Gearing up for Game One
Ansar Khan of MLIVE believes we’ll see a low scoring series. I agreed in my preview for the series. Khan also includes a quote from Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle on Detroit’s ability to withstand the forecheck.
“They have played against two strong forechecking clubs in Calgary and San Jose and they’ve weathered the storm,'’ Carlyle said. “In a lot of ways, people have probably looked at them and said, `They weren’t going to do this, they weren’t going to do that,’ but they’ve done it. They have earned their opportunity to be here. They haven’t done it with smoke and mirrors.”
The Sharks did have some success forechecking Detroit, but the Red Wings adapted by going less d to d [defenseman to defenseman] and foresaking puck possession to move the puck up the ice. The Ducks could have more success forechecking the Red Wings defensemen but Detroit has shown an ability to adapt and minimize the effectiveness of the forecheck.
Jean Sebastian Giguere echoed his former coach’s ability to adapt in this article from Khan:
“We’re going to have to match their readiness. [Babcock’s] never going to be caught off-guard in what he does.'’
It looks like Detroit will keep the lineup they used in Game 6 against San Jose. That means Kyle Calder will be in the lineup and that Brett Lebda should play. If Lebda can’t go he will be replaced by Derek Meech.
Helene St. James from the Free Press reports that Todd Bertuzzi is starting to make an impact for the Red Wings after sitting out the bulk of the season while recovering from back surgery. His contributions thus far have been mostly by wearing down the opposition:
Bertuzzi, whom the Wings acquired at the trade deadline specifically to make them stronger in the playoffs, has one goal and four assists. His bigger impact has been, and will continue to be, as a physical presence. The Ducks, like the Sharks and Flames, have to respect him when he has the puck because of his soft hands. And when he doesn’t have the puck, he’ll tire out those who play against him.
“He ran some of San Jose’s defensemen over a few games, and that wears them down,” Nicklas Lidstrom said. “He helps just with his size. He’s tough to play against when he’s hanging onto the puck down low, and that can tire a defense down when you have to chase a guy like him around.”
Now Bertuzzi’s value increases because, with Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer, the Ducks have two beacons on defense. Pronger and his partner, Sean O’Donnell, will be out against Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, leaving Niedermayer and Francois Beauchemin to deal with a second line that morphs among Bertuzzi, Samuelsson, Valtteri Filppula, Robert Lang and Johan Franzen.
It will be even better for Detroit if Bert can contribute by potting a couple goals. His skating definitely looked better in the series against San Jose so his game seems to be coming to him the more he plays.
Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News talked with a Western Conference scout and got his take on the series. I am not sure of this guy’s credentials but I like his take on the series. Some excerpts:
“This is the type of series they got Bertuzzi for,” the scout said. “Anaheim will be physical. He has to be, too.
“Lidstrom is the best player on either team. He will find a way to take over. As for Hasek, he looks like he’s in a zone. Anaheim can’t let him get comfortable.
“I like the Wings in this series. They’ve looked impressive since the playoffs began. It’s a well-coached team. I like the veterans the Wings have. They’ve been through this before.”
The scout also had good things to say about Johan Franzen, who tends to be an unkown player to fans outside of Detroit - at least that was the case before he scored the goal that won the Calgary series.
John Niyo takes a look at the PPG line for the Ducks. They’ve been very tough in the playoffs.
Already dubbed the PPG line — their initials stand for points per game — they’ve been clicking as a unit since late February, with 30 goals in the final 19 games of the regular season. They’ve combined for seven goals — four winners — and 10 assists in the playoffs.
Getzlaf is the most complete player among the three, while Perry helps stir up trouble and Penner — at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds — plays a lot like a young Todd Bertuzzi .
”We do have a lot of chemistry between us, and obviously me and Perry have played quite a bit,” said Getzlaf, who, like Perry, was a first-round pick in 2003. “We’re a strong cycling group, and as long as we can control that puck, we’re a really effective line.”
He also talks about Todd Marchant, who has been cleared to play in this series. His return is a big reason it will be in Detroit’s best interest to capitalize on having home ice for the first two games. His game will probably be a little rough early on, but as he rounds into shape he could help Anaheim use 4 forward lines. He was also very effective for the Ducks in last year’s playoffs.
Matt over at On the Wings has his Gameday article up. Brennan over at Gloveside marks his return with an open letter of apology to the Red Wings for his hiatus. Good to have you back and I hope all is going well with the move!
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