Takes and trash talk from both ALL sides of the NHL's most obscure PATHETIC* rivalry

* Thanks, Kevin Lowe!

Friday, May 11, 2007

Red Wings Shooting Guide

Stolen from Mike Babcock's playbook, page 34:

Figure 1: Where to shoot to beat J.S. Giguere


Losing G1 2-1 is not the worst possible outcome for the Ducks, but it certainly is not the best. There are some things to take solace in: the Ducks outshot the Wings 32-19 and carried a lot of the play--Detroit at home this postseason was averaging a +17 shot differential and hadn't been outshot yet. Plus I can't really fault Giguere for either goal that went in.

The Ducks not only played a really good road game (they had a tie game with 5 minutes to go), but it was also a really good set-the-tone G1. Positives abound.

But damn, I'd rather have the win.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

it was also a really good set-the-tone G1

Please tell me what this "tone" is that the Ducks set. What I saw was an uneventful game with little urgency from either team. If what the Ducks put on the ice tonight is all they have to offer, it's going to be a very, very short series.

Earl Sleek said...

paul, there will be many MSM writers to help explain that topic for you.

I say that if this is the way Detroit is going to dominate home games, this could be a long series, but you say poh-tah-to.

Anonymous said...

Without some very friendly calls from Don K, that could have been a much worse night for the Ducks. 5-5 it was even, if not Wings tilted.

The Ducks had a 5-3 giftwrapped for them with two shadow penalties and they didn't convert.

Not good.

Anonymous said...

...the Ducks outshot the Wings 32-19 and carried a lot of the play...

Sucks, doesn’t it?

I can’t begin to count the number of times the Wings have been on the same side of that coin in playoff loses past -- out-shooting, out-chancing, etc. their opponent only to wind up on the wrong side of the scoreboard. Same with the ricochet goals, particularly with one Emanuel Legace -- who was a magnet for such things -- in goal for Detroit.

So, don’t expect any apologies from Wings fans. No, sir. Things are starting to even out, as they usually do over the long term.

The old adage, “get the puck on net and funny things can happen” seems to be the appropriate retort here.

RudyKelly said...

Hey, would you Wings fans mind sitting the fuck down?!?!? I can't see if you're walking in front of the camera all the time.

I thought the Ducks probably should have won, but they didn't, which is cool by me. Hasek looks old, but Datsyuk is amazing.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, Hasek's so old only one puck got by him all night, thanks to Andy McDonald. Cheap crap like that doesn't throw Hasek off his game. It only pisses him off to the point where he bears down even harder. Thanks Andy.

As for the Ducks deserving the 'W', maybe the next time they get almost 90 seconds of 5v3 time they'll actually do something with it.

Earl Sleek said...

I'm not asking for apologies, nor suggesting that missed opportunities cost didn't cost the Ducks the win. I'm just pointing out that the Ducks have done something no previous opponent did in Detroit--outshoot/outchance the Wings.

It's a moral victory of sorts, but a pretty crummy one. You only get three such moral victories a series, so no, I'm not that excited about it, but I don't expect the Ducks to give up hope on the series either.

And as for officiating, I really only have this to say. Anyone who acts shocked, here in game 93 of the season, that the trailing team gets the benefit of soft calls, well you probably should have been complaining about this sometime over the last two years.

Make-up or even-the-score-up calls are not new, are not unexpected, and frankly are not worth arguing at this point in time, especially for those who have personal stake in this series. There's plenty of "outsiders" watching this series--let's let the non-biased observers tell us if this officiating is different from what we've seen for two years now.

Anonymous said...

I would say the officiating was bad all around, not just for the Wings. There were a lot of missed calls either way. As you say, playoffs, nothing new.

Your picture is funny. I am curious to see what Game 2 brings for both teams.

I kept thinking that the Wings needed more than one goal in that game and the Ducks were very good at limiting their offensive chances.

PJ Swenson said...

That camera angle is almost as bad as Montreal-Boston in the playoffs a few years back. Worse since the Detroit fans know they are going to be on tv. Did you see the fans hoisting their beers into the picture?

By setting the tone, I think Earl means Corey Perry flopping into key players trying to land an elbow or a knee. Nice hit on Cheli Corr.

But outshot, outhit, and outplayed for a few stretches, Detroit was still able to tighten up defensively, everyone on the team was making smart plays, and eventually Datsyuk and Zetterberg controled the temp with the puck on their stick. And public enemy number 1 for Anaheim should be Homstrom. They were nowhere near as effective as they need to be clearing him in front of the crease.

Sean Zandberg said...

Damned Hasek. That pencil neck just keeps ticking.
I hate the Wings so much that I don't think I've ever cheered harder for the Ducks....

Anonymous said...

If you've never been to Joe Louis Arena, you don't realize there isn't really anywhere else to put the camera. When you sit in the last row you can touch the ceiling. And no, I'm not kidding.

"Hasek looks old"

LMFAO

The goal the Ducks scored was the first one Hasek let in in nearly 3 games of playing time. Yeah, he looks old. *rolls eyes*