Gorilla Crouch

Betuzzi had an immediate impact on the second line
Larry MacDougal - AP Photo

The rumor is that the new NHL is supposed to make the game more entertaining. I guess you can still call it new as it’s been going on for two seasons now. It’s all just a matter of how much the refs want to “impact the game”. Tonight they were front and center, calling a preponderance of absolutley non-existant hooking penalties on both teams. In total there were 9 hooking peanalties called - all in a row none the less. All the players could do was argue with the ref in vain or just smile and look away before heading off to the box.

There’s a reason the NHL’s ratings have been in the toilet since the lockout, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the lawerly interpretation of the rule books is a big part of the reason. Put a stick anywhere near an opposing players midsection, even if for a fraction of a second, and a penalty is called. It completely destroys the flow of the game, and the second and third periods had no flow at all. It seemed the refs just couldn’t let the game be played for more than 5 minutes during the second period before they had to send a Calgary or Detroit player to the penalty box. It shouldn’t be much of a surprise then that only one goal was scored over the final 40 minutes when the previous 20 minutes featured pretty solid play and 4 goals.

The irony of course was that this was a game that featured very little chippy play. The lone exception was also a case of complete over-reaction by the officials, as Jarome Iginla nudged Dominik Hasek at the 7:16 mark of the first. Hasek fell down and then waived his stick towards Iginla (but didn’t come close to making contact or even look particularly threatening) as the Calgary player circled behind the Detroit net. Of course an unsportsmanlike penalty was called for what was essentially nothing as far as playoff hockey goes.

Special teams played a big role again as Calgary scored two power play goals and Detroit went 0-6 with the man advantage. For those keeping score Detroit has scored 0 power play goals and the Flames has scored 4 at the Saddledome. Detroit didn’t help matters for their power play units by constantly throwing the puck back to the point for weak shots from up near the blueline that had little to no chance of beating Kiprusoff. It was an unpleasant reminder of how Detroit played in previous playoff losses. The team still managed 2 even strength goals, but as I have mentioned several times before, it typically takes 3 goals to win a game in the playoffs.

Detroit needed a map to find the front of the net tonight
Jeff McIntosh - AP Photo

Heading back home to Detroit, Mike Babcock should make decisions about ice time based on a player’s willingness to drive to the net. I only recall seeing three times when a Detroit player really went to the net during the third period: Datsyuk went in front of the net and drew a penalty; Franzen went to the net and generated a high-quality scoring chance; and Valtteri Filppula went to the net and had a high quality scoring chance.

All four lines have scored two goals, so each line is dangerous at even strength. So the coach can award ice time based on whether or not a player will drive the net. Dan Cleary has, Todd Bertuzzi has, Valtteri Filppula has, Johan Franzen has, and Pavel Datsyuk did at least twice, the first one resulting in a good putback opportunity for Tomas Holmstrom.

This is what Mike Babcock has preached all season long - going into the hard areas. It’s the only way the Red Wings - with their horrible special teams play - can grab control of this series again. If a forward is unwilling to go to the net, or in pavlovian fashion just throws the puck back to the point, he needs to be bumped down to a lower line or just flat out scratched. There’s no excuse for settling for weak shots from the perimeter. The last three playoff rounds have proven that definitively.

Calgary Flames NHL Playoffs Red Wings

April 19th, 2007
Categories: Red Wings . Author: Dave

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