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Pick ‘em
by IwoCPO on 03/20/08 at 03:35 PM ET
Comments (20)
We’re down to approximately two weeks and three potential first round opponents. Let’s play make believe for a minute and assume the teams that make up the top eight in the West will, in one order or another, stay the same. That leaves the trio of teams tied with 84 this morning, and two others we’ll discuss for good measure.
If the playoffs started today....
(1) Detroit vs. (8) Denver
(2) San Jose vs. (7) Calgary
(3) Minnesota vs. (6) Vancouver
(4) Anaheim vs. (5) Dallas
Naturally, we like that; and we like it for a variety of reasons. Yes, laying waste to the Dive sounds like a glorious way to begin the Spring. Fun, most likely violent, and most certainly satisfying. From our narrow-minded fan’s perspective, it is the matchup of choice. More than that though, Denver’s the team we want to start with because they offer the best chance for a quick series.
Why? Jose Theodore has to prove to me that he’s ready for the playoff pressure of a series between Denver and Detroit. His second-half surge means little to me, just as his pre-Dive record and existence mean little. Scared of Forsberg? Don’t be. In fact, his presence may actually benefit whichever opponent the Dive play first round patsy to.
He fires up the opposing team, and crowd, too much by trying to be Steve McQueen on the ice and going after anyone who hits him. What happens is, Player X from the other team lays a big hit on him. Foppa gets mad and either tries to run said player, or lifts his hands in frustration to the ref over a non-call. Then the home crowd gets into it, mocking Foppa for whining and the home team gets into it because they know they’re getting Foppa off his game mentally, so they keep hitting him.
So, by then, Foppa is rattled, the home crowd makes it a sport to mock him and goes nuts when the next home team player lays the next hit on him.
Can you think of anything more fun than that?
If you read the rest of Dater’s blog, as well as the Dive bloggers--a refreshingly and, at times, surprisingly honest lot--you’ll see that the general consensus is that Forsberg is a step slow, and plenty frustrated. Good. Smyth is also slumping and their defense is still--even with Columbus’ version of Pronger, Adam Foote--weak.
So, yeah, Denver’s our preference for the first round.
Second? Vancouver. And, sentiment aside, they should be the first preference. But you’re scared. You’re frightened of Bobby Luongo and the memories he stirs of Roloson and Giguere and Kipper. You’ve seen that flick before, the weak offensive team who can’t muster more than 17 shots/game backstopped by a superhuman bastard who turns away fifty.
Luongo makes me sad. I don’t like him personally. I feel he doesn’t have my family’s best interests at heart and I don’t think I want them exposed to the kind of cruelty he can inflict on us. I’d prefer he just went on his way, another direction, somewhere like San Jose or Minnesota. The Wings realistically should have no problem with this one-player team, but history tells me to keep the bucket close.
Third? Calgary. While Vancouver makes me itch a bit due to the presence of Bobby Luongo, Calgary has an even greater effect because I believe (no...I know) Kiprusoff can stifle us just as painfully as Luongo can. Then you throw in a dose of Iginla and my blood pressure begins to rise. We’ve had success in the past, and continue to enjoy a level of it, shutting down a team’s star player. But, Iginla’s having a different kind of year. In my opinion, he’s a Hart finalist and I’d prefer if he just stayed the hell away from us too.
Wildcard: Edmonton. No. Thank. You. They’re too hot. They’re having way too much fun. They’re too young to realize they have no business making the playoffs and definitely too young to realize they would have no business beating Detroit. We don’t need that team in our lives.
Denver? Bring ‘em. I like it. Bubba? Sure. Squeek in there boys. We’ll take you too. Vancouver? Prefer to avoid, but we’ll take our chances. Calgary? Something nags at me about that matchup.
If all goes according to plan, here’s how the second round should shake out:
Wings/Poultry
Minnie/NoCal
Just typing that pisses me off. If you expect to read anything coherent during a Detroit/Anaheim series, you’ll be in the wrong place.
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Comments
Chief, I’m a Flames fan, and if you’re looking for the easiest first round opponent for the Wings, it’s gotta be the Flames.
Personally, I don’t think the Flames have recovered psychologically from that butt-whooping the Wings laid on them during last year’s playoff series, and it’s been the same story this season. Kipper has looked like the Kipper of old, unfortunately, the rest of the team in front of him just looks plain old.
Wings vs. Flames opening round series (if it were to happen), Wings in five (only because Kipper steals a game).
Posted by dash_pinched on 03/20/08 at 02:58 PM ET
That’s very honest Dash and definitely a boost to our confidence.
I see us winning against Calgary as well, but it’s a gut feeling more than a critique of our opposition.
Weirdly, I am not afraid of Vancouver but am scared of Colorado. This might be displaced, time traveling fear, but it sends chills. I would want Mac in the lineup for this one, just as a warm, ass-whopping blanket we can throw on them.
If Anaheim does meet Dallas, that will be a great series to watch. A bloody grueling match that can be nothing but positive for us.
Posted by Osrt on 03/20/08 at 03:44 PM ET
Edmonton has something strange going on this year - I’m rooting for them for the Brian Burke factor, if nothing else. They could be good next year as long as there isn’t a collective sophomore slump.
That Anaheim - Dallas series could be really good. Although Anaheim won last night (2-1), Dallas has handled them very well this year overall.
San Jose - Calgary could be a matchup of two teams that have looked better on paper all year than they have on the ice, with the exception of largely phenomenal goaltending. That has been every bit as good as expected, I think. Calgary seems to have a larger drop-off between their top-line talent and the remaining riff-raff on the roster than most teams.
Minnesota - Vancouver will be a defensive struggle. zzzzzzzzzzzz.........
I want Detroit to face whichever team is the fewest time-zones away, to minimize the late-night games and zombie-like mornings. Maybe Nashville will manage to sneak in! 
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 03/20/08 at 03:59 PM ET
Luongo makes me sad. I don’t like him personally. I feel he doesn’t have my family’s best interests at heart…
Just when I think the stress is getting to me, I read stuff like that and the laughter brings me back to earth. That last sentence is pure genius.
My personal preference is The Dive. The travel isn’t terrible. And the opponent? Well, I get the feeling that tonight’s lineup could take these guys. Jose The Hat? Ooooooo. I’m so scared. Please, God, send us The Dive.
As for Calgary and Vancouver, the Wings can take either one handily...if they leave their goalies at home. Both Luongo and Kipper could each win a series all on their own...or they could implode like black holes. I just don’t want to go through two weeks of torture waiting to find out which it is.
But, hey, if Bubba does sneak in, that’s fine. Short trips. Short series. Just not as much fun as watching Floppa and Company bend over and take it like the little...oh, I’m sorry, did I say that out loud.
Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 03/20/08 at 05:35 PM ET
I like our chances against Colorado. Dallas is probably next on my list, though I can also group them with Calgary, Vanc, the Oil, even Bubba, as teams capable of making things far too interesting in the first round.
... And let’s not even get started on teams from California. Give me Marty Turco any day, hold the Giguere and Nabokov, please…
Posted by mudshark from Divetown, Colorado on 03/20/08 at 06:00 PM ET
The thing that makes me nervous is that Calgary, Vancouver, and Anaheim would enter a series with us knowing that they had an edge in goaltending. A big one. We can score more than any of those teams, and I don’t buy that we’re not tough enough to match up physically. But they have great goaltenders and we don’t.
Posted by TDeters from Washington, DC on 03/20/08 at 06:14 PM ET
I agree that Colorado is our preferable first round opponent. Or Nashville. Both have untested goalies and rag-tag groups of forwards that should be easier to shut down (and Lidstrom should be able to shut down his specified targets). Plus I’m sick of evening thinking about how tiring the plane rides to Western Canada must be.
Also, don’t underestimate what a first round series victory gives the Wings confidence-wise. Regardless of who it’s against, giving Dom a series victory gets him talking to himself. I think most teams still fear the CMOI when he’s confident and bat-shit insane. And the Wings have now become the underdogs. What else is new. Wait ‘til Cleary and Homer come back. We all know that the playoffs are about crashing the net and getting the “ugly” goals. Along with Mule, we have three guys that can take care of those.
Posted by Alex from San Francisco on 03/20/08 at 06:32 PM ET
But they have great goaltenders and we don’t.
I don’t get it. Even with the slump, Osgood is the #1 goalie in the league in GAA and Hasek is #5. People will point to their save percentage, but when you only see 20 shots a game, save percentage suffers.
Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 03/20/08 at 07:49 PM ET
Personally, I’m hugely relieved after tonight’s game. Dom looked like the Dominator of old. Two totally bizarre goals aside, he really looked like a playoff goalie. He was focused. He always was in a defensive crouch. And he seemed to watch every movement of the puck. It was like watching Ozzie...only better.
On the offensive side, Mule seems to have “reinvented” himself since Homer’s been injured. Kudos to him, and shame on me for having doubted him.
Moving forward, add Homer, Draper, Flip and Clearly to tonight’s lineup and you’ve got a team that should scare the bejesus out of any team in the West...even the cheaters from LaLa Land.
Now...if we could just get Luongo to put the Chief’s family’s best interest at heart, all would be right with the world. 
Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 03/20/08 at 10:26 PM ET
I’m with Chief on facing Vancouver. Bobbi gives me chills up my spine and he’s good enough to steal a series all by himself. I’d rather not see Vancouver in the first round.
In order to avoid being called a suck-up; I disagree with Chief about Calgary. I know Jerome is hot, but I think Nick and Nick and Brad can keep him in check. But the real reason I’m not scared of Calgary is I think the Wings have in the past, and can in the future, get into Kipper’s head enough to score some goals. Add to that Keenan’s traditionally rough treatment of goalies, and this match-up doesn’t give me The Fear like Vancouver does.
Ideally though, I’d like to see the Dive. I just don’t see Josie and the Pussycats having the defensive mettle to stand-up to the Wings. I certainly can’t see Quenneville out coaching Uncle Mike.
Posted by wingsfanindenver from 'lancheland on 03/21/08 at 01:52 AM ET
I’m with everyone on the Diques. A couple good hits or trips and Floppa’s ankle goes, and the whole team ‘renaissance confidence’ goes with him. The porous defense won’t be shutting anyone down, so it means we can play the Flying Circus if we want. JoeTed is a few bad goals and Paris Hilton-based jabs from going all Britney Spears. Budaj is untested in the playoffs. Up front, it appears to be Slump-Fest 2008. We could probably match Cheli-Lilja against their top line and still get change back.
Calgary doesn’t scare me either. As Dash observed, they’re still miffed over last year, and will be easy to get the psychological edge over, Iron Mike not withstanding. Nick had no problem keeping Iginla at bay last year, and could do the same again this year if needs be. Kipper’s a tough nut to crack, but he eventually will if the cracker’s squeezed hard enough.
I’m hoping Dallas/Poultry goes seven series and whomever emerges is badly bruised. And I wouldn’t count out Turco stealing that series-- despite the first-round exit last year, he had the best GAA and SV% of any goalie in the playoffs last year.
I’m envisioning Minnesota/Vancouver as being the on-ice sports-based equivalent of Waiting For Godot. And I’m just as likely to watch the televised production.
It’s the second round where things will get interesting. But let’s foam at the mouth when we get to that crossing.
Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from my desk, hovering over a shaken Magic 8 Ball on 03/21/08 at 06:16 AM ET
Well obviously I pick Colorado for the first round so I can see the Wings. I wouldn’t mind Nashville either just so I can laugh at Jordan 22. Calgary would be an intense series. I worry about the potential for injuries...but then again I worry about that in every series. I would love a Pond Scum (the Poultry) vs. the Evil Empire Jr. (Dallas) in the first round. Let both teams kick the snot out of each other and then give us the remainder. I think Dallas could pose some very real problems for the Scum but Marty Turco does not scare me.
I was stuck with the Nashville broadcast last night (thank you Center Ice) but even those guys went nuts over Datsyuk’s break away. I guess he just got inspired by Hank’s performance the night before.
Posted by hockeychic from Denver, CO on 03/21/08 at 09:34 AM ET
I hope the Avs get to play your Red Wings just so the Avalanche organization can see how coaching should be done. As long as Q hold the Avs under his thumb the Red Wings will easily win that series. If the players are allowed to play we can all relish in a series like the old days.
/Avs fan
Posted by Lowayne from CO on 03/21/08 at 12:02 PM ET
Ah, the things that illegal drugs can make you believe. Are you going to continue to post this drivel when you get knocked out of the playoffs?
Posted by Mark from Not Detroit on 03/21/08 at 12:37 PM ET
Which drivel Mark? There’s plenty to choose from. Naturally, you don’t identify the team you follow.
Posted by IwoCPO from Washington, DC on 03/21/08 at 12:43 PM ET
One thing I liked about last night’s game was what they discussed during the first intermission. SI polled all the players around the NHL, asking them who the favorite to win the Cup was (players could not vote for their own team). Wings way out in front with 62%, over three times the votes for the Poultry with 20%.
Now who says that teams don’t fear the Winged Wheel anymore?
Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from a place on high, commanding respect on 03/21/08 at 01:13 PM ET
Now who says that teams don’t fear the Winged Wheel anymore?
I’m sure we’ll keep hearing it until the Cup comes back to Detroit. After that, not so much.
Posted by wingsfanindenver from 'lanchland on 03/21/08 at 05:21 PM ET
I was actually surprised the percentages were that skewed. I guess it’s easy to pick Detroit as a possibility because they are always in the mix - like picking the Yankees as potential World Series winner, because they are usually in there somewhere.
I’ll bet more players would have chosen Anaheim if they won the Cup the year before last, and weren’t going for a repeat this year. They all know how hard it is to repeat and that might have suppressed the results some.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 03/21/08 at 05:46 PM ET
Paul in Miami Beach:
You’re right, Osgood’s GAA is very good. I don’t have the numbers before me, but I think Osgood and Hasek’s save percentage is much worse. I think Howard is the best save percentage we have, at .927 or something. Osgood’s GAA is great because the defense in front of him is great. In the playoffs, it seems that save percentage is more important than GAA. Anyway, I hope Hasek plays as well as he did last year in the playoffs. I guess I’m just a bit nervous that our keepers aren’t the ones to really stand on their head in a close playoff game.
Cheers.
Posted by TDeters on 03/22/08 at 11:17 AM ET
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As long as we’re playing make believe, it is possible that Turco could backstop the Stars to a series win over Anaheim… only to melt like butter in a frying pan against the Wings in Round 2.
Posted by BobTheZee on 03/20/08 at 02:54 PM ET