Random thoughts on Game 3
-The shots on goal will likely be a key indicator for the Red Wings on how the game goes. If the Wings can hold the Avs to somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 shots on goal it will likely be a great sign for Detroit. While Chris Osgood might have a good game with a heavy workload the odds are much better that he holds Colorado to fewer than 3 goals if he doesn’t face a ton of shots on goal.
-For the Avs the key will likely be how Peter Forsberg and Jose Theodore look. Theodore has struggled during the first two games but if he is fully recovered from the flu bug it’s expected he’ll fare better. Forsberg hasn’t played in this series and his injury has been described as a pulled groin. If that’s truly the case it could significantly impact his play. If it’s a relatively minor injury and he can return at anywhere close to full strength he will greatly aid the Avs in their attempts to get back into this series.
-One guy I think can play a big role for Detroit on the road is Jiri Hudler. The little winger is averaging a point a game during the series. He averaged just under a point a game in the series against Nashville. With the Avs likely focusing on doing everything they can to shut down Detroit’s top two lines I think there’s a chance for h00dlum to do some damage against the third and fourth lines and third defensive pairing.
-Matchups to follow are how Colorado tries to defend Detroit’s forward lines. Here have been the main matchups thus far:
Adam Foot and Kurt Sauer against the Zettberg-Datsyuk-Holmstrom line.
Ruslan Salei and Jordon Leopold against the Mule-Fil-Samuelsson line.
It hasn’t worked out so well. The top 3 forwards for Detroit have tallied 6 even-strength points [2 goals, 4 assists]. The second line has also scored 6 even-strength points [3 goals, 3 assists].
But the Scott Hannan and John-Michael Liles pairing did pretty well in Game 1, scoring a goal and Liles was on the ice for two of Colorado’s three goals. In all he’s been on the ice for three of Colorado’s four goals. Liles is Colorado’s best offensive threat from the blueline so he’ll likely have to log big minutes for Colorado to get their offense going. Liles will have his best chances to make a positive impact when going up against Detroit’s third and fourth lines and the third pairing on defense. The three times he’s been on the ice for a Colorado goal it’s come against Detroit’s third defensive pairing [Cheli three times, Lebda twice and Lilja once].
-While there can be no doubt the Red Wings completely dominated the two games in Detroit, Game 3 will ultimately determine whether this is going to be a short series or a dogfight. The Avs are counting on the return of Peter Forsberg and Scott Hannan, as well as Jose Theodore looking more like the goaltender he was during the series against Minnesota. If Colorado can win Game 3 behind a strong performance by Theodore it will no doubt give them a ton of confidence.
-If Detroit can continue to carry play as they have over the majority of the series thus far and can put another four-spot up on Theodore then the series will for all intents and purposes be over. I don’t think Detroit has to change much right now. Their third pairing is perhaps their biggest concern, and if that’s the case you are obviously doing alright. If the Avs can get their scoring lines on the ice against Detroit’s 5th and 6th defensemen then that will likely provide their best chance of scoring against the Red Wings.
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