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Monday's practice
UPDATE: Kris Draper has left the ice. Hopefully we'll find out why after practice.
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No Dan Cleary on the ice as the Red Wings just started their drills. They're working, however, as though Cleary will play in Game 6, using Ville Leino as a placeholder. Cleary missed practice time leading into Game 5, including the morning skate, but played in the game. All the other lines are the same with Pavel Datsyuk on Henrik Zetterberg's wing.
Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Leino
Franzen-Filppula-Hossa
Holmstrom-Helm-Samuelsson
Hudler-Draper-Maltby
Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Stuart
Lebda-Ericsson
Osgood
Conklin
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No Dan Cleary on the ice as the Red Wings just started their drills. They're working, however, as though Cleary will play in Game 6, using Ville Leino as a placeholder. Cleary missed practice time leading into Game 5, including the morning skate, but played in the game. All the other lines are the same with Pavel Datsyuk on Henrik Zetterberg's wing.
Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Leino
Franzen-Filppula-Hossa
Holmstrom-Helm-Samuelsson
Hudler-Draper-Maltby
Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Stuart
Lebda-Ericsson
Osgood
Conklin
posted by Chuck Pleiness at
12:04 PM
8 Comments:
I think Cleary will play, but hypothetical: if he doesn't, who do you put on that top line? Assuming you want to keep Datsyuk and Zetterberg together, Babcock doesn't have a lot of options. Holmstrom is the obvious one, but I don't think Babcock has liked him on a top line (and neither have I). That only really leaves Samuelsson, and I'm not sure he's fit for first line duties either.
I guess my point is that I think Leino is the best choice to fill that spot other than Cleary, so I'm not sure he's just a placeholder. But like I said, I don't think Cleary is so badly injured that he can't play in game 6 of the Cup finals.
I think Cleary will play too. But I really doubt that Leino would go from being a healthy scratch to getting the minutes you get playing with Pavel and Hank. Franzen's there. Hudler. Holmstrom. Leino isn't going to be used above the fourth line in a Cup clinching game.
Hey Bruce, what happened to you game recaps? They were better insight than anything else out there on the web. Thanks!
Wow. Do you think that because I posted with the name Anonymous anyone will figure out that I wrote that last comment? Hope not.
I try to do game recaps whenever possible. But compliments get me pumped to do them more often. Thanks for that.
Keeping with the compliments, while recently visiting family in Detroit I stole the neighbors' copy of the Macomb Daily in the wee hours so I could read what you wrote about the Wings 6-1 blowout versus the 'Hawks. Keep up the good work.
Newspapers in demand enough that they're being stolen? Who says newspapers are a dying industry. Well, everyone does. Forget I asked.
I would have to guess Holmstrom goes on the top line if Cleary doesn't play (but I really hope Cleary plays). Babcock might not be happy with him in the recent past, but with Datsyuk back I can't imagine it's not at least a little tempting to play Dats, Z and Homer on the same line.
That said, there'd be no complaints from me if they just shifted Franzen, Holmer and Happy up one line each and plugged Leino (or Abbdelkader) in the fourth line.
Agree with the above posts. I absolutely LOVE your game recaps. I would take them any day over the garbage from tsn.ca and espn.com.
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