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So far the Red Wings are just playing a nice smart game of hockey. Hard on the puck, support on the defensive side and ignoring the Penguins attempts to start scrums. The Pens don’t have the room to create any offense, and I'm not sure they can remedy this at Joe Louis Arena, if they make it back. Detroit can match lines at home by using the last change during stoppages in play. The most frustrating part of the line matching for the Penguins is that the top offensive talents for the Wings can play against almost any line. Players like Datsyuk, Franzen and Zetterberg are not only tough to contain, they are tough to score on.
I am not surprised that the Wings have the early advantage in the series. I really suspected that they would have an advantage at home because they can shut down the offensive flow of the Penguins. I am surprised by the lack of scoring with the power play chances they have had and the amount of four-on-four that we've seen. The Penguins have some work to do, but I think that by using home ice advantage for last change they will get the looks they need. By getting the top line out against the third or fourth line of the Red Wings, even just for a short time, the Penguins may get some extra looks or at least cause some confusion on the Wings' attempts to match up on the fly. Lets see if that is enough to turn the tide… start with one goal and work from there.
It was good to see Johan Franzen back in the lineup. You never like to see a player miss so much time with concussion-like symptoms. That is also why I was surprised that Gary Roberts got away with a pretty blatant punch to Franzen’s head. I don’t like to see shots to the head. If the NFL can work to nearly eliminate intentional contact to a player’s head, the NHL can work on it a little harder. Keep the hits to the shoulder and do it by driving with the legs. No jumping into a hit, using the forearm shiver like WWE or raising the hands to drive into a player’s head. The idea is to keep the talented players on the ice and playing every night. I am not recommending that the league eliminate hitting or fighting. I am not recommending that players become soft and walk away from a challenge. We will still have the highlights to fill up Don Cherry’s “Rock ‘em, Sock ‘em” style videos, I just want to see a lot more respect in the game. Even in the finals.
Tune in to Stretch on Maxim Radio on Sirius Satellite Radio each Wednesday morning at 11am ET for NHL All-Star goalie Ryan Miller's weekly Stanley Cup Playoffs report.
Have a question for Ryan? Post it in the Comments Section below. |
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I suppose you would like to know what a hockey player does with his downtime.
You will be surprised to know that we are pretty normal and most days are pretty
standard. Workout, lunch, errands, chores, dinner... Summer does present me with
a chance to relax and try to reenact my college days of sleeping in for a few
weeks and going to the bar with my buddies… things that don’t happen all that
often during a hockey season. But for the most part it is another routine that I
create to make sure I am in the best shape possible to start another season.
Don’t get me wrong we have some fun but I try and make sure I am being a
productive member of society… not just a guy who sleeps in and wastes a summer
day.
So far I have spent most of my time at home in Michigan with a
couple trips to Chicago and a short trip to Denver. I am taking the time to see
people that I don’t get to see during the season. It is always good to catch up
with friends and since most of my buddies were hockey players it is easy to pick
up where we left off. It is kind of the code for guys in general but definitely
in sports; no drama, just grab a beer and catch up. By the end of the night
everything is back to normal and maybe, if the night gets a little crazy, we
have a new story to tell.
No matter if it is amateur or professional,
sport takes people in different directions. To keep the relationships that I
have takes a lot of understanding from my friends and family. They know that I
am not going to be in contact all the time or that if I get some downtime I may
not be able to hang out. We just try and make it as fun as possible when we get
time and that is usually during the summer months which works out great.
Barbecues, dinner on the patios around town, casual drinks or head up to the
lakes around Michigan.
I have also been putting in some time in some of
my business interests. I opened a men’s and women’s clothing store in East
Lansing last year called The Refinery. It was something a friend of mine had his
family involved in and I thought it would be a good opportunity to test my
business degree and involve my own family in a business venture. We carry
high-end denim and other pieces to complement that look. It has been fun to
market and establish a brand around the Michigan State campus. We even opened an
online version of our store. You can check it out at ShopTheRefinery.com. And since
all of you have taken the time to read my blog if you see anything you like
enter the code MAXIMUS at checkout for 25% off your purchase. (I know…
shamelessly plugging my store. Well, that is how you run a business when it is
your own investment. Plug it whenever you can and then plug it some more.)
More on the finals to come… just thought you would like to know what it
is a hockey player does with his days off.
Tune in to Stretch on Maxim Radio on
Sirius Satellite
Radio each Wednesday
morning at 11am ET for NHL All-Star goalie Ryan Miller's weekly Stanley
Cup Playoffs report.
Have a question for Ryan?
Post it in the Comments Section below.
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The Red Wings had the jump in Game 6 of the Western
Conference Final and with their win, the stage is now set for the Stanley Cup. I
sat around the basement at my home in Michigan with some buddies and watched the
game… The Red Wings played a very tight game early on and that sustained them
throughout. They looked sharp and seemed to get some fortunate bounces…
especially the first goal that went off of Chris Draper’s chin. That goal may
have summed up his career. Successful by putting himself in harm's way.
The Stars made a valiant push in the third period but the hole was too
deep It takes quite a bit of poise and mental toughness to claw back into a
series. Too bad they couldn’t take it the distance.
That leaves us with the Red Wings vs. the Penguins. A great match-up
for the fans. Genuine superstars will match up for the greatest prize in sport.
The part about the final I am looking forward to is the chemistry that will be
on display. Zetterberg and Datsyuk. Malkin and Crosby. There are some great
offensive talents coming to the biggest show in hockey. I am not going to sit
here and write an article or hype up the Stanley Cup Final because you can just
read NHL.com, ESPN, TSN or any other dot com sport page. What I am going to try
and do is come up with something interesting but not cliché… not too cliché
anyway. I hope to stay away from the age difference comparison. We all know that
at key positions there is pretty much a generation gap between the teams and I
realize the importance of experience… I just think that for every veteran we
talk about in these playoff moments we should remember there was a time they had
to step up. So let's see how things unfold.
Tune in to Stretch on Maxim Radio on
Sirius Satellite
Radio each Wednesday
morning at 11am ET for NHL All-Star goalie Ryan Miller's weekly Stanley
Cup Playoffs report.
Have a question for Ryan?
Post it in the Comments Section below.
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So the Penguins punch their ticket with a lopsided victory. The difference
in the game, as in most games in the NHL, was scoring the first goal. The
Pens got on the board early and gained some confidence, but confidence
isn't even as important sometimes as the fact that, with a lead, your team
doesn't have to take as many chances on offense. The onus is on the team
that is trailing to come down the ice and make things happen. That will
usually lead to some mistakes or open ice for the leading team. You can
usually get more offense by just being smart and making your opponent
really work and gamble. This was a factor in Game 4 of the Dallas/Detroit
series. The Wings had an early goal called back and the Stars ended up
opening the scoring and winning a tight game. There are no guarantees in
hockey, but when you get this far into the playoffs it is pretty consistent that
a team has the ability to close out a game when they have a lead. It is all
game management.
The Penguins look very strong right now and definitely have had the right mix of
offense and defense, plus they'll get a few more days of rest than
their Western Conference opponent. This could now be Pittsburgh's year to
win it. No matter how well I think the Wings or Stars play, their systems,
and the talent they have, energy becomes a factor. It's two months of
hockey, and the winner of that series could play two more games and have to
start within two days of the conference final. I have to say,
advantage to the Penguins.
All I have to say about the Wings/Stars series is this: Now we have a
series.
The Wings have the veteran cast to battle through some hiccups, but I think
Dallas is feeling pretty good about bouncing back. I think this series
will go the distance. I still think Detroit finishes on top, but they'll have to wrap up in
Motown to do it.
Tune in to Stretch on Maxim Radio on Sirius Satellite Radio each Wednesday morning at 11am ET for NHL All-Star goalie Ryan Miller's weekly Stanley Cup Playoffs report.
Have a question for Ryan? Post it in the Comments Section below. |
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What would playoffs be without some real drama… like a butt-end to the face and a retaliatory slash to a goalie’s chest? That was the scene at the end of game 2 between the Stars and Red Wings. Mike Ribiero took goalie Chris Osgood’s stick in the face on the way into a scrum and decided that a two-hand chop was the best way to let him know he didn’t appreciate it. It always gets a little serious when we start dealing with stick swinging… it is dangerous and it usually escalates the situation.
What Osgood did was pretty obvious. Every goalie has done it in some fashion… Osgood just happened to catch the guy in the face with the knob of his stick. There are many times during a game when an opposing player is trying to cut close to the net to collide with a player on the other team. In the incident in Detroit their were 2 opposing players looking to hit a player with really no time on the clock. Osgood was just thinking of his teammate.
In most cases this comes up when a defenseman is racing back for a puck that has been dumped in the zone with an opposing player hot on his heels. If the moment is right I try and interfere in subtle ways to make sure the opposing player really has to go out of his way to hit my teammate. By raising a stick or glove to obstruct the line the checking player is taking I may help my teammate get enough time to make a play or avoid being hit. Usually the goalie will not make contact with the player, it is usually a scare tactic. It's a little thing and may not really help that much in the grand scheme, but saving a big hit earns you a lot of respect from your teammates.
So we have a couple series at 2-0 for the home teams… I think that it will be a different story when the teams that are trailing get back home. To make it to the conference finals you have had to play some great hockey and push through adversity at some point. I think that we could be looking at 2-2 series after the next 5 days or so. The Flyers played pretty well in Pittsburgh and with a crowd behind them I bet they will punish the Pittsburgh forwards a little more.
In the other series I think Dallas played a little better but have to find a way to generate more puck time. Getting out-shot the way they have won’t cut it. They need far more time in the Wing’s zone… just not sure they can do it with the responsible Red Wings game plan. The reason I think that this series will be 2-2 is Marty Turco. He has been tested and answered… if his team gives him some more protection I think he can steal a few wins.
Tune in to Stretch on Maxim Radio on Sirius Satellite Radio each Wednesday morning at 11am ET for NHL All-Star goalie Ryan Miller's weekly Stanley Cup Playoffs report.
Have a question for Ryan? Post it in the Comments Section below. |
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