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Thoughts on Game 17 (3-2 loss in Chicago)
-- Remember "You must wrestle Kane" from professional wrestling? That's going to be the theme for the Red Wings against Chicago this season. Detroit's 13-1-0 against the rest of the NHL and 0-2-1 against the Blackhawks. "You must play against Kane" ... then out walks this 5-9 kid with curly hair and a face that looks like someone's little brother and everyone screams in fear. Could the Blackhawks at least try to make this kid look slightly tough before he goes out and kicks butt? Pavel Datsyuk looks like he could pile drive Kane, which at this point in time I'd like to see. What does a pile driver get? A five-minute major?
-- All those jokes aside, Denis Savard matched up the Kane-Toews-Ruutu line up against the Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom line last night and I think that's a bad move on Chicago's part. Whenever you're at home and your line matchup winds up the same as if you were on the road against a team, you've got to think again. Mike Babcock would gladly throw the Zetterberg line over the boards every time that Toews' line is on. Kane did score and so did Toews, but both were power-play goals. The Toews line didn't outperform the Zetterberg line on a bad night for the Wings' top unit. They won the game, but you'd think that the Blackhawks would try to protect their two teen-agers -- playing in their 17th and 15th NHL games -- more than to throw them out against the NHL's top line (there I said it).
-- Tomas Holmstrom is going about his job differently and I think it's less effective. Normally, Holmstrom plays net-front like a goalie. Last night, he set up much more perpendicular to the goalie with his stick to the side. He's also setting up at times to the right of the net along the goal line. That's where he was when he jammed that goal in against Columbus, Friday. He set up there a couple of times again, Sunday. I'd prefer to see the goalie-like Holmstrom back on every single possession. I understand that the referee's calls might be forcing a change, but I hope not.
-- Nothing to do with last night's game, but my favorite quote from the weekend was from Babcock when asked about Jiri Hudler's role. "I'd like him to score goals," said Babcock. "I don't know what role you call that."
-- How did Andreas Lilja lose/break his stick so often?
-- All those jokes aside, Denis Savard matched up the Kane-Toews-Ruutu line up against the Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom line last night and I think that's a bad move on Chicago's part. Whenever you're at home and your line matchup winds up the same as if you were on the road against a team, you've got to think again. Mike Babcock would gladly throw the Zetterberg line over the boards every time that Toews' line is on. Kane did score and so did Toews, but both were power-play goals. The Toews line didn't outperform the Zetterberg line on a bad night for the Wings' top unit. They won the game, but you'd think that the Blackhawks would try to protect their two teen-agers -- playing in their 17th and 15th NHL games -- more than to throw them out against the NHL's top line (there I said it).
-- Tomas Holmstrom is going about his job differently and I think it's less effective. Normally, Holmstrom plays net-front like a goalie. Last night, he set up much more perpendicular to the goalie with his stick to the side. He's also setting up at times to the right of the net along the goal line. That's where he was when he jammed that goal in against Columbus, Friday. He set up there a couple of times again, Sunday. I'd prefer to see the goalie-like Holmstrom back on every single possession. I understand that the referee's calls might be forcing a change, but I hope not.
-- Nothing to do with last night's game, but my favorite quote from the weekend was from Babcock when asked about Jiri Hudler's role. "I'd like him to score goals," said Babcock. "I don't know what role you call that."
-- How did Andreas Lilja lose/break his stick so often?
posted by Chuck Pleiness at
12:40 PM
2 Comments:
Lilja needs to be benched in favor of Meech. I'm sick and tired of seeing #3 on the ice every single time the Wings get scored on.
I understand that it's far from his fault his sticks broke last night, but when it rains it pours. He's been the weakest link on this team by a wide margin this season, and now Lady Luck is out to get him. Let's see what Meech can do wtih 15 minutes of ice time playing along side Chelly or Kronwall.
It's not completely bad luck that his stick breaks. He is responsible for his stick and his play.... 2 sticks in one game is a little fishy.
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