GDT: Game 1: Detroit Red Wings @ Tampa Bay Lightning: Quarter Century Edition

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

By the way, this team went 34-38-8.

Series is tied at 0-0

Killorn-Johnson(?)-Kucherov
Palat-Filppula-Drouin
Brown-Pacquette-Callahan
Blunden-Namestnikov-Boyle

Hedman-Carle
Garrison-Sustr
Coburn-Nesterov

Bishop
Vasilevskiy

• The Detroit Red Wings accomplished their goal of extending the longest active playoff streak in North American sports to 25 seasons. Now, they hope to avoid extending a streak within a streak. The Red Wings have lost in the first round of the playoffs for two straight years, something they've only done one other time during their 25-season run in the postseason. They lost to Toronto in the first round of the 1993 playoffs before getting knocked out in the first round the following season by San Jose. Last year, they were eliminated by Tampa Bay after getting bounced by Boston two years ago. The Red Wings have never lost in the first round three straight times during their 25-season streak.

• This marks the fifth straight year the Red Wings have opened the playoffs on the road. They haven't kicked off the postseason at Joe Louis Arena since 2011, when they swept the Coyotes in four games before losing a seven-game series to Anaheim in the second round. The only first-round series they've won in the last four years was in 2013, when they beat Anaheim in seven games. This is third straight year and ninth time in franchise history the Lightning have opened the playoffs at home. They're 1-7 in the opening game of a first-round playoff series that began in Tampa.

• Gustav Nyquist led the Red Wings with two goals during four-regular season games vs. Tampa Bay. ... Kyle Quincey and Henrik Zetterberg both had a team-leading three points vs. the Lightning after getting one goal and two assists. ... Goaltender Jimmy Howard, who will start Game 1 tonight, had a 2-1 record, 2.14 GAA and .925 save percentage in three appearances vs. the Lighting during the regular season.

• Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherv led both teams during the regular-season series with three goals, all on the power play. His five points were also the most on either team. ... Tyler Johnson, who had three two-goal games in last year's series vs. the Red Wings, had one goal and three assists against Detroit in the regular season. ... Goalie Ben Bishop had a 2-2 record, 1.77 GAA and .931 save percentage in four regular-season appearances vs. the Red Wings.

• The Red Wings had a 17-3-1 record when scoring first during the regular season and were 7-22-1 when trailing after 40 minutes. ... Tampa Bay was 19-5-0 when leading after the first period and 2-20-1 when trailing after two. ... Neither team went roaring into the playoffs. The Red Wings had a combined record of 9-10 in March and April, when Tampa Bay was 9-6-1.

• No Tampa Bay player has appeared in more playoff games than forward Valtteri Filppula, who will be playing in his 136th career postseason game tonight. His first 105 playoff games were with the Red Wings before he signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent in 2013. He helped the Red Wings win the 2008 Stanley Cup.

• During the regular season, the Red Wings were 13th on the power play with an 18.8-percent success rate. Pavel Datsyuk led the Red Wings with eight power-play goals. Tomas Tatar and Nyquist had seven apiece. ... Tampa Bay was 28th on the power play at 15.8 percent. Steven Stamkos led the Lightning 14 power-play goals but he's out for the season after undergoing surgery for a blood clot. Kucherov had nine power-play goals. ... The Lightning were seventh in penalty killing at 84.0 percent. Ondrej Palat and Brian Boyle both had two of Tampa Bay's seven short-handed goals. ... Detroit was 14th in penalty killing at 81.5 percent. Riley Sheahan and rookie Andreas Athanasiou scored the Red Wings' only short-handed goals.

• Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill calls Tampa Bay counterpart Jon Cooper one of his best friends dating back to their days in junior hockey and the minor leagues. But tonight will mark the first time their teams have squared off in a playoffs series. Blashill will be coaching his first Stanley Cup playoff game while Cooper has a 14-16 postseason record in three previous seasons with the Lightning. Cooper led the Lightning to the Stanley Cup Finals a year ago before losing to the Blackhawks. Blashill coached the Grand Rapids Griffins to the 2013 AHL championship one year after Cooper led Syracuse to the Calder Cup.

• Zetterberg ranks fourth in all-time playoff scoring among active players. He has 56 goals and 63 assists in 132 career postgame games. Datsyuk is seventh with 42 goals and 71 assists in 152 games and Brad Richards is ninth with 60 goals and 43 assists in 141 games. No Tampa Bay player ranks among the top 10. Florida's Jaromir Jagr leads all active players in postseason scoring with 78 goals and 121 goals in 202 games.

• On this date in history, Bill Lochead scored the winning goal for the Red Wings in a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Flames to complete a 2-0 sweep in the 1978 best-of-3 opening round series. The Red Wings lost a five-game series in the second round to Montreal, which went on to win the third of four straight Stanley Cups. The 1977-78 Red Wings included current radio broadcaster Paul Woods.

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index...ameday_detroit_look_2.html#incart_river_index





And to Datsyuk, the number 1 song of 1991:


Do it for Pasha:

But above all else,

LEGGO RED WINGS! JUST WIN!​

Click to read more...

 

[RedWingzz]

Let's start this series off right, and prove to people that we can compete with Tampa. We need a split going back to Detroit.

3-2 Wings

Tatar
Abdelkader
Kronwall

Johnson
Killorn

 

[Flowah]

I've been playing with playoff prediction and machine learning for a few months. I have no background or training in this but I thought it would be interesting to share anyway.

It's not *fun* to share because of all the matchup predictions, the computer thought the Tampa v Detroit matchup was the most surefire prediction to make and not in our favor. It literally predicted Tampa would beat us by 7 games in a best of 7. When I trained it against data from 2007-2014, the highest, obviously, it could go was 4 games. And it rarely went above 4. I think maybe like 3 times out of over 100 matchups. That's how confident it is...

That said, it cannot take injuries into account and they got some huge ones so... Here's hoping.

 

[Shoalzie]

My standard take when they open on the road, a split is always a good thing. Forget the negative crap from the season, let's worry about taking 4 of 7 from the Bolts!

 

[hyduK]

2-1 Wings.

Larkin
Abdelkader

 

[odin1981]

We get lit up. Team doesn't come out ready. Howard ***** all over himself pulled in the 2nd period. 5-1 Tampa.

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

Red Wings win 4-3.

Period 1:
Tatar
Namestnikov

Period 2:
Datsyuk
Larkin
Sustr

Period 3:
Helm
Drouin(in the dying minutes, to scare us)

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

Let's Go Red Wings Sweet revenge

Detroit 4 Tampa 3

Datsyuk
Zetterberg
Sheahan
Green

Johnson 2 Though still game time decision.
Palat

 

[YpsiWings]

I don't remember who posted that they were oddly confidant about this series, but I am in the same boat. With TB's injuries and Pav's last run I really think they will put it together and advance.

Granted the regular season does not really support that, especially goal differential. Just a gut feeling.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=2063875

Avatar request thread is up!

I will be able to take requests for the next 10 minutes or so, then I am off until after tonight's game!

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

If Johnson does miss tonight's game then we need to take advantage of it.

 

[Bench]

I don't remember who posted that they were oddly confidant about this series, but I am in the same boat. With TB's injuries and Pav's last run I really think they will put it together and advance.

Granted the regular season does not really support that, especially goal differential. Just a gut feeling.

I think the Wings win. Like not even wishful fan pick. I'd put cash on the Wings if I'm a betting man. Not that it will be easy. The team still has to show up. I'm banking on Howard doing well. And a huge push from Datsyuk.

Pretty excited! Playoff hockey, boys. Best time of year.

 

[YpsiWings]

I think the Wings win. Like not even wishful fan pick. I'd put cash on the Wings if I'm a betting man. Not that it will be easy. The team still has to show up. I'm banking on Howard doing well. And a huge push from Datsyuk.

Pretty excited! Playoff hockey, boys. Best time of year.

I do have a bet on it. My buddy is a big hockey fan too, won an authentic jersey off of him. My favorite article of clothing.

Tonight is the start of my favorite 2 weeks in the year. Always 3, most times 4 games of playoff intensity hockey a night. Seriously my Birthday and Christmas combined. Go Wings!

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Hope they find a way. They need to be very physical with a banged up Tampa team. I know it isn't normally their style, but when Hedman is out, you finish that check. When Callahan and Johnson are out you finish that check. No fly-by behavior tonight. Not a huge problem come playoff time, but something I hope Blashill is noting. When you're going to play banged up in the playoffs you're a target. You can be pretty sure they are going to be very rough with Abby.

 

[r0bert8841]

On NHLNetwork they just said Z is -18 in his last 24games. That can't be real

 

[WingedWheel1987]

Custance ranked the goaltending for all sixteen playoff teams and Detroit came in at 14. Beating out the Islanders and Stars.

One negative that was mentioned in the rankings by Corey Hirsch (was a goaltending coach for Toronto and St.Louis from (08-14) was that the Wings goalies were too aggressive. He labeled it as "too old school."

I don't know what to make of that complaint. Howard should not be allowed to touch the puck, but id rather have Mrazek play the puck over almost every DRW defenseman.

Tampa was ranked 4th.

 

[r0bert8841]

Man I hope the Wings can pull off a run similar to NJD did a few years ago.

 

[Obe2kenobe]

Hope they find a way. They need to be very physical with a banged up Tampa team. I know it isn't normally their style, but when Hedman is out, you finish that check. When Callahan and Johnson are out you finish that check. No fly-by behavior tonight. Not a huge problem come playoff time, but something I hope Blashill is noting. When you're going to play banged up in the playoffs you're a target. You can be pretty sure they are going to be very rough with Abby.

Agree with you that being physical with them would be a good plan. Having Jurco in, instead of Joker would help. Also would like to see Smith in as well. Maybe we'll see them later in the series. Just don't think the lineup Blash is planning on going with tonight looks very physical. But it is the playoffs. Intensity should be cranked up to 11. That's what you gotta love about the playoffs, that extra intensity.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

On NHLNetwork they just said Z is -18 in his last 24games. That can't be real

It's real. He's real slow.

 

[YpsiWings]

Howard should not be allowed to touch the puck, but id rather have Mrazek play the puck over almost every DRW.

Three years ago I couldn't have agreed more. A puck he misplayed in one of the SJ series sticks out among many. However he has really improved, not a total liability every time he leaves the crease.

Howard is nowhere near the level of Mrazek in regards to playing the puck, but few are.

 

[waltdetroit]

I've been playing with playoff prediction and machine learning for a few months. I have no background or training in this but I thought it would be interesting to share anyway.

It's not *fun* to share because of all the matchup predictions, the computer thought the Tampa v Detroit matchup was the most surefire prediction to make and not in our favor. It literally predicted Tampa would beat us by 7 games in a best of 7. When I trained it against data from 2007-2014, the highest, obviously, it could go was 4 games. And it rarely went above 4. I think maybe like 3 times out of over 100 matchups. That's how confident it is...

That said, it cannot take injuries into account and they got some huge ones so... Here's hoping.

Good job. I like these simulations . I only wonder how much 2006 teams data are relevant to current teams. Maybe weigh a team's recent years more heavily?

 

[Tasteslikekevinbacon]

Should be interesting to see what kind of faces Blashill makes. His regular season faces were good. Somewhere between "****, did I leave the stove on?" and "Just hold it in Blash. They'll know it was you.."

Playoffs!

 

[Pavels Dog]

I don't remember who posted that they were oddly confidant about this series, but I am in the same boat. With TB's injuries and Pav's last run I really think they will put it together and advance.

I always enjoy the period of time between the regular season ends and the playoffs begin. No matter how the season has gone, you always start thinking "anything can happen", and start finding reasons why you have a good opportunity. I think Tampa is a solid matchup for us, and one of the few teams that Blashill seems to have been coaching decently against during the season. We have a chance. Don't expect the team to play like contenders because Pavel is on his last run though. If this team had an extra gear they would have showed it during the season.

On NHLNetwork they just said Z is -18 in his last 24games. That can't be real

Z's play has fallen off a cliff in the last 20-30 games. Who knew that it wasn't a great idea to play a 35 year old who has had major back surgery 20+ minutes a night?

 

[JPE123]

LGRW- The Cup is ours this year

 

[Bench]

Custance ranked the goaltending for all sixteen playoff teams and Detroit came in at 14. Beating out the Islanders and Stars.

One negative that was mentioned in the rankings by Corey Hirsch (was a goaltending coach for Toronto and St.Louis from (08-14) was that the Wings goalies were too aggressive. He labeled it as "too old school."

I don't know what to make of that complaint. Howard should not be allowed to touch the puck, but id rather have Mrazek play the puck over almost every DRW defenseman.

Tampa was ranked 4th.

Old school goalies were a lot more aggressive to the puck. They came out of their net more to challenge the shooter and relied on athleticism and reaction time to make saves. Basically he's saying Mrazek and Howard come out of the net more which puts them more at risk to be out of position.

Contrast it with the huuuge goalies that are starting to take over the league that sit back on the goal line rarely leaving the crease. They use their size to take up space and shuffle on their knees betting a player can't pick the corner.

Classic aggressive goalie example is Eddie Belfour. More modern, low frills style think Pekka Rinne. The elite goalies of today seem to fall in the middle, like Lundqvist and Price. But both of them are more conservative than Howard and Mrazek, just not vastly so like some of the 6'6” goalies.