Steve Yzerman Bolts for Tampa Bay

Contrary to earlier reports from thefourthperiod, Steve Yzerman will be leaving the only NHL team he's ever been a part of, to take the helm of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In Tampa Bay, he inherits a promising team with a mixture of experienced stars the likes of Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis, and high-end young talent like Steven Stamkos, Steve Downie and Victor Hedman. The Lightning have failed to make the playoffs for the past 3 seasons; a streak Stevie Y. hopes to immediately break.

Tampa Bay Lightning owner, Jeff Vinik fired head coach Rick Tocchet and GM Brian Lawton at the conclusion of the season after the Lightning improved to playoff contention, but fizzled out down the strech to fail again. Vinik has promised to leave all hockey decisions to Yzerman, including the hiring of their new head coach.

Stevie Y. has been with the Red Wings organization for 27 years and his presence will be sorely missed. Current GM Ken Holland and Assistant GM, Jim Nill are likely to be given long-term contracts in the near future, which I'm sure weighed in on Yzerman's decision to pursue an outside opportunity.

It's a reality Red Wings fans always hoped wouldn't eventuate but ultimately knew would. Stevie is gone from Detroit. I, for one, wish him every success in Tampa Bay and I think he'll do very well with the club. With new ownership, I think it's not a bad place to be and I think he'll do very well there. Personally, he's been my hero for the longest time and I now have a genuine favorite team in the East.

Congratulations Stevie Y. Best wishes. But most all... thank you.

Hawks and Flyers to Meet for Lord Stanley

Much like the 2009 Conference Finals, it was all over pretty quickly -- Philadelphia getting by the Canadiens in 5 games, while Chicago overcame the Sharks in a sweep.

While the series wasn't quite as dominant as the sweep would suggest, the hapless San Jose Sharks were a soundly beaten bunch. Probably the best player for San Jose, Patrick Marleau scored 5 of his team's 7 goals. While looking a little lazy and quiet at times, he was usually in the right spots when on offense, and put the puck away enough. Sadly for San Jose, aside from Joe Thornton he got no help at all. Jason Demers and Logan Couture were the only other players who were able to find the back of the net, which in the end lead to the Sharks demise. You need a lot more than three scorers to beat the Blackhawks.

Probably the strongest contender for the Conn Smythe Trophy, Chicago's captain Jonathan Toews was without a doubt their leader throughout the series and throughout the entire playoffs. Toews has always been a winner, getting gold in the World Junior Championships, World U-17's, World Championships and the Olympics -- and now the 22-year-old hopes to add a Stanley Cup to his resume. Toews scored one goal and added 5 assists against the Sharks to bring his playoffs totals to 7 goals and a league-leading 26 points.

Last night was the end of one of two Cinderella stories in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately for the fans in Montreal -- it was theirs. Philly overpowered their opponents almost incessantly, and combined their tough style of game with a potent attack and an oppressively stingy defense. Montreal was held scoreless in 10 of 15 periods in the series -- three of their four losses coming via shutout -- shutouts delivered, amazingly enough, by the replacement, Michael Leighton.

Leighton, the latest Cinderella story of the playoffs, had never seen NHL playoff action before he stepped in for the injured Brian Boucher in Game 5 against Boston, and only had 4 career regular season shutouts. Since that point he's gone 6-1 with a 1.45 GAA, an incredible .948 SV% and 3 shutouts. It's been a remarkable turnaround from the guy who was put on waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes earlier in the season to this. Having said that, stymieing the Bruins and Habs is one thing, but the overcoming the Chicago Blackhawks is another.

To me, it really seems like this Finals series will just be a demonstration of the Western Conference's superiority over the Eastern Conference. Chicago is a genuine, bona-fide powerhouse team with arguably the most balanced lineup in the League. Shutting down the likes of Cammalleri, Gionta, Lapierre and the already quiet Plekanec, Gomez and Kostitsyn is nothing like shutting down Chicago's best.

Along with Toews, the Flyers and Leighton have to contend with Patrick Kane, Dustin Byfuglien, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa and Kris Versteeg as just a few of the forwards that can light the lamp at any given opportunity. Furthermore, the offensive output from the blueline, lead by Brian Campbell, Niklas Hjalmarsson and the Norris-favourite Duncan Keith, is also one of the scariest bluelines to have to contend with.

While Michael Leighton and the entire Flyers team has been admirable in their campaigns, I truly see no way they can contend with the Blackhawks in this one. Stranger things have happened but I severely doubt this Cinderella-story will go all the way. Chicago will end their 49-year Stanley Cup drought, the Flyers will continue their 35-year drought and the Marian Hossa curse will be lifted. I hate to say it, but 'Hawks in 5.

Bertuzzi Talks, Ritola Re-Signs, Larsson to Sweden

According to the Free Press, Holland and co. have begun talks with Bertuzzi's management for a possible multi-year deal.

"Certainly the organization liked what Todd did, and Todd enjoyed his year in Detroit, and is interested in coming back," agent Pat Morris said.

Bertuzzi, 35, made $1.5 million last season. He was one of three Wings (with Lidstrom and Brad Stuart) to play all 82 games, during which he produced 18 goals among 44 points. He followed up with 11 points in 12 playoff games.

The deal might end up being for two years, as Bertuzzi, after moving every year since first leaving Detroit in the summer of 2007, is eager for some continuity. Earlier in the season, in discussing Detroit, he told the Free Press, "When the grass is as green as it is here, why go anywhere else?"

But with around 6 weeks until free agency begins and Nick Lidstrom's status still undecided, it's unlikely many deals much more than minimum salary will be inked any time soon.

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Red Wings goalie prospect, Daniel Larsson has signed a 2-year deal with HV71 of Sweden's Eliteserien per mlive. The contract has an 'out-clause' which would allow him to return to the Red Wings after one year if he wishes.

Larsson has spent the last two season in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins and has expressed frustration at not being able to make the big leagues.

"They wanted me in the AHL for at least another year, but I felt that the two seasons were enough. They don't have a solid goalie coach down there and another season could stop my development,"

It's interesting to note, that HV71 happens to be the same club former Red Wing prospect, Stefan Liv fled to after a disappointing halt in his development after a promising start to his pro-career. Hopefully this move is good for Larsson and he doesn't end up being just another Liv.

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Also per mlive, Wings' prospect, Mattias Ritola has signed a three-year contract extension worth $1.55m -- a cap hit of around $516.7k. Ritola will be subject to waivers but not re-entry waivers for the first season.

Red Wings Partnership Awards 2009/10

The NHL Awards are coming up and the 2010 Alternative NHL Awards from "On the Forecheck" have also been handed out. Now it's time for the inaugural Red Wings Partnership Awards for the 2009/2010 regular season. All stats are based on 5-on-5 scoring only.

These awards are based purely on the statistics that reflect a particular pair's chemistry (or lack thereof). So now we'll start off with the less esteemed honors. There are only two -- and poor old Jonny Ericsson found himself winning both of them.

Firstly, we have the "Any Time Now" Award -- which goes to the pair that spent the most time on the ice together without appearing on the scoresheet together for a goal.

Yep, on the ice for over 327 minutes and no hook-ups. It's a little more acceptible considering they're defensemen. But still, Janik hooked-up with four different Red Wings in only 156 minutes of ice time total.

The "Bad Influence" Award goes to the pair with the lowest +/- of any other pairing in the team.

It's kinda surprising to see how bad Brad Stuart's plus/minus is this year. He hasn't been awful but the numbers suggest otherwise. Ericsson's stats on the other hand, not as surprising. This pair was on the ice for 12 more goals against than for -- ouch!

Now onto the good Awards. For some of these we'll have a little countdown...

The "Joined at the Hip" Award is for the pair with the most TOI together.

5th: Lidstrom & Zetterberg - 621.9 mins

4th: Datsyuk & Rafalski - 636.5 mins

3rd: Lidstrom & Datsyuk - 680.4 mins

2nd: Datsyuk & Holmstrom - 716.9 mins

Pretty obvious really. The only thing worth noting about this is Brad Stuart, who had the most 5-on-5 ice time of any skater on the the team, seemed to spend it with no-one in particular as he's doesn't partner with anyone enough to make even the top 7 in this category.

The "One For Me, One For You" Award is for the pair that most demonstrates that sharing is caring. It's for the duo that reciprocates the most goals and assists with each other. No countdown necessary.

That's right, there's a lot of love between these two. Four times Hank set up his man Bert for a goal and four times Bert returned the favor.

The "Giving Man" Award is an individual honor for the player which has been the most selfless in his relationship with his teammate. The Best Giving Man in Detroit is the one whose assists to his partner most outweighs his assists from him. Also, no countdown needed.

Pavel Datsyuk: the ultimate giving man. Well, for Homer anyway. It was a bit of a one-way relationship between the two this year -- Homer got 7 goals from Pasha, and only gave 2 in return. Selfish, selfish sod.

Following on from that...

The "Hook A Brother Up" Award is for the pair with the most hook-ups during the season.

Tied-4th: Zetterberg & Bertuzzi - 11

Tied-4th: Lidstrom & Zetterberg - 11

Tied-2nd: Eaves & Helm - 12

Tied-2nd: Datsyuk & Zetterberg -12

Datsyuk and Holmstrom's ability to click isn't too surprising. But one thing I'd like to highlight is Patrick Eaves and Darren Helm getting on the scoresheet together 12 times -- good for second in the team. That's quite impressive for two guys who aren't scorers. Great synergy, I hope they do it again next season.

The "Quickest Hook-Up" Award is for the pair with the best hook-up rate during the season. To be counted, a pair must've had at least 3 hook-ups to give the data some integrity.

5th: Miller & Draper - 36.08 mins/HU

4th: Franzen & Holmstrom - 35.70 mins/HU

3rd: Cleary & Miller - 33.80 mins/HU

2nd: Cleary & Filppula - 33.43 mins/HU

Hank and Homer get it done the most consistent and quick, hooking-up once every 32.76 minutes. Very impressive. Also impressive was Miller apprearing in the top 5 twice -- with Draper and Cleary. I hope we retain the Detroit-native for the 2010/11 season.

The "Net Gain" Award to me is about the best single indicator of a pair's effectiveness together. The duo with the highest plus/minus for the season get this award as the biggest "Net Gainers". This excludes goalies.

5th: Rafalski & Zetterberg - +12

Tied-3rd: Datsyuk & Holmstrom - +14

Tied-3rd: Lidstrom & Datsyuk - +14

2nd: Datsyuk & Rafalski - +16

It's not a particularly surprising revelation that the two players with the highest +/- on the team pair up for the best simultaneous +/- but again this season, this was a very effective pair. Ralf and Lids are still two of the best D-men in the league and provide Detroit with a first-class top pairing.

And now, the biggie...

The "I Love You, Man" Award is for the pair that share the truest, most undying love for each other. This is an award based on my own estimations factoring into it all the pair statistics, for the best overall Red Wings partnership of the 2009/2010 season.

5th: Zetterberg & Filppula - 5 Hook-Ups, 43.20 mins/HU, 216 mins, +5

4th: Franzen & Holmstrom - 8 Hook-Ups, 35.70 mins/HU, 285.6 mins, +1

3rd: Datsyuk & Zetterberg - 12 Hook-Ups, 36.13 mins/HU, 433.6 mins, +5

2nd: Lidstrom & Rafalski - 3 Hook-Ups, 349.17 mins/HU, 1047.5 mins, +17

Overall, the stats these two put up together couldn't be ignored. They were only tandem to combine a large hook-up total with a great +/- rating. The love between these two is strong. Every time they gaze into each others eyes there is an eternal flame that burns... burns the competition. Goalies hate them, but they don't care. They have each other and that's all they need.

Homer + Pasha 4eva.

They Actually Did It!!

I can't believe what I just saw. Philly actually came back from a 3-0 series deficit to win. Not only that, but they also overcame a 3-0 deficit in the deciding game, to win that 4-3. WTF?? If that was the script of a hockey movie it'd be trashed for being unrealistic.

I think I saw Bruins fans throwing their shirts on the ice in disgust. It would definitely be a tough pill to swallow.

I'm not going to post much about the game because there'll be roughly 340,000 blog/articles about this historic game, but I just had to mention it.

So that does it for Round 2. After all is said and done, we now have Montreal and Philadelphia -- the teams of destiny -- squaring off in the East and Chicago returns to the Western Finals, this time against the San Jose Sharks. I'm shocked at how entertained I was by a playoff round that saw the Wings ousted in 5.

It feels like a bit of a role reversal as the Western Semi's were kinda boring while all the tight, nail-biting stuff was in the East.

The schedule has been released, if you wanna see it... LOOK UP!! I'll be covering the rest of the playoffs from here also. Just coz our beloved Wings are done, doesn't mean hockey is! I'm a hockey man at heart.

Detroit's Team Across the Stream Continues Defense Tonight

The Memorial Cup tournament begins tonight at 8:00pm ET as Taylor Hall and the Windsor Spitfires attempt to defend last year's triumph against hosts, the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Last week, the Spits won their second consecutive Robertson Cup as the OHL Champions after they defeated the highly fancied Barrie Colts in a sweep. The Colts, who lost only 9 games in regulation all season couldn't compete with Windsor as they fell 6-2 and became another victim of the Spitfires. Last Wednesday's series clincher marked the eighth-straight win for Windsor after resurrecting their playoff campaign from a 3-0 deficit against the Kitchener Rangers to win in 7. Hall and his teammates hope to extend the streak further with a round robin victory over the Wheat Kings in hostile territory.

The other two teams competing for the Memorial Cup will play their first game tomorrow at 3:00pm ET. QMJHL Champs the Moncton Wildcats face-off against WHL Champions the Calgary Hitmen.

I love junior hockey. It's a great look into the future of the NHL as well as an entertaining watch with a great brand of hockey on display. Some say the Memorial Cup is the most difficult sporting trophy to win in the world and it's difficult to make an argument against that claim. You have 60 teams competing every season and you only get a maximum of five seasons to try and win it.

Of course, the Bruins/Flyers Game 7 is on tonight so that will get priority but if you get a chance, try and flick over to Rogers Sportsnet (if you're fortunate enough to have it) or find a stream on the net to catch the final period and hopefully Detroit's Team Across the Stream can get another big win!

Also, be sure to look out for Red Wings prospect center, Stephen Johnston (181st overall - 2009) who'll suit up for Windsor.

Go Spits!!

Steve Yzerman Declines GM Job in Tampa

According to The Fourth period, Steve Yzerman has declined Tampa Bay's GM offer.

First, Dave Nonis took himself out of the running for the general manager position with the Lightning. Now, it appears Steve Yzerman is out of the mix, as well.

Nonis signed a two-year extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this week. According to several sources, TFP has learned that Yzerman has turned down the opportunity to become the GM of the Bolts.

I'm really glad to hear this. Stevie Y. is my hero and while I'd understand if he did, it'd be awful to see him at any other franchise. It won't be any time soon, but the GM job will be available for him in Detroit one day. I hope he's around to take it.

Flyers Seek History, New Cup Champs Assured

Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs continued last night but didn't conclude. In the Wednesday night double-header, Montreal staged another monumental 7-game upset, this time over defending Champs, Pittsburgh. Meanwhile in Philly, the Flyers staved off elimination for the third straight game against Boston, forcing a potentially history-making Game 7 on Friday night.

Philadelphia was the other team facing a sweep in Game 4 of their series. And while the beginning of their comeback was quite as auspicious as Detroit's 7-1 thumping of the Sharks, their 5-4 OT result still counts as a win and two more wins later, they find themselves with a shot of actually completing Mission: Impossible.

The last team to come back from a 3-0 series deficit was the New York Islanders in 1975. A win Friday in Boston would make the Flyers the first team in 35 years and the third in history to achieve the miraculous feat. Gees, I wish I was talking about the Wings right now. Anyway...

Stay tuned, for an all-new Stanley Cup Final.

That's right. The 2x defending Western Conference Champs --our Detroit Red Wings -- were joined last night by their mirroring rivals of the East, the Penguins. The Montreal Canadiens continue to shock the hockey world. 14 games, 28 nights, 1 Presidents Trophy winner, 1 Stanley Cup Champion. It's been quite a month for the Habs... and their fans.

Now, that's how you celebrate a Round 2 victory, right? A little looting, maybe a punch-on here and there and obviously a series of bonfires throughout the streets. God help us all if they actually win the Cup. One question remains for me though... is that guy's feet on fire??? Seriously. WTF?

I'll still be graphically covering the playoffs even though the Wings are out. I was hoping to change the graphics today but Boston had to go ahead and lose so we sit and patiently await the schedule for the Conference Finals. I'm so sick of looking at that damn SJS wins 4-1... UGH!

Red Wings Not Seeking Big Name Free Agent

Red Wings' Gm Ken Holland has expressed contentment with the core of forwards and defensemen set to be on the 2010/11 roster. What he's seeking is a gritty free agent to provide some strength to the bottom two lines. From mlive:

"There's three or four big-name guys, we're not in that market,'' Holland said. "We're looking for support guys. We'd like to get a little grittier on the fourth line, get somebody who's a pain to play against, who'll get in on the forecheck. Someone we can put in there in the playoffs and he's got enough skill and he's a factor because of his physical play.

"But everybody is looking for those guys.''

Holland has also stated that he fully intends to make offers to each of the Red Wings restricted free agent, Drew Miller, Patrick Eaves, Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader, Mattias Ritola and Derek Meech.

By all accounts, it seems the roster won't be too different to the one iced this season. Jiri Hudler is confirmed to make his return to Hockeytown after a year in the KHL. Questions still remain over the re-signing of forwards Todd Bertuzzi, Kirk Maltby and Jason Williams -- with Maltby and Williams almost certain not to return.

The Reason the Wings Have Lost

In the 2008 and 2009 playoffs, the mighty Detroit Red Wings went on a 7-game series win-streak good for one Stanley Cup. Since that point they've now gone 1-2 in playoff series'. Sure, it's not an alarmingly bad stat, but for this organization it just doesn't cut it.

The playoffs are a tough environment to win in. Games are closer, scoring is tougher and consistency is nearly impossible against an opponent that is constantly learning about you. Because of this, teams need to be able to win the close games. Holding leads and tying games in the dying moments is the trademark of a resilient contender. Coupling that with 3+ goal blowouts makes a Champion team.

For as long as I can remember, Detroit has always been able to smash teams from time to time. Even in the series' they lose, there are games where they've dominated. In the last three series' the Wings have lost, they've had two 5-goal wins and a 6-goal victory. However, it was the one-goal games that made the difference and cost them in the end.

During the 7-series streak Detroit went 11-8 in games decided by one goal. Not a dominant stat, but again -- when coupled with results by larger margins, it makes for a pretty good Cup run.

Over the last 3 series the Wings have played they've gone 0-7 in 1-goal games.

How can you expect to win a series if you can't win a close game?

Red Wings' fans keep speaking of how undeserved the 4-1 result was but -- all officiating complaints aside -- the Wings couldn't hold their leads and they couldn't score late goals to win the close games. Against a team like San Jose, you can't expect to be smashing them by 3+ goals four times like you can with Phoenix [something which, I might add, I think the Wings were very lucky to do].

I don't know if it's a mental thing or not, but you can't blame an 0-7 run on luck nor can you blame it on the officials. In 2008, Detroit killed a late 5-on-3 powerplay for the Penguins to go on and win a close game to take a 3-1 series lead. That is what it takes to win a Stanley Cup. That's Championship grit.

San Jose is a team that looks like they might be showing glimpses of that kind of Championship grit. Lop-sided penalties aside, San Jose won four 1-goal games against Detroit. That's huge, and as a result, they took the series in only 5 games and await Chicago or Vancouver in the Conference Finals.

I remain optimistic things can change next April but if they don't, the results will be very much the same as they were this year.

Well, it's All Over; Sharks Win Series 4-1

It's only befitting that the series-winning goal comes when the Sharks should've been short-handed but another non-call results in a Patrick Marleau winner. Sorry, I just couldn't help myself with the badly drawn MS Paint Sharks logo... it was just too easy.

I'm sure there are plenty of others that'll do it, so I'm not gonna harp on the officiating anymore, promise. The fact is, the Sharks were a great team in this series. They scored the big third-period goals and got it done when needed. Detroit had a chance with a 50-second 6-on-4 powerplay at the end and didn't get it done. That about sums the series up. They are not the shakey Guppies of the past. They've got guts and hunger. Sadly, I've gained a lot of respect for Jumbo Joe and I can no longer call him Joke Thornton. He was their best, most consistent player throughout the series and they wouldn't have won without him.

Still, I'm not ashamed of my Wings. It's been a tough season. We were decimated in the off-season and then once more during the regular season. My hope is this loss instills a fresh new passion into the Red Wings for next year. We'll get a chance at a new forward or two after July 1 and I truly believe Jimmy Howard can be a Cup-winning goalie with a little more experience and polish to his game.

Howard had a tough time in a few games these playoffs but he successfully managed to bounce back and keep his head straight. The thing about being a Red Wings goalie is you don't need to channel Terry Sawchuk to go all the way. It's a great team you have in front of you and as long as you can make some timely saves in the tight games, you'll probably win. Okay, so that's not what happened last night, whatever. Jimmy played a brilliant game and he has nothing to be ashamed of. Stuff like Game 3 will be [hopefully] eliminated from his game with experience and if so, the Wings have themselves the right man between the pipes.

So back to the Sharks series...

Yeah the more you think about it, it's a tough pill to swallow. In three of our four losses we had a lead. In 2 of them that was in the third period. In a lop-sided 4-1 series loss, we actually outscored them by three goals. But it just wasn't our series. For some reason, it just wasn't meant to be.

After three straight to the West Finals and two to the Cup Finals, the boys have earned this summer, I hope they enjoy it. It's a chance to re-charge, re-group, re-focus and come back for the next Cup run in 2011.

Congrats to the Sharks on a great win.

Congrats to the Wings on a great season.

Game 5; Red Wings vs. NHL Referees Preview

The Western Conference Semi-Final series between Detroit and uhh... San Jose continues tonight back in Northern California in Game 5.

I successfully managed to keep quiet about the awful officiating in Games 1-3, in an attempt to not sound too bitter about the losses. So I waited 'til we won to whine about it.

Even after the huge 7-1 performance on Thursday night, Detroit still finds themselves in a big 3-1 hole in the series. A win in this game will however send the series back to Motown for a chance to tie it. That would certainly makes things interesting, but... a win tonight is needed first.

There are a number of keys to getting the victory in this one.

Firstly, stay out of the box!! The refs seem to have been constantly looking for excuses to hand the Sharks a powerplay throughout the series, a bit of extra discipline to not give them the excuses will go a long way to winning. This I cannot stress this enough when already down a man. The Sharks have scored 3 goals in this series with a 2-man advantage. That hurts!

Another key is shutting down Pavelski. We did it in Game 4, but one would think Little Joe would come out with a little more fire back in his own barn. Keeping him quiet will go a long way!

Two other important factors are associated with the Scary Pairs for tonight.

Scary Pair Numero Uno is obvious. Franzen and Bertuzzi combined for 5 goals and 6 assists in Game 4 in a monumental performance from the duo. The Sharks will look to keep the Zetterberg-Franzen-Bertuzzi line quiet which leads me to Scary Pair Two...

...Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Holmstrom may just find themselves with less attention than usual tonight. Todd McLellan is very familiar with Johan Franzen's 9 goals in 4 games destruction of the Colorado Avalanche in 2008 and will keep that at the forefront of his mind when sending out his lines. Dats and Homer could see some opportunities tonight and they'll need to take advantage of them. They've both been relatively quiet in the series so far.

Brad Stuart's undisclosed lower body injury is said to be fairly minor and he's likely to play, while a larger question mark floats over the head of Patrick Eaves and his elbow.

The puck drops and about 10:10 tonight.... GO WINGS!!!

Johan Franzen History Will Be Made

An homage to the incredible performance of Das Mule last night.

The Mule Kicks Sharks in Record Setting Affair

The fans at the Joe got quite a show in what might have been the Red Wings last home game of the season. Facing an undeserved and embarrassing sweep, the Mule lead Detroit past the hapless Sharks in a memorable night.

It wasn't the most auspicious start for Detroit when a mix-up with Franzen on the bench lead to a Too Many Men penalty, giving the Sharks an early powerplay. It turned out to be a blessing however, as Detroit was solid on the PK and picked up some momentum leading to a powerplay of their own.

Then, Detroit exploded onto the scoreboard.

With only 3 seconds remaining in Helminen's tripping penalty, Johan Franzen put the puck past Nabokov by way of Todd Bertuzzi's calf. The Mule refused to be kept off the scoreboard though, netting the next three goals of the game in a span of 3:26, the second fastest in NHL playoff history.

After 1 period, the Sharks found themselves in an insurmountable 5-0 hole.

The onslaught slowed down after that. With Sharks' goalie Nabokov looking on from the bench, the Wings fired a few more by Thomas Greiss whilst San Jose netted their only goal of the night while on one of their mandatory 5-on-3 powerplays.

After all was said and done, Johan Franzen finished with 4 goals and 6 points, tying franchise records. The Mule's supporting role was played by Todd Bertuzzi with 1 goal and 4 assists, while Lidstrom and Zetterberg got 2 assists each to be the Wings' other multi-point players. Jimmy Howard stopped 28 of 29 for the win.

Franzen is now tied with Sidney Crosby for the league lead in points with 17 in 11 games. He has a point in each Red Wings game this playoff year.

For me, it was a reminder of what the Red Wings and Johan Franzen can do to a good team like the Sharks. The sad part is, Detroit is still in a very big 3-1 hole. I'm unconvinced the Sharks will be doubting their ability on Saturday. It's an embarrassing 7-1 setback, but it ends a 6-game win-streak for San Jose, 3 of them against Detroit. If anything, it will help the Wings believe they can overcome this huge hurdle they face, but they need to replicate the intensity shown in Game 4 another three times. Anything less will probably mean curtains for the 2010 season.

Is this it?

The Red Wings take to the ice tonight trying to avoid a sweep in their own barn.

I've been pretty quiet of late borne of a mixture of frustration, annoyance and sadness. Is the season over? Are the Red Wings really that much worse than the Sharks?

I can't seem to shake this unpleasant nagging feeling that this series is mirroring one against the then Mighty Ducks seven years ago. We outplay our opponents for significant parts of a game, get a few rough calls and some unfriendly reffing and find ourselves inexplicably bereft of even a single victory.

So it's gonna be difficult to win it from here, but I'd love to at least see Detroit avoid a sweep. There's nothing more embarrassing, regardless of the closeness of the games, quality of officiating nor the quality of opponent, than a sweep. It's embarrassing and tough to forget.

Further to this, you have to keep in mind a few of our veterans. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Kris Draper and Nicklas Lidstrom might not be back next season and to go out on four straight losses is not a deserving send-off for these champion Red Wings.

So anyway, let's just get a damn win tonight and worry about the other three later. Please! Go Wings!!

Wings MUST Win!... Game 3 Preview

Wings must win.

Pretty simple.

Things probably won't change much for either team except for the possible return of Patrick Eaves who is still questionable. If the Wings can stay out of the box and avoid 5-on-3's, logic would suggest they can get their first win and start to get back in the series.

Scary Pair #1 is Hank and Bert. They've played a lot of time 5-on-5 together this season and continue to do so during the playoffs with Valtteri Filppula. Their line has gone fairly cold against the Sharks and will need to re-ignite to their First Round form to help the Wings get their maiden win of the series. The pair averaged a hook-up once every 40 or so minutes so hopefully they're due for another in Game 3.

The second Scary Pair is Homer and Das Mule. Ever since Franzen's return from injury they've hooked up 7 times, more than any other tandem on the team over that period. They hooked up for a PP goal in Game Two but some more of that magic is sorely needed at even strength.

Same Old, Same Old; Sharks 4, Red Wings 3

I'm going to keep this one short, lest I write something rash, but needless to say I find the events of Games 1 and 2 very disappointing. Being down 2-0 with the only difference between the teams in each game being a 5-on-3 PP goal for the Sharks, makes for a hard pill to swallow.

The Wings were able to improve their special teams play going 1/4 on the PP with another goal a second after the expiration on one penalty, and killing 8 of 10 Sharks powerplays. The problem was with the amount of penalties each received. The 7:10 of additional time with the man-advantage -- including over a minute 5-on-3 -- proved to be too much for the Wings to overcome, succumbing 4-3 after three periods.

I only have a few things to say about this series.

Firstly, it's not over. If Detroit can hold serve at home -- and I believe they can -- the pressure goes right back on the Sharks. If the recent past of San Jose is anything to go by, the turnaround could induce nervousness in the team and the Sharks could become quite shakey.

Secondly, we need to slow down Pavelski. By any means necessary, this guy needs to be shut down, fairly. The guy's been an absolute stud this series and is the biggest reason his team holds the advantage over Detroit. If his confidence can be stifled, things will get tough for the Sharks.

That is all.

Go Wings.

Game Two: Red Wings vs. Sharks Preview

Game One was a disappointing opening to the Western Conference Semi-Finals for Detroit. Preventing the 3-goal onslaught mid-way through the first period or having a few correctly made calls from the officials might have seen the Wings with a 1-0 lead instead of a deficit. Regardless, the opening to the Quarter-Finals with Phoenix was also a disappointment and we all know how that series ended up.

According to Sharks' head coach Todd McLellan, Patrick Marleau, who missed Game 1 with flu-like symptoms, will play in Game Two. The Sharks went 2/6 on the powerplay in Game One without Patrick Marleau, so Detroit will need to be stellar when down a man in Game Two, to have a chance at tying the series.

Jimmy Howard wasn't awful on Thursday, but has definitely had better games and will look to bounce back after the loss. In his short playoff season, he has bounced back with a win after all of his first three losses.

The first Scary Pair for this game is Henrik Zetterberg with Pavel Datsyuk. Trailing most of the game we saw Mike Babcock turn to this tandem to spark some offense later on. The pair was unable to create anything but during the regular season they teamed up for a goal once every 36 minutes.

The second Scary Pair is Dan Cleary and Valtteri Filppula. Like the first, this pair hasn't played much together of late, but their play together during the regular season cannot be ignored. Cleary has more hook-ups with Filppula than any other team-mate and the reverse is also true for Flip, who shares 8 hook-ups with his SP partner. Cleary was held pointless by the Coyotes, but got his first playoff point of 2010 in Game One, with the Wings opening goal in the first period. Hopefully, Cleary can build on his maiden tally of the postseason -- the Wings will need it.