Chicago or Detroit?

[Destroydacre]

Shocked everyone is saying Chicago. The way Crawford played the last few games I'd rather the Sharks play Detroit. Howard is not a goalie that will steal a series. Crawford damn near did.

 

[rares]

Shocked everyone is saying Chicago. The way Crawford played the last few games I'd rather the Sharks play Detroit. Howard is not a goalie that will steal a series. Crawford damn near did.

Not really worried about the goaltending... just about Datsyuk skating circles and scoring at will against our stooges err.. defensemen.

 

[Cbrower91]

Im guessing 6 to 7 games minimum this time around unless the sharks can get to howard early, which is possible seeing how they exposed him blocker side last playoffs and had him all out of sorts.

He has gotten his game a little tightened up, but he still over commits. Bonus is that Zetterberg has been in out of the line up this playoffs with injury

Nashville probably got the worst of this deal as they much up horribly against vancouver, i see a sweep in that series or maybe 5 games

 

[SJVP408]

Sharks need to tighten up the D as a team. Wings will have their moments when they skate circles around the Sharks. Sharks gotta work together and keep everything on the outside. Both goalies are going to get tested big time as I think neither team's team defense can handle the other's O.

 

[rares]

NHL not announcing West’s Round 2 schedule tonight, but it looks like a Friday start for Sharks-Detroit | Working the Corners

Sounds like Game 1 is going to be Friday, which will make Game 2 a Sunday one.

PLEASE don't make it an early morning Sunday game, at least? (Pick the Caps for that or whatever)

 

[sjrules99]

I too would have picked detroit. The sharks handled them nicely last year and all this year in the regular season, and detroit's key guys are just another year older and another step slower. Lidstrom is 40+, rafalski nearly 38, modano 40+, holmstrom 38, bertuzzi 36, draper 39, Salei 36+. That's alot of pretty old guys and alot of those guys are injury prone now and are key players. Even datsyuk is pushing 33. If the sharks use their size and speed up front to punish the detroit D, and play a physical series, it will be tough for the wings to match up.

Chicago was chalk full of clutch guys. Their bad start cost them but if they restarted that series today, I think chicago would have won. Toews, kane, hossa, sharp, bolland, keith seabrook, campbell is a seirous team. Glad to see them gone!

key to the series will just be staying out of the box.

 

[rares]

I too would have picked detroit. The sharks handled them nicely last year and all this year in the regular season, and detroit's key guys are just another year older and another step slower. Lidstrom is 40+, rafalski nearly 38, modano 40+, holmstrom 38, bertuzzi 36, draper 39, Salei 36+. That's alot of pretty old guys and alot of those guys are injury prone now and are key players. Even datsyuk is pushing 33. If the sharks use their size and speed up front to punish the detroit D, and play a physical series, it will be tough for the wings to match up.

Chicago was chalk full of clutch guys. Their bad start cost them but if they restarted that series today, I think chicago would have won. Toews, kane, hossa, sharp, bolland, keith seabrook, campbell is a seirous team. Glad to see them gone!

key to the series will just be staying out of the box.

You clearly must not have been watching many Detroit games lately.

Datsyuk is a fucking magician out there and there is nobody on the Sharks team who can skate with him.

Lidstrom is still a stud.. "at 40+" as you say.

Modano is only one of the biggest Sharks killer of all time.

Homer will wreck havoc in the crease and drive Niemi nuts and score a few as always.

etc.. etc..

Bottom line, I think you're crazy to think the regular season success the Sharks had against Detroit is in any way relevant today.

 

[Cmon_WTF]

Yeah, I've got a feeling this one's not going to be pretty for the Sharks. Hopefully they prove me wrong but I don't see them coming even close to matching the Red Wings. Detroit is way, way better in their own zone, their forwards are more skilled, more disiplined offensively, and more experienced. Sharks will put up a fight but I'm thinking Wings in 6.

 

[Dean_Youngblood]

This will be a tough series. If we don't get the puck deep early/often and keep possession in the Wings zone for long periods of time to wear down their D, we'll get jacked. Age is probably the only advantage we have, and the Wings are rested.

I don't know what to do about Dats. He's a robot. Robots + ice is a deadly combination. I hope that we come ready to play some "D".

 

[sjrules99]

Obviously,I hope I'm right about the wings becasue how is it that the wings have improved over last year? Lidstrom is still a stud, but he is not as good as he was a few years ago and actually only average 20 mins/game for phoenix and 23 mins/gm for the season. He isnt the 30 minute guy he was. Rafalski has gotten much much worse as well. He's still a threat, but only averaged just over 20 mins/gm throughout the year, not the 25+ he was. Those two are not the same SC winning pair of 2008. Kronwall has shown to be suspect defensively and stuart, while solid, is still not that special and their bottom pairing is pretty weak.

Datsyuk is not old, and I wasnt meant to imply that he was, just that he and the rest of the list are getting pretty injury prone and older. Holmstrom, zetterberg, datsyuk, rafalski, modano, all working through injuries this year. If the sharks play physical, they can beat the wings. Are the wings still good? yes. Are they still scary? yes. Did they get better this year than last? I dont think so.

And the real X-factor is howard. He just isnt very good and the sharks exposed him last year and I expect them to do the same. He wasnt too good all season really, and was only so-so again phoenix. Detroit won that series largely on the PP and on the terribad play of bryzgalov who gave up multiple uncharacteristic weak goals. the wings scored at least 4 goals per game and had 5 PP goals in the 4 games, so it wasnt howard. I also just dont see howard stealing games the way quick, anderson, nemo, hiller and the like have done in the past. if the sharks get their shots, many will find the back of the net.

I like my chances as I see the wings as just another year older while the sharks are pretty much the same team. Obviously nemo will need to be better, but I have faith in him.

If the sharks march to the box, it'll be lights out. However, if they can be disciplined, the sharks have the edge.