Detroit opens the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a matchup
against the Nashville Predators. The
series starts on the road this evening at 8 PM.
Of all the series in the opening round, to me this is one of the most
intriguing matchups and will most likely go 6 or 7 games. Before I make any form of a prediction, let’s
take a look at some of the key matchups and storylines that will play a role in
the series.
Darren Helm- When will he return from his knee injury? I checked Twitter while I was typing this,
hoping to see Ansar Khan reporting that he is in tonight’s lineup, but nothing
yet. There is a possibility that he comes
back tonight, but the target for his return is going to be this Friday. The Wings struggle mightily on the PK while
Nashville has one of the best PP in the league.
The return of Helm cannot come at a more crucial time, as Detroit needs
to improve on the PK in order to have a legitimate shot in this series.
The road less traveled- Although Detroit starts this series
on the road and their road struggles have been heavily documented this season,
many people feel that Detroit can
pull off this series. The key issue here
is relating to travel. The last couple
of playoff runs, Detroit has started the second season by traveling out West
(Phoenix, San Jose). Call me crazy, but
it really looked like it took a toll on the team. By the second round they looked like they
were about ready to fall over from jet lag and exhaustion. By traveling down south to Nashville, who has
a one hour time difference, this should help to save a lot of wear and tear on
the team, making this series win a possibility.
I also believe that Detroit can steal a game or 2 in Nashville, even
though Detroit has looked blind, deaf, and dumb on the road.
Johan Franzen- Will the mule go on his usual April scoring
kick? If these last few games are any
indicator, I’d say yes, and it will come at the most crucial time
possible.
Jimmy Howard- Jimmy made a lot of big saves against Chicago,
but I’m still a little nervous about his groin (quit giggling). Those injuries tend to have a nagging effect,
and the likelihood of him reinjuring, as we all saw, can be a little too high
for comfort. If he can stay healthy, the
Wings have a good shot at pulling this off.
The biggest issue in this series IMO is Detroit’s puck
possession play during 5-5, and the Wings other players showing up. If players like Hudler, Bertuzzi, Nyquist,
Filpulla, etc. can have a good game at some point throughout this series, then
I definitely look for the Wings to win.
If Detroit can play its style of hockey and force Nashville into a lot
of bad angle, low percentage shots, then Howard will only have to be average to
get them through the round.
All of this being said, I feel that the Wings will win the
series in 6 games. Tonight, the Wings
will win a close game, and then fall on Friday (who doesn’t lose on Friday
night in Nashville?). Look for the wings
to take 2 at home, lose game 5, and come back and end the series in game 6 at
the Joe. Look for Franzen, Datsyuk, and
Filppula to have a great series. LGRW
No comments:
Post a Comment