2007 NHL playoffs -- Conference finals schedule

Here is the schedule for the conference finals round of the 2007 NHL playoffs (*-- if necessary; all times ET):

Eastern Conference
No. 1 Buffalo vs. No. 4 Ottawa
Thursday, May 10 -- Ottawa at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 12 -- Ottawa at Buffalo, 8 p.m.
Monday, May 14 -- Buffalo at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 16 -- Buffalo at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
*-Saturday, May 19 -- Ottawa at Buffalo, 2 p.m.
*-Monday, May 21 -- Buffalo at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
*-Wednesday, May 23 -- Ottawa at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Western Conference
No. 1 Detroit vs. No. 2 Anaheim
Friday, May 11 -- Anaheim at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 13 -- Anaheim at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 15 -- Detroit at Anaheim, 9 p.m.
Thursday, May 17 -- Detroit at Anaheim, 9 p.m.
*-Sunday, May 20 -- Anaheim at Detroit, 3 p.m.
*-Tuesday, May 22 -- Detroit at Anaheim, 9 p.m.
*-Thursday, May 24 -- Anaheim at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

Top point-getters in the Western Conference, I believe, for the regular season.

Should be a tough one. Glad the Detroiters have the HIA.

Giguere, Pronger Mcdonald, Niedermeyer x 2, Selanne, Kunitz, Beauchimin, Penner...those names should ring a bell to fantasy hockey players. This is going to be very very very tough methinks.

"Expert" picks:
Amber - Ducks in 6
Buccigross - Ducks in 7
Burnside - Wings in 7
Cohn - Ducks in 6
Hradek - Ducks in 6
Melrose - Ducks in 6

They all predicted Sharks win in round 2.

ESPN.com - NHL/PLAYOFFS2007 - Conference finals breakdown: Red Wings vs. Ducks (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs2007/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=2863456)


This series will feature three of the finest defensemen of their generation in Scott Niedermayer (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/players/profile?playerId=670) and Chris Pronger (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/players/profile?playerId=745) of Anaheim and Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/players/profile?playerId=539). Then, there's Chris Chelios (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/players/profile?playerId=151), who was one of the finest defensemen of the last generation, but refuses to acknowledge time and continues to be effective at age 45.
Both teams possess great goaltending in Hasek and Jean-Sebastien Giguere (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/players/profile?playerId=302), and both are deep up front. In other words, this one should be a dandy.

"Expert" picks:
Amber - Ducks in 6
Buccigross - Ducks in 7
Burnside - Wings in 7
Cohn - Ducks in 6
Hradek - Ducks in 6
Melrose - Ducks in 6

They all predicted Sharks win in round 2.

Yes, they did, and IF not for a couple last second goals, they would have been correct.

Yes, they did, and IF not for a couple last second goals, they would have been correct.
Too many ifs for my liking. Rangers could've been through too, IF not for the goal with 6 seconds to go.

It's like the World Series of Poker. Every winner can look back on a couple hands they sucked out on. You need a little luck these days to win it all.

It's like the World Series of Poker. Every winner can look back on a couple hands they sucked out on. You need a little luck these days to win it all.
You always need luck. That is why you hear - "this is(was) their year".

All the "ifs" and $1.09 will buy you a cup of coffee at the gas station. Remember, these are the same Wings who lit up Patrick Roy in a series finale.............


Wings win in 7........
It's Hasek time.........

:cheerlie-GOAL: :eyebrows: :victory: :nerner: :chopper: :rockon:

All the "ifs" and $1.09 will buy you a cup of coffee at the gas station. Remember, these are the same Wings who lit up Patrick Roy in a series finale.............


Wings win in 7........
It's Hasek time.........

:cheerlie-GOAL: :eyebrows: :victory: :nerner: :chopper: :rockon:
And all games are going to end with a 3-2 score. :MusicBigGrin:

And all games are going to end with a 3-2 score. :MusicBigGrin:



:flypig: :pound: :pound: :pound: I want to be right at least once.................

:flypig: :pound: :pound: :pound: I want to be right at least once.................
I know, even blind squirrel gets a nut once in a while...

:roll: :roll: :roll:

I know, even blind squirrel gets a nut once in a while...

:roll: :roll: :roll:


Good to see ya posting last night, at 2:00 am Est...
California had 11:00 pm.........Montana had 12:00 midnight........
Everybody else sleeping...............

Good to see ya posting last night, at 2:00 am Est...
California had 11:00 pm.........Montana had 12:00 midnight........
Everybody else sleeping...............
I guess being behind has its own advantages, huh? On the other hand I have to DVR all of the weekday games because I'm still at work when they start.

More on Wings-Ducks series

Ducks present trouble (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070509/SPORTS0103/705090344/1128)

Interesting thoughts from the enemy's press. Some, indeed very interesting comments below the blog entry:

OCRegister blog: Ducks - post: Ducks-Wings (http://blogs.ocregister.com/ducks/archives/2007/05/duckswings.html#more)

Thanks a lot for all of the article links M73. Much appreciated.

Here's a big time homer article from LA Times (by the way that publication sux big time):

Sign Up (http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-elliott9may09,1,186330.column?coll=la-headlines-sports)

Stupid article indeed. I welcome the Ducks trying to muscle us. We will live on the PP and shell Giguere.

The only way to beat the Wings is with speed. These power teams are not what the new NHL is about.

This will be a month to remember and a great DID U KNOW? DID U KNOW the combined Detroit sports teams: The Shock, pistons, Tigers, Wings and YES even the Lions combined are on a 21 game winning streak!!!!

This is a great time to be a Detroit fan. have a beer on mE!!!!

Oh BTW...I love it when the Wings are underdogs!

WINGS IN 6!!!!!:burp:

From Det News blog:

Lebda Questionable for Gm 1?
Brett Lebda didn't say so. Neither did anyone else in any official capacity today. But while Lebda shrugged off his absence during today's optional practice, I think we'll hear a bit more today about the very real possibilty that we could see Derek Meech in the lineup in Game 1. Babcock hinted at it today when he met with the media, suggesting rather cryptically (or accidentally?) that we'd see both Quincey and Meech in this series. I asked him about it afterward and he refused to elaborate. Ken Holland did the same. Lebda missed a chunk of time early in Game 6 and then didn't play the last 6 minutes. And I don't think it was because of his ankle. I think it's something new. But we'll have to wait and see what we learn Thursday.

Last look before we get this baby going:

Scout's view of the Western Conference Finals (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070511/SPORTS0103/705110341/1128)

Lebda Says He's Ready To Go
If you take everybody at their word today, the lineup will be identical to Game 6 vs. San Jose. The idea of skating seven defenseman was discussed prior to the last game, but Mike Babcock decided he'd rather dress 12 forwards and six 'D'. And it appears he's sticking with Kyle Calder, despite his limited ice time.
As for the Sharks, Todd Marchant will be in the lineup, and while he hasn't played in a month, it at least gives Randy Carlyle a little more confidence to actually throw a fourth line over the boards. (Probably with Brad May and Shawn Thornton, though Carlyle has moved May up at times to try to light a fire under Dustin Penner.) Marchant, who was probably ready to play at the end of the last round, played really well last year for the Ducks in their playoff run. And once he gets his legs under him, he could be a factor in this series.

Geez...make me beg, why dontcha? :ballchain

Alright, I'll ask. You called the last couple of series Roscoe. What's your take?

Wings in 7.

Wings up 1-0 early! Goal on the power play...

Wings in 7.
I hope you're right. BTW, Wings just scored on their first powerplay - 1:0 Detroit. It was also their first shot on goal.

A huge penalty kill (with some luck). More than 1:30 of 5 on 3 and Ducks get only 1 shot on goal (not including the goalpost they hit).

Anaheim tied up the score. It's tied 1-1 in the 3rd period.

Wings take the lead late in the 3rd period! Anaheim is on the power play though... The Wings have to hold the lead.

The Red Wings take the first game of the series after a final score of 2-1! Huge first game win for the Wings!

Great game by the dominator.

Good win for the Wings (wins are all good even if they are lucky and ugly looking). Wings need to send to thank you notes - the first and foremost do Dom for stealing one and the second to Beuchemin for "assisting" on both Red Wings goals. Very important win.

Pronger and Neidermeyer will hold us to 1 goal eventually.
But I think we're over the hump. And healthy.
Needless to say, if it aint rough at aint right.

I have an admission to make. Bob Wojnowski is my favorite Detroit columnist. I can't even listen to the Stoney & Wojo show when he is away and someone else fills in.

Dominator lives up to his nickname (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070512/SPORTS08/705120423/1004/SPORTS)

They hit him in the face. They knocked his stick away. They probably even called him a few bad names.

But Dominik Hasek wasn't budging, not in the face of constant pressure, not now.

This was the only way the Red Wings were going to win the Western Conference opener against Anaheim Friday night because there wasn't a whole lot of offense. The Ducks got down and dirty and even danced a bit with the Dominator, and it didn't work.

This was small-scale thievery by the Wings, who escaped with a 2-1 victory on fortunate-bounce power-play goals by Tomas Holmstrom and Henrik Zetterberg. This is why the Wings, who have a favorite's roster and an underdog's mentality, have a good shot to play on, because Hasek is always there, on good nights, bad night and tough nights.
Dom was superb last night. I watched the Canadian telecast on TSN and at the first and second intermissions, they went roundtable on Hasek and gave him major props. It was great to hear as I watched him have a fantastic performance.

The whole trick to beating these power teams is capitalizing on the PP and not getting intimidated. This year's Wings team is so much more resilient and determined compared to year's past. If that bum Robert Lang would play with some purpose, we would probably have beaten San Jose and Calgary one game sooner.

I'm very positive about this series. We can hang with the Ducks and if we can hang, we can win.

Good to see demolitionman at work again.

Why does a Wings win just fires me up to no end more than any other? I just want to get to The Stanley Cup. If we drink, all the better!!!

Hasek is the anchor of this entire team. I had my doubts about his abilities this year, to be honest.

I knew he had a good year last year, but didn't see him play (Ottawa, Eastern Conference)... and he got injured at the olympics.

But with Lidstrom and Hasek, I really liek our chances. I also think that having some young, hungry guys is helping. I also think that getting rid of some of the old guard in the locker room has helped Zetts, Dats, and Homer step into leadership roles.

They are Yzerman type leaders (by example) and not Hull and Shanahan type leaders (by resume).

But really, if the DetNews makes one more pun on Swedes (How Swede it is... Swede shot... How Swede... Swede Goals...) I'm going to personally fire bomb the whole building.

Samuelson has been a surprise. I was lobbying for him to ride the pine (in favor of Hudler). I still think Hudler should play in favor of Calder, or maybe Maltby.

And Lilja has really stepped it up on physicality. Which has been great.

Lang has came to life.

Chelios is playing like he's 20 years younger than he is.

Filppula is a future star blossoming before our eyes. He is going to be a GREAT 2 way player. He's playing for one of the toughest coaches in the league, and he's killing penalties in the Western Conference finals as a rookie. Give the kid some love.

Franzen has been outstanding, and helps provide mismatches.

At the start of the year I was excited that the Wings were going to start playing some of their "home grown" talent. It has turned out to be a great situation. Filppula, Franzen, Hudler, Quincey, Lebda... this is one of the deepest teams in the league, and it is wearing down other teams.

Best of all - the entire team seems committed to "mucking" it out and playing physical. Datsyuk even got chippy and threw a few punches when he was bulldogged onto the ice.

This team is worlds apart from any Wings team since the last cup winner.

GO WINGS!

These guys earned their stripes the last 3 playoff seasons and it's playing off. Excellent GM work, adding instead of running around with their head cut off.

2-2 game.

We get a two man advantage to start the third period. We need to capitalize on it.

Black Sunday. Black Mother's day. Take your pick.

Lousy- Tigers are bombed 16-4

Lousier- Pistons lose ugly

Lousiest-Wings lose in O.T.

(The top two shouldn't make a difference, but the hockey loss may hurt).

Everyone is asking when the Red Wings are going to start playing at a 100%. But maybe they already are? Maybe that is as good as it gets for this team and Anaheim is that much better. I still hold out hope that this year the stars align and the Wings get to the cup, but it is a tough road ahead.

Wings are ready to go and steal the first home game in Anaheim.

Time to beat the Ducks.................the score will be...............

3-2 Wings win !!!!!!!!!!!!! :pound: :pound: :) :)

Hockey is so different from BBall. You can make a lot of mistakes in BBall but hockey is unforgiving.
Gijere is easily Haseks successor. Got to hold him off---for once.
triple OT
1-0
Wingdings

Calder out, Kopecky in. By the looks of it and from what I'm hearing Calder must be injured. Kopecky wasn't supposed to be back until the next year, but with Wings running short on bodies he's inserted in the lineup. He missed most of the year with a broken collarbone. Ducks have a couple of people out as well. I bet Ottawa is licking their chops - they should get their series over quickly and then they can just relax and watch Detroit and Anaheim beat each other up.

The disappointing thing is that Bertuzzi really can't skate with any purpose. The good news is that we have played neck+neck with these guys, and if healthy, we might even have had an edge (Schnieder, Bertuzzi, Kronwall etc.).

I truly believe we play more inspired on the road. Hopefully we can steal one at the Pond and make it a best 2 out of 3 with home ice.

Thankfully the Wings are winning tonight, up 4-0 right now.

GO WINGS!

Thankfully the Wings are winning tonight, up 4-0 right now.

GO WINGS!


Right Roscoe. The Pistons are still up 3 games to 2, The Wings are crushing the ducks on the road, and your fantasy baseball team is beating down that pesky 13 year old for me so all in all it's a pretty good day. :):sssh:

Great game from Wings, making up for Pistons loss. What's up with the goon squad called "Ducks"? They become the same thing that Calgary became - frustrated and running around looking to hurt someone. I hope NHL puts their foot down on that bull.

I heard that Pronger might get a suspension, but that Homer was able to come back might hurt that case.

The talking heads on TSN said that both teams would be lobbying hard. The Wings for a suspension and The Ducks to avoid one.

I told you guys we can win this series if we just play Red Wings hockey.

Kudos to Babs for having the guys ready, Hasek for a shutout and Homer for being so great!

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/411/bildesitec3date20070515xa0.jpg

I hope Pronger really does get suspended - I hate that guy.

Oh yeah, for those of you who missed the game, we chased JS Giguere from the net. Considering how much success that guy has had against us, it's great to hit him in the mouth a couple times with even strength goals.

Oh and Babcock switched up the lines, separating Datsyuk and Zetterberg. And the Wings just kept throwing the puck in the net.

This is an entirely new year. There are no goaltenders that are going to keep us down. We're not scoring pretty, but we're putting puck in the net. Just keep it going. At least one Detroit team is trying to move on.

This is interesting:

BILL McGRAW: Suspend Pronger: Call Colin Campbell and voice your opinion (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070516/BLOG07/70516034)

Call Colin Campbell. He is the former Wing who serves as the NHL's enforcer (of rules) who has the power to penalize Pronger after-the-fact.

I called his Toronto office this morning. The number is 416-981-2777.

So, we go from Russian 5 to Swedish 5. Lets hope that the end result is the same.

Read more here:

HELENE ST. JAMES: Duck Soup: Swedish magic produces a Detroit blowout (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070516/SPORTS05/705160440)

Here's another good article about Wings. This is from NHL.com:

NHL.com - 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs Coverage (http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=307439)


With the beating the guy’s taken in the playoffs, he’s looking more and more like Bruce Willis’ character in the Die Hard movies. Holmstrom’s been beaten, blasted, squashed and squeezed. And that’s just on any given shift out there.


This one got me laughing:


The Red Wings got two more gargantuan goals out of Holmstrom Tuesday night to take a 2-1 lead in the series against the Ducks, a team that plays like they’re named after the command -- duck! -- rather than the feathery animal.

Looks like Pronger is out one game.

ESPN.com: Ducks' Pronger suspended for Game 4 vs. Wings (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs2007/news/story?id=2872561)

Without Pronger, our chances to win Game 4 just increased exponentially.

I predicted Wings in 7, but with a little luck, it might come sooner.

Btw, this is some of the best Detroit hockey I have seen in years. The boys are playing with so much heart and resilience.

Without Pronger, our chances to win Game 4 just increased exponentially.

I predicted Wings in 7, but with a little luck, it might come sooner.

Btw, this is some of the best Detroit hockey I have seen in years. The boys are playing with so much heart and resilience.

Agreed Roscoe, I watched the end of the game last night just to pick me up from the BB game. I too though this one was going 7, and was dissapointed in the OT loss in game 2, and pleasantly surpised that they were up 4-0.

Maybe the Pistons should watch a tape of last nights Wings game to see if they can regain their heart and resilience. :) A chance for four Detroit champions is still in the mix.

Without Pronger, our chances to win Game 4 just increased exponentially.

I predicted Wings in 7, but with a little luck, it might come sooner.

Btw, this is some of the best Detroit hockey I have seen in years. The boys are playing with so much heart and resilience.
This is Wings' chance to sease the control and put Anaheim on the ropes. The way the Wings are playing they should be able to pull through on this. Anaheim missing Pronger would be like Wings missing Lidstrom.
Go Wings!!!

Wings will play hard and take advantage of the suspension. Ducks come out and also give 100% effort....

Detroit wins game 4..........(3-2)
Go Wings !!!!!!!!!

roscoe scoops tomorrow's papers... ;)

May 16, 2007
Mike Babcock
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA: Practice Day

Q. Your thoughts on the suspension.

COACH MIKE BABCOCK: Well, we got the best league in the world, we got the best people running it, the best officials. They did what they thought was right.

Q. Can one guy make a big, big impact on a game?

COACH MIKE BABCOCK: Yeah. I think all the best players make a huge impact on the game. But if you think they're going away just 'cause of one guy - I think it's well documented, we're missing some pretty good D. Play. We're going to do the same.

Our whole plan is to have the best game we can possibly have tomorrow. That's our whole focus. Doesn't matter the individuals we're playing, just the team we're playing.

Q. The league ruled it was a blow to the head, which is something they're trying to get out of the game. Was one game enough? If Holmstrom doesn't come back, do you think it's more?

COACH MIKE BABCOCK: I don't know. My brain doesn't work like that. To me you either did it or you didn't do it. Doesn't matter to me if someone comes back or doesn't come back. That has nothing to do with it in my mind the way I think.

But I think the league made a decision and that's it. Let's move on.

Q. One game enough, though?

COACH MIKE BABCOCK: I think the league made a decision. Let's move on.

Q. How about your team? The Ducks are trying to forget about last night. Your team has to forget about last night?

COACH MIKE BABCOCK: Last night's over with. We're preparing for - we say this all year long. The most important game of the year is the one you're playing. Obviously for us that's tomorrow. We're in a series with a really good hockey club. It's our intention to just keep coming and keep coming and keep coming and find a way to win.

It's not going to be easy. We're very respectful of our opponent, yet we think we got a good team.

Q. Separating Pavel and Hank, can you talk about how much that not only sparked their two lines but all four lines and especially five-on-five play?

COACH MIKE BABCOCK: That's part of it. I did that the night before, too, and nothing happened. Just we did it from the start till the end basically. The bottom line is our team played way better. We got skating. I didn't think we skated in the first two games of the series like we could. It looked a lot like the San Jose series where we weren't very good early.

We think we can continue to get better. We thought we had the puck more. We thought we made better plays, and therefore had more speed. We have to continue to do that if we want to be successful.

Q. Beyond the hit that he took, he scored two goals, Holmstrom. Does his impact on this team and these playoffs cease to amaze you at any point?

COACH MIKE BABCOCK: Who's tougher than Holmer? He gets hit in the eye in the Calgary series. Power play goes dead. Comes back, power play's turned around. Holmer to me is what our team's about. You can do what you want. You can cross-check him. You can smack him. You did whatever you want. He's going to keep coming. We plan on doing the same thing.

I think that's important at this time of year. You're just not going to be deterred. You're a determined group that believes we have an opportunity, and we believe our effort and our preparation better be equal to the opportunity, and it's a good opportunity.

Q. Talk about the back end and the way some of those guys have stepped up since Schneider has gotten hurt.

COACH MIKE BABCOCK: They're good players. A lot of people would tell you that one of the reasons they're better is because they get to play more now. Things have changed. But the bottom line is in this game, you got to have good fortune, good luck at playoff time with injuries. But when you don't, you got to get other people to step up and just play.

I think they've been good. We expect them to be good. We got good players and we expect them to play hard.

Q. When you came to training camp this year, you knew you weren't going to have Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, what did you think would happen in your dressing room in terms of leadership or chemistry? Are you surprised at how it's actually turned out seven or eight months later?

COACH MIKE BABCOCK: I'm not surprised one bit. I knew there was going to be a time for people to engage, to get comfortable to do what they do. I don't think Nicklas Lidstrom had any trouble with it whatsoever. I don't think Chris Chelios, those guys. I think the guys - I don't want to say trouble. The guys who had to get used to being the guys were Pav and Hank. They are the guys. They're the guys driving the bus up front. That's the facts. Before you could always wait for someone else, now you can't.

When the game's on the line, you got to have poise. Your determination's got to come through. I think they've done a good job of that. You look at the determination of Pavel Datsyuk or the determination of Kris Draper, Henrik Zetterberg, it's a pretty determined group up front. Then you have Cheli, Lidstrom, Hasek in the net. We think that our group, leadership-wise, is as deep and as good as any. The thing about Nick is not only does he do everything right, but he has so much poise about him that, I mean, I think those things are contagious.

Q. Brian Burke credited the Red Wings for not putting Tomas in an ambulance last night, maybe trying to milk it for more, a longer suspension, whatever. Were you trying to make any kind of statement or was he just ready to play?

COACH MIKE BABCOCK: Well, I told you, Tomas is a tough guy. Everybody saw it. He's got cuts, he's got 13 stitches. It's not like it's a boo-boo here we're talking about. This is a guy who wants to play, and we're about playing.

If you think there was any thought process into, Oh, how can we milk this? That's not how it works. I said already, I don't believe that's how the league should work. Did you do something? Did you not do something? Make a decision. The league did. We're fine by it. Let's go.

Q. Not depending on how badly injured the player was; just by the act itself?

COACH MIKE BABCOCK: Straightforward to me.

roscoe scoops tomorrow's papers... ;)

COACH MIKE BABCOCK: Well, we got the best league in the world, we got the best people running it, the best officials. They did what they thought was right.


:pound: :pound: :pound: :pound: :pound: :pound: :pound: :pound:
:pound: :pound: :pound: :pound: :pound: :pound: :pound: :pound:

On the radio last nite Carlyle was like, "Well we didn't control our emotions."
Yeah and you almost killed a guy.
-
Hey I got one side right...1-0
Next game 6-0 Wings and Giguere is put out to pasture.

Calder out, Kopecky in. By the looks of it and from what I'm hearing Calder must be injured. Kopecky wasn't supposed to be back until the next year, but with Wings running short on bodies he's inserted in the lineup. He missed most of the year with a broken collarbone.

That's not accurate at all.

Kopecky had a borken collarbone, and has been healthy for months. Calder wasn't effective. And instead of inserting a smaller, finesse tyoe player in Hudler, they went to Kopecky. The reason Kopecky didn't play sooner was because there was no room for him. This team is deep at forward. No need for 3rd and 4th line players to play injured.

Roscoe, scoopin the papers again!

May 17, 2007
Mike Babcock
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA: Game Four



Q. Do you try to do anything to exploit the fact that Pronger is not there or could you just play your game?

COACH MIKE BABCOCK: You always know who's on the ice, who you're playing against. We'll do the same as always. What I found in this playoffs, if you go through our group, you know, we're missing lots of people. I'd say we're missing two of the top three on our team.

To me, they're going to use that as a rallying thing. We're going to use it as it doesn't make any difference, we got to keep playing, playing hard, playing intelligent, keep our composure, get after them.




Q. When a team loses a game, more often than not they talk the next time they've got to work harder, work smarter. Don't most teams and most players believe that they're working as hard as they can every game? Where does the extra come from?

COACH MIKE BABCOCK: Well, I think what you do is, in a series, you point out nuances, things you're not doing well. I'm a big believer anyway, normally in a series one team starts to get better and one team starts to get worse. It's not that the team isn't good. Whether it's pressure, whether it's panic, whether it's execution, they don't seem to be able to find a way to get it done.

For us, anyway, I can only talk about us, what we try to do is we try to focus on the things, the foundation we built all year long, but the parts we're missing in that, try to do things a little better that allows our skill to come out.

I'm a big believer that work ethic - first thing you do is get prepared to work. The second thing you do is within the structure of the team, and then your skill is allowed to come out. If you don't do those things, your skill doesn't come out. Competition level at playoff time is everything.



Q. When people talk about cranking up their game, is there a gear missing that they don't even - they're not aware is missing?

COACH MIKE BABCOCK: I think sometimes, you know, that's what your wife is for. Sometimes you get in there, you can't see the forest for the trees. I often find people sitting back, watching without emotion can sometimes see things better than you can. You think everything's going right; in reality, it might not be.

We have a good group around us. We bounce a lot of things off people. The bottom line to me is, everybody's trying. Everybody's trying to compete like crazy. But we all need to be reminded. Sometimes we got to see it for ourselves. Is that a video clip? Is that just by talking to a guy? But collectively you all got to be doing it right and doing it together.



Q. The effect of bouncing around Datsyuk and Zetterberg in Game 3, besides the end result and winning, did you get the effect of them rubbing off the way they played? First couple games, was that an attention-getter for some other players? Did you get the effect you wanted?

COACH MIKE BABCOCK: You know, I said this to Zetty. In a series, often at playoff time, you figure your best player has to be your best player. After two games, our best players were our best players. We needed the group.

So we thought that was important. Sometimes in a series, it takes you a while to figure it out. You know, who knows if we have. We're going to see tonight. But we thought we were better. We thought we handled the puck better, skated better. But we have to do the same tonight.

What I've seen in our playoff series this year is there's been - even Calgary series, San Jose series, there's been no momentum carried from game to game. We had to start over each and every night. We expect it to be that tough tonight.



Q. Not talking specifically about the hit the other night, but in the press conference the other night you talked about you sometimes wonder about the respect among hockey players. Can you elaborate a bit more on that? Do you think maybe some of the respect players had for each other - I don't think anybody is talking about people want to hurt each other, but just sometimes the way the game's played, hits that are dealt out, do you think sometimes that's missing a little bit?

COACH MIKE BABCOCK: No. Actually I think the respect amongst the players is at an all-time high. I think the players know each other better than they ever did in the league. I think they work together as a group to do the best they can for one another. I don't think anybody ever intentionally, with malice, tries to hurt anybody.

Sometimes we react in the game in a way that, you know, if you had a ton of time to think about it, that might not have been the result. But I think the respect factor is there.

That's not accurate at all.

Kopecky had a borken collarbone, and has been healthy for months. Calder wasn't effective. And instead of inserting a smaller, finesse tyoe player in Hudler, they went to Kopecky. The reason Kopecky didn't play sooner was because there was no room for him. This team is deep at forward. No need for 3rd and 4th line players to play injured.
The only reason Kopecky is playing is because Calder has been extremely ineffective. After Kopecky recovered from his injury, Wings said that he is not going to play until the next year because he was off for so long. That is why I said that he wasn't supposed to be back. At the same time many sports writers indicated that Calder might be nursing some kind of injury. Of course, Calder and the Wings said that he's fine. That is all I am saying.

Oh well. 2-2 tie. I had Wings in 7 , so...no problem !GO WINGS!

Wings scored 3.........Usually enough in playoff hockey...........

They still grabbed home court back, but wish they could have taken this game with Pronger watching from the Sportsbar across the street. :mad:

The Wings blew a golden opportunity to take a stranglehold on this series. We'll see if it comes back and bites them in the behind. So far they have been resilient in the playoffs, so hopefully this will not affect their run.

I was a little worried about this. That ANA might rally around the suspension.

Not to worry, we'll get back to work at home.

Babcock won't tolerate any less.

It's on Hasek........he gave up 5 goals with just a few shots on goal.
Bettin he comes up big in game 5.........

Wings Win..........(3-2) !!!!!!!!!

Should Hasek have been pulled?
Giguere was pulled for 4 quick goals.
-
Let's see if Cleary can step up again.

Senators just beat the Sabres........4 games to 1. Gotta make it to the Stanley Cup finals. We get Home Ice advantage......
:beer::party2::eyebrows::movingon::greenapple::vic tory:




:usa: is a :lock1: to beat :canada: Go Wings!!!!!

The only reason Kopecky is playing is because Calder has been extremely ineffective. After Kopecky recovered from his injury, Wings said that he is not going to play until the next year because he was off for so long. That is why I said that he wasn't supposed to be back. At the same time many sports writers indicated that Calder might be nursing some kind of injury. Of course, Calder and the Wings said that he's fine. That is all I am saying.

I'm not trying to ruffle your feathers, but Kopecky was getting pretty regular playing time before the injury. He was expected to be sidelined for 10-12 weeks. (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2698583) And by the time we was ready to come back, we had Calder and Bertuzi, so he didn't play. He was cleared to play a month ago by doctors and has been skating hard in practice since. (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070515/SPORTS0103/705150337/1128)

Was Calder playing poorly? Yeah. I've even read he may have a broken hand. He wasn't super valuable when he was 100%.

The Wings have had a log jam at forward all season. I don't think they'd rush Kopecky back when they have other young guys chomping at the bit to play.

That is all I am saying.

Unflipping believable. 1-1

Ducks have completely outplayed the Wings this period. That goal could turn this series. Sigh.

I couldn't believe the penalty call. There was the same thing done to Samuellson a minute before this call, and they decided against putting Detroit 5 on 3. And then they call this with under 2 minutes to go. You knew Ducks will score on that.

R-R-R-R-R-R-RATTTTS!!!:gun1: PENALTY! I yelled 'move him out the middle as soon as the puck hit the boards! RATCRAP!!

Geez, what a way to lose a game. Dats takes a bad penalty, Franzen can't clear the zone, Lidstrom tips the tying goal in, and then in OT, Lilja loses the puck and Selanne shakes Hasek out of his pants.

Lilja, you dumbass. What in the heck you're doing??? I can't believe we give up a game like this. Man, we don't deserve the finals.

Y?Y?Y?.......WHAT is he doing ? We had the wrong guy on the ice at the wrong time....crap...Although I do beleive we can win Game 6....what a steal...80 seconds away.....pass the booze..............

You don't sit on a one goal lead..
Lilia is a Filet-of-Idiot.:gun1:

Our shot at four teams in the finals or championship series in a 10 month span (Shock and Tigers last fall), was just blown today i believe. We knew the ducks would pull JS-G in the last minute, but to give them over a minute and a half of 2 man adv due the penalty is just %$@$$%$.

Credit JS-G (I can't spell his name) for turning back what was it 35 shots and the wings failure to capitalize on 6 or so power play ops. Those little mistakes and Liljia goes from hero to goat in a 3.5 hour span.

This game was a downer for me today..%^%&*(. Hopefully the Pistons make feel better tomorrow. Oh by the way, nice comeback sweep of the Cards after getting beat up by them last year and being sucker punched by the Sox last week.

The Wings will play better next game. I just hope Lilja doesn't have a mental setback because he's really improved his play since last year.

He was the goat for turning over the puck, but the Wings also blew a lot of scoring chances.

The pressure is on the Ducks now to close us out at home. If we win, I like the Wings in a game 7 on home ice.

The Wings will play better next game. I just hope Lilja doesn't have a mental setback because he's really improved his play since last year.

He was the goat for turning over the puck, but the Wings also blew a lot of scoring chances.

The pressure is on the Ducks now to close us out at home. If we win, I like the Wings in a game 7 on home ice.

I like your optimism, but I don't know if a team can overcome two heartbreaking overtime losses. I sure hope they can find a way somehow.

WORD TATER. Damn, even NBC said we shouldve won 4-1 by now! damn it!

If you follow a lot of playoff hockey, you know that the later rounds tend to go 6 or 7, and that after the first round, it's all grind it out hockey.

I'll worry when the Ducks win their 4th game and not before. Like San Jose, they haven't shown themselves to be overwhelmingly dominant. They've basically squeaked out some close ones, and with such a young squad, I expect to see Detroit play them even or better in Game 6.

Patience folks. This is a very resilient Wings team that has continued to exceed everyone's expectations.

I'LL TAKE UR WORD FOR It BRO. All i know is that i had chest pains up until that OT goal then I had to take a PeptoBismol shake. I really do believe we can take Game 6 IF we unleash all the forces known to man.
If we lose game 7, it probably wonnt bother me as much as a Game 7 loss would. Like when The Pistons beat the Spurs in game 6 at SA. I was so proud. I wasnt getting a ring anyway, so GAME 6 was my ring(see Lakers vs Isaih game in 88) . Im putting all my eggs in an Anahiem basket!!Go Wings!

Wings need to capitalize on their chances and play better on PP. They outplayed Anaheim for the most of the game and had two mental lapses that cost them the game. At this level they need to play error-free hockey to be able to move on to the finals.

WORD TATER. Damn, even NBC said we shouldve won 4-1 by now! damn it!



I believe this...................
Now, if the players believe, then we come back and win this thing....

GO WINGS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Got home just in time to see 2nd period...1-0 Ducks

Lebda is terrible.

Got home just in time to see 2nd period...1-0 Ducks


Just came on to see the score. Not much interest here at the forum. Hope they can come back and win this one.

Down 2-0.

Wings don't have any get up and go. They look collectively jet lagged.

2-0 now...looks like the Cup will not parade through Motown this summer:gettinghanged:

This is just pure torture.

Wings cannot get a decent bounce, and when they kinda do the puck is bouncing...

This thing is over. You can't give up a goal in a home game with less than a minute to go. Can't take stupid penalties, have to clear the puck out, and can't turn it over in front of your bench. That is a pretty sour end to the good season.

This thing is over. You can't give up a goal in a home game with less than a minute to go. Can't take stupid penalties, have to clear the puck out, and can't turn it over in front of your bench. That is a pretty sour end to the good season.

Agree mikhail. Those last two minutes of regulation on Sunday in game 5 were the longest and most agonizing of the season. Silly penalites and the failure to capitalize on the last 8 or 9 power plays over the last 2 games basically killed the whole season. Sports fans are cheering all over Orange County as the Ducks and Angels are spanking the Motown men.

Down 4-1 now. Hopefully this post will contradict itself later tonight. :pray:

Didn't get to see the game here in Montana, but with a 4-2 score in the 3rd period, gotta wonder what happened to the Dominator.

It is 4-2 now with 6 minutes to go. Zets and Dats are the only two that were consistent throughout.

Well, what do you know? It is a 1 goal game with 3 minutes to go. Maybe a miracle?

Wings going on the powerplay with just under 3 minutes to go in the 3rd.

TO Wings with 2:06 to go in the 3rd and 1:14 to go in the powerplay.

Last minute - still down 1

Time out Anaheim with 32 seconds to go.

Now it is officially over. Close, but no cigar. I'd say this was disappointing.

I sure hope we went with the 6th attacker at the START of the Ducks penalty.
Needed to go for it all........no holding back......

Agree mikhail. Those last two minutes of regulation on Sunday in game 5 were the longest and most agonizing of the season. Silly penalites and the failure to capitalize on the last 8 or 9 power plays over the last 2 games basically killed the whole season. Sports fans are cheering all over Orange County as the Ducks and Angels are spanking the Motown men.

Down 4-1 now. Hopefully this post will contradict itself later tonight. :pray:

Wings almost pulled it out, but "almost" doesn't count.

imagine if they played as hard all game as they did the last few minutes...

imagine if they played as hard all game as they did the last few minutes...

Maybe it was all due to "preventive defense" by Anaheim? I think we all agree that the series was lost in the last minute of the game 5 in Detroit. Just like Pistons lost to Spurs on 3 by Horry.

Talkin bout a heart pounder...good effort in the final 3 minutes but once again, JS ends the Red Wings season. :mmph:

That dang Barry Melrose said that the Ducks would win this series before the first puck was dropped. :frusty:

The Wings blew some opportunites in this series losing games that they should have won, 2, 4 and 5. Heck that shorthanded goal given up tonight and the 4th goal were killers.

Now I guess I will pull for the local Ducks to win the Cup,
Next year...the wings get older and the window is shutting.....

Talkin bout a heart pounder...good effort in the final 3 minutes but once again, JS ends the Red Wings season. :mmph:

That dang Barry Melrose said that the Ducks would win this series before the first puck was dropped. :frusty:

The Wings blew some opportunites in this series losing games that they should have won, 2, 4 and 5. Heck that shorthanded goal given up tonight and the 4th goal were killers.

Now I guess I will pull for the local Ducks to win the Cup,
Next year...the wings get older and the window is shutting.....
I don't think it was necessarily JS that ended the season. He didn't score that goal in the game 5 and he didn't come out flat in the elimination game. But besides that, maybe Wings watched too much Pistons ball and picked the bad habits?
As far as finals, I don't have particular interest, but I hate Pronger and will be rooting for Ottawa to win it all. Give Canada at least something to cheer about in sports.

It's difficult to watch hockey here in the Virgin Islands, where I live. I saw a couple of games this series (games 1 and 4) at a sports bar that has a satellite dish. Tonight, I could not get to that sports bar, and was not even able pick up the radio feed (with Ken and Paul) on nhl.com. I was reduced to just watching the 30 second updates on yahoo sports, which is an awful way to "watch" a hockey game.

What happened on the short-handed goal? Was it a breakaway? Soft goal? That had to be an enormous downer on the team.

And what happened on the Ducks' fourth goal, which came a minute or so after the Wings scored their second?

I also wondered about the Datsyuk penalty in game 5, which can really be regarded as the turning point in the series. Reading about it reminded me of Marty Lapointe's third period interference penalties that cost us a playoff series we were supposed to have won six years ago or so. I did not see any replays of the contact that led to the interference call. Many have criticized it as a bad call, but a few have also described it a a "bad" penalty on Datsyuk's part. He is a great player, and has been a big part of the Wings' success this season, so it would be bad form to harp on one mistake (if it was a mistake). But what exactly transpired? Was he trying to tie up a player who might have gotten loose for a breakaway? Or was it purely incidental contact?

It's difficult to watch hockey here in the Virgin Islands, where I live. I saw a couple of games this series (games 1 and 4) at a sports bar that has a satellite dish. Tonight, I could not get to that sports bar, and was not even able pick up the radio feed (with Ken and Paul) on nhl.com. I was reduced to just watching the 30 second updates on yahoo sports, which is an awful way to "watch" a hockey game.

What happened on the short-handed goal? Was it a breakaway? Soft goal? That had to be an enormous downer on the team.

And what happened on the Ducks' fourth goal, which came a minute or so after the Wings scored their second?

I also wondered about the Datsyuk penalty in game 5, which can really be regarded as the turning point in the series. Reading about it reminded me of Marty Lapointe's third period interference penalties that cost us a playoff series we were supposed to have won six years ago or so. I did not see any replays of the contact that led to the interference call. Many have criticized it as a bad call, but a few have also described it a a "bad" penalty on Datsyuk's part. He is a great player, and has been a big part of the Wings' success this season, so it would be bad form to harp on one mistake (if it was a mistake). But what exactly transpired? Was he trying to tie up a player who might have gotten loose for a breakaway? Or was it purely incidental contact?
He nudged a guy while coming back during Anaheim's players going towards Wings zone. There wasn't much contact, but nowadays they can call anything. Just a minute before that Anaheim interfered with Samuellson but since Anaheim was already short-handed they didn't call a penalty. You have to be aware of the situation and it wasn't just Datsyuk's penalty. It was also going 0 for 8 on powerplay, not clearing the puck out of the zone in the last minute, and turning the puck over near your own goal in the overtime.

Great job wings. I'm very proud of you! :D

Great job wings. I'm very proud of you! :D
Roscoe, we are proud. But there is some sense of underachieving. Although I have to admit that Wings managed to pull the same trick on SJ Anaheim pulled on Wings with a last minute goal and overtime win. I think this team was capable of going all the way, but I guess it wasn't meant to be.

Here are last night's press transcripts. I didn't include the Ducks...

Dominik Hasek: It was very disappointing. What can I say? I mean, they're very aggressive. They're very aggressive around the net and they scored all the goals off of the rebounds and the deflections. I don't know what to say about it. It's sad to lose a game and go home.



Q. What were the final moments like when you were sitting on the bench just watching the flurry of activity for your team and not even having a chance to make it there?

Dominik Hasek: We came back in the third unfortunately after we scored our first one, then they scored a fourth one. We scored two more goals and then we had power play. You're sitting on the bench and you hope for something and unfortunately it didn't come.



Q. (Question about goals being scored early)?

Dominik Hasek: Don't want to blame anyone. We lost three guys. We didn't do our job. We were trying hard. We made some mistakes and they were - like I said, they were very aggressive around the net. They scored three goals on rebounds. It's hard to win if you get up four goals, but still we had a good chance at the end. Unfortunately it didn't go in the net.



Q. What in your mind was the biggest difference in this game? You guys got done to a 3-0 deficit early on. Why?

Henrik Zetterberg: It was some tough goals out there, especially their third one was a real tough one for us. We put a real good effort to come back, and even though they got the fourth goal, came up and scored three goals and had three chances and knowing them - right now it's real tough and -



Q. I know you guys, coming into this - you played the better games throughout the series. These four games, you thought you outplayed them in the series. Did you think they were the better team the entire series?

Henrik Zetterberg: They are (indiscernible) so it's tough to say if they were a better team. They won more games than we did and just got (indiscernible) for them.



Q. How tough is it that you guys came out the way you did in the first period? Obviously the biggest game of the season?

Henrik Zetterberg: Well, you want it so much and we came out and maybe still didn't too much. We were thinking and moving. They just kept coming, kept coming and we didn't have enough (indiscernible) in our team.

So first period I think was a tough one. But I think in the third we played better.



Q. Just talk about the first two periods. What did you see there?

Coach Mike Babcock: It's obvious both teams want to win and they got a shorthanded goal early and I thought we lost our composure a little bit. And in the end you're wanting to win so bad, I thought it got in the way of our poise and our execution.

Yet you gotta give them credit. The Games 4 and 5 where we played at every opportunity to win and let them slip away, that in the end cost us in the end.

You have to tip your hat to Anaheim. They've got a good team and they found a way to get it done and they are going to play a good Ottawa team.



Q. Mike, looked like you were changing a lot of your line combinations for most of the game. Your rally in the third period, was that solely a matter of desperation or did you find an offensive line combination that worked or was it both?

Coach Mike Babcock: The bottom line is when it's not working you better do something about it and so you try to do that. But in the end we were able to claw our way back into the game. You gotta give our guys a lot of credit for that. I thought they really battled. And we had an opportunity, but in the end we didn't get it done.

I don't think it has anything to do with line combinations. It has to do with the will of the individual, and we weren't happy with obviously how things have gone through two periods and wanted to do something about it.



Q. Can you talk about down the stretch there, got a little crazy there on both ends, what were you thinking from the court side?

Coach Mike Babcock: I was thinking we have to find a way to shoot it in the net. The composure - and you're going to see this in the Finals, because the Finals are another level of it, too, is you want to win so bad and you want to be there so bad.

Sometimes you try to do too much and you're not as composed as you should be. And that was evident probably in the finish for them as well. And it affected us early in the game; it affected them late in the game.



Q. Obviously there's disappointment not getting into the Finals. Is there a different feel this year, the fact -

Coach Mike Babcock: We're still playing, so that makes it - last year we were one and out. I am proud of the guys. When Kronwall got hurt in Dallas, I almost threw up on the bench. Just because I thought you lose a marquee D man like that at playoff time, how do you overcome that? When we lost Schneider in game 3 of the San Jose series, you're saying to yourself, how the heck is this going to work? And I thought our guys battled and competed hard. There's not too many teams that could lose Schneider and Kronwall and Schneider and be here and continue to play well and represent the league like our guys did.

So we have a lot of guys come a long way this year to say the least. We're a team that's - everyone talks about how old we are, yet we've added a lot of young people that have done a real good job for us. And we think we're a team that's rebuilding and still trying to stay on top.



Q. Mike, have you talked to Dom yet and what his intentions are for next season?

Coach Mike Babcock: No, I haven't. I'm not going to for a while. Our whole focus, as you can imagine, was just on doing this and everyone's disappointed right now. But we'll have an opportunity to talk to Dom and kind of get our business plan, too, where we're going.



Q. Do you think he can still play?

Coach Mike Babcock: Why not?



Q. Mike, your first two series against Calgary and San Jose were very physical and intense. Do you think maybe you guys got a little bit tired in the first couple of periods tonight, you think that might have showed?

Coach Mike Babcock: No, I don't think that showed one bit. I don't think that had anything to do with it. I mean, the bottom line is, like I said, we let Game 4 and 5 slip away. Tonight they were at home. They scored early, were shorthanded, win a face-off. Got momentum and energy and we weren't handling the pressure they were putting on us with much poise. They ended up scoring. We had 3-0. I thought we got ourselves back in the game. The fourth goal ended up being a killer for us.

I don't think energy level has anything to do with it or who you played in the past. The bottom line is they were able to get it done.

Disappointed with the result but have never been prouder to be a Wings slappy. The boys overachieved in a season where expectations were non-existent to low. Lilja played his heart out, I'd keep him. Datsyuk showed maturity. The loss of Schneider really hurt the PP and defense, with the additional minutes soaked up by Lids and Chelli. Hats of to them. Hasek was unbelievable for the most part and kept us in the thick of things. Ducks got some lucky breaks but are a damn good team. That Getzlaf line was excellent. Giggy stood on his head. Overall a great post-season performance by the Wings. Not sure how the off-season will play out for Lang, Berts and Schneids.

Thanks for the posts guys.

It was a good run.

I like the way the future looks.

Dom played well. But I would still like to see them track down a younger stud for goal.

Osgood isn't the answer, but a solid back-up. (under contract anyway)

Zetts played strong once he got his legs back.

Dats should have silenced all doubters.

Filpulla was awesome for a rookie.

Homer showed how important he really is.

Lang is a question mark, and probably won't be back. Just hasn't produced enough. (UFA)

Samuleson was really streaky, and needs to throw his big body around more.

Bertuzzi will probably be back in my opinion, but it should be for a short contract. (UFA)

Drapes looked steady as usual.

Maltby was his usual agitating self.

Cleary was a great utility player and a big spark. I'll remember the excitement of his penalty shot for a long time.

Franzen seemed slower than usual, and tentative on the physical side.

Hudler should be back and should play a bigger role next season. (RFA)

The Calder experiment was no good, probably gone. He just didn't do enough of what they brought him here to do. (UFA)

Kopecky looked rusty, and couldn't shake it. He'll be back.

Still waiting to see Grigorenko.

Markov should be back, he was a steady stay at home D-man. (UFA)

Schneider has run his course. The PP actually improved when he went out. Let him go play for the Rangers. (UFA)

Lilja played with more physical aggression than I've ever seen him play with. He is under contract.

Kronwall needs to get the voodoo hex taken off of him or something. He's under contarct until 2012, and hasn't had a healthy full season yet.

Chelios is a warrior and will probably be back. (UFA)

Lebda played well, and will only get better.

Lidstrom was Lidstrom and should win the Norris again.

Here's the full scoop (http://www.redwingscentral.com/features/orgchart.html). (that's redwingscentral.com)

Thanks Super!

A good review and a great chart.

Can't wait for our fall fantasy league. You're in I HOPE!!!

Lidstrom is the best "D" man in the league and probably the smartest hockey player of the Yzerman era. His instincts are uncanny and he is workhorse.

Can't wait for our fall fantasy league. You're in I HOPE!!!

Yeah, I should be in. But I'll probably be smoked by you guys again. It's embarassing. No more tutorials!

The F'n Ducks are a bunch of thugs !
Redwings need to man up. After Homer got subdued we had nothing.