SEASON'S END

The Boston Bruins beat Detroit 4-2 in Game 5 to win the series 4-1

Detroit weren't able to fend off the Bruins in Game 5 and the season is over.

However...

"The sated day is never first.
The best day is a day of thirst.
Yes, there is goal and meaning in our path -
but it's the way that is the labour's worth.
The best goal is a night-long rest,
fire lit, and bread broken in haste.
In places where one sleeps but once,
sleep is secure, dreams full of songs.
Strike camp, strike camp! The new day shows its light.
Our great adventure has no end in sight."

- Karin Boye (translated by David McDuff)

...I am already looking forward to next season and a chance at a 24th straight playoff.

OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN

The Detroit Red Wings hope to get a welcome boost tonight against Boston when their captain, Henrik Zetterberg, returns to action after missing the last two months due to back surgery. The Wings are down 2-1 to the President's Trophy winners and can sure use the help. The Detroit youngsters have been excellent down the stretch of the regular season but, in the last two games they have struggled against the juggernaut that is the Boston Bruins. It remains to be seen if Zetterberg is fit to play. His playoff beard certainly is.

BEST OF THE YEAR

Some season highlights...

With all the injuries the Red Wings suffered this season it's nothing short of spectacular what the team pulled off. Making the playoffs for the 23rd straight year with a roster consisting mostly of young players from The Grand Rapid Griffins.

“We have a lot of young kids, and they just play,” Holland said. “They make some mistakes. They don’t really look at the scoreboard, which is a good thing and a bad thing. When you are up by a couple, you wish we would play a little safer. But the reason that they are fun to watch is, they just play.”

I also think Mike Babcock deserves to win the Jack Adams award for coach of the year. He was forced to completely reshape the way Detroit plays the game to suit this young and inexperienced team. And the result speaks for it self.

23RD STRAIGHT

Just a bunch of kids, but they pulled it off.

Even though the Detroit Red Wings lost in a shootout against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the point they earned was all they needed to secure a playoff berth. The 23rd straight. The Wings haven't missed the playoffs since the 1989-90 season. It is the longest active playoff streak of any of the four North American major professional sports leagues (NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB).

The Boston Bruins hold the record for the longest playoff streak in franchise history making the cut from 1967-68 through to 1995-96 (29 seasons). So only six more seasons to go...

Final Round

Henrik Sedin did what he could against the Calgary Flames. His teammates also did what they could to get the puck to him all night. Henrik played around five minutes more then usual and ended up with four assists. Brother Daniel also had a four-point night. He scored three goals, of which the last one was a sick stick-between-the-legs stunt. So Henrik Sedin leads the point race with his franschise-record 112 points. Now all he can do is wait and see what Alexander Ovechkin can do in his last game. The Russian sits three points behind in the hunt for the Art Ross.

In Philadelphia it all comes down to what feels like a Game 7 between the Flyers and the New York Rangers. One game. The winner is in the playoffs, the loser is out. It's a tough one. The Blueshirts looked good in the last game against the Flyers and the are 7-2-1 in their last ten and winners in the last two. Philadelphia, eventhough they are playing at home, are just 3-6-1 in their last ten. I will go with the Rangers.

Detroit are in a good spot right now. Currently in fifth place in the Western Conference, they will face the fourth-placed Phoenix Coyotes in the first round. Not that Phoenix is in any way a bad team, they have had a fantastic season, but I don't think they were hoping to get the Wings in the first round. Actually, I doubt any team were hoping to get Detroit. Well, it all comes down to the last game. The Red Wings need to win their last game, away against Chicago. If they lose and Los Angeles beat Colorado away, the Wings will instead face Vancouver in the first round.

Wow, there is so much at stake in this final round of the season. Just the way it should be.

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Surging Wings short on goals

I just realized I had not written anything all season, so here it goes.

With less than ten games left of the regular season, things are finally looking a little better for the Detroit Red Wings. They are 8-1-1 in their last ten games have been victorious in three straight. Still, I can't help but think of the scoring depth they lost compared to last season and how they will cope with that in the playoffs.

The Wings have a +5 scoring differential, which is extremely low for them. Also, they have scored only 200 goals. Every team ahead of them in the Western conference has scored more. Nashville has 7 more goals, Colorado 20, Los Angeles 14. Phoneix has just one more goal than the Red Wings, but they sit on a pretty good +20 goal diff. Vancouver has scored 42 more goals (the difference being Mikael Samuelsson who the Wings lost to the Canucks. San Jose and Chicago have each 36 more goals than Detroit. Overall scoring among the top eight teams is higher in the west, but of course the Washington Capitals stand out in the east, outscoring the Red Wings by 87 goals and a +81.

Just something to think about.

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Big Red Machine Rolls over Ducks

What a game! It was everything you want a Game 7 to be. I admit, it was a little too close for comfort toward the end but the Red Wings prevailed and were able to push back a very good Ducks team. As usual, Henrik Zetterberg was nothing short of a giant on the ice when it mattered the most. Pavel Datsyuk, who's been a no show up until Game 7, worked hard, and, altough he didn't score, he did contribute a lot more than he did earlier on in the series.

Except for the fans down in Disneyland, I think pretty much everyone else was hoping for a Detroit - Chicago Conference Final. It really has the making of a classic. Now, there will be at least one original six team in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Should the Bruins win Game 7, it will be the first time since 1978-79, when Montreal beat the Rangers 4-1, that two original six teams meet in the final.

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CLASH OF THE TITANS

The Western Conference showdown between Detroit and San Jose is just minutes away and I can't help but feel that this could be the game of the season. The Boston Bruins will have to excuse me. This is the game most hockey fans have been waiting for since a while back. The Sharks have been devestatingly good so far while the Wings, even though they they aren't far behind in the standings, still have some work to do.

How will it turn out? My gut says Detroit, Henrik Zetterberg scores the winner.

Here we go!


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ONE WIN AWAY

Tonight the march of the Penguins can come to a crashing halt as Pittsburgh is on the brink of elimination heading into Game 5 at Joe Louis Arena. I have to be honest, it seems unlikely the Detroit Red Wings will drop this one, they are simply too good. Many thought the Penguins had a decent shot at the cup this year, including the Pens themselves, but so far they haven't been close to getting the better of Detroit. Sure they got one game at the Mellon Arena, but that was more because of misstakes on the Wings part. In the other three games, Detroit have dominated the Pens and odds are they will do the same in Game 5.

The Pittsburgh Penguins went through the Eastern Conference like a juggernaut but has since hit a red brick wall. While Hart Trophy nominee, Evgeni Malkin, has been a dissapointment for Pittsburgh through out the finals, Selke Trophy nominee, Henrik Zetterberg, has been a giant for the Wings. On a team that has no real flaws he has been a difference maker. Though Sidney Crosby hasn't been terrible, at least not in Games 3 and 4, he has been outplayed and outsmarted by Zetterberg who has been everywhere on the ice, dominating the offense as well as the defense. The 5 on 3 they killed off in Game 4 was some of the sweatiest hockey I have ever seen. Most agree, including the Detroit players, Henrik Zetterberg should win the Conn Smythe. But first the Red Wings have to beat the Peguins one more time. But make no mistake, it won't be easy. The Penguins are a desperate bunch right now.

WINGS STILL CONFIDENT

Detroit netcrasher, Tomas Holmstrom, seems to have made a speedy recovery and is likely playing in Game 4 in Pittsburgh. The Red Wings are looking to take a 3-1 lead in the series so they can clinch it back in Motown. The Penguins, however, did seem to slip back into their winning playoff mode after coach Michel Therrien switched the lines back to the old order.

Johan Franzen looked hot in his comeback after sitting out six games and I wouldn't be surprised if he adds a couple more tallys tonight.

It is interesting how much less disapointed the Wings seemed after losing Game 3 than they did losing twice to the Dallas Stars in the conference finals. To me that just speaks volumes of how confident they are in their ability to go all the way. Johan Franzen even told reporters it would have been less fun for the hockeyfans had they taken a 3-0 lead. Let's hope that comment doesn't come back to bite the Mule in the ass.

***

On a totally different note, the Boston Celtics (people in Beantown have had a lot to be happy about since the Pats lost in the Super Bowl) beat the Detroit Pistons to advance to the NBA finals for the first time since 1987, which is also the last time they faced off with the Los Angeles Lakers for the World Championship. Well, after twenty one long years these two classic teams, who both have had extensive dynasties over the years, they finally meet again. Being a Laker fan ever since I first saw Fletch in the mid eighties, I'm of course hoping the purple and yellow get to lift the trophy for the first time in six years. Go Kobe!

THE DOMINATING RED

The Pittsburgh Penguins didn't get off the best of starts in last night's Game 1 against the Detroit Red Wings. Goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury, stumbled and fell as he entered the ice and moments later the PA announcer introduced the Pens' captain as Steven Crosby! An innocent slip of the tounge? I doubt it. Great stuff!

***

After his team was handed a crushing 4-0, Pittsburgh coach, Michel Therrien, said it was their worst performance yet in these playoffs but that it taught his team a lesson going into Game 2. That is sort of true. The Penguins did recieve a lesson, only it was given to them by the dominating Red Wings.

Experience is key in a cup final and the Wings have it in boatloads. The talented but inexperienced Pens don't have a whole lot of it at all and it showed. Why the immensely experienced Gary Roberts was a healthy scratch I have no idea, but I am fairly certain he will play in Game 2 and that he will show his young teammates what they have to do, that is to not back down.

***

Once again Tomas Holmstrom was called for goaltender interference, even though he was outside the crease and he barely, if at all, touched Marc-Andre Fleury with the stick. Like one of the Wings said, "Had it been any other Detroit player, there'd been no call on thet play." I sure hope the officials will sit down and disscuss this problem in the summer because this is getting rediculous. The interference calling is anything but consistant. In fact, the only thing that is consistant is how Tomas Holmstrom plays his game.

***

Even for a talented team, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins, it must be frustrating playing against a solid defense like the Red Wings. In a sea of red the opponent isn't given any room to create any real chances. The fact that Detroit keeps getting scoring support from other lines than the first doesn't make things any easier for the Penguins.

The first line, led by Henrik Zetterberg did a great job against the Crosby line, while Niklas Kronwall was solid once again delivering his usual hits. The open-ice hit on Ryan Malone was a beauty.

LOOKS LIKE A DOUBLE SWEEP

I am sitting here watching the quarter final between Sweden and Czech Republic and, even though it is exciting (of course it is, I'm Swedish), I can't help but think how slow this game is compared to what is going on south of the border. At times during Game 3 in Dallas, the Red Wings seemed to be moving at fast-forward speed in the offensive zone. Needless to say, said Red Wing players were Datsyuk and Zetterberg.

Tonight, 2 am here, the "Red Army" will look to finish off the Dallas Stars and punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 2002, when they beat the Carolina Hurricanes for their third cup triumph in ten seasons.

The Pittsburgh Penguins keep marching and are now only one game away from sweeping the Philadelphia Flyers. Not to take anything away from the Pens, they have been great, but it is painfully evident how important Kimmo Timonen is to the Flyers. Even if they can get it together enough to take Game 4, I can't really see them come back from a 3-0 deficit. The Penguins are way to good.

I am pretty sure most people are just waiting for the Wings and Pens finish their sweeps already so they can enjoy a Stanley Cup final between the two best teams in the NHL, and who can blame them. Datsyuk and Zetterberg against Crosby and Malkin. What a classic series it could be. By the way, has it ever happened before, that both conference finals have ended in sweeps? To be honest, I can hardly wait myself.

THE GREAT OZ STEALS GAME 2

"The great Oz has spoken", was heard from the announcer at Joe Louis Arena after the Detroit Red Wings had beaten the Dallas Stars 2-1 and taken a 2-0 lead in the series. They weren't half as dominant as they were in Game 1, in fact Dallas was the dominating team for most of the second and final period. Chris Osgood was the difference in this one as he remains solid while going 8-0 in these playoffs.

Has anyone noticed how Henrik Zetterberg almost sound like a Canadian? How aboot that. Last night he, yet again, showed what a dominating force he is. He had one tally and was a constant offensive threat in the Dallas zone.

And what about Pavel Datsyuk? I'm am really beginning to believe this guy is the second coming of Sergei Fedorov. He has a way of making his opponents look really stupid and the crowd loves it. At one point late in the game he dropped the puck to Kronwall, at least that is what the Dallas forward (I think it was Ribeiro) and everyone else in the building thought, only to kick it back to himself as he skated past Ribeiro and out of the Red Wings zone. Pure magic!

Speaking of Mike Ribeiro, there is no excuse for what his slashing across the chest of Chris Osgood. This will of course heat things up between the two teams heading in to Game 3 in Dallas, but it will also diminish the Stars' chances of getting back into the series as they will most likely play without Ribeiro. The Stars also lost Jere Lehtinen who went off with a leg injury.

Marty Turco will be glad to go back to Dallas for Game 3 as his winless streak at Joe Louis Arena grew to 11 games.

IT'S A SWEEP IN DENVER

It's a blow-out win for Detroit as they sweep Colorado. The Detroit Red Wings were just too good for this Avs team. This series was a physical mismatch from the start. There were just too many injuries for the Avs to have a fair shot at upsetting the bast team in the NHL. 8-2 doesn't reflect the Avs' effort. They did put up a good fight, but Detroit are just an unbeatable juggernaut right now.

I sure hope Joe Sakic will be back next year because this is no way to end such a fantastic carreer.

I am finding it increasingly difficult to keep my eyes open so it's back to bed for me. Good night!

Red Wings too much for Avs

What looked like an exciting revival of the rivalry between the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche is looking more like a cat's fight with a mouse, after the mouse is out cold.

Colorado, again without Peter Forsberg, had absolutely nothing going for them as they got creamed by a Red Wings team that is looking more and more like a real cup contender. Chris Osgood keeps showing us he's still got what it takes to go all the way and Johan Franzen is playing like a man posessed, leading the playoffs is scoring after his hat-trick.

I really though the Avs would put up more of a fight even without Forsberg, but the shaky play by Jose Theodore has to be coach Quenneville's biggest worry right now. Peter Budaj replaced the former Hart Trophy winner for the second straight game and was great, giving up just one goal. If Budaj, who will surely get the start in Game 3 in Denver, can keep playing like this it will give the Avs an oppurtunity to get back into this series. If not, this series will be over in four.

Babcock pushes for Lidstrom

Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock is lobbying for his captain Nicklas Lidstrom to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP. This is what he says,

"To me, I think he's the best player in the league. He does it right. He's the most consistent.
If you look at the top scoring defenceman in the league he's there. He's got better plus-minus than anyone else. I don't know how it cannot be him.''

I have to agree one hundred percent. It is easy to get blinded by Ovechkin's dominance and scoring, they same goes for Lecavalier, Iginla, and Zetterberg, but none of these players, not even the phenomenon Ovechkin, are as complete or as consistant as the five-time Norris winner. Every one who plays with him gets better, all of his defense partners in recent years have had career seasons next to him and he makes the whole team better. And like Babcock also says, if you are the best player on the league's best team, the one who holds it together, how can you not be the MVP. The fact that some people out east are still debating who should win the Norris Trophy is just laughable. I don't think Lidstrom will be the MVP, but I hope some will agree he is as clear a candidate as there ever was.

Read more of Babcocks lobbying here at the Red Wings Insider by Ansar Khan.

Toronto players among my readers

I realize this post should have been written yesterday, but believe it or not, I was busy with other things than hockey during the weekend.

"I seriously do believe they are incapable of defeating the Detroit Red Wings, even on the best of days"

I was obviously dead wrong. However, I am now more convinced than ever that the Maple Leaf players are reading my blog. This is huge! If I keep writing them off they might even make the playoffs this season.

Jokes aside, after the painful loss in Toronto the Detroit Red Wings went home only to recieve their second straight loss, this time to the red hot Ducks from Anaheim. The Ducks seem to have regained some of last years form, which goes to show how much a 38 year old sniper from Finland can do, and are looking increasingly like strong cup contenders. Some of the eastern teams got a taste of their might (although they're just ducks nowadays) during their roadtrip and are for warned. So are the Wings.

Fighting sleep as Canucks fall short

Sometimes, or rather most of the time, living in Sweden makes it really hard to follow the NHL, unless you are a night person. I'm not. A west-coast game starting at 7.00 pm airs at 4.00 am in Stockholm, which in my case makes it pretty much impossible watch since by that time I am sleeping like a bear around December. But even the games starting around 1.00 am are a challenge for me, and though this may sound sad to most people, around the end of the 1st period me and the sandman will be out of there.

Last night the Vancouver Canucks were in Motown taking on the league-leading Detroit Red Wings. This was not a game I wanted to miss. A win for Vancouver meant they would move into first place in their division, and for the Wings a win would end a three-game losing streak. It started at 1.30 am and I actually contemplated getting a few hours of sleep before it started, but instead I watched Entourage and 30 Rock. I drifted off sometime after Conan and didn't awake until the 3rd was on the way. It was already 2-2 and there would be no more scoring, much thanks to Roberto Luongo who was standing on his head while taking his Canucks to a shootout, he had 47 saves in total. Markus Naslund scored one for Vancouver in what was his 1,000th NHL game and Dan Cleary scored a deuce for the Wings, but of course I missed all that.

What I didn't miss was Hasek shutting down Trevor Linden, Alexander Edler and Taylor Pyatt to seal the win for the Wings. Henrik Zetterberg was the lone scorer in the shootout.

This Sunday the Boston Bruins will try to bounce back into winning mode as they take on the struggling New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers currently sit last in the Atlantic division and in 9th place in the Eastern conference, Boston are 8th with they same number of points as the Rangers.

Speaking of the Rangers; What's going on with them, or rather, what's going on with Jaromir Jagr? Is his poor goalscoring due to the simple fact that he is no longer the big star of the team. No doubt he ended up in the shadow of big acquisitions Chris Drury and Scott Gomez, and a guy like Jagr can't be too happy with that situation. So either give him some more attention, reassure him he is still the star or trade him somewhere and move on. My guess is the former super-Czech and two-time Stanley Cup winner will end up with either San Jose or Colorado. I do think it would be cool to see what he and Big Joe Thornton could do together. With the would-be 100 point scorer Joe Sakic injured the Avalanche also need a offensive boost to get that playoff spot. A Jagr in a new environment could provide just that. My gut says San Jose simply because they are no strangers to big gutsy moves.

A league of their own

What to do about (aboot*) those damn Red Wings? This is what all the other teams must be asking them selves. After beating the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in Denver the Wings now leads the league in goals scored (137) and goals against (84). They have led in scoring pretty much since the start of the season, but for quite a while they were 3rd behind the New York Rangers and the St. Louis Blues in goals against. Since the Rangers have been slumping lately and Henrik Lundqvist haven't been him self, the Wings are now first.

It has been discussed whether Detroit needs to add a quality forward to their roster for more scoring depth come the playoffs. Well, they have played three games without scoring leader Henrik Zetterberg (back) and top line winger Tomas Holmstrom (groin) and they have won all of them. Obviously Pavel Datsyuk is carrying a heavy load in their absence, but some of the younger players are also stepping up to fill the void. Valtteri Filppula has four goals in the last two games and is a great example of young talented Red Wing players expected to take another step during this season. So, I am not so sure they need anything. Right now they are looking awfully good.

Devils, Rangers, and Whalers

There is a lot at stake tonight. The seemingly unstoppable New Jersey Devils take on the slumping New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Should the Devils win their tenth straight game they will move into second place, passed the Carolina Hurricanes (should they lose in Detroit tonight), behind Ottawa in the Eastern Conference. Ottawa managed to put a halt to their free fall, but they have to watch out for the Devils, who seem to be back into their old menacing form. Ranger goalie Henrik Lundqvist has lost his two last starts, giving up four goals in each of those, and the team is on a three-game skid. The Rangers have been victorious in all three meetings with New Jersey this season, and they will certainly make sure the Devils have to work hard for this one.

Detroit are looking to extend their winning streak to six. They also have a good chance of being the first team in the league to score a hundred goals, they need three against Carolina. Three goals doesn't seem like much of a challenge for the awesome Red Wings, but the Hurricanes would sure like to win this one. The last time they managed to win one in the Motor City was as the Hartford Whalers back in 1989.