Part two of my Western Conference previews, features two teams that we're prominently featured in my childhood. I watched Full House just about everyday after school, and if you're in your early 20s and say you didn't you're lying. Uncle Joey, while living in the garage of the Tanner residence had a mannequin wearing a Red Wings jersey, and I thought that was awesome. And I still watch Mighty Ducks 1,2 & 3 a little more often than I would like to admit.
Call AAA, because here's the breakdown-
It was the thing to do earlier this week to jump on the San Jose Sharks for being the Number 1 seed losing the the 8-seed Anaheim Ducks and being outed in the first round, but it wasn't the sharks choking as much as it was the Ducks coming hotter than Marissa Miller. The Ducks were a much better team than your typical 8-seed would be. They basically drifted through the first 69 games of the year, and then needed a 10-2-1 record to finish the year just to barely make it into the playoffs. Had the Sharks faced a St. Louis or Columbus team, both of which were swept in the first round, they would most certainly be in the second round.
But they're not, and the Ducks are.
The Red Wings are just a good organization, plain and simple. They know what to do, and how to do it and you can't blame them for that. They are the reigning Stanley Cup champs and they have all the tools necessary to win the cup again...well almost. I'm not sold on Osgood. Never have been, but he just always does it. But this post season and last post seasons run are much different.
Detroit usually seems to split time in goal, mainly because they don't have a dominant goaltender that can start 55-60 games a year and play solidly. 07-08 saw Osgood split time with Dominik Hasek, and it saw him excel in this role. He posted a 2.09 GAA and a .914 SV%. He came into the playoffs as the backup, even though he had better numbers than Hasek, but was put in when the 1 seeded Wings lost their opening game to the Nashville Predators.
Similar story this year, but different results. This year he split time with Ty Conklin and started 44 games, but he saw his Goals Against rise a pull point higher to 3.09 and his SV% slip to a paltry .887%. Even though his numbers are much worse but he still managed to win 26 games, close to his 27 of 07-08. So how does this happen? Detroit is just damn good.
These are about as two evenly matched teams as you can get.
Both have the gunners up front.
Perry, Getzlaf, Selanne, Ryan for Anaheim.
Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Holmstrom, Hossa for Detroit.
Both are deep on defense.
Anaheim - Scott and Rob Niedermeyer, Pronger, Whitney
Detroit - Lidstrom, Rafalski, Kronwall, Stuart
And both have goaltenders that are on fire in these playoffs.
Anahiem - Jonas Hiller 1.65 GAA .957 SV% and 2 shutouts against the Sharks
Detroit - Chris Osgood 1.75 GAA .936 SV% and 1 shutout against the Blue Jackets.
What it's going to come down to is if Anaheim can keep it up. They've been playing outstanding hockey for the better part of a month and a half and you would think they would be just about out of gas, but this is playoff hockey, they'll find a way, but...
This series is going to come down to the wire. Wings in 7. Uncle Joey takes down Charlie Conway.
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