Justice!!

If you watched the Dallas Stars face the Detroit Red Wings yesterday, or if you watched any highlight shows, you'll be familiar with Mike Ribeiro's 'slash' on Chris Osgood. If you didn't catch it, watch the clip below.



The NHL announced today there will be fines for Steve Ott, Mike Ribeiro and yes, even Chris Osgood, but there will be no suspensions.

Now, I'm not going to claim that Mike Ribeiro was in the right here. Clearly this was the act of a desperate and very frustrated man, and in no way is a two hand slash to the chest acceptable.

That said, what Chris Osgood did was simply an embarrassment. The way he went down one would have likely concluded Osgood had taken a hit to the head or blown an ACL, and the way he stayed down implied there was no chance of him possibly returning to play later in the series, let alone happily answer reporters questions after the game. Christ, I thought he was due in ICU for at least a month. I would hope somebody at least provided Osgood with a band-aid.

"I do have a lot of padding up there but it got me in the side where I didn't have much," he said of the Ribeiro slash. "It did hurt a bit.

"It was kind of a full swing right to the side. But I'll be fine, I'm sure. A little sore, but I'll be fine." (TSN)

Is Osgood going for an Oscar or a Cup?

Forget the fact Osgood gets paid to take 90MPH pucks off his chest for a living, that slash wouldn't have hurt a man without an Ironman-like chest protector.

Again, what Ribeiro did was classless and I would have fully supported a Ribeiro suspension, but there is no way the league can look at the incident on replays and ignore the triple lutz that occurs right after the slash. Ribeiro made himself look bad, Osgood made the game look bad and practically dared the league to support his clown act.

Good on the NHL for washing their hands of the whole incident.

Is This the Best Flames Team Since '89, or the Worst?

I sometimes cannot honestly tell whether to laugh or cry when I watch the Flames, although I did a bit of both watching them at the Saddledome Thursday night vs. the Red Wings.

Whenever I watch games I like to think about the storylines going into the game and it usually helps me decide how I'm going to approach this blog. MG did a nice piece about game strategy in terms of line matchups, and I had the idea of writing a column comparing this edition of the Flames to the team that won it all in 1989 (not trying to tempt fate or anything.) I was also considering examining my claim from last year that the time to win is now - it's possible the Iginla-Regehr-Kipprusoff extention has changed that and we're back to being patient again. But as the game wore on I realized I have to ask what the hell is going on with this team...again.

As I just mentioned, MG wanted to look at the matchups - in the end, I don't think it really mattered. For one, every goal against was with a unique defensive group. Sarich and Ericksson on for 1st goal against, Phaneuf and Aucoin for the second, Ericksson and Warrener on the third, and Sarich and Regehr for the fourth. While there was no clear statistical trend, a couple defenceman stood out for all the wrong reasons.

Anders Ericksson played simply terrible on just about every shift. His positioning and decision making are horrendous and he was definately the Flames worst defenceman. The real suprise was how bad Robyn Regehr looked brutal. His +1 rating belied the fact he was often out of position and more often than not made bad outlet passes or simply couldn't handle the puck at all - he was Tony Amonte on defence.

Now, MG posists that (based on Desjardin's numbers which I don't fully understand) Phanuef is doing a better job at suppressing opposition scoring than Regehr. This is potentially true, but I also think there is a question of opponent quality. While Phaneuf is playing more minutes, Regehr's minutes more closely mirror the minutes of top players on the opposition, leading me to believe Keenan is trying to match Regehr with the opposition's best. Phaneuf is getting softer minutes which allows him to play longer and take advantage of his offensive instincts.

Up front, I often wondered (aloud) if Owen Nolan would ever win a puck race. Sure he drew a couple penalties, but he always looks like he's at a standstill out there. This was a guy that played for Team Canada in 2002 (although on the worst line with Lindros and Smyth). Does Nolan even have a purpose when out on the ice? Is there a reason shouldn't just sit him?

Mike Babcock got outcoached by MacTavish in 2006, but I don't think he's been outcoached since. Because of this, I don't think the matchups mattered much - Detroit simply outthought the Flames throughout the whole game. This looked like the 2007 playoffs all over again, with Detroit simply shutting down passing lanes and using their forecheck to cause turnovers. It doesn't help that the Flames basically do not have a defenceman capable of moving the puck, but it was a weakness that was certainly glaring on Thursday. And while hapless Flames fans intoned their team to 'at least hit somebody' Detroit moved the puck too well to let that happen. Except for the first 7 or so minutes in the first and 5 minutes in the third, the Flames were severly outclassed. Sure the Flames had a couple bad breaks in terms of posts or bounces, but this game was an illustration of the lack of consistency in the Flames game.

Is this the best Flames team since 89? Maybe on paper, but that's about it.

Calgary Flames vs. Detroit Red Wings - Red Wings win Series 4-2

Well, I think first and foremost, you have to hand it to the Red Wings for their execution of their gameplan. I would say in every aspect of the game, they for the most part had their way with the Calgary Flames. 3 of the 4 lines were constant scoring threats and just general pains in the asses to play against. It's a bit of a lark to call the Cleary - Draper - Maltby line a '3rd line' because they were a true two-way force and arguably made the difference in the series. MVP for Detroit might have to go to Danny Cleary, I would say he was their best all around player in the series.

Mike Babcock in particular deserves kudos for imposing his will upon the Calgary Flames. If you want any more proof of the superiority of his in game systems (compared to Playfair's joke of a system) then simply look at the shots on net. While Calgary managed 129 shots in 6 games, Detroit managed to put 255 shots on Miikka Kipprusoff and Co. I think if you looked at possession times or in zone times, the results would be just as overwhelming.

I know this isn't really a coaching stat, but if I could find face % I think Detroit would show their domination once again.

All in all, Calgary's 'team game' came down to one thing: relying on the heroics of Kipprusoff. Otherwise, this wouldn't have even been a series, it would have been a Germany on France blitzkreig.

The good news for Calgary? Well, I would bet Amonte's done with the team. Same goes for McCarty who actually dressed for the warm up. Most importantly: I think Playfair got his chance, and he showed how embarresingly antiquated his coaching techniques were. Someone suggested to me he might 'step down/resign' to save face, but I just hope he's gone. Can I get an amen?

Kelly Hrudey and Craig Simpson

After announcing that Jamie Mclennan received a 5 game suspension, both of the aforementioned men were quick to say the punishment was overly severe (and this coming from a man, Hrudey, who recently told me at a Q&A session that he wished the NHL would start handing out much more severe disciplinary sentences to players and coaches). Craig Simpson said that watching the action live, it looked like Jamie really smoked Franzen, but upon review of the play, it was obviously not a serious slash. (Franzen himself confirmed this when he acknowledged he was more surprised than hurt. So surprised in fact, he fell to the ground for several minutes while Detroit trainers evaluated his psychological well being...). I don't really blame Franzen for hamming it up, it was his best option to help his team at that point. But let's call this what it is: the league over-reacting because the game was broadcast for a nationally televised American audience.

Like I mentioned in my last post, Turco got 2 games for knocking out a few of Smytty's teeth with his stick. Trust me, that was a far more brutal play. The league disciplinarian remains the same, so what changed? I'll let that question hang.

As for Daymond Langkow and Jarome Iginla, Hrudey and Simpson both agreed no further discipline was necessary. In fact BOTH men were quick to condone the actions of Jarome Iginla, and remarked that his play was remarkably similar to another dirty but great hockey player: Mark Messier (Jarome Iginla's boyhood hero).

Hrudey suggested to Simpson that whenever the Oilers were out of an important game in the Moose days, Messier would take it upon himself to go out there and send a message to the other team, a message that said if you want to beat us, you will have to pay the price.

To say that either of these men (especially Craig Simpson) have anything to gain by defending Iginla or the Flames would be a lark.

Craig Simpson and Kelly Hrudey: Classless? Dinosaurs? Embarrassments?

Ex-NHLers?

When it rains...

Well, not only did the Flames get blown out today, but Sidney Crosby officially declined to play for Team Canada at the 2007 IIHF World Hockey Championship. Incredibly disappointing for the team, but also understandable.

Remember how badly Dion Phaneuf played with a broken foot against Anaheim in the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs. Remember how badly Chris Pronger played with a broken foot in the 2006 Olympics in Turin/Torino?

Sidney Crosby was arguably the best player on the ice for BOTH teams in that series.

Dear lord, imagine him healthy.

He will be sorely missed by Team Canada, but as expected, Jordan Staal has accepted the invitation and will join his brother Eric. I'm not sure how well he could handle added ice time, but I wouldn't mind seeing the two play together on a regular shift. Interestingly enough, the last time Canada iced a brother tandem (Rob and Scott Neidermeyer) they won Gold (2004).

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To give the Flames credit, they didn't get totally embarressed in the first period. They kept the game tight and could just as easily have gone into the intermission ahead as tied (or behind as well). But give full marks to a Detroit team that simply elevated their game.

Hell, props to Danny Cleary for getting back up. A hell of a game for the newfie (I say that term with affection for all my newf readers), and actually, a hell of a series for the guy. He's made an impact in every game so far, and his contributions may end up being the difference in the series.

Regarding Calgary's goonery. Well, I wholehartedly support it. I know I may be a dinosaur in terms of my opinion, but sometimes a team just has to do things like that. It's something that happens in every level of hockey, and it is not 'suprising' as my boy Pierre and the other NBC commentators tried to sell it.

It was interesting comparing the coverage of the game from the NBC crew (selling it primarily to Detroit fans and an American public thats pretty ignorant) and the CBC crew (selling it to primarily a Calgary crowd). The NBC crew tried to downplay the violence as dispicable, dire, and unmotivated by Detroit. The CBC crew tried to sell it as having utility and perhaps being a necessary evil. Of course, which side you agree with will probably depend on which team you cheer for.

Just a couple thoughts on the various incidents though:

Daymond Langkow - Good for you. I thought the hit you took was by far the most intentionally dirty play of the series, and perhaps post season (Burrows slash aside). You weren't near the puck, weren't expecting a hit, and definatley weren't expecting to get clipped on the knees. The irony is that your little sucker punch didn't do nearly as much damage as the boards did to the Detroit player's knee. That looked bad.

Jarome Iginla - Pierre asked what you were doing killing off a 5-3 with only a couple minutes to go, but I knew. You were there to start shit, and you did. I have no doubt that you gave Schneider a bit of a butt end, but it was a love tap. And yes, you deserved a penalty for that AND the crosscheck, but lets face it, the physics of that crosscheck were all wrong for him to fall that way. Another embellishment, but thats ok, you had to do what you had to do, and he had to do what he had to do.

Jamie McLennan - what more can be said? Obviously you were told to go raise some hell, I think you were trying to create room for Kipper, and quite honestly, I thought you gave Franzen a love tap. I saw Smytty get a real two hander from Turco to the FACE and he got two games, so either he got a severe underpunishment or you got an overpunishment. It really doesn't matter either way because you did your job and I'm sure the team is proud of you. Oh, and Don Cherry and the rest of Canada saw you take the jab to the neck which was a cheap shot too, so we know you were at least moderately provoked.

Marcus Nilson - well Pierre said you were unprovoked when you went after Drapes but we all saw the flying elbow he threw at you and missed, so I totally understand what you were doing. Hell, I would have done the same.

Other notes:
Kristian Huselius - your hands have turned to stone at the worst possible time.
Alex Tanguay - could you PLEASE stop taking offensive zone penalties? It's really a problem.
Rhett Warrener - hang on buddy, I hear your new hip is coming in soon!

Calgary Flames vs. Detroit Red Wings - Game 5 - The Man, The Legend

The Legend:

He haunts the dreams of Red Wings' shooters. He has to. Calgary has been outplayed for arguably 4 straight games, or at least 9/12 or so periods. But in only one game were they totally out of it by the third, and two of those games they won. Almost the sole reason for the Flames success lies between the pipes. The Finnish Wonder, the Mad Puck Theif. Kipper.

His save percentage is only 5th in the league in this playoff season, but he's behind Giguere (who has only played a couple games and whose team dominated their opponents), Luongo and Turco (both of whom have not faced many quality shots due to their teams' defensive play) and Lundqvist (whose team ran roughshod over their first round opponents). Kipper has also made significantly more saves/minute on the ice, making a save about .63/minute. Luongo and Turco have been much less busy, making only about .46 and .43/minute respectively. Lundqvist and Giguere? Well they aren't even close.

The Man:

As good as Kipper is, he's beatable. His goals against average is 2.75, 12th among playoff goalies. Even though thats mostly due to his team's ineptitude, it is what is is. Kipper has the burden of dealing with his team, and the Detroit Red Wings get the priviledge of dealing with his team.

He hasn't won often on the road this season, and not at all in this playoff series. Although he played heroically in Detroit, he still lost. The Red Wings know they can score on him, and they know they can beat him.

And Kipper has been known to have a bad game every once in a while. It happens to all great players, to think it won't is unrealistic.

Can the Flames ride out a bad game by Kipper? Can the Flames win on the road? Game 5 of this series will probably end up being the deciding game. If the Flames can steal today's game, they should be able to finish the series off in Game 6. Lose, and don't be suprised if Detroit steals the next one in the 'Dome. A lot is riding on this game, in all liklihood, it is the series.

One final thought: We will not see the Flames from game 1 & 2 at the Joe Louis. It will be a different team. That is my expectation anyway.

Calgary Flames vs. Detroit Red Wings Game 3 Post Game

Just overall a wierd time at the 'Dome. The place was rocking 10 minutes before puck drop, and it was a lot more raucus then I thought it would be. I don't know if the TV michs picked it up, but the speakers (I assume) went crazy in the third and started emitting a very low frequency pulse; it sounded like there were several helicopters circling the building. Eventually the speakers started making a ringing sound, as if it was a fire alarm. These wierd sounds lasted at least 10 minutes, and I must say, they really added to the tension in the game. To tell you the truth, I didn't think Calgary had what it took to come back. Dion looked hurt, the Flames looked dejected. For the Red Wing readers, THAT was the good Flames that had (have?) at least a chance to win the series.

For the rest of the game story, just read this post of mine. Looks like all of us got our wish. Apologies to any of the Flames blogs I missed who may have mentioned it.

Drastic Times / Odds and Ends

WI has found an article by my fave, Bob McKenzie, who says the Flames should consider putting Sutter behind the bench for Game 3. It's not a crazy or stupid idea, but the same thing happened to Darryl last year, just slightly less drastically. By Game 7 of the Flames/Ducks series, Calgary was getting dominated by Anaheim's puck possession system and the season ended without so much as a whimper from the Flames.

This is not to say I don't support firing Playfair, because I do (as any regular reader knows). But at this point in the season, the Flames have run out of viable alternatives. But who knows, assuming the Flames do fire Playfair (which they won't), Darry does have some advantageous powers of motivation.

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I've been watching the Pens/Sens series with great interest this year, and it's been a perfect example of everything great about the playoffs. Back and forth leads, individual efforts, big hits...and best of all, Sidney Crosby is making his detractors look like fools. If Pittsburgh wins at all this series (2-1 Sens so far), it'll be because he and Gary Roberts are carrying the team on their shoulders. And except for a couple bad calls, the Pens could be winning this series.

In Game 1, Crosby was slapped with a VERY mediocre 'hooking' penalty, and on that PP, the Sens scored. Just before that, Crosby put the puck in the net, and it was discounted as a 'kick in' goal. Another debatable call. That 2 goal swing made the difference, as the Sens won 6-3.

Game 3, the Sens are up 2-1. As Roberts and Spezza are mutually tangling with each other, Crosby rushes into the Sens defensive zone and out muscles Joe Corvo for the puck, drives back out front and puts the puck past Emery (who clearly believes the play is still live). The whistle goes just before Crosby puts the puck in, and it was a genuine non-goal, but no one in the play (Crosby, Corvo, Emery) knew the play was over.

The Sens score the next 2 goals and put the game out of reach. Of course, on the 4th goal, the Sens are blatantly off-side (caught by my eagle eyed friend and stop-motion reviewed by the both of us). In other words, another 2 goal swing for the Sens.

In my opinion, this series isn't quite over.

Just as an aside, hats off to Penguins fans who felt the need to BOO the Canadian National anthem. The sorriest bunch of fans in the league prove once again why they don't deserve a franchise.

Tanguay/Yelle/Amonte/Playfair

Pavel Datsyuk puts in his second in as many games, just 1:02 into the 1st

Tanguay: about 1 minute into the game the puck comes to Tanguay on the boards. He mishandles it in his skates, Datsyuk steals it and scores. (01:02 in 1st) Detroit 1, Calgary 0

Yelle: Flames are down 3-5 and Kiprusoff makes one of his48 saves. Yelle gets the puck in the slot and has time to get it out. Insteading of putting it to the boards, or shooting it hard out, he fans the puck straight to Schneider, who passes it to Lidstrom. (PPG, 03:50 in 1st) Detroit 2, Calgary 0



Amonte: Calgary has miraculously put themselves within 1. Kristian Huselius gives Tony Amonte a beauty cross ice pass, and Tony has a wide open net. Tony fans on the pass reception/shot, the puck goes back to the blue line. David Hale makes an ill advised pinch and it becomes a 2-1. Huselius tries to catch up but is clearly gassed on the play. David Hale plays spectator and Huselius' man fires in the goal. (06:05 in 3rd)



Playfair: Mike Babcock is exposing Playfair's embarresingly bad system with a simple puck possession one. Wings get 51 shots on net, many quality. Calgary ties a team record for shots for futility, pointing only 15 at Hasek. (The only good news is that of the 5 games Calgary put only 15 shots on net, 1 was against Montreal in 1986, and one was against Vancouver in 1989.)



That's all you need to know for the game story. Oh ya, and Regehr looks doubtful for game 3.

Calgary Flames vs. Detroit Red Wings Game 2 - Pregame

Just a couple quick thoughts before the game:

A friend of mine related a story about his mom: 'She asked me if I thought things would work out better if she stayed home and watched the game or went to church and prayed for the Flames.'

I think just about everything you need to know about the game can be figured out from that question. While I think MG was right to not be suprised at the Flames' lackluster performance, it's still hard for all of us to believe the team was that poorly prepared. While the mood around Calgary has been subdued, most fans still believe the Flames have time to come back. And there is good news for Calgary fans: Robyn Regehr will play.

I know this hasn't been confirmed yet, but I have it on a pretty respectable authority that Robyn will play come hell or high water. He will not be 100%.

The other confirmed personelle change is that Jeff Friesen will be in, while Byron Ritchie will sit out. Not sure I can call this a true upgrade, as Ritchie was one of the few Flames playing with a spark on Thursday. On the other hand, I have mentioned lately that Friesen has been playing better, and if he can continue his chemistry with Yelle and Nilson, then it could give the team a bit of a jump.

The other personelle change I'd like to see is the insertion of Mark Giordano into the lineup. I mentioned he could be a game breaker for the Flames, and MG and Duncan appear to agree.

It's Sunday. Time to pray.

Blood From a Stone

You know, I'm grasping at straws here, but the one positive that can be pulled from that 'game' (game in quotation marks, because is it really a game if only one team shows up? Technically a forfeit isn't it?) is that the Flames can no longer look themself in the mirror and give some extraneous excuse to losing.

Mick was up to his old tricks, but it thankfully didn't have any real bareing on the game.

The Flames can't argue it was bounces, even though there were a couple lucky ones that went Detroit's way.

No, simply put, the Flames got brutally outplayed. MG, DD and Duncan have already covered it, but that game was just overall a terrible effort - to all the relatively new Detroit readers: we told you there were two Calgary teams, and you just got a taste of the version of the Flames that never learned to read. I'll have more to say before next game.

Oh, and if any readers get some bad headlines, feel free to post them in the comments so we can all gaze upon the copy editor's sheer laziness.

Bad Headlines & other misc

Before the Flames games start, I'm just going to declare how much I hate the playoffs, or more specifically, playoff headlines. They're just so stupid, and they come up every year for every series. For instance, the Flames/Wings series has a lot of opportunity for stupid puns. Calgary newspapers will declare things like 'Flames cook Hot Wings!' or 'Red Wings Soar over Flames' or stupid shit like that.

In the Flames/Ducks and Oilers/Ducks last year there was a lot of stupid crap like 'Time for Duck Soup!' or 'Duck Hunting!' or the like.

Now it sounds like the Wings have some stupid thing called the Red Wave which is some sort of colour scheme akin to the 'C of Red' (which I actually find quite clever actually). Honestly, it's pathetic the way teams are trying to copy traditions like the 'white-out' in Vancouver and the 'C of red' in Calgary with crappy marketing driven traditions. And this so called 'wave' will probably end up looking bad anyway, as sell outs in Detroit are not even close to a guarantee.

Anyway, just some pre-post game day headline ranting.

Ok, this just in from Open Ice Hits, Mick is reffing tonight's game. For god's sake. DAMN YOU SCARLETT!

Calgary Flames vs. Detroit Red Wings - Pre Series Analysis final

Unsung Heroes – to preface this section, I wanted to take into account guys that do a really nice job every night but in general aren’t taken into consideration the same way guys like Iginla or Lidstrom might be. These are the ‘Fernando Pisanis’ of the playoffs, or at least, the potential ones.

Calgary

David Moss – first and foremost among the Calgary group. Everyone in Calgary likes Moss, but I don’t think they realize how consistent he is. He’s a 3^rd line guy, but his garbage game plays really nice with Huselius and Langkow, and maybe more than anyone else on Calgary, plays a ‘playoff style’ game all year round.

Mark Giordano – Marc has been in and out of the Calgary lineup this year, but he really should be a regular. Remember ‘The Doors’ combo of Montador and Commodore of ’04? This guy could have the same type of impact, and you cannot overestimate the importance of having a reliable 3^rd pairing defensive guy. Especially one that teases you with his two-way play.

Matthew Lombardi – Everyone knows Lombardi has had a decent year, but it seems as if he’s a constant whipping boy for the coaching staff (note his benching for one off game). In fact, Matthew has been one of Calgary’s most consistent guys this year. He creates a lot of chances single handily and has the potential to break a game wide open with his speed.

Robyn Regehr – While Dion Phanuef and Brad Stuart grab the headlines, Regehr puts his head down and quietly dominates. Robyn has been taken to task for his play this year, but the fact remains Robyn managed to amass the team’s most impressive +/- (+27) playing with a slew of under performing partners. He’s always willing to finish his checks, and last year he saved his top offensive performances for the playoffs.

Detroit

Tomas Holmstrom – Sure, he’s heralded, but right now he’s playing at least 4^th or 5^th fiddle behind Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Lidstrom, Bertuzzi, Hasek, and maybe even Lang. Holmstrom just keeps doing what he does, over and over and over. 1^st or 2^nd in the league in terms of skill in front of the net.

Kris Draper – I think Drapes is just one of those guys, like Stephane Yelle, that has been around for so long people forget the level at which he can (or is capable of) contribute. He hasn’t yet matched his 24 goal year of a few, but his penalty killing ability, his speed, and his tenacity make him a constant threat.

Johan Franzen – although I confess I don’t know a lot about this guy, they really seem to like him over at Abel to Yzerman. Something to the effect of, if you don’t know his name now, you will by the end of the series.

Dan Cleary – As I mentioned before, Cleary was a nice rescue operation for Detroit. He has a lot of skill, and Detroit has the type of depth that the pressure on Cleary is somewhat minimal. He’ll be going up against soft D-pairings at times, so his secondary (or tertiary) scoring ability could be the difference in this series.

Edge: Even

It’s a pretty even contest here, as I like all the guys I mentioned. The main difference between the two groups is that from Calgary there are a lot of younger guys who we don’t really know what we’re going to see from. From Detroit, we can probably guess pretty accurately what we’ll see from the players mentioned, and what we’ll see is very good, but maybe only slightly above average play. I think the guys from Calgary could have a higher top end.

Conclusion

It’s a bit of a shame I couldn’t get into the special teams analysis, or get to some other intangibles like home vs. away advantages, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day for me to get it all done.

When all is said and done, this series is going to depend mostly on which Calgary team shows up. Detroit has been very consistent, we know what Detroit we’ll see, and they’re a very good team. But in my opinion, when Calgary gets its motor going, there aren’t a lot of teams that can hang with them. Unfortunately for Flames fans, Calgary rarely gets its motor going. Sometimes though the playoffs really are a new season, and this could be just the motivation Calgary needs to play at their peak.

Calgary Flames vs. Detroit Red Wings - Pre Series Analysis cont

Forwards
Calgary
For the first time since Doug Gilmour, Joe Nieuwendyk, Gary Roberts, Theo Fleury and Lanny MacDonald played together, the forward group is Calgary's true strong point. From top to bottom, Calgary only has one or two real weaknesses (which I will get to later) while they have many many strengths. On the top line, Jarome Iginla is on his best PP/G season, and in my opinion, is playing the most effective hockey of his career. With him is his best buddy Craig Conroy, who has been somewhat of a revelation since he returned from La La Land. He's been very steady (that gaffe in SJ aside) and is on a near point a game pace. On the other side is the sublime Alex Tanguay, who reminds me a lot of Ales Hemsky. Sometimes you want to scream at him to shoot the puck, but most of the time he's just making really superb offensive decisions. Tanguay's biggest problem is that he's a bit prone to taking bad penalties, so the first year Flame will have to stay disciplined.

On the second line we have Daymond Langkow at centre. While early on in the year Daymond couldn't score to save his life, he came alive in November and continued on a torrid pace until now, netting 33 in the process. His winger is Kristian Huselius who is arguably the best puckhandler and pure goal scorer in the NHL (19.65 shooting percentage). Watching him is dizzying - he single handidly runs Calgary's PP, freezing opposition players with his moves and then drilling the puck in. MG mentions Huselius' PP prowess in his pre-series analysis as well, and I think it's a point the Detroit coaches will need to take home to shut down Calgary. The third member of this potent second line has varied from Matthew Lombardi to David Moss. They both play nice complimentary roles: Lombardi provides the line with top notch speed and a devastating forecheck, while David Moss is a true grinder. He goes into the ugly areas to get the puck and he loves scoring the ugly goal.

Calgary's third line has come alive in the last 10 games. Defensive specialists Stephane Yelle (king of blocking shots) and Marcus Nilson (who Calgary sorely missed in last year's playoffs) have been paired with Jeff Friesen or Tony Amonte. It's hard to say who has been the bigger disappointment for Calgary, but have had very low expectations, and both have actually played below expectations. But for whatever reason, Jeff Friesen's play has been steadily improving since late December-early January, and now is a positive force on the team. Tony Amonte is probably Calgary's worst player - he's mediocre defensively and he's lost any touch he ever had around the net. A friend of mine has coined a statistic that applies only to Amonte - SAG (shots at goal). This refers to the fact Amonte almost always misses the net.

Calgary's fourth line is a bit of a jumble right now. Wayne Primeau has been the oft-centreman of this line, and his physicality is something this team sorely needs up front. He's been joined by a bunch of wingers: Tony Amonte (spoken about already) whose true place IS on the 4th line, Byron Ritchie, who has had a very respectable season and who probably deserves more ice time (but who many speculate is hurt). Darren McCarty, the former Red Wing (and Wing fan favourite) has been hurt with a 'groin' problem for most of the season, but last year saved his best for the playoffs. He appears to be ready to go and could be a nice energy guy on this line. Eric Godard is Calgary's enforcer, and while he has limited hockey skills, he KO'd Derek Booguard, and if utilized will keep Detroit's players guessing.

In terms of weaknesses, Calgary has two, both of which I have touched upon already. Tony Amonte is one, and Calgary's best chance is to hide him on the 4th line. Calgary's lack of physical forwards is #2. While Primeau has been consistent, the rest of the Calgary forwards have been pretty much MIA. If Calgary is to beat Detroit, this trend must be reversed. Jarome has to throw his weight around, same goes for Langkow and Moss. The third line doesn't have to hit, but they must pester. Finally, Darren McCarty and Wayne Primeau can only play one way to be effective, and that way is physical.

Detroit
I can't analyze the Detroit forward with the same depth as the Flames forwards simply because I'm not as familiar with them. However, there are some key players who I think will be difference makers in the series. This list starts first and foremost with Henrik Zetterberg. In my opinion he was the most consistent Red Wing in the playoffs last year, he lead the team in goals this year and will have to be a top 3 player for Detroit to win. His health is questionable though, and although it sounds as if he will start on Thursday, one has to wonder if he is truly game shape ready. Second on the list is Pavel Datsyuk, the best regular season player Detroit has. I say regular season for the well publicized fact that Datsyuk has so far not been able to keep his game together in the playoffs. He has the reputation of being soft, and if Detroit is going to win this series, Datsyuk must be a positive factor.

On the second line, Robert Lang only had a so so season, and Todd Bertuzzi has been shuttled in to help get that second line going. Whether you love or hate Bertuzzi, he has been a Flame killer in the past. There have been many a game against Vancouver in the past that Bertuzzi has used to mesmorize Flames defence with his strength and puck handling skills and almost singlehandidly beat us. Bertuzzi's health is a question mark as well though, and although he won't be expected to carry the team as he was in Vancouver, every game that he doesn't perform he will be put even further under the microscope. The pressure could definately get to him. As always, Tomas Holmstrom will be standing in front of Kipper tipping pucks past him. He will score in this series, its only a matter of time.

When Daniel (Danny) Cleary played for Edmonton my friends and I would joke that he would only get going if the stadium music guy played some Celtic jig music, but the fact is that Cleary has been a nice little rescue project for the Red Wings. His second half has been extremely mediocre, but he could provide some secondary scoring for Detroit in this series. Kyle Calder has had a statistically terrible season, but he looked alright last year in the World Championships. I wouldn't expect a lot out of him though.

Of course we are going to see Maltby pestering anyone he can get his hands on, his stickwork matched only by his mouth. As always Kris Draper will be killing penalties, dishing out hits, and occasionally, scoring.

A couple of notables that are question marks to me are Mikael Samuelsson who got off to a roaring start last season but has cooled off considerably since, and Johan Franzen, a guy who Detroit blogs have been raving about.

Edge: Calgary
The Flames in my opinion have more depth and more proven guys, including the best forward in the series: Jarome Iginla. The Red Wings, although potentially very dangerous, have a lot of question marks. If those question marks are answered, Detroit could regain the edge.

Calgary Flames vs. Detroit Red Wings - Pre Series Analysis cont.

Coaching
Flames

I'll keep this short and sweet. Regulars to this blog know I'm not a Playfair fan. I think he's been unable to recognize and utilize this team's strengths, I think he's made very questionable personelle decisions (Amonte ice time, Giordano scratching, etc) and he hasn't seemed to be able to motivate the troops. While I think motivating players shouldn't be a job left up to the coaches (good players are self motivated), it seems odd that every time Darryl Sutter makes a dressing room appearance the whole team seems to snap out of their funk and play well. It says to me that Playfair is missing something Sutter has. I'm honestly not really sure Playfair has any particular strengths, although whether due to Playfair or not, the Flames had a great PP in the regular season.

Detroit

Just as regular readers know I'm not a Playfair fan, they also know I am a true Babcock fan. I love his demeanor (when asked about his PP after a game last season, which had failed to convert that game, he remarked: (paraphrased) "The PP? Oh ya, what are we ranked in the league? Number 1? Thanks, next question." He guided the Ducks to within a couple goals of the Stanley Cup. If you say he rode Giguere's tail, I say he identified his team's strength and exploited it. He has won Gold medals coaching Team Canada in 1997 and 2004. He has found a way to keep this team winning despite breaking in newer players and dealing with older ones. I will say though, Babcock got outcoached by Craig MacTavish in the first round last year.

Edge: Detroit

Babcock has more experience, has his team playing more consistent, and his team plays a style that compliments their strengths. We'll have to see if Playfair has any tricks under his sleeve, because regular season aside, he'll be remembered a lot more favourably if he can win a playoff round.

next up: Forwards, unsung heroes

Calgary Flames vs. Detroit Red Wings - Pre Series Analysis cont.

Defence
Calgary

The last time the Flames faced Detroit in the playoffs, it was their defensive group that was their strongpoint. Not so anymore. Their are mighty holes in this group, despite their 'brand name' and high draft pick status. Andrei Zyuzin is incredibly inconsistent, even if his play has improved lately, Rhett Warrener, although a tremendous leader, has simply seemed too injured this season to make a difference. Brad Stuart, although physical, seems unable to pick his spots effectively, and his offensive side was highly overrated. Dion Phaneuf has been inconsistent this year, and his biggest weak point has been his defensive zone positioning. I still believe our brightest spots have been the emergence of Marc Giordano as a legitimate two way threat, David Hale as an unheralded defensive stalwart (although small sample of games played), and Robyn Regehr who I think has played very well considering the partners he's been given. Roman Hamrlik has shown he can either be very good or very bad.

That said, I fully expect Dion to explode in the playoffs. His pedegree is that of a big game player, and I was very relieved post playoffs last season to find out he was hobbled by a broken foot. Even Chris Pronger looked bad with a broken foot. Warrener I think will fall into this category. He's been hobbled all year but I suspect he won't play hobbled in the playoffs, I think he'll find a way to be better. Robyn Regehr has consistently saved his best for the playoffs (and other big games, ie World Cup).

Detroit

Detroit has the best overall defenceman of this series in Nick Lidstrom. He has been the pillar of consistency in all 3 zones his whole career, and he was arguably the best player for Detroit last year. Mathieu Schneider has got some very good offensive chops, and I think he's improved his overall defensive play since he got to Detroit. Danny Markov has shown he can dish out the big hit (Jarret Stoll anyone?). Detroit's last top 4 guy, Niklas Kronwall (pronounced Kronvall), at one point hailed as a 'mini-Lidstrom' guy, is out for the conceivable future, and that puts a big hole in the top 4. Detroit has a couple of options to go with to fill that hole, but judging from TOI, they've decided to go with their own (older and less injury prone) version of Rhett Warrener: Chris Chelios. I think this is a huge hole in Detroit's defence. While fans rave about Chelios' longevity, the fact is he is not very effective anymore. He gets beaten on the outside more often than a top 4 guy should, and the rest of his game is pretty basic at best. Although he scored a goal against Edmonton in the playoffs last year, his biggest contribution was diving at every chance he got. Andreas Lilja and Brett Lebda round out the top 6, and they both play about 15 minutes/game. Lebda in particular has made pretty good use of his ice time, garnering a +16 (3rd on the defence) and 18 pts.

Edge: Detroit

There is a caveat I must put in with my decision, and that is: it depends on a)which defensive group the Flames ice, and b)if the Flames defensive group deals out a liberal serving of physicality. If the Flames are willing to play Giordano and Hale in place of Zyuzin or an injured Warrener, it could make a huge difference. Those two in particular play a nice complimentary role to eachother, and they're both easily capable of 15 minutes/night. In addition, I think top to bottom the Flames defence CAN be more physical. We haven't seen a lot of it this year, but Brad Stuart is pretty consistent, Regehr loves to finish behind the net, Hamrlik can play it tough, Warrener put out Fedoruk last year with a massive hipcheck, and Dion, well, Dion is Dion.

The Wings on the other hand, get an added boost from a superior defensive puck posession system. Their biggest advantage may come from the fact Robyn Regehr is questionable for game 1, and even if he plays, he's probably going to be playing hurt.

Still up: Forwards, coaching, unsung heroes,

Calgary Flames vs. Detroit Red Wings - Pre Series Analysis

Expectations
Calgary
Two seasons ago, Flames fans were happy as hell just to make the playoffs, but this is no longer the case. After that magical run to the final, making the playoffs is no longer a lofty goal, and Flames fans expect at least a single series victory. Given the makeup of talent on the current edition of the Flames, anything less than a series victory would be a total disaster, and I think not only would fans agree with this, the players inside the dressing room would be on board as well.

Detroit
Making the playoffs is now such old hat in Detroit that its touch and go whether they'll actually sell Joe Louis out. I'm sure Hockeytowners will tell me to look at the attendance numbers, but I've intently watched 3 of Detroit's last 4 playoff series, and I can tell you, its obvious there are many empty seats in the building, particularly in the lower bowl. This is because Detroit has the burden of expectation on them, perhaps moreso than the Flames. The organization has been so on the ball that making the playoffs is just as expected as the first snow of winter. Hell, if Detroit doesn't end up near the top of the league after the regular season, it's a borderline disaster.

Edge: Even
While the burden of success placed on Detroit's shoulders the last 4 years has truly had a negative impact on the team, the fact that they've done so badly has, in my opinion, taken away some of that burden. This team is practically expected to choke.

On the other hand, the fact that Calgary has been so wildly inconsistent the whole season has truly taken away some pressure. All Calgary fans know if the good Flames show up, it could be a short post season for Detroit, but if the bad Flames show up, it'll surely be a short Flames postseason. In my opinion, all but the blindly loyal Flames fans expect the bad Flames to show up, and the guys in the dressing room know it. They realize all the media and all the experts 'expect' them to lose.

Therefore, I say the burden of expectations falls about equal between the two teams.

Goalies
Flames
The reigning Vezina trophy winner has had a couple off games this year for sure, but he's taken a lot of undue criticism. Case in point, the Flames 4-3 loss to the Avalanche a week ago. Kipper was blamed by many for missing a save that 'he normally would have had' on Joe Sakic's game winner. They of course, forget to mention the fact that Joe Sakic took a wrist shot from about the top of the circle, in other words, the same place and method Joe Sakic has used to score about 500 goals. Kipper keeps the Flames in a lot of games and he makes a lot of saves (Calgary averages 31 shots against per game). The only question about Kipper is whether or not he's been overworked this year. Calgary's inability to be good has forced(?) Playfair to play Kipper 74 times.


Detroit
A riddle wrapped in an enigma. When he's not punching out fellow roller hockey players or faking(?) injuries, he's winning Stanley Cups or stifling Canadians on the shootout (no I haven't forgotten). Detroit has argued their problems over their last few playoff runs have been primarily due to goaltending, but I'm not buying it. The team has had deeper issues (Chelios, Datsyuk, anyone?) and goaltending has been secondary. Sure, their goalies haven't stolen any wins, but the team as a whole hasn't been good enough. Now that Detroit has Hasek, they're out of excuses - unless of course Hasek gets hurt. In other words, they've got an excuse lined up already.

Edge: Even
If both goalies play to their ability, it will be an incredibly low scoring series. Both goaltenders have been simply unbeatable at their best. However, both these goalies have had a bit of a history of coming up with lemons. Hasek is a head case at the best of times, and while Kipper used to have a near shutout followup to 4 GAA games, that little tendency has disappeared.

next up:
Defence, Forwards, Coaches, unsung heroes

The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated

Tuesday March 20 - Flames vs Red Wings
Across Calgary, chants of 'BRING OUT YOUR DEAD' ring out. The Flames have looked simply dismal over the past two weeks. They are given absolutely no chance to win this hockey game by most fans across Calgary, despite the fact they are still statistically dominant at home. Despite this, the Flames not only win - they win in Flames style. A 2-1 victory. Still, no one is planning the ticker-tape parade just yet.

Thursday March 22 - Flames vs. Predators
Calgary's kryptonite enters town. A chance to halt the momentum gained beating the current President's trophy leaders two days prior. Calgary goes down early and the city breathes a collective 'crap' before the Flames tie it up before the 1st frame is over. The Preds go ahead again in the third and things look bleak, but the Flames refuse to give up. They are soon (suprisingly) outchancing the Preds, including a great one by Jeff Friesen. The guy who everyone loves to hate is turning around his game however, as the Flames finally tie it up off a fluke bounce from an Iginla shot. In OT Yelle draws it to Tanguay who feeds it to Rhett Warrener in the slot for the tip in that gives the Flames their first win over Nashville in years. No one is convinced yet though, up next is 'THE ROAD.'

Sunday March 25 - Flames vs. Blackhawks
Huselius opens the scoring early against the hapless Hawks, but the Hawks storm back taking the lead after the first and keeping it safe by the end of the second. Every fan watching the game knows the Flames have a chance, but it looks like the Flames evil twins have showed up. You know them, you don't love them. They're the ones that find ways to lose. But that Jeff Friesen and his linemates, Stephane Yelle and Robert Nilson, the ones who have really hogtied the Hawks in their own end all game, score a goal early in the third. Hamrlik blasts one in from the point and the Flames get a rare road victory, even if it is against a terrible team.

Tuesday March 27 - Flames vs. Wild
November 11th is the date on everyone's mind. Thats the last time the Flames beat a playoff team on the road. Have the wins against Detroit and Nashville given the team a newfound confidence, or will the twins show up? The early results don't look good. Gaborik and linemates are tapdancing all over the Flames defence and the top line of Iginla-Tanguay-Conroy looks like Swiss cheese the way they're covering their defensive assignments. Cue Miikka Kipprusoff's heroics. He stops every shooter in regulation and OT. The Flames enter the shootout, an early-mid season disaster, but something to which they've recently had success on. Their success continues, as Tanguay scores and Kipprusoff stops both Wild shooters. Fans are officially allowed to stop quoting November 11th.

Thursday March 29 - Flames vs. Wild
Can the Flames make it two in a row? Is this win streak even possible, let alone probable? Just 10 days ago, the Flames looked like dead men walking, now they carry the Reaper's Scythe. Masterton trophy nominee Langkow opens the score early, and then Jarome Iginla follows him up scoring only 20 seconds later. Then he continues to score often, garnering his first hattrick in years.

Saturday March 31 - Flames vs. Canucks
If someone asked 'will the Flames beat the Canucks on March 31st' two weeks ago, I think most would have replied 'probably not.' The twins were far too likely to show up, the team looked mentally beaten, the coach looked unable to fortify the troops. But there are signs the times are changing. The past week has opened eyes across the league, and has shown Calgary, if on top of their game, are true contenders, just as their 'on-paper' lineup would indicate.

The addition of David Hale has given Calgary another option on the third pairing on nights when Rhettsky's arthritic body simply cannot go on anymore. Zyuzin's innefectiveness has been mostly hidden playing third pairing minutes and the far more competent Giordano should be able to suit up when Coach Playfair comes to his senses.

While Amonte continues to struggle, it is obvious that Friesen is starting to gel with linemates Nilson and Yelle, and that has given Calgary an additional effective 10 minutes a night, often against top level opponents. And while some have argued Iginla has struggled, his linemates have been consistently putting up respectable numbers.

Miikka Kipprusoff has been criticized for simply being 'not good enough' which in Calgary translates to 'you haven't been able to totally cover for your teammates' totally ineffective play.' The other night in Minnesota however, proves Kipper can still, at least occasionally, be 'good enough.'

The Canucks are having a record season, and while there is Kudos all around for Brodeur's closeness to breaking Parent's 47 win season, Luongo is just as close. The whole Canucks team looks really good, and make no mistake, they are true contenders for the Cup, if not the favorites at this point in the season.

So while the Flames have had a lot of tests this season, this is probably the last most important one of the season. Win this, turn a city of doubters into a city of believers. Win this, and you come back from the dead.