GDT: 10/13/15 - 7:30PM EDT - Tampa Bay @ Detroit

[TheDaysOf 04]

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[TheDaysOf 04]

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2015/10/coaching_buddies_jeff_blashill.html

Blashill and Cooper have much in common. They're close friends who worked together and coached against each other. Their teams will be competing for the Atlantic Division title this season and meet for the first time on Tuesday in a clash of unbeaten clubs that squared off in the first round of the playoffs last season.

"I've learned a lot from Coop," Blashill said. "I'm not surprised at all by Coop's success. He's a very intelligent person. He has a great way about him. I think he has a way of commanding respect, but yet I think players still appreciate what he is.

"I don't know what a players' coach is. I know he holds his guys accountable, but they also seem to like him. They have his respect and I certainly hope that's the same here for me."

And now the reunion tour continues against Cooper, who Blashill met 15 years ago through hockey. ...

"Time flies, for sure, but him and I are probably real alike as people," Blashill said. "I guess in some ways and some ways not, he's a lot smoother than I am. We're great friends. We spent time together this summer, a couple weeks over different times golfing. He's somebody I have a great friendship with."

Blashill and Cooper first starting coaching Team Michigan at the USA Hockey Fesitval.

"I would recruit off his teams when he was at Honey Baked when he was in Junior," Blashill said. "I coached against him when I was in Indy for the two years in the USHL (Cooper coached Green Bay)."

"They're the team that won the Eastern Conference, so they're the team to beat," Detroit's Justin Abdelkader said. "They have a big target on their chests, obviously. We took them to seven games. I think we match up really well with those guys. We play similar types of hockey and systems. They skate really well. I think we're a team that skates well, too. It should be a lot of fun here, kind of a new rivalry for us."

"It's never easy to lose like we did in Game 7 and to see how well Tampa did (advancing to the Stanley Cup finals, where it lost to Chicago), it hurts that much more," Abdelkader said. "We know we're close. The season is a marathon, not a sprint. You have to maintain your level of play throughout the year, give yourself a chance in the playoffs, you hope to get home ice -- you see how important that is when it comes down to a Game 7."

 

[Maelmoor]

Toughest test yet, go Bolts!

 

[MattM92]

If Poulin is playing then I really don't like our chances. If we make a game of it then I'll consider it a win.

 

[Hoek]

I'd bet on Bishop starting, but maybe we're playing with house money a bit with the 3-0 start. This is going to be a very interesting game. The new look Wings might be a better match for us.

 

[FDfranklin]

I want Bish to rest but at the same time I don't want Poulin to play.

 

[AlphaCatalyst]

They will be looking to extract some revenge for last April. They had us in their patented Octopus Stretch but we found a way to fight out of it and counter with a Flash Kick to get the 4 count and finish them off. Lets make tonight a squash match.

Go

 

[CupsOverCash]

They will have a little more than a days rest to play the game. I hope Bish starts. No confidence to win if Poulin starts.

 

[Werewolf]

That Detroit team is a very well balanced team. And they are still missing Dekeyser and Datzyuk. They are solid from the net out...physical and skilled. We cannot play like we did against our previous three opponents where we started slow...we won't be able to score at will nor catch up quite as easily.

Tough matchup tonight...and on the back end of a back to back against a well rested team with something to prove and maybe Poulin in goal. Yeah, this could be our first loss of the season for sure.

 

[Lovethiscity]

Bolts 4 - 3 Wings
Hedman's OT goal

 

[Bolto]

Tough game, Detroit will want to show something after last years playoffs but we can still win.

Go Bolts!

 

[Werewolf]

Forwards:

Drouin / Stamkos / Callahan > Larkin / Zetterberg / Abdelkader
Palat / Johnson / Kucherov > Tatar / Richards / Franzen
Killorn / Filp / Condra = Nyquist / Sheahan / Pulkkinen
Boyle / Vladdy / Brown = Miller / Glendening / Jurco

Defense:

Hedman / Stralman > Kronwall / Ericsson
Garrison / Coburn = Quincey / Green
Carle / Sustr = Smith / Kindl

Goal:
Bishop > Howard

We have the edge in better lines and pairs and now that Bishop is playing advantage us in net as well. Once Dekeyser comes back ... they'll have a better defense. Once Vasilevskiy comes back ... we will be pretty equal in the net. Once Datzyuk comes back ... that might equalize the forward groups. This is one very tough Detroit team once all the pieces are back.

 

[FDfranklin]

Helm is out tonight.

 

[LightningStrikes]

Go !!!

 

[Lord Stan 2020]

this is gonna be interesting no prediction both teams have flaws showing so far but both won when needed to

we need better all around play and better skating and to shoot more

22 against detroit might not win like to see us shooting 30 to 35 and we should win if we can do that

 

[DFC]

Not sure why we're so afraid of the wings. I'm still not sold on them. They have a win over Toronto, who's going to be in the running for worst team in the league, and Mrazek had to steal their win over Carolina.

The one thing I'm worried about is the Wings will be looking for revenge. So we'll need to be on our game. But I still don't think they're making the playoffs.

 

[Leonardo87]

Is our PK a concern yet? Might be too early. Paquette should help that once he comes back.

 

[Brie]

Tonights outcome I feel will depend more on us than on them, if we come out playing like we should then we should win but if we start like we did against Boston I have a hard time seeing us bounce back going down 2-0 in the 1st if it happens like last night.

I aslo feel that it would be good to play Bishop, we saw in the playoffs when we had a b2b game that he wasn't very good in the 2nd one and that's because he didn't play in any b2b games (full games) last season, and with yesterday being an afternoon game he, as well as the rest of the team who haven't been great in b2b games either, have had a bit of an extra rest.

 

[Stormbreaker]

Good news!

 

[Lovethiscity]

Tonights outcome I feel will depend more on us than on them, if we come out playing like we should then we should win but if we start like we did against Boston I have a hard time seeing us bounce back going down 2-0 in the 1st if it happens like last night.

I aslo feel that it would be good to play Bishop, we saw in the playoffs when we had a b2b game that he wasn't very good in the 2nd one and that's because he didn't play in any b2b games (full games) last season, and with yesterday being an afternoon game he, as well as the rest of the team who haven't been great in b2b games either, have had a bit of an extra rest.

all good points

 

[Leonardo87]

Tonights outcome I feel will depend more on us than on them, if we come out playing like we should then we should win but if we start like we did against Boston I have a hard time seeing us bounce back going down 2-0 in the 1st if it happens like last night.

I aslo feel that it would be good to play Bishop, we saw in the playoffs when we had a b2b game that he wasn't very good in the 2nd one and that's because he didn't play in any b2b games (full games) last season, and with yesterday being an afternoon game he, as well as the rest of the team who haven't been great in b2b games either, have had a bit of an extra rest.

Yeah it is like a half day of rest, not too bad, and looks like they are starting Bishop.

Also, We are winning games and TKO has not even fully gotten going yet. I really like our odds.

 

[dbieon12]

It's ridiculous that the NHL is still doing back-to-back games in a sport where injuries are common. Most of the back-to-backs are on the road which is even crazier.

 

[Brie]

I like Nesty but don't like the sound of that last part, hopefully no one is hurt.

 

[Volodya Krutov]

My guess is something's wrong with Coburn. He looked completely lost for a gound chunk of last night's game.

 

[The Macho King]

My guess is something's wrong with Coburn. He looked completely lost for a gound chunk of last night's game.

He's been like that all three games so far.