Abel to Yzerman
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Proof Positive
by IwoCPO on 10/27/07 at 07:00 AM ET
Comments (17)
Stu Nahan, in the second round of the second Balboa/Creed fight, said, “...and I thought Balboa took a beating the first time these two fought but this is a butchering. That’s what it is, plain old butchering.” Rocky, of course, eventually wore the Master of Disaster down, waited until the 13th to break a few more of his ribs, then miraculously rose to his feet as the Spectrum crowd sobbed in joy. It was, as Rocky would tell you, the greatest moment of his life--with the exception of his kid being born.
Last night was, as Stu would tell you, a butchering from start to finish. Every facet. Every shift. San Jose can go 65 and 5 the rest of the way, but they’re not beating Detroit in a playoff series. Not after last May and not after last night.
Valteri Filppula, slumping, scored a beauty. Andres Lilja, lumbering, put a dart past Nabokov--after a perfect feed from Filppula. Joe Thornton, pouting and surly, drew three more penalties and looked as frustrated as ever. Ron Wilson, out of idiotic metaphors and Dr. Phil references, could do nothing but whine. Mike Babcock, eloquent and brilliant as ever, offered this nugget.
“You don’t have to be very good in your own zone when you’re playing in their zone.”
Yes. Absolutely. I think he may have given us a bit more. I’ll try and remember. Have it for you soon.
It would appear that, well, the Wings are finding their stride. After some early issues with even strength scoring, they’ve scored 12 times 5 on 5 the last three games. Ulterior scoring? IE: players who don’t appear regularly in the traveling magic show called Monty Babcock’s Flying Circus? Yeah, kind of working itself out. Ten goals for players not named Zetterberg, Datsyuk or Holmstrom the last four games. Uh oh. Hasek’s out with a hip thing. Trouble brewing. Trouble. Nevermind because Chris Osgood hasn’t lost a frigging game his last 17 starts. And, this is where I throw up in my mouth a little bit, he’s looking as confident as any goalie in the league.
But, hey, the Sharks are the Cup favorite. As American icon Jack Black said in “Orange County”, they’re kick ass. Big, burly and ready to lay the wood to those bastard Wings.
Grier, who appeared to be injured in a collision with teammate Ryane Clowe but came back for a late shift, said the decision to come out hitting contributed to the loss.
“At times tonight, we got too carried away with trying to be physical with them,” he said. “We’re a big team and we can be physical and we need to be physical, but we also have some talent and we do move the puck and we got away from that.”
That collision? That collision was a three second synopsis of the rivalry brewing between these two teams. Pavel Datsyuk, bringing the puck out of his own zone (trying to get to their zone, so that he doesn’t have to be good in his own zone, no doubt), was suddenly confronted by the possibility that Grier and Clowe had evil intentions. As the two converged on little innocent Pavel, he shifted slightly to starboard and the two Sharks felt shame and probably some pain. And that’s the way it is with these two teams. San Jose...looking for the hit, forsaking all else. Detroit...letting them think for a moment that the chance is theirs for the taking, then snatching it away.
Back to the balanced scoring idea, which I kind of, you know, talk about the importance of sometimes. It’s coming. We’re getting there. And the key is going to be Filppula, the fourth most talented forward (probably the third when you consider that what Homer has isn’t really, technically, “talent"), and the key to second or third line scoring. Uncle Mike has seen recent signs of awakening and it makes him feel warm.
“It was good to see Fil get one, he’s had so many chances,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. “He’s a really good player, he’s going to take off here, we all know that. We just need to give him some time to get rolling.”
This was supposed to be even more of a statement game for the Sharks than the last statement game against Detroit that they didn’t make a statement in. Coming off their best win of the season against Calgary, a three-day tummy rub at some provincial resort, and the memory of last week when the Wings had owned them in the Tank. But, not even master strategist Ron Wilson can save them when every one of them hits the ice frothing at the mouth and thinking that the Wings can be beaten simply by using their well-documented size advantage. Didn’t last year’s playoff give them a hint?
This week James Mirtle wrote about the average size of each team in the NHL. We all know the Wings are the oldest team [and are assured to remain so with the re-signings of Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby]. But it turns out they’re also the smallest and lightest. The Sharks, conversely, are the heaviest and the second biggest team in the league.
That size didn’t make much difference tonight.
No it didn’t. Not when your biggest, and best, player keeps parading to the box for losing it like Ed Belfour after three days in rehab. Joe Thornton is scary good, and with that reach it’s hard to believe the Wings have stifled him the way they have. But, Detroit’s in his head. He went after Zetterberg last night when he should have been seeking out Chelios. And not just because it was Chelios who put a forearm shiver to his chin last game in San Jose. If Thornton’s blasting Chelios it means he’s at least wreaking some havoc in the Wing end. But going after Zetterberg in the neutral zone, from behind, wacking at him while he skates away? A frustrated dude.
Also frustrated? Homer. Called for another bogus interference penalty last night. His twelfth of the year (minor penalty). Fourth goal of the year called back, three of which--I believe--would have been Zetterberg’s. Yes, Gary, there is an agenda. Yes, Gary, Holmstrom’s a target for your refs. No, Gary, the phantom penalties haven’t cost the Wings a game--yet. So you’d better take a look before this situation gets out of control.
“Unfair, and not right,” Babcock said of the recent penalties against Holmstrom.
Yeah. And Uncle Mike wasn’t done. Nope. Not by a long shot.
MBCQOTD
“When I see Homer smiling and laughing it reminds me of the episode when Arnold and Willis first got to the Drummonds. Everyone was so darn happy. But then when those goals get called back, and I see Homer skating to the bad place I think of Fonzie crashing after jumping those trashcans behind the chicken restaurant and I get scared. I need a Twizzler.”
Exactly.
Babcock seems to think the league is going “to take a look.” He’s probably right. Ken Holland’s probably got Jimmy D on it already, blabbering and spouting. However it happens, the league has to see what’s going on. Everyone else does. Penalty by reputation. It’s to the point where Holmstrom’s not even in the crease, deliberately outside of it in fact. He’s getting called for screening the goalie, not even touching him. Someone’s been in somebody’s ear and Homer’s paying the price.
Enjoy your Saturday.
Filed in: | Abel to Yzerman | Permalink
Tags: Appollo+Creed, Babcock, Chelios, Datsyuk, Filppula, Hasek, Holland, Holmstrom, Joe+Thornton, Lilja, MBCQOTD, Osgood, Rocky+Balboa, Stu+Nahan, Zetterberg,
Comments
Nabokov sucks. He simply freaks when he plays the Wings.
Ron Wilson will soon lose his job.
Do you think, maybe, these touchy-feely things these teams do (the Sharks played Curling in Banf for 3 days) cause more harm than good? I think they would be better off spending time with their families, and practicing on the ice.
It is a long season, and the Wings will struggle at times. You heard it here first.
Babcock’s plan in pre-season was to play his regular lines together so as to start the season better than last year...Good plan!
“You don’t have to be very good in your own zone when you’re playing in their zone.” That quote is so good it qualifies for MBCQOTD.
The Flying Circus’ resident Magician was great last night! He not only vanished as 2 guys were about to crush him, causing them to destoy each other. He also toe-dragged a puck through 14 sticks in front of the crease, right onto the tape of his favorite Acrobat.
You watch. Pavel’s private goal this year is to give his best friend the NHL scoring title.
Of course, the Dancing Bear was his usual entertaining self. There is always controversy when he is on the ice!
And last night they generated a Clown from the team they played against… #19!
Posted by w2j2 on 10/27/07 at 08:00 AM ET
Do you think, maybe, these touchy-feely things these teams do (the Sharks played Curling in Banf for 3 days) cause more harm than good? I think they would be better off spending time with their families, and practicing on the ice.
That’s a good question, and I wonder about it every time I hear about teams getting away on “bonding” trips, like a bunch of pieces are being glued together. I think it depends on the team. If a team has a lot of new players, it would probably help for them to get to know one another better. Also if it fills a break in the schedule later in the season, when everyone is beat up and would like to have some time to relax and forget about hockey for a while. If the team is already farly close, with most of the players already familiar to each other, I think it would be a lot less useful.
In the Sharks’ case, I think part of it was how to fill a gap in the schedule more efficiently than going back to San Jose for a few days. The curling tournament didn’t have as much to do with their performance as the fact that they have a hard time matching up with Detroit right now.
Ron Wilson will soon lose his job.
Could come very quickly if San Jose doesn’t beat Columbus. There were a lot of comments last year about how he might be too laid-back to push the team. I’m not one of those people who thinks the only way for a coach to show intensity is to scream like a fishwife, but he is so quiet. And am I the only one who thinks he looks a little like a stunted Larry Bird?
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 10/27/07 at 08:59 AM ET
Bill, a goaltender interference call on Homer in the Oct 12 resulted in a called back goal that would have put the Wings up 3-0 against the Hawks. They then lost 3-2. That one may have been a little more deserved than some others, but it still sucked. Of course, they did blow a two-goal lead, so it’s a little hard to complain.
Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids on 10/27/07 at 10:06 AM ET
This was supposed to be even more of a statement game for the Sharks than the last statement game against Detroit that they didn’t make a statement in.
I like’s that ...uh, statement!
Posted by Rumbear from Smokey Diego on 10/27/07 at 11:29 AM ET
Maybe that’s the problem. Usually you need to play hockey to win a hockey game. If they are just standing around making statements (or not, as the case may be) it makes it tricky to score goals.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 10/27/07 at 11:38 AM ET
Some believe that the best match ends in a tie. Luckily, I am not one of those touchy-feely-team curling event shmucks. I thoroughly enjoyed the beat down and Dats’ double knockout!
Thorton definitely lost respect in my eyes after taking a swipe at Hank; that was gutless and a move that no one called on to be a leader should even think about, let alone try when the guy isn’t looking. I think Sakic and Yzerman should petition to have his number changed. Putz.
I thought Fil looked excellent last game and played with the swagger that only Dats and Zets regularly have. He was absolutely great in this one and got to be the official first star! [Bob Duff selected; 2) Kroner 3) Lids] I think he can be good for 25g and 30 assists this year. Hell Ozzy might get 10 assists this year as well.
My only concern (aside from Lilja) is Rafalski. He’s playing fine, that’s not the problem. He seems to absorb at least two or three good hits a game though, and that concerns me. He got drilled twice in one shift at the beginning of the game; I want him to learn how Lids avoids such damage.
Last note: I’ve been a fan of Nick since his rookie year and loved when he was playing with Coffey. However, one can so easily take him for granted and assume that he is what an elite defenseman is supposed to be. Not quite: he is elite raised to the 10th power. No one on the ice makes as many perfect plays, and effortlessly controls the play like does. --I realize this isn’t particularly insightful but I just got a kick in the eyes watching him-- If he doesn’t get the Norris again this year, it is nothing short of criminal. Think they’ll retire his jersey quickly? I certainly hope so.
Posted by srt on 10/27/07 at 01:06 PM ET
they also had a disallowed against the anaheim i think that would have made it 4-3 but i could be wrong. great game last night from start to finish, and am i the only one who thinks lilja has improved 1000% in the last 3 games. What is this i am reading about holmstroms goal last night being credited to zata? can nto find it officially anywhere
Posted by jay from Canada on 10/27/07 at 01:14 PM ET
Jay, it’s in the boxscore on NHL.com. Apparently, the puck glanced in off Hank after Holmstrom shot it.
Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids on 10/27/07 at 01:30 PM ET
Think they’ll retire his jersey quickly? I certainly hope so.
Not if he plays another 10 years. But if that’s the reason for the delay, I think we can live with that.
I know what you mean. He has been so incredibly good for so long that you don’t take him for granted, exactly, but you do start to just assume that he will always, always make the perfect play and never get hurt and never, never make you nervous when he has the puck, or even if he is the only man back defending. What is exceptional for most other defensemen, even the top flight elite guys, is par for the course for him.
am i the only one who thinks lilja has improved 1000% in the last 3 games.
Lilja has been much better the last few games. I wonder if the game with San Jose jogged his memory and “playoff Lilja” has re-awakened. If that is the case, I sure hope that mistake-prone-regular-season-Lilja takes a long walk off a short pier. I like this guy much better.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 10/27/07 at 02:53 PM ET
Think they’ll retire his jersey quickly?
The only delay will be in making sure they have enough time to plan a retirement ceremony worthy of his contribution to the team.
Don’t know if it’s been mentioned here already and I just missed it, but did anyone else notice Z’s reaction to Dats’ assist?
Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 10/27/07 at 03:28 PM ET
Didn’t he say “that was awesome” to Dats? At least, that was the lip reading I was able to do during the highlights.
Posted by srt on 10/27/07 at 03:56 PM ET
Yes, he did. And George Sipple, Deep Digger for the Freep thinks that Datsyuk lost the puck off his stick!
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071027/SPORTS05/710270394/1053
Posted by w2j2 on 10/27/07 at 04:12 PM ET
Yes, he did. And George Sipple, Deep Digger for the Freep thinks that Datsyuk lost the puck off his stick!
He did lose the puck. As cool as it would have been to call that an intentional pass, he was most certainly trying to toe-drag the puck through the defense’s sticks. Luckily for him—and not so much for the Sharks—Zetterberg was wide open right beside him and tapped the puck in. I’ll take it either way.
Posted by RedMenace from Winston-Salem, NC on 10/27/07 at 08:37 PM ET
It is a long season, and the Wings will struggle at times. You heard it here first.
You’re really full of yourself if you actually think you’re the first to predict the Wings struggling at times.
Posted by Justin on 10/28/07 at 12:15 AM ET
You’re really full of yourself if you actually think you’re the first to predict the Wings struggling at times.
Sarcasm. Relax.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 10/28/07 at 06:43 AM ET
^^ 
Posted by srt on 10/28/07 at 11:10 AM ET
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You can’t hit what you can’t catch.
The funniest thing all game was the Sharks taking each other out when their moving target had the audacity to move out of the way. Not just Datsyuk, but one of the San Jose players smashed into the boards when whoever he was trying to check moved out of the way.
The boards looked unimpressed at the thunderous hit.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 10/27/07 at 07:35 AM ET