52 replies to this topic

[zettie85]

Blues because they are unexpected. Special teams for obvious reasons. Grinders because we have never won a cup without great contributions from our 4th and possibly 3rd lines.

Edited by zettie85, 10 March 2012 - 12:49 AM.

[chuklz]

I'm feelin pretty justified in my Preds choice in the poll tonight.

[RedWingsRox]

Wow, San Jose is free falling, in 9th place and will lose to Phoenix tonight.

[GMRwings1983]

I'm feelin pretty justified in my Preds choice in the poll tonight.

Why, because they won tonight when Datsyuk and Lidstrom were out?

Preds are not a team we should worry about in the playoffs.

[b.shanafan14]

Why, because they won tonight when Datsyuk and Lidstrom were out?

Preds are not a team we should worry about in the playoffs.

Word. Nashville won because of a confused PK and an impotent offense, which still managed nearly 40 shots on goal. Add one of either Datsyuk, Lidstrom OR subtract one of either Hudler, Franzen, and this team is plenty

Rinne is formidable, and the Wings have been beat by hot goaltenders before, but Nashville is far from the most potent threat.

[LeonardSankar]

I guess the Wings are just fighting for the 4th spot right now so they can have home ice against the Preds as the Blues will go 6 ahead today.

[GMRwings1983]

I doubt the teams that finish 1-4 are looking forward to playing Detroit, Chicago or possibly San Jose in the first round.

[Doggy]

Agreed. everyone keeps calling him a playoff beast...he had a 5 goal game against the Avs the one year and was pretty average aside from that. Consistency is a beast that Mule needs to tame...

I'd personally like to see the Wings keep Nyquist up and have 3 scoring pairs and a grinder to get the puck on each fwd line.

Clearly your memory of spring 2008 is foggy at best.

[uncle ovipositor]

I'm feelin pretty justified in my Preds choice in the poll tonight.

They've only ever managed to win one round in the playoffs, and that was last year, when they beat a mediocre Ducks team. I don't think they line up any better against playoff contenders this year. Series play is very different from regular season play, and unless a team has a lot of looks and an ability to adapt they just don't do well. Unfortunately, these shoestring teams that get by on a defensive style because they can't dependably mount creative offense usually can't adapt to the quick adjustments that define the playoffs. They've gotten where they are by doing one thing well. The same is true for the Yotes - they'll win in the regular season, by playing the same low-risk style game after game, but they'll lose in the playoffs because that's all they've got.

The Wings on the other hand are extremely flexible in how they play, and stand a lot better chance. It's not just that they're well coached, it's that the players are smart enough to be able to play more than one strategy. A genius behind the bench is meaningless if the players can't follow. The same is true of the Pens, the Nucks, and sometimes the Sharks (assuming they make it in this year) - all of them are good at analyzing their opponent and adjusting.

[wingsfan4795]

Wow, San Jose is free falling, in 9th place and will lose to Phoenix tonight.

If they don't make playoffs, i feel way more comfortable with a possible 4th place position. They just have to worry about st Louis or Vancouver in the later rounds

[LeonardSankar]

Well if the Preds overtake the Wings for the 4th seed then its a safe bet to assume the will beat the Wings in the first round. It's bad enough the Wings can barely finish 4th in the conference.

[Dabura]

Well if the Preds overtake the Wings for the 4th seed then its a safe bet to assume the will beat the Wings in the first round.

No, it's not.

[RedWingsRox]

Regardless what you think, we are officially in 5th with Nashville in 4th.