Gorilla Crouch

Here’s a quick look at the first game through the questions I asked about the team last night. The Red Wings obviously won 3-1.

5. How will Brad Stuart perform for the Wings?

Stuart had a strong game as the second defensive pairing looked great. He even got some time on the second power play on the point, which is where Mikael Samuelsson typically plays. In all he played 22 minutes, was +1 and put three shots on goal. Overall this was a positive sign as he played a good game.

4. How will the younger forwards look?

I have no idea as they spent the game in the press box. Mikael Samuelsson did play though and he looked good. One of the benefits of having younger guys push for playing time is they really push the vets and that can be a good thing. Sammy matched Henrik Zetterberg with a team-high 8 shots on goal. There were a couple times where he went to the hard areas and got a decent scoring chance. He was on the ice for the lone Nashville goal but it was a bit of a fluky goal. As long as Samuelsson and Hartigan play well it will limit the chances Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm get into the lineup.

3. Who will provide scoring depth for Detroit?

Fortunately the Red Wings didn’t need much in the way of scoring depth last night. Their best players [leading goal scorer and hottest player over the past month or so] were their best players and scored all three goals with the final one being an empty netter. Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom were all +2 last night. Z scored two goals while Datsyuk and Lidstrom each tallied an assist. Jason Arnott and Alexander Radulov, in contrast, didn’t register a shot on goal between them. JP Dumont was -3 but did register two shots on goal. Martin Erat was -1 and also put two shots on net.

2. Will the Wings solve Dan Ellis?

Dan Ellis had a strong game in net for the Preds, stopping 94.9% of the shots he faced. As a result he was named the third star of the game. The Wings, though, played the way they need to play by getting shots on net and traffic in front of the net. Zetterberg and Samuelsson both had good chances in front of the net and Valtteri Filppula drew a penalty on Greg Zanon when he had a good scoring chance in front of the net. If the Wings continue to pressure him they are going to continue to narrow his margin for error.

1. Will Dom play like the Dominator?

Dom wasn’t quite the Dominator but he played a solid game in net. You couldn’t fault him for the lone goal he gave up that came off a redirect. Detroit allowed 11 shots on goal in the first period but then dialed up the pressure and allowed 9 shots over the next two periods of play.

OT - tough loss for the Michigan Wolverines last night in the Frozen Four. The one benefit of being a Michigan fan and alumni is you can usually tell how the team is going to do within the first 10 or so minutes of most games. When Billy Sauer let in a couple soft goals in the first period you knew the Wolverines weren’t likely to overcome those gaffes. Sauer really improved his game this season and deserves credit for that, but it’s clear he still has some parts of his game to work on.

The Irish have a very good coach in Jeff Jackson and they are going to be a force in the CCHA. All season we heard about how good the WCHA is but with Michigan, Michigan State, Miami and Notre Dame the CCHA is going to do pretty well in the NCAA tournaments for the foreseeable future.

Michigan Hockey Red Wings

April 11th, 2008
Categories: Red Wings, Michigan Hockey . Author: Dave

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