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Ken Daniels was right about that should be a call too.
Did you also here Hitchcock crying about the Wings cheating in the faceoffs???
I'm the first one to admit that Draper is probably the best faceoff cheaters I have seen. I've been telling my friends that for years. No way else he could consistantly be at the top for that many years. I haven't really noticed it in other Wings players though.
And better yet, it's so much easier for home teams to "cheat" because the visitors have to put their sticks down first.
But the real reason why Hitchcock said that is to take the focus off his team's terrible play, and put it all on him.
On to the first 2 games, Ozzie has looked well, I thought he was better in game 1 because he had more action in front of him. Game 2 was a cakewalk for most of the game.
I wont begin to complain about the garbage penalties against the Wings in Game 1, because the refs made up for it in Gmae 2 with some of the stuff they were calling on Columbus early on.
I'm not calling all of the late penalties garbage though. That team was so undisciplined at the end of that game, it seems they may have already thrown in the towel. I know I shouldnt say things like this, but I will be very surpised if Columbus wins more than 1 game now.
Did you also here Hitchcock crying about the Wings cheating in the faceoffs???
I'm the first one to admit that Draper is probably the best faceoff cheaters I have seen. I've been telling my friends that for years. No way else he could consistantly be at the top for that many years. I haven't really noticed it in other Wings players though.
And better yet, it's so much easier for home teams to "cheat" because the visitors have to put their sticks down first.
But the real reason why Hitchcock said that is to take the focus off his team's terrible play, and put it all on him.
On to the first 2 games, Ozzie has looked well, I thought he was better in game 1 because he had more action in front of him. Game 2 was a cakewalk for most of the game.
I wont begin to complain about the garbage penalties against the Wings in Game 1, because the refs made up for it in Gmae 2 with some of the stuff they were calling on Columbus early on.
I'm not calling all of the late penalties garbage though. That team was so undisciplined at the end of that game, it seems they may have already thrown in the towel. I know I shouldnt say things like this, but I will be very surpised if Columbus wins more than 1 game now.
Not a chance. This is something their conscious about. And exactly what happened in this same scenario last season with Nashville. If Nashville were to win tonight, it won't be because they'll catch the Wings flatfooted. And this is a good time to play on the Wings. When their hot, confident and on the road, where the price is reasonable. They're not beat up, tired from travel or up against an opponent they haven't shutout a short time ago. All the pressure is on the Blue Jackets tonight in front of their home crowd. They'll be playing hard as well. But Detroit just needs to shut down one big line. They won't have the last change...but they'll be ready for that. Wings just too talented for Columbus.
Hitchcock on the Wings so far,
Ken Hitchcock, too, brought up the Wings’ outstanding work ethic.
“They don’t dial up the offense in the playoffs, they dial up the defense,” he said. “They dial it up better than anybody. Their stick position is perfect, their angling is great, their one-on-one confrontation, which was not great sometimes during the regular season, is excellent now. They’re competing at a high level. It’s their defense that gets dialed up. I’ve seen it for so many years. They can turn on the checking – it’s not they turn on the offense, they turn on the checking. When you look at the way they play down low, it’s hard winning one on ones, it’s hard winning the three-on-three game down low.”
Ken Hitchcock, too, brought up the Wings’ outstanding work ethic.
“They don’t dial up the offense in the playoffs, they dial up the defense,” he said. “They dial it up better than anybody. Their stick position is perfect, their angling is great, their one-on-one confrontation, which was not great sometimes during the regular season, is excellent now. They’re competing at a high level. It’s their defense that gets dialed up. I’ve seen it for so many years. They can turn on the checking – it’s not they turn on the offense, they turn on the checking. When you look at the way they play down low, it’s hard winning one on ones, it’s hard winning the three-on-three game down low.”
More good stuff.
On Sunday, Babcock told St. James that he didn't expect things to change much as the series shifts venues from Joe Louis Arena to Nationwide Arena...
April 20, Detroit Free Press: It is going to get more difficult for the Wings to get the matchups they want because Columbus gets the last substitutions, but if star forward Rick Nash isn't facing Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg's line, it'll be defensemen Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart and Pavel Datsyuk's line or Valtteri Filppula's line.
"We're going to play our guys," Mike Babcock said after Saturday's 4-0 victory gave Detroit a 2-0 series lead and a day off Sunday. "It doesn't matter to me if they play against Pav or Z or Fil. We're just going to play them. We're fortunate in that we've got real good depth down the pipe on this team in Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Filppula, and (Darren) Helm's played really well for us, too. We're really good in the middle."
Nash scored 40 goals in the regular season but has been held to seven shots and no goals in the playoffs, suffocated especially by having 6-foot-3, 220-pound Johan Franzen leaning on him every shift. Now that he'll be home, the Wings expect Nash to be more difficult.
On Sunday, Babcock told St. James that he didn't expect things to change much as the series shifts venues from Joe Louis Arena to Nationwide Arena...
April 20, Detroit Free Press: It is going to get more difficult for the Wings to get the matchups they want because Columbus gets the last substitutions, but if star forward Rick Nash isn't facing Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg's line, it'll be defensemen Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart and Pavel Datsyuk's line or Valtteri Filppula's line.
"We're going to play our guys," Mike Babcock said after Saturday's 4-0 victory gave Detroit a 2-0 series lead and a day off Sunday. "It doesn't matter to me if they play against Pav or Z or Fil. We're just going to play them. We're fortunate in that we've got real good depth down the pipe on this team in Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Filppula, and (Darren) Helm's played really well for us, too. We're really good in the middle."
Nash scored 40 goals in the regular season but has been held to seven shots and no goals in the playoffs, suffocated especially by having 6-foot-3, 220-pound Johan Franzen leaning on him every shift. Now that he'll be home, the Wings expect Nash to be more difficult.
