Red Wings 1, Sharks 2 (1-4): Post Game Snipes...

• There’s not a lot to say about this one. I had a blast with the Commune. We even recruited my dad to join the festivities. Knowing that the Commune won’t be in session again until the fall is probably the worst part of this loss.
• I didn’t want to post it then, but I told Sara that the series was over at the end of Game Two. I pretty much knew then. I think most of us did.
• A second round exit isn’t bad for a team that was hovering in 10th place for a large part of the season.
• This series was a lot closer than a 4-1 outcome would have you believe.
• That penalty shot was a joke. I’m so, so, so glad the Wings’ season didn’t end on that call.
• I hate thinking about all of the “what ifs.” Right now, it’s the head shot on Franzen. Tomorrow, it’ll be some other little missed opportunity or turnover. It’s a long offseason.
• We got the plush zambonis that we’ve been coveting all year. This was the first time I’ve seen them at a viewing party. I also won a sweet t-shirt that looks all vintage-y and stuff.
• Can it please be October yet?
  

GP Review:
11. Game Four was about pride. Game Five is about whether or not the Wings want to make this a series.
It was nice while it lasted. :)

10. Special teams again: make or break.
The Wings needed to capitalize on their powerplay chances when they had them. I can’t really complain about anything else.

9. Shoot on Nabokov early and often. He can’t be feeling good after Game Four, and if the Wings can rattle him from the start, they might be able to get in his head.
I don’t think he even broke a sweat.

8. Once again: STAY OUT OF THE BOX!
Much better tonight.

7. Is Stuart going to be able to go today? What about Eaves?
Eaves was a no go. Stuart apparently played through a sprained knee.

6. Sixty minute effort—win or lose tonight, Wings fans can’t ask for anything more.
The guys just didn’t bring it tonight. San Jose was better for the majority of the game.

5. This is the equivalent of a Game Seven. Start strong. Finish strong. (And, you know, don’t forget about the middle of the game either.)
The middle was the only part that felt good.

4. Johan Franzen needs to take all of that recently-reacquired confidence and channel it into tonight’s game. I don’t necessarily expect another four-goal outburst, but if he’s going to give the Sharks fits if he’s firing on all cylinders.
He did pick up an assist on the Wings’ only goal, but he wasn’t particularly noticeable.

3. Zetterberg seems to have finally reached full playoff mode. He needs to keep shutting down opposing forwards and driving them crazy.
I can’t complain about Z. Ever, really.

2. Jimmy needs to keep doing his thing. He wasn’t tested a whole lot on Thursday, but he should be feeling good about only letting the one goal in.
I hope Jimmy learned some lessons during these playoffs. They’ll help him in the long run.

1. Will the physical play and cheap shenanigans from the end of Game Four carry over tonight?
Not especially, even though I’m still bitter about the head shot on Franzen.

Hero: Pavel Datsyuk
He didn’t score, but he was doing crazy things with the puck at both ends of the ice.

Villain: Douglas Murray
Cheap shot. I hope he gets suspended.

Final Thought:
Despite all of the stress and misery, I truly enjoyed watching this season and getting to know everyone online and in real life. It was worth every gut-wrenching second.

Red Wings vs. Sharks Game Five GP...

11. Game Four was about pride. Game Five is about whether or not the Wings want to make this a series.
10. Special teams again: make or break.
9. Shoot on Nabokov early and often. He can’t be feeling good after Game Four, and if the Wings can rattle him from the start, they might be able to get in his head.
8. Once again: STAY OUT OF THE BOX!
7. Is Stuart going to be able to go today? What about Eaves?
6. Sixty minute effort—win or lose tonight, Wings fans can’t ask for anything more.
5. This is the equivalent of a Game Seven. Start strong. Finish strong. (And, you know, don’t forget about the middle of the game either.)
4. Johan Franzen needs to take all of that recently-reacquired confidence and channel it into tonight’s game. I don’t necessarily expect another four-goal outburst, but if he’s going to give the Sharks fits if he’s firing on all cylinders.
3. Zetterberg seems to have finally reached full playoff mode. He needs to keep shutting down opposing forwards and driving them crazy.
2. Jimmy needs to keep doing his thing. He wasn’t tested a whole lot on Thursday, but he should be feeling good about only letting the one goal in.
1. Will the physical play and cheap shenanigans from the end of Game Four carry over tonight?

The #redwingscommune is convening at the Post Bar in Ferndale for what could be the last official viewing party of the season. Feel free to join us. The more the merrier. I promise you’ll be able to pick us out of the crowd.

Red Wings vs. Sharks Game Four GP...

12. I’ll start with the obvious: The Wings need to find a way to win this game.
11. Mattias Ritola is making his playoff debut in place of the injured Patrick Eaves and useless Jason Williams (Who?). This is exciting and terrifying all at once. How is that going to work out for the Wings?
10. The Datsyuk line can’t afford to get taken advantage of defensively like they were on Tuesday. That was just ugly.
9. Powerplays have been few and far between this series, but the Wings haven’t done a good enough job capitalizing on them when they do come their way. Special teams have been crucial in every single game all playoffs long.
8. Jimmy needs to settle down and stop trying to do too much. People have been criticizing him, but they’re forgetting that he’s a rookie. It just feels like he's been trying to win the games by himself, and his being too aggressive has led to some goals. Just make the saves as they come, and let the team play defense in front of you, Jimmy.
7. Again, STAY OUT OF THE BOX!!!
6. Capitalize on mistakes when San Jose makes them. It seems like they’ve found a way to put the puck in the net every time the Wings make a mistake. The Wings need to turn the tables if they want to have a shot at crawling out of the hole they’ve dug for themselves.
5. This is the equivalent of a Game Seven. Start strong. Finish strong. (And, you know, don’t forget about the middle of the game either...)
4. Win faceoffs. It makes it a heck of a lot easier to play the puck possession game we know and love.
3. Andreas Lilja is back in the lineup on defense. Here’s hoping he can settle Ericsson down.
2. Zetterberg really stepped up his game on Tuesday. He and his line need to keep carrying the play to the Sharks’ top players.
1. Keep testing Nabokov. He hasn’t looked nearly as spectacular as a 3-0 series lead would indicate.

The Wings can still do this. The Sharks said it themselves: if any team can crawl out of a 3-0 hole, it’s the Wings. That being said, the version of the Wings we’ve seen for most of the playoffs won’t be able to do it. The post-Olympic streak Wings? If they start showing up, there’s a slim possibility. The NHL’s playoff slogan is “History will be made” after all. I hope for the sakes of all of the #redwingscommune members in attendance tonight that they don’t have to see a handshake line.

Red Wings 3, Sharks 4 (0-2): Post Game Snipes...

• This game was a joke. There’s nothing more to it. There are days when I can’t stand the NHL. This is most certainly one of them. And yet, for some reason, I keep coming back time and time again.
• That first shift was horrifying. We were absolutely shocked that the Sharks didn’t score there.
• For the last, you know, decade or so, haven’t the Wings been pretty good at winning faceoffs? Because I’m really curious about what happened to their ability to do so all of a sudden. I’ve never had to worry about this before.
• There were several occasions when we were screaming at the TV because Versus was zoomed in too close. We were inches away from missing one of the Wings’ goals because the net wasn’t in the frame, even though they were cycling in the zone. Honestly, the kids in the video production class who used to run the school announcements when I was in high school could put together a better broadcast. ZOOM OUT. We wanted to start a Twitter campaign to that effect. Thank goodness we get FSD back on Tuesday.
• As soon as Nick Lidstrom’s stick broke in the third period, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that San Jose was about to score. It was just one of those moments that was too perfect. You could see it coming, but there was nothing you could do about it. Ditto on the goal on the 5-on-3.
• The third period was one of the most frustrating periods of hockey I’ve ever watched. It began with anger, and ended up with just quiet resignation as I accepted the fact that the Wings were not going to come back to tie the game. The worst part is that the Wings looked just as frustrated and disheartened as I did. By the time it came down to that too many men on the ice call, I wasn’t even annoyed. Normally, I would be all over them for giving up and surrendering, but honestly, how long can you put up a fight against absurdities like the officiating in that game before you give up? It’s hard to blame them for being discouraged when so much as looking at a Shark the wrong way seemed to be enough to earn a trip to the penalty box. I know it’s not something you ever want to see, but it’s understandable.
  

GP Review:
12. Keep testing Nabokov. He looked very beatable on Thursday.
At one point, I’m told that his save percentage was only .667. That’s not even respectable.

11. For the love of god, cover Joe Pavelski. Please.
That man is on fire. He scored two goals again. Where is the Zetterberg-shaped blanket that’s supposed to be draped over him?

10. Can the Wings’ special teams beat San Jose’s? This has been a huge factor so far.
I’m just…I'm going to leave this one alone

9. Franzen finally broke through with a goal in Game One. Here’s hoping that gets him on a roll.
No seriously, earth to Franzen. Earth to Franzen. (Am I the only one whose parents used to say that all the time? Because my dad used to wander around stores looking for my mom while yelling, “Earth to Vic!” It’s unclear whether or not his difficulty in locating her was due to the fact that she was hiding. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anyone else say that before though.)

8. The Wings need to come out strongly in the first few minutes of the game. They’ve got a chance to catch the Sharks off guard after an extra day of rest at home. This is also contingent on the hope that the Wings aren’t the ones sleep-walking through the opening of the game.
How about that first shift, eh? Multiple heart attack-inducing scoring chances for San Jose, plus a penalty? Let’s just say that’s not exactly what I had in mind.

7. This probably goes without saying, but 90-second mental lapses like the one we saw in the first period Thursday can be killer. Avoiding incidents like that one will go a long way toward assuring that the Wings win the game.
Wouldn’t it be nice if that was the only thing we had to complain about today?

6. A win tonight negates San Jose’s home ice advantage. Make it happen, please.
They’re now down 2-0 in the series. It’s not impossible to come back from that, but my hopes aren’t high.

5. Don’t forget your tin foil hats.
Boy did we ever need them last night. This is the perfect opportunity to announce that we are coordinating a flash mob that will meet on the steps at the Gordie Howe entrance to the Joe at 6:45 on Tuesday before Game Three. We’ll be dancing with our tin foil hats. All info can be found here. Please do join us, and bring a friend (or 7).

4. Jimmy probably wants a couple of those goals back from Thursday, even though I really can’t fault him for much. Hopefully he’ll come out with a point to prove.
Again, not Jimmy’s fault. He even survived getting run by Brad Stuart twice (I count the time he checked Day Heatley into Jimmy as one.)

3. The Wings need to find a way to get traffic through the center of the ice when in the attacking zone. The Sharks were way too good at keeping them to the perimeter in Game One.
They spent way too much time defending and not nearly enough time attacking. Part of that is because of the excessive amount of penalties they had to kill, and part of that is lack of puck control. Both of those things need to get better.

2. The fourth line looked great on Thursday. Can they keep it up?
Did they even make it out on the ice? The Wings spent so much time on the PK, I'm not sure they even got to play last night.

1. Patrick Eaves is day-to-day with an arm injury. How effective is he going to be if he’s in the lineup?
He wasn’t able to go, and instead we got treated to Jason Williams (Who?). I think the Wings missed Eaves on the PK, and they sure could’ve used another penalty killer in the lineup to spread the minutes around. Please, please be okay for Game Three.

Hero: Pavel Datsyuk
His goal was magnificent. When he scored, I really had a good feeling about the evening. I though things were going to be okay. I had no idea what was about to transpire.

Villain: The referees
I know Brad Watson was one of them, but I’m not willing to put in the effort to look up the other guy’s name. This game was an embarrassment. It was worse than Game One, which is actually kind of an accomplishment. It’s like the refs are caught in some kind of sick game of one-upsmanship (Yes, I just invented that word.) to see who can call a more miserable game. I really don’t think it’s too much to ask to let the players decide the outcome of the game. And yes, I realize that the Heatley goalie interference call was a joke, but as others have said, one bad call doesn’t even out a handful against the Wings.

Final Thought:
I truly, honestly hate the NHL. And Versus. It’s a testament to the extent to which we are all addicted to hockey that we keep coming back night in and night out.

Red Wings vs. Sharks Game Two GP...

12. Keep testing Nabokov. He looked very beatable on Thursday.
11. For the love of god, cover Joe Pavelski. Please.
10. Can the Wings’ special teams beat San Jose’s? This has been a huge factor so far.
9. Franzen finally broke through with a goal in Game One. Here’s hoping that gets him on a roll.
8. The Wings need to come out strongly in the first few minutes of the game. They’ve got a chance to catch the Sharks off guard after an extra day of rest at home. This is also contingent on the hope that the Wings aren’t the ones sleep-walking through the opening of the game.
7. This probably goes without saying, but 90-second mental lapses like the one we saw in the first period Thursday can be killer. Avoiding incidents like that one will go a long way toward assuring that the Wings win the game.
6. A win tonight negates San Jose’s home ice advantage. Make it happen, please.
5. Don’t forget your tin foil hats.
4. Jimmy probably wants a couple of those goals back from Thursday, even though I really can’t fault him for much. Hopefully he’ll come out with a point to prove.
3. The Wings need to find a way to get traffic through the center of the ice when in the attacking zone. The Sharks were way too good at keeping them to the perimeter in Game One.
2. The fourth line looked great on Thursday. Can they keep it up?
1. Patrick Eaves is day-to-day with an arm injury. How effective is he going to be if he’s in the lineup?

Red Wings 3, Sharks 4 (0-1): Post Game Snipes...

• The general sentiment around Red Wings nation has been quiet optimism. This loss wasn’t nearly as devastating as any of the three in the first round. Sure, I left Hockeytown angry, but my bad mood had more to do with that 5-on-3 than anything else. The Wings are by no means out of this series.
• The back-to-back joke calls were bad enough on their own, but the fact that they led to the game-winning goal makes it that much worse.
• Franzen apparently went to the box for the rarely called “two minutes for being high-sticked” penalty. We did, however, have a good laugh when he was shown on the bench during the third with dried blood still on his face. My brother, who was attending his first ever #redwingscommune meeting, said, “I didn’t think it was possible for Franzen to get any sexier.”
• If I were one of the referees, I would be legitimately angry at that dive Setoguchi took. I mean really, have some self-respect.
• The frustrating thing is that we have to spend the two-day break banging our heads against the wall, haunted by the series of blown calls (which at this point should really just be a regularly scheduled part of your routine). The good new is that except for that minute and a half in the first period, this was not a bad game at all. San Jose did a better job capitalizing on mistakes, but by no means dominated.
• I had a blast with the Commune again. You guys make my life. Even getting evicted from our H2H nostalgia fest was better with you crazies around. Ugly sweaters, sitting IN the TV, collecting free stuff, and hating our waitress together made the night fun despite the loss. And I left with this, thanks to another trivia victory assisted by Commune members with some backup from Twitter. We never did find out if 99 was the right answer to the unofficially retired numbers question, since they didn’t give us the answers.
  

GP Review:
12. The most important thing for Game One is to keep up the momentum from the last round. The Wings played one of the best games we’ve seen them play in a long time, and they need to keep it up.
They didn’t exactly get off to a blazing start. It goes without saying that the first period left a lot to be desired. That being said, they carried the play for most of the game. That’s encouraging.

11. Coming out strong and aggressive is going to be really important. They can’t afford to be tentative and passive at the start of the game.
I should probably just copy/paste the last answer.

10. The Wings’ stars led the team in a big way during Game Seven. They’ll need to keep shining to take the team past the more threatening Sharks.
They really weren’t bad, aside from those breakdowns. This wasn’t one of those games that was lost because the stars disappeared.

9. This is going to be Zetterberg’s first chance at a real shut-down assignment. Watching him frustrate opposing stars is a thing of beauty. Who is Babcock going to assign him to? My money’s on Pavelski.
I’ll admit that I was a little distracted with #redwingscommune festivities so I wasn’t really watching matchups. I do know that Pavelski had way too much room last night.

8. Make no mistake: special teams won Game Seven. The powerplay and PK need to keep clicking and avoid any Game-Six-like disasters.
Yeah, about that…

7. The Wings need to solve Nabokov early and keep him from getting into a groove.
He made some good saves, but he looked beatable.

6. This is a battle between the fresh-from-the-first-round Wings and the well-rested Sharks. Who is going to look better?
The Sharks definitely got off to a better start, although I’m skeptical as to the extent which fatigue impacted the Wings’ play. We’ve seen those kind of starts consistently all season regardless of how much time they had off between games.

5. Now that Jimmy’s got a whole round of playoff experience under his belt, he just needs to settle down and do his thing.
You can’t pin this one on him, but I’m sure there were a couple of goals he’d like back.

4. Here’s hoping that Franzen’s been stockpiling all of his goals for the later rounds. Assists are nice, but he makes the big bucks to score goals.
He ripped a nice shot past Nabokov. Here’s hoping that goal plus anger over the missed high stick are enough to wake him up for real.

3. Don’t let the Sharks carry the physical play.
This didn’t seem like an issue to me.

2. The second defensive pairing needs to get things under control. I want to see fewer turnovers and at least one Kronwalling.
Alas, there were no Kronwallings.

1. Start Round Two off on the right foot, boys. We’re all counting on you.
Well that didn’t happen.

Hero: Pavel Datsyuk
Best player on the ice again. He does things with the puck that just shouldn’t be done every single night.

Villain: Devin Setoguchi
That was just embarrassing. Seriously. Even for a guy whose wikipedia page lists one of his nicknames as Dive-O-Guchi. (Not sure if that's a recent addition or well-established.)

Final Thought:
It should not be this frustrating to love hockey. Thanks, NHL.

Red Wings vs. Sharks Game One GP...

You know what I love about these? They keep getting shorter and shorter. Best idea ever.

12. The most important thing for Game One is to keep up the momentum from the last round. The Wings played one of the best games we’ve seen them play in a long time, and they need to keep it up.
11. Coming out strong and aggressive is going to be really important. They can’t afford to be tentative and passive at the start of the game.
10. The Wings’ stars led the team in a big way during Game Seven. They’ll need to keep shining to take the team past the more threatening Sharks.
9. This is going to be Zetterberg’s first chance at a real shut-down assignment. Watching him frustrate opposing stars is a thing of beauty. Who is Babcock going to assign him to? My money’s on Pavelski.
8. Special teams were key in Game Seven. The powerplay and PK need to keep clicking and avoid any Game-Six-like disasters.
7. The Wings need to solve Nabokov early and keep him from getting into a groove.
6. This is a battle between the fresh-from-the-first-round Wings and the well-rested Sharks. Who is going to look better?
5. Now that Jimmy’s got a whole round of playoff experience under his belt, he just needs to settle down and do his thing.
4. Here’s hoping that Franzen’s been stockpiling all of his goals for the later rounds. Assists are nice, but he makes the big bucks to score goals.
3. Don’t let the Sharks carry the physical play.
2. The second defensive pairing needs to get things under control. I want to see fewer turnovers and at least one Kronwalling.
1. Start Round Two off on the right foot, boys. We’re all counting on you.

I’ll be taking in the game at the official viewing party at Hockeytown Café with several members of the #redwingscommune. So far, commune fieldtrips are 2-0, so hopefully we can keep up the good luck. We also watched Game Five from Hockeytown, and I ended up coming home with a bag full of free goodies that included a Datsyuk signed puck. If you’re looking for proof of how much fun we had, check out this video that the Wings put together:

Sharks Series Preview...

That was quite the series. I never expected it to go to seven games. I learned a lot during that series. I had always had a healthy respect for Shane Doan right up until he started running guys left and right. I also learned a bit about karma. The Wings hopefully learned a lesson or two about full game efforts. We all learned that life’s a little better when you have a commune support group to fall back on.

But that’s all in the past now.

The Wings are off to fine San Jose, where they’re already being welcomed with open arms. This is quite the quick turnaround, much to the relief of my poor puppy. Last season, during the long layoff between the first and second rounds, I was so bored that I decided to give her a haircut. Let’s just say that there’s a reason I’m not a professional dog groomer. I really believe that if I had had the proper tools at my disposal, it would’ve looked a lot better.

Everyone knows San Jose as the perennial playoff chokers and the team with no heart. You know what I’d like? I’d like to see the Wings cement that reputation for the Sharks. Let them have their fancy Western Conference championship banner. Good luck drinking champaign out of that.

There’s no doubt that San Jose is more talented all around than the Coyotes were, but Phoenix played with drive and grit that we’re not used to seeing from the Sharks in the post-season. They cranked things up toward the end of their series against Colorado, and really seemed to be clicking. A Sharks team in full-stride should make anyone nervous.

None of that matters, though. The Wings are going to determine who wins this series. I will maintain that this Wings team, when playing in full flight (see: Game Seven), cannot be beaten by any team in the NHL in a best of seven series until the day that I die. It’s up to them whether they make a fourth straight trip to the Conference Finals or get some extra time off this summer. With any luck, we'll get treated to an encore of this performance at the end of the series.

Guy to Grudgingly Respect: Evgeni Nabokov
I almost put Dany Heatley here just for laughs. I decided that it probably wouldn’t seem as funny in the morning, though. Instead, I went with Nabokov because a) Goalies always terrify me and b) He has the ability to steal a game when he gets in a groove.

Guy to Fear: Joe Pavelski
He’s been the one getting stuff done for San Jose so far during the playoffs. He looks like a prime candidate to have a Henrik-Zetterberg-shaped blanket draped all over him this series.

Guy I’m Probably Going to Laugh at a Lot: Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Vlasic pickles. It gets me every time.