Top Shelf: Detroit Rally City
NHL March 14th. 2008, 10:30am
Lee Diekemper recaps the night in the NHL.
Detroit 5, Dallas 3: Trailing 3-1 in the second, the Wings scored four unanswered goals, three in the third period. The Wings, winners of five straight, seem to have weathered their losing streak from a few weeks ago and a rash of injuries as well. They’re also the first team to clinch a playoff berth and have captured the Central Division.
New Jersey 4, Minnesota 3 (SO): Marty Brodeur came up big when the Devils needed him, stopping all shots in overtime and the shootout. Jamie Langenbrunner, who scored the game-winner, says the Devils control their own destiny. Really? You mean, say, the Blues or the Thrashers don’t control your destiny?
Ottawa 3, Montreal 0: Jason Spezza had a pair of goals as the Sens drilled the dreaded Habs. Martin Gerber recorded his second shutout.
Tampa Bay 3, Boston 1: Doesn’t anyone want the seventh and eighth seeds in the Eastern Conference? First the Flyers lose a pair in two days to the lousy Leafs, now the Bruins drop a home game to the flat Lightning. The way the Flyers and Bruins are playing, Washington and Florida might get back in the playoffs.
Colorado 5, Edmonton 1: Rookie David Jones’ second career goal helped the Avs take first place in the Northwest, despite Ryan Smyth and Peter Forsberg still being sidelined.
27 Responses to “Top Shelf: Detroit Rally City”
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March 14th, 2008 at 10:33 AM
sorry to comment here hockey fans, but i am a big fan of the movie Detroit Rock City. thats all…
take it away Jesus…
March 14th, 2008 at 10:33 AM
Lemaire needs to learn how to coach 3 periods. That asshole fucking plays so damn conservative after building a lead that teams keep coming back and either beating them or taking it to OT. This has become the theme of the season.
March 14th, 2008 at 10:35 AM
pki: The last month and a half has been agony. It’s time for Lemaire to go.
March 14th, 2008 at 10:39 AM
NHL ‘95 – breakaway left right left right scoop and shoot. – Al Iafrate
March 14th, 2008 at 10:40 AM
I hate the phrase control your own destiny. Pittsburgh, The Devils and Rangers can all win the division if they win out because they all play each other down the stretch.
March 14th, 2008 at 10:40 AM
I’m starting to agree with y’all. I have no issues with Risebrough, but it’s time to go with a more open ice coach. And one that won’t sit one of your bigger (albeit older) defensemen EVERY GAME.
March 14th, 2008 at 10:45 AM
Irish, welcome to hockey land!
March 14th, 2008 at 10:50 AM
I know Peter Forsberg being hurt is old news, but I didn’t get to comment when the news first broke, so let me now say, “hahahahahahahahhahahahaha!!” I can’t wait until Colorado gets smoked in the first round!
March 14th, 2008 at 10:56 AM
Detroit Red Wings
8 straight seasons of 100+ points
17 consecutive playoff appearances
Not too shabby after surviving the “Dead Wings” of the 70’s and early 80’s.
March 14th, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Hasek is hurt again for the Red Wings, but I don’t know that it matters. Osgood has played well this season and the team doesn’t seem to miss a beat. It will be interesting to see if Hasek can play through injuries during the playoffs.
I like what Colorado is doing – they got almost everyone healthy (the Avs really missed Stastny) and Jose Theodore is providing good goaltending. As stacked as the West is, the Avs have a decent shot – the only “unbeatable” teams are the Ducks and Red Wings.
The East is a nightmare – too many teams that are too close together. While I would love to see Ovechkin in the playoffs, the Capitals can’t catch the Hurricanes for the division crown and there are too many teams in the way to sneak in as the 8th seed.
March 14th, 2008 at 11:03 AM
Feisty today huh? Let me say that we here in Avs land don’t really care until the playoffs. Besides it’s a minor injury, a groin pull is pretty expected from a 34 year old player who hasn’t played in a year.
And I agree LeMaire needs to go, it makes the Wild instantaneously more likable (and watchable). I mean I can’t even watch their games and I have a vested interest in them losing.
also for everyone: There should be no debate about the Hart, Ovie, Malkin, Iggy.. bleh. Lidstrom should win. Detroit is a completely different team with him in the lineup. If he’s not the MVP this season, no defender will ever win it again
March 14th, 2008 at 11:07 AM
Jesus-
The Avs stack up well against the Ducks. They are every bit as physical, except they don’t take the stupid (i.e. dirty) penalties that the Ducks do. They also have a good set of defensive forwards that help eliminate the Pronger-Niedemeyer duo on the bluelinie which is where the Ducks create their offense.
That being said I think Anaheim is the worst first-round matchup for anyone, because if a team can beat them they’ll be so beat up that you’ll probably get smoked in the second round.
March 14th, 2008 at 11:10 AM
Listen, EVERYONE was making a big deal about the Forsberg signing, and he immediately proved why his signing was stupid. He hasn’t played in a year and here he is sidelined again with an injury. Even if he gets “healthy” in time for the playoffs, he’s missed the end of the season and won’t be in any type of playoff shape!
In an unrelated note, what’s up with the avatars? If use firefox on my home computer, I can see everyone’s avatar, but when I’m on explorer here at work, only a handful of pictures work. What’s the deal?
March 14th, 2008 at 11:16 AM
Jesus,
Is it too forward to ask for a “miracle” and have Hasek returned to his earlier, dominating, healthier form?
March 14th, 2008 at 11:18 AM
And jibblescribbits1, you are exactly correct, the Wings cannot plug the hole when Lidstrom is out. 26+ minutes per game of ridiculously good defensive play, puck movement and power play prowess is impossible to replace. The dude is just unreal, and because he plays D, forgotten.
He should garner some MVP talk, but alas, he won’t.
March 14th, 2008 at 11:22 AM
GYD, Lidstrom is definitely getting MVP talk, I just watched a clip of last night’s game on ESPN, Barry Melrose says Lidstrom will be the MVP and win the Norris trophy.
Didn’t realize Holmstrom is out with an abdominal injury… I hope we can go easy and get our guys healthy to start the playoffs. I don’t want to go into them on a losing streak, but the older guys need some rest so they’re fresh for April.
March 14th, 2008 at 11:31 AM
sportsgal, add Draper to the list of the injured. He reportedly has a small groin tear. Doesn’t sound good.
Now, if we can just keep Kronwall from injuring himself again…
March 14th, 2008 at 11:36 AM
Kronwall should only be allowed to play in every other game and have to wear full body padding.
March 14th, 2008 at 11:38 AM
I don’t see why it was stupid. It cost the Avs all of $1M, no draft picks, no prospects. Ifhe plays they get an elite player (still playing very well, when he’s on the ice) and if he doesn’t play nothing. He’s not on the cap for next season either, that was just wasted cap space before.
(The media DID make too much out of it, but the move itself was smart. Low risk, high reward)
Jesus, if you’re working on hockey players I know a cripple (Forsberg) that needs healed a lot more than that ass.
March 14th, 2008 at 11:47 AM
It’s stupid to spend any money on a guy who rarely plays! But hey, what do I care, Avs aren’t my team!
March 14th, 2008 at 12:01 PM
Sorry, Glass Yard Dog and jibblescribits1 – there are some things I shouldn’t do. Not saying I can’t do them, just that I shouldn’t.
Besides, Osgood has been rejuvenated in Detroit and Forsberg was a low-risk/high-reward signing. You are both covered in either eventuality.
March 14th, 2008 at 12:05 PM
@jibblescribits1:
I like the way the Avs have played since the trade deadline. I think once Smyth gets healthy (if he can before the end of the season) the Avs will be a serious threat. They project as a better playoff team than the Flames (too inconsistent), Wild (quietly revolting against the coach and his system) or Canucks (it rests on Luongo). If, a big if, Theodore continues to play well, the Avs could win a round.
But I like Me some Anaheim Ducks. Brian Burke has crafted a well-built playoff team. Now that Selanne is back in gear and everyone knows their role, this is a team that should steamroll to the finals. They have the goaltending, defense and scoring to match up against anyone in the West. Add to that the fact that the Ducks can intimidate opponents with their “chippy” play and I would tab them as the favorites.
Of course, the Ducks could get swept in the first round after that endorsement, but I like their chances.
March 14th, 2008 at 12:15 PM
RE: Jacques Lemaire – I think Risebrough will stand behind his former teammate and the system. I don’t know if that is a good thing or not, but Risebrough and Lemaire feel this is the way the Wild have to play to win. I might argue that offensive talents like Gaborik, Bouchard and Demitra should have a little leeway to free-lance, I do know the coaches and front office disagree.
I think the real problem is that Minnesota has too many “character” players on the roster. Does a team really need Chris Simon, Derek Boogaard and Todd Fedoruk? Plus Aaron Voros and Matt Foy – that’s a lot of grit with little result.
If push comes to shove, and ownership stands behind the front office, I think Gaborik will leave and Lemaire will stay.
March 14th, 2008 at 12:21 PM
Well the Marketing and merchandise and ticket sales that the Avs got from signing Forsberg will pay itself back, so really it’s the possibility of an elite player for free. No risk at all.
How does Jesus like the dirtiest team in the league? I mean Sportsgal and I may not agree on much, but I’m sure we can agree that the Ducks are dirty cheapshots who basically cheat their way to win games.
March 14th, 2008 at 12:53 PM
I. Hate. The Ducks. There’s no person in the league I’d like to punch more than Chris Pronger. Just talking about them gets me fired up!
March 14th, 2008 at 1:42 PM
Congratulations on the win jibblescribbits.
I think there are only three teams that could go the Stanley Cup finals from the West: Anaheim, Colorado, and Calgary. Of the teams currently in the playoffs (if the season ended today) Minnesota doesn’t have much in the way of consistent scoring besides Gaborik, Vancouver is soft, Detroit is inconsistent in the playoffs as is San Jose and Dallas.
March 14th, 2008 at 3:55 PM
@sportsgal:
careful he’ll cut your calf
@Lohur: As an Avs fan I’d like to attribute last night’s win to purely Avs dominance, but the Oil looked like 3 OT wins in a row may have taken something out of them. I’m not complaining (at all) but the Oil didn’t look to have their heads in the game as much last night.