call at that juncture? You mean like a non-call to Bickell on an exact same blind-side shoulder/elbow to the head hit that was called against Torres? Hmmmmm..... Interesting Theory you have there....

helpful to your team, ninja.

They played well against Phoenipeg

wait, are you talking about Winnipix?

Edited by drumshanbo, 25 April 2011 - 04:27 PM.

[dropkickshanahans]

Nobody. We're the best team in the playoffs.

-The Sharks don't have Nabakov and Blake anymore, and Niemi has been pulled a couple times because, well, he's simply not that good. I'd be very happy to see the Wings play against him or his back up Nitty after seeing what they did to Bryz and their defense.

-Kings lack depth and Quick has been streaky, though I will say when he's on, he's on. I don't see them coming out of their series though.

-Vancouver is yet again proving they're pretenders. I can't believe how easy Chicago can get into their heads.

-Rinne hasn't been that good and Emery has made Nashville look like they have a great offense.

It looks like we're most likely going to be playing SJ or NSH, which I'll gladly take.

[Shoreline]

I'd say retarded fans eager to throw this team under a bus at the slightest hint of this team's adversity are a bigger concern than Red Wing opponents.

Edited by Shoreline, 25 April 2011 - 06:15 PM.

[chuklz]

Afraid of the Nucks, not so much anyone else at this point.

[Grypho]

I'll weigh in as both a Wings and a Sharks fan. By way of preface, I get it that by "afraid" the question was only intended ask who you think of as your team's most formidable opponent - not which team causes you to shake, tremble, turtle, and want to crawl like a sniveling coward under a rock, and not even which team you think can beat yours.

Speaking only in terms of the Western Conference:

Matchup chemistry between teams is something I see as very important. Just because A can beat B, and B can beat C, that does not automatically mean that A can beat C. The weaknesses of a team exploited in a given series don't automatically transfer to all other opponents, or even from series to series. A proverbial David can slay a Goliath in the playoffs, beating a team that might otherwise be able to soundly beat all the other teams. I think that is what may be happening with Vancouver now. I don't personally think that Vancouver is over-rated. Like the Sharks they have chinks in their armor, but they didn't get to the number one seed (and by a country mile) easily, or by being over-rated - any more than our teams did. I think Vancouver really is the all-around better team this year, but their nemesis was the Hawks this year. Alone.

The Hawks do have the Nucks' number, and the Nucks will need a lot of luck and determination to get past them. Otherwise, I think the Nucks stood a very good chance of beating any of the other teams, including the Sharks - which is why I want the Nucks eliminated early. If they make it past tomorrow, and all the way to the WCF, I think their chances of taking the Cup are pretty solid.

For the Wings, my gut tells me that Nashville may be their most formidable opponent this year, chemistry-wise. More, possibly even, than the Sharks. Solid goal-tending, and tons of grit. I also think that Nashville has San Jose's number, which is why I am glad we won't face them at all. If I was only a Wings fan, I would want the Sharks over the Preds. Not because I think the Preds are "a better team" overall, but because they match up well against the playing styles of both our teams (i.e., they could be the David to our respective Goliaths).

The Wings and Sharks are extremely well-matched, in my opinion. Flip a coin for the outcome. The Sharks' game strategy has always been designed around beating Detroit, and we have a bona fide ongoing playoff rivalry, with either team capable of tipping the ice in their opponent's direction.

I think that Chicago is far less formidable than Detroit for both the Sharks and the Wings, despite the Sharks' loss to them last year. New year, slightly different teams, and a score I think the Sharks would like very much to settle. Not that they can't win a series against any team...any of the remaining teams can. Only that I don't see them as so formidable to OUR teams.

I see the most formidable opponents for the Wings:

1) Nucks
2) Preds
3) Sharks
4) Hawks

I see the most formidable opponents for the Sharks as:

1) Preds
2) Nucks
3) Wings
4) Hawks

Edited by Grypho, 26 April 2011 - 04:09 AM.

[darkmanx]

The Sharks don't scare me, they barely beat a team without any top tier scoring in their lineup and looked terrible throughout a bunch of their games that series (not 60 minute effort). I just think the Wings are deeper this year and more well rested to take them on, however I cannot explain if we get 20 5 on 3 penalties again though.

[TheDetroitRedWings]

This is definitely a 'pick your poison' type of situation. Pros and cons for each team really.

The Sharks: they have a dynamic offense, but their goaltending has been spotty all season long. The Red Wings have an equally dynamic offense, and when healthy are the deeper team. If we stay healthy we should be able to take them out in a 7 game series. Plus, the revenge factor would be an added bonus.

The Preds: they have a very all around solid team. They can put pucks in the net, yet they play good team defense as well. And not only do they have a great goaltender, but also a really good backup in Lindback. But, the Wings have a much more potent offense and a much deeper overall team. And about to get two superstars back (Hank & The Mule). As long as Jimmy plays a solid game, it should be another series victory for the Red Wings.

If I absolutely had to choose one, I guess I would choose the Sharks because my desire for revenge is just too strong. Also, Niemi is mediocre, and obviously goaltending is crucial in the post season.

So for me, as much as I respect what these other teams can do, I also know what we can do. And I'm very confident that the result of playing either of these two teams will be the Red Wings advancing to the WCF.

Edited by TheDetroitRedWings, 26 April 2011 - 06:27 AM.

[RedWingsExpert1988]

I will tell you which team scares me the most. The officiating team scares me the most... San Jose round in 2010...all the penalty shots they have already called in this years playoffs.

Bulllllllllllllll-sh**************t....Bullllllllllllll-sh*******t...Bullllllllllllll-sh********t

[mule]

I want to play Nashville. It's closer to Detroit than San Jose (easier travel) and we beat them in '08 on the way to the cup. I also just want Vancouver to be eliminated by the hawks because their fans really annoyed me this year acting like they had already won the cup when they won the President's trophy.

San Jose vs. Chicago would also be a great series.

Note: Living in Canada all I ever hear about is how great the Canucks are and It would be amazing to see them eliminated tonight.

Edited by mule, 26 April 2011 - 08:31 AM.

[HankthaTank]

This guy still scares me though...

[Off the Post]

Were talkin about our Detroit Red Wings here , do you have any idea what other fans are thinking when they see that they have to play Detroit?

[HankthaTank]

Anyone just a tad worried about Franzen not skating with the team??

[Shoreline]

Were talkin about our Detroit Red Wings here , do you have any idea what other fans are thinking when they see that they have to play Detroit?

We're also talking about Red Wings fans here.. ijs.

[chuklz]

I'd rather have the WCF against the Hawks because it's a 30 minute flight and even if it goes long, we'll be rested for the SCF.

[Grypho]

Were talkin about our Detroit Red Wings here , do you have any idea what other fans are thinking when they see that they have to play Detroit?

When I wrestled in high school and college, I didn't worry so much about opponents who were at or near my skill level. I worried about extreme mismatches in either direction. It was the novice underdogs that concerned me most. My coaches taught me to play them much more cautiously and conservatively, because while their wilder moves can get them in big trouble very quickly, they can also get lucky, and their wilder moves can also lead to unnecessary injuries - of which I saw plenty of examples.

Just my gut - the team that I worry about most in the playoffs is the one that LEAST like my own team - which can throw my team off its own game. This year that was the Kings. SO different from the Sharks. They have a formidable defense (team and netminder combined), and very little offensive depth. They were facing their polar opposite in the Sharks: a team with a formidable offense, and a much weaker defense. Something always has to give, and momentum swings can be wild, in either direction, favoring whichever team can take the other one off of its game.

If the Kings had stayed solidly on their defensive game, they could have outwaited and outworked the Sharks, trapping and grinding them down defensively, while capitalizing on all the errors and penalties. That happened every time the Kings beat us, or forced a game into overtime. It was only when the Kings got cocky offensively, and let up on their defense, that the Sharks had a perfect opening to shift the momentum back in the other direction and turn it all around.

For Vancouver, there is no bigger mismatch than Chicago - the Paris to Achilles, once they figured out that Luongo could stop rapid-fire BB's through the five hole, but allows slow beach balls to his top shelf, there was nothing the Nucks could do except pull Luongo. Now they're putting Luongo back in net for game 7. Think ANYONE will try to shoot low on Luongo? We'll see tonight soon enough how that works out.

I expected the Wings would take the Yotes in 5 or 6, but I didn't see the sweep coming. That was also two very different teams coming together - not necessarily in style of play, but definitely in terms of depth and energy. Phoenix tried consistently to match offenses with Detroit, and I thought that was their mistake and their complete undoing. I thought they would have been better served to play MUCH more defensively against the Wings, and wait to capitalize on penalties and turnover chances.

Edited by Grypho, 26 April 2011 - 05:41 PM.

[SouthernWingsFan]

Nobody scares me.

The Wings are very beatable obviously, just like any other team in the league, but if we see the team of this first round playoff series and are able to stay fairly healthy, I like their chances against pretty much anybody. They get injured or play inconsistent defensively like much of the second half of the season, I don't like the Wings chances then.

Pretty simple in theory.

[Draperfan]

Afraid of the Nucks, not so much anyone else at this point.

How can anyone be afraid of the nucks?

[Majsheppard]

All of them.