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Round 2 Preview: Red Wings vs. Sharks and Predictions |
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The dreaded opponent Red Wings fans wanted to avoid in Round 2 has arrived......the San Jose Sharks. Let's breakdown how these teams matchup and see what shakes out:
FORWARDS
Both teams have a plethora of depth up front, however I feel the slight edge goes to San Jose in this department. The top two scoring lines of Cheechoo-Thornton-Michalek along with Marleau-Pavelski-Guerin can put the puck in the net with the best of them....the 3rd and 4th lines although not as offensively gifted, can still chip in with some offence and enjoy playing a physical brand of hockey with the likes of Mike Grier, rookie Ryan Clowe, Marcel Goc, Steve Bernier, Curtis Brown and Pat Rissmiller.
The Wings counter with their offensive centerpieces of Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Tomas Holmstrom rounded out the top line for the Wings but is expected out for Game 1 and according to TSN insiders may very well be out for the series with his eye injury. The best alternatives to fill in for Holmstrom are either Kyle Calder or Johan Franzen as they seem best suited to emulate Holmstrom's role of standing in front of the net and causing havoc for the opposing goaltender. The 2nd line of Lang and Bertuzzi needs to continue its improved play towards the tail end of the Calgary series.
The experience of the Wings 3rd line could be beneficial as Draper and Maltby have meshed nicely with Dan Cleary who was arguably the Wings top forward in Round 1 (alongside Datsyuk). The 4th line has chipped in with some contributions via Valteri Filppula and his icetime has increased as the playoffs have continued. I expect this trend to continue in Round 2.
EDGE: SAN JOSE
DEFENSE
The Sharks top 6 is a nice mesh of youth and experience along with physical and finesse. The deadline acquisition of Craig Rivet has helped add some experience and leadership to this crew. Hannan and McLaren will be thorns in the side of Wings forwards. Ehrhoff, Vlasic and Carle are all good skating defencemen who are known for being able to provide offence from the backend and on the power play.
As for the Wings, having the best d-man in the league always helps. Lidstrom should average close to 30 minutes per game and will likely be paired up with Danny Markov. I expect this pairing to be up against the Thornton line as much as possible. The improved play of Andreas Lilja in Round 1 has assisted the Wings in making up for the loss of Niklas Kronwall. Mathieu Schneider's play is vital as he must kickstart the Wings power play if they expect to be successful vs. San Jose. Chris Chelios will be paired with either Brett Lebda or Kyle Quincey. Chelios played extremely well in the Calgary series and even chipped in with some offence. The Wings had the best defence in the league and allow the fewest shots....the space the Sharks had vs. Nashville will not be as prevalent.
EDGE: DETROIT
GOALTENDING
Nabokov was outstanding in goal vs. Nashville in Round 1. He is known as a streaky goaltender so it shouldn't be a surprise if he is able to continue his strong play in Round 2. It should be noted however, that Nabokov does possess a 4-10 lifetime record vs. the Wings. In addition, it was Vesa Toskala who tended goal for the Sharks in all 3 of their wins vs. the Wings this season. It will be interesting to see if Wilson has a quick hook if Nabokov struggles in Games 1 and 2 at the JLA, based on Nabokov's history vs. Detroit and Toskala's success this season.
As for the Wings, their confidence in Hasek is clearly evident in their play. He played well in Round 1 with only one goal that was really questionable (game winner by Iginla in Game 3). In Games 5 and 6 with the pressure mounting, Hasek stepped up his play and held the Flames to one goal in each game. The Sharks will surely fire more shots his way than he faced in Round 1, however Hasek is the type of goalie who thrives on more work. I think he will be up for the challenge.
EDGE: DETROIT
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Sharks power play is outstanding as it ranked 2nd during the regular season. It did struggle however vs. the Preds in Round 1 and as well vs. the Oilers last season in Round 2 where the Sharks were bounced. The Wings power play struggled most of the season ranked 21st....however, the talent is there to improve mightily as it has been in the Top 5 the five seasons prior to this year. In addition, the Wings penalty kill was ranked 7th overall and has the ability to neutralize the Sharks power play. Will they?
EDGE: SAN JOSE
COACHING/INTANGIBLES
Mike Babcock should really garner some attention in Coach of the Year voting. There were predictions that the Wings were going to struggle to make the postseason this year back in September/October. He has done a great job incorporating some youth into this team (especially up front) and changing the style of this team from an offensive club to a defensive minded club with some scoring punch. The Wings holding home ice in this series could loom large if it goes seven games.
EDGE: DETROIT
PREDICTION
The play of the Wings in Round 1 has truly shown how different this club is from years past. It's confidence in Hasek playing goal cannot be understated. Two months ago, I would have likely picked San Jose to win this series in six games, however, with the addition of players such as Bertuzzi, Calder and the emergence of Johan Franzen and Valteri Filppula in these playoffs, along with the Wings getting that first round monkey off their back, I really like the Wings chances of winning this series.
DETROIT IN 6
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Other 2nd round predictions
ANAHEIM vs. VANCOUVER
In my opinion, the Canucks just don't have the firepower and depth to beat the Ducks in a seven game series. The Canucks have to be drained from playing a seven game series (actually eight if you include the overtimes). Luongo could steal a game or two to keep them in it, but in the end, I like Anaheim to move on.
ANAHEIM IN 5
NEW JERSEY VS. OTTAWA
This Senators team has impressed with its play since the trade deadline and in Round 1 dispatching of the Pens in 5 games. Ray Emery has played very well in goal and is very important to their success. He doesn't have to steal this series, he only needs to keep the Sens in it. The Devils rebounded nicely vs. the Lightning after trailing 2-1 in the series. Brodeur will have to elevate his play for this team to move on. The Sens depth is much greater than Tampa's.
OTTAWA IN 6
BUFFALO VS. NEW YORK RANGERS
The Rangers got off to a nice start by sweeping the Thrashers but I don't feel their blueliners can contain the four lines the Sabres will throw at them. Add to the fact that Ryan Miller should be able to match Henrik Lundqvist in goal, and I feel the Sabres should continue its march back to the Eastern Conference final
BUFFALO IN 5
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