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St. James: Rafalski and Draper Still Out
by IwoCPO on 05/06/09 at 05:47 PM ET
Comments (40)
I don’t even know what to say about this anymore.
Update from Honda Center here in Anaheim today: Brian Rafalski didn’t practice and will miss a fourth straight game when the Wings take a 2-1 deficit up against the Ducks tomorrow night.
AdvertisementRafalski (undisclosed injury) said he’s doing better, but doesn’t know when he’ll skate.
Mike Babcock said there would be no lineup or line changes for Game 4.
Thanks to Captain D. Polonich for the pointer.
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Comments
I wish I had a designated driver to get home from the game tomorrow, I have a feeling I might want one.
Posted by CaptainDennisPolonich from Warm and sunny SoCal on 05/06/09 at 05:57 PM ET
I wonder if Wisnieski getting sent to the hospital has increased the level of caution that the team, the players and the Drs. are exercising here?
Wis is spending a second night in the hospital tonight. Like Pronger’s shot to the chest 12-13 years ago, I hope he makes a full recovery, but I’m glad he’s out of the lineup tomorrow night.
Posted by CaptainDennisPolonich from Warm and sunny SoCal on 05/06/09 at 06:03 PM ET
Oops, now the Register is reporting that Wisniewski was released today but that there is no timetable for his return. Might I suggest to the Ducks that October is a lovely time of year for a comeback.
Posted by CaptainDennisPolonich from Warm and sunny SoCal on 05/06/09 at 06:06 PM ET
Also from the Register:
Rafalski, Draper remain out
May 6th, 2009, 3:46 pm by Curtis Zupke, Staff writer
Detroit defenseman Brian Rafalski ruled himself out for Game 4.
Rafalski told reporters Wednesday he was “much closer than I was several days ago” with an undisclosed upper body injury but that he wouldn’t play Thursday at Honda Center.
Posted by CaptainDennisPolonich from Warm and sunny SoCal on 05/06/09 at 06:08 PM ET
So I’m waiting for the Canadian Press to print a retraction regarding the Holmstrom “Elbow” to the head which somehow caused a bruised lung to Wisnewski and caused him to cough up blood.
Those Damn nasty Swedes, can’t turn yor back on em for a second.
Posted by dbcooper from parts unknown on 05/06/09 at 06:09 PM ET
Detroit defenseman Brian Rafalski ruled himself out for Game 4.
Man up Raffi. You’re ostracizing yourself here. Dom was a “race car” that didn’t race when it wasn’t fully tuned…. we don’t need another prima donna.
Ask Gilchrist or Yzerman what is takes to win a Cup in less than ideal “tune up” status.
Jeebsus, that pisses me off badly. You’re a defenseman in the NHL ferchristsakes.
Least the Caps score first, where’s that big mouth troll from Vegas now? I’d like to ask the little puppy punk what staring down the barrell of a broom handle looks like. You little trolly troll can say Ducks in 6, how’s Caps in 4 sound? Bitch ass.
Posted by MOWingsfan19 on 05/06/09 at 06:16 PM ET
okay I think I want to meet my maker in a bucket of puke right now.
Posted by Jeebus on 05/06/09 at 06:33 PM ET
Sounds like Raffi has a concussion if he can’t skate yet.
No line changes? Isn’t the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results? It’s not panic time, but the Euro Twins need to be together with Homer, and Hossa needs to be with Fil and Mule. Gotta give a different look sometime soon.
Z-D-H
Mule-Fil-Hoss
Huds-Helm-Buckets
Malts-Kopy-Sammy
Posted by OHWingsFan40 from Oregon/Bowling Green, OH on 05/06/09 at 06:38 PM ET
I wish I had a designated driver to get home from the game tomorrow, I have a feeling I might want one.
I volunteer to do some drinking for ya Cap’n.
Posted by MOWingsfan19 on 05/06/09 at 06:39 PM ET
I volunteer to do some drinking for ya Cap’n.
The giving just never stops, Mo. And to show my appreciation I’ll buy you a beer.
Here is another example of the NHL’s ineptitude. I just copied this from NHL.com. Look at the time stamp on the two stories.
Wednesday, 05.06.2009 / 7:11 PM / News Wisniewski released from hospital
Wednesday, 05.06.2009 / 7:08 PM / News Anaheim Ducks defenceman Wisniewski to remain in hospital
The Register reported his release 20 minutes before the NHL had him remaining in the hospital.
Posted by CaptainDennisPolonich from Warm and sunny SoCal on 05/06/09 at 06:53 PM ET
Sounds like Raffi has a concussion if he can’t skate yet.
Disagree, if you rule yourself out… it’s not from a cockeyed or bruised pea brain.
And if he wasn’t able to skate yet from a concussion, he’d not be ready to play Saturday nevermind tomorrow.
Listening to the Vers.Ass intermission. “Hockey plays” talking about last night…. “toughest sport in the world to referree” ....just when my blood pressure came back to reality I have to hear the idiot without a Mullet and no brain Jonesy pile on. FU both.
Series is 2-1 bitches & assholes. We ARE NOT losing tomorrow.
Posted by MOWingsfan19 on 05/06/09 at 06:59 PM ET
Insult to injury, it’s early in the 2nd period of the Griffins game and Manitoba just scored to make it 2-1.
Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 05/06/09 at 07:03 PM ET
Gabe, Caps are up one zip. That helps a little, but the Pen(i)s are starting to control the tempo and play here. Varlamov is looking good for an unknown kid.
Posted by MOWingsfan19 on 05/06/09 at 07:09 PM ET
Insult to injury, it’s early in the 2nd period of the Griffins game and Manitoba just scored to make it 2-1.
If GR loses tonight they are done. If I were Ilitch, I’d have RedBird1 on its way up to Winnipeg right now to bring back Leino, DMac, YabbaDabbakader and Kindl (Can we just nickname Kindl “Amazon” right now).
If I were Babs, I’d have Leino in the lineup tomorrow night for Maltby.
Posted by CaptainDennisPolonich from Warm and sunny SoCal on 05/06/09 at 07:10 PM ET
Razor commentary in the Caps-Pen(i)s game…“this has turned to a battle of vaselinity against sandpaper”. WTF?
Posted by MOWingsfan19 on 05/06/09 at 07:16 PM ET
Fedorov is down and doesn’t look good. holding his arm.
Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 05/06/09 at 07:26 PM ET
No line changes?
As irritating as it is to see Cheli on the ice in some of the situations is, I don’t think that’s the big issue.
I see the game plan as a bigger problem that has not been remedied quickly enough.
-Wings forwards stretching out to far and making to many long passes from deep in the D zone, most of which did not connect.
- Ducks have the wings pressure outlets figured out. Frequent chips off the boards to get it out of the zone were all being picked off by Duck forwards waiting around the blue line on the boards. Even if it wasn’t a clean intercept, it was enough to keep the Wing forward from scooping the puck cleanly.
- Red Wing cycles were weak. The puck carrier dumped the puck just a bit to early, and the 2nd man was not getting to the boards quick enough to grab it. Worse, when the cycle was on its way to the half-boards, the ducks would get there first and intercept the pass back to the point.
- Few deflection shots. Near the end of the season, we’d see the slap pass into the slot for the deflection on net. Everyone saw it coming. Even if the tactic wasn’t always effective, it at least got the forwards moving toward the net and set up multiple rebound opportunities. But now we’re not hardly doing it at all. The point shots are predictable and on net, usually through a high defender which leads to goals like Selanne’s last nite.
- Similarly, there’s been much less left/right passing along the blue line. And rarely have I seen the point man drop low for the diagonal pass on the PP. This is likely a result of no Rafi. But even this should not prevent the Wings from winning.
Ducks have played good games, no question. But I’m not seeing the Wings coaching staff countering any of the moves the Ducks have made. Even in the last half of game 3 when things started to turn around, the ducks were only sending one forecheker, and he was not being very aggressive.
These guys should have the experience and presence to adjust on the fly, and keep their heads. Are they not getting their brain foods lately?
Posted by Nate A from Detroit-ish on 05/06/09 at 07:30 PM ET
Fedorov is down and doesn’t look good. holding his arm.
That looked harmless really, but he’s still on the pine.
Well said NateA. No pink fairy on my effing head at the game tomorrow either.
Posted by MOWingsfan19 on 05/06/09 at 07:38 PM ET
Malkin getting punished there. Viscious cross checking and nasty stuff in close.
Posted by MOWingsfan19 on 05/06/09 at 07:38 PM ET
No pink fairy on my effing head at the game tomorrow either.
You’ll have good help around tomorrow from what I understand. I’m sure there will be a competent photographer in the bunch.
Win one for us eh?
Posted by Nate A from Detroit-ish on 05/06/09 at 07:46 PM ET
NateA, you’re talking about the 900 lb. gorilla in the room very few want to admit to. Crybaby Carlyle is out-coaching Uncle Mike. Not getting breaks, bad calls, etc. are disguising the fact that Babcock seems to have no answer to Carlyles’ manipulations, both on and off the ice. Everybody, from Uncle Mike on down, better earn his stripes tomorrow. There is no room for malingerers on the S.S. Babock. Sack up. Impose. Your. Will.
Posted by calquake on 05/06/09 at 07:55 PM ET
I can’t handle this. 7:00 to go in the GR/Manitoba game and Tardif scored to bring it within one. Manitoba’s still leading 3-2.
Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 05/06/09 at 08:06 PM ET
Damn. Last minute flurry by Abdelkader, but no dice. GR swept out of the playoffs.
*#$%@&.
Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 05/06/09 at 08:16 PM ET
Is it time to reunite the circus?
Babcock always seems so reluctant to do so, despite Hank and Pavs proven and almost uncanny chemistry. I couldn’t watch any Wings regular season games during March and April, but I thought that Hudler and Hossa always played well together. Hossa with Franzen and Hudler doesn’t seem, to me, an undesirable or unbalanced line. Hossa and Franzen are both defensibly capable.
But, the reason we likely won’t see the circus (at least for a whole game) is likely because Babcock wants a shutdown line. He wants the first line to score, and Hank and Mule and Cleary to think defensively. But we all know, our boys haven’t exactly kept Getzlaf and Perry off the score sheet. And a one-line team against the best defensive forwards in the league? No excuse, really.
I have a feeling that our big guys and really going to play to their level next game. Hossa popped one, finally, despite any attempts to blow. Remember the beginning of the year? After his first goal he tore it up. That would (ugh) have been his second goal, but I think he’s finally going to be noticed in this series.
Game 4 depends on our tops guys. That was said about game 3 also, but for Pav, Hoss and Hank it’s now or never. Lidstrom lead game one, now it’s time for these lads to step it up.
Posted by pilgrim from the ice at the bottom of the world on 05/06/09 at 08:18 PM ET
Is it time to reunite the circus?
yes. most definitely.
Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 05/06/09 at 08:29 PM ET
Valid points on coaching. Though, seems to me, every time we doubt Babcock he turns around and says, “You gotta put the puck in the net in order to put numbers on the board, you want on the that big box hangle, dangling from the ceiling there, and thats what our best guys need to be, our best at that, cause that’s how you win games and I like to always tell Kenny, “I like when the flames come out of our box” because that’s a fantastic special thing we only have at home, like those playoff cabbage rolls my wife makes when it’s the time of season beards grow long.”
And we say, yes Mike, I would follow you anywhere.
Posted by pilgrim from the ice at the bottom of the world on 05/06/09 at 08:31 PM ET
Caps Pens game into OT. It is so nice to watch a game and not be curled up in the fetal position clutching a bottle of booze.
Posted by Aimee in Austin on 05/06/09 at 08:36 PM ET
here’s what I’d like to see…
Zetterberg/Datsyuk/Holmstrom
Franzen/Hossa/Hudler
Maltby/Helm/Cleary
Kopecky/Filpulla/Samuelsson
Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 05/06/09 at 08:38 PM ET
In this wash/pens game hoping that #91 puts one top shelf.
Posted by dbcooper from parts unknown on 05/06/09 at 09:03 PM ET
Caps Pens game into OT. It is so nice to watch a game and not be curled up in the fetal position clutching a bottle of booze.
Yeah, I know what you mean Aimee.
Posted by Jennemy of the Skate from putting the b*tches in the box on 05/06/09 at 09:08 PM ET
Bring on the circus (exlamation point bitches). Shoot at the stick side high,and quit hitting that effin dicks logo. Bring on Leino and Abbadabbado. See ya Coke and Pepsi and Malts. we got a nice black jersey for ya.
Posted by cigar_nurse from Greenville South Cakalakee on 05/06/09 at 09:15 PM ET
NateA, you’re talking about the 900 lb. gorilla in the room very few want to admit to. Crybaby Carlyle is out-coaching Uncle Mike.
Maybe it’s just me, but all the praise for Babcock’s “class” really reminds me of all praise for Lloyd Carr’s “class” when it was clear that a little more edge was needed and it would’ve done a lot of good.
Scotty B would’ve said something and forwarded a few tapes to the league office two games ago.
Posted by thethirdcoast from Rottenchester on 05/06/09 at 11:03 PM ET
The men in Red and White better come out guns’ blazing tomorrow night. After the travesty that was game 3, I can’t think of any more motivation they would need. I myself actually agree with Babcock in keeping the lines the same. Afterall, the Getzlaf line one produced one goal, and it was on the PP. And Dangle and the Big Hoss look like they’re ready to bust out in a huge way.
We have to support each other better on dump ins though. Too many times it seems the puck carrier makes the dump, and only one man is going in for the puck. the player who dumped it in goes to the left side half boards, and the other forward is at the right half-boards. So in essence, it’s two-on-one, and unless the guy chasing the puck pulls off a miracle, the puck goes back the other way. It’s the same in the defensive zone, guys playing too far apart. I’ve noticed that when the Ducks get their cycle going, all three forwards are usually within about 10 feet of each other. They make it hard for the Wings to regain possession because they play tight.
And I still say it’s time for the passes that normally wouldn’t be made. If Kronner has to take a hard hit to get a 3-on-2, then he takes the punishment. And thye have to read what the Ducks are doing, like Nate A said. If the Ducks bring two forecheckers, one attacking the Wings with the puck, and one going toward the other d-man, then the d-man with the puck has to find the open forward. Maybe our centres should start coming back more toward the slot in our zone when the Ducks dump it in, so the D know they have someone to pass to other than each other.
Whatever happens tomorrow though, I’m expect a blow out. Either way too. It’s either going to be our guys come out mad,with vengeance on their minds, play their best hockey of the year and they win 6-1. Or they come out frustrated and that frustration leads to a meltdown and a 6-1 loss.
The Highlander said earlier today that 5 Griffins are going to join the Wings, but he doesn’t know if it’ll be tomorrow in Anaheim, or on the weekend. And the 5 Griffins are eVille, Abadabbadoo, Downey, Howard and Kindl. If I were to choose any of those guys to play, it’d be Abadabbadoo. From what Matt at OtW has said, Kindl is still way too green at the AHL level. Ozzie is being Ozzie, I think Howard is only joining the team in case Ozzie or Conk get hurt. Downey can’t really help the team, because we’re already playing pretty physical, and he doesn’t bring anything else to the table.
Leino I wonder about, because for him to come in, we’d have to subtract a capable PK guy in Maltby, or the physical presence Kopecky brings. That’s why I think Abadabbadoo would be the more viable option, because he’ll be more physical that Kopecky, and he has a greater offensive upside. Plus, there likely would be more pressure on Leino vs Abadabbadoo, because Leino would expected to produce whereas Abadabbadoo would only be expected to continue being his physical self, and if he can chip in a goal or two that’s a bonus.
Posted by Alzy from Innisfail, Alberta, Canada on 05/07/09 at 12:53 AM ET
Well, that’s really it. If Raffi, our six million dollar man, can’t or won’t play, then barring a complete one-eighty by this team, we’re done. Seriously, what the f*ck? I mean, he’s not even SKATING FFS? If it ain’t doctors keeping him out, then surely he sees the team is in such dire straits, needs him back, sees his massive paycheck, and would think that maybe he needs to take The Gilchrist? This is no longer a case of keeping himself out as a precaution for future games (unless said future games are those in October, in which case we’re genuinely screwed)—tonight is do-or-die. Lose tonight and we’re on the precipice. Simple as that. So WHY is he still out? WHAT is he thinking? Even the most skilled player isn’t worth a dime if he can’t play through the pain the playoffs.
As for the line changes, maybe Uncle Mike figures that if Carlyle is shaking up his roster, he’ll let HIM make the mistakes, and keep his roster chemistry together rather than shake things up just because the opposing coach is. If the Schmucks’ changes don’t work, they’ll play worse while we still get the same results from our unchanged lineup (yeah, I know). There’s a reason Babcock’s the coach of one of the League’s elite teams, and we’re not. Still, with the Griffs out of the playoffs, we may see some of the prospects tonight—though I don’t think so, as I understand Abdelkader is still too prone to untimely penalties, and Leino lacks defensive polish—both of which can be killers when you’ve got your back to the wall in the playoffs. I expect they’ll be black aces for what is hoped to be another long playoff run like last year—though that depends on how every player, from the coach on down, comes out of the gate tonight.
And yet, I’ll still be there for the liveblog tonight, and Sunday. So who’s the fool now?
Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from Fortress Europe on 05/07/09 at 03:30 AM ET
Maybe it’s just me, but all the praise for Babcock’s “class” really reminds me of all praise for Lloyd Carr’s “class” when it was clear that a little more edge was needed and it would’ve done a lot of good.
Well, Babcock threw the gloves off the other day and started the mind games, so enjoy if that’s what you want from him.
Bottom line is that it is embarrassing for the NHL that Babcock, Holland, or anyone in any organization should have to lobby via the media to ensure the refs call the game according to… oh, right, THE RULES.
This is why the NHL has no fans. This is why it never will. And this is why it will lose more and more of the few die-hard fans it does have.
Rafalski probably isn’t playing in this series… if he’s not practicing by tomorrow, how can he get in this series? He will need AT LEAST a practice, probably really needs three or four to truly shake the rust off. Best case, IMO, is that he plays games 6 and 7 (assumes they even have those games). I guess a Rafalski with one or no practices going into game five is better than Cheli when you consider his huge impact on the PP, but defensively you have to worry about him being a few steps behind and getting run hard chasing dump-ins.
Posted by Nathan from the scoresheet! on 05/07/09 at 07:48 AM ET
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Just when my mood was finally improving.
Posted by hockeychic from Denver, CO on 05/06/09 at 05:57 PM ET