Remember about a month ago? 28 days, actually? Yeah. That was the last time the Wings lost. Little Bubba Junior had tied up the first round and the Stress Train was chugging, as most of us were.
Take a guess how many minutes Dallas Drake played in Game 4, Round 1.
6:24.
Since losing Game 4 at the SoGay, Drake hasn’t played less than ten minutes. Over 9 straight wins, he’s averaged 13:20/game. That’s not a coincidence. That’s a solution. See how much ice time Drake got last game? You know the one. The best game the Wings have played in ten years? 13:28.
Drake, Maltby, Helm, Draper, McCarty...all were pivotal. All were violent and effective. Their forecheck was sustained and they brought pressure every shift. And we’re even seeing some scoring out of Helm and his little pal Happy.
You want a carryover key? The play of the grinders. On garbage ice endorsed by your commissioner, Uncle Mike rolled all four and watched Tippett’s head spin as Datsyuk and Zetterberg zipped around just seconds after Drake or McCarty or Draper or Helm had painted the boards with Stars.
We need that same kind of diversity tonite. More than that, though, the key will be a lead, which will lead to a meltdown and an even bigger lead. It will take exactly one setback for the Stars to implode. Brittle doesn’t even begin to describe their mental state at this point. Yes, we’ll see the obligatory burst at the start of the first. Yes, the crowd will be into it. Hum a little tune to yourself and wait for it to go away.
Because it will. As soon as the Wings pot one, which of course they will.
But wait. You wait just one damn minute. Is that my guarantee? My mandate? No. No it’s not. Tonite may be the closest game of the series. Dallas may have an ounce of sack left we weren’t aware of. Pride may be a factor. Wounded animals and all that. We may even see this thing go to OT.
And the conspiracy theorists are already writing their “Ilitch wanted a Game 5 for the cash” posts.
We’re in uncharted territory you and I. Oh, we’ve been here before, watched our Wings on the brink of the Finals. Four other times, in fact. But, it will be the first Final foray for A2Y. We must have a strategy, a game plan. It’s essential. We must be graphically superior. Our wit must be sharper than ever. There will be no room, none, for adult behavior.
But I’m placing the cart a length before the horse. Tonite? Grinders. Patience. Momentum. Press down firmly. Finish it. Stay healthy and give us a few days to breathe before the mother of all Stress Trains leaves the station.

Chief, I was just getting ready to post the GDT, and thought I see what your spin on the game was.
I certainly hope this doesn’t inflate your ego or anything like that—but your key to the game is brilliant analysis! And, to top it off, reinforced with statistics—kudos!
DAL simply can’t skate with the Wings. Everyone knows it. Uncle Mike using one of the teams best assets to advantage, depth. Rolling, Rolling, Rolling!!!!
Of course, even more brilliant was your banner for mojo—Lidstrom. Viking, pillager of the meek forward! Spare no one, skate to the neck!!
I’ll see all of the 19 tonite!!!
Posted by Jeff - - OklahomaWingNut from Wind-Swept-Plains on 05/14 at 08:09 AM