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[son of sam99 10]

Detroit Red Wings February 2014-15 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Feb 2	at Edmonton Oilers
Feb 3	vs Calgary Flames
Feb 5	at Carolina Hurricanes
Feb 6	at Buffalo Sabres
Feb 9	at Ottawa Senators
Feb 10	at Florida Panthers
Feb 13	vs Montreal Canadiens
Feb 16	vs Carolina Hurricanes
Feb 17	at New York Rangers
Feb 19	at Columbus Blue Jackets
Feb 21	vs San Jose Sharks
Feb 22	vs Anaheim Ducks
Feb 24	vs Colorado Avalanche
Feb 28	at Vancuover Canucks

[son of sam99 10]

 

Entry: March 1^st, 2015

 

            Once again February brought with it a post all-star game slide in February. A four game losing streak punctuated the month where the team won just five of fourteen games. Fortunatly we are still in front of the division thanks to everyone else pretty much succumbing to the dog days of the season.

 

            In order to keep guys fresh coach Babcock has given some of our veteran guys nights off when we’ve had back to back games which I believe is the right call. Unfortunately this effort to keep guys’ legs underneath them may result in lost home games come playoff time. I expect the team to bounce back but once again we’re up against a trade deadline with little to offer potential trade suitors.

 

            We still haven’t been able to nail down Coach Babcock to a contract though both sides are at the table. After not talking for so long his people finally told us he’s looking to potentially test the market basically as a free agent. I’m confident he’ll find a better offer in terms of money but not sure if he’ll find a better situation in terms of winning. I’ve got a meeting set next week with Grand Rapids Griffins head coach Jeff Blashill. I’fe Babs hits the road Jeff will be the first person we offer the job to.

[son of sam99 10]

Detroit Red Wings February 2014-15 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Feb 2	at Edmonton Oilers	Lost, 3-0
Feb 3	vs Calgary Flames	Won, 4-3
Feb 5	at Carolina Hurricanes	Lost, 3-2
Feb 6	at Buffalo Sabres	Lost, 4-3
Feb 9	at Ottawa Senators	Won, 3-2
Feb 10	at Florida Panthers	Won, 3-2
Feb 13	vs Montreal Canadiens	Lost, 4-3
Feb 16	vs Carolina Hurricanes	Lost, 5-1
Feb 17	at New York Rangers	Won, 4-3
Feb 19	at Columbus Blue Jackets	Lost, 8-3
Feb 21	vs San Jose Sharks	Lost, 3-2
Feb 22	vs Anaheim Ducks	Lost, 3-2
Feb 24	vs Colorado Avalanche	Lost, 5-1
Feb 28	at Vancuover Canucks	Won, 5-2

[son of sam99 10]

Red Wings Stat Leaders through February 2015

 

 

Detroit Red Wings Leaders - Updated: Mar 1, 2015
Goals		G	Assists		A
	1. P. Datsyuk	27		1. N. Kronwall	33
	2. V. Tarasenko	21		2. H. Zetterberg	29
	3. H. Zetterberg	16		3. G. Nyquist	29
	4. M. Frolik	14		4. J. Kindl	27
	5. C. Clutterbuck	13		5. B. Smith	24
Points		P	+/-		+/-
	1. P. Datsyuk	49		1. V. Tarasenko	+13
	2. H. Zetterberg	45		2. N. Kronwall	+12
	3. V. Tarasenko	44		3. J. Abdelkader	+11
	4. N. Kronwall	40		4. T. Tatar	+10
	5. G. Nyquist	38		5. B. Smith	+9

 

[son of sam99 10]

NHL Standings Update 3/1/15

 

[son of sam99 10]

 

February NHL Whip Around

February 28^th 2015

 

-          Who’s Hot?

o   WC: Arizona- The Coyotes were under .500 and in 6^th place in their division at the end of December. Since then they’ve gone 15-7-5 & moved into second place in the pacific. Though they’re still looking like one of the weakest playoff bound teams, it seems likely they’ll be in the post season and that’s a big save after having won the President’s Trophy last season.

o   WC: Nashville- The Preds have managed to navigate the logjam that is the Central division to place themselves second behind Chicago. They’re style of play is gritty and rarely leads to exciting high scoring games but they’re in good position for the playoffs & that should be enough for the fans.

-          Who’s Not?

o   EC: Detroit- No one could have expected the Wings to keep on the pace they had earlier in the season but 5-9 hockey could turn their season into a disaster if it continues. The results aren’t as concerning as the context. Since returning several key players from the injury report the wins have dwindled as goals against have skyrocketed. Expect the Wings to try once again to bolster their blue line before the deadline.

o   WC: Calgary- The Flames have plummeted over the last two months having won just ten games since the New Year. Injuries have plagued the team but from night to night it’s one has to look hard to find the effort and the numerous fundamental mistakes are impossible to miss. No doubt Calgary will be in the market for a new coach sooner than later.

 

-          Justice?

o   LA King Robyn Regehr has been suspended by the league for five games following his hit on Carolina Hurricane Nathan Gerbe. While Regeher will be back in time for LA’s post season push Gerbe will likely not see the ice again until next September.

 

-          Refs in trouble

o   The February 26^th brawl between Ottawa and Boston has put further stress on the officials as Referee Don Richard has been cited by the league for “allowing the violence to escalate.” Richard has been put on paid leave, the officials union plans to appeal.

 

-          Mascot in Danger

o   Minnesota mascot Nordy had an interesting second intermission during the Wild’s February 17^th tilt against the Blues. The performer botched a high wire type routine leaving him suspended above the playing surface for fifteen minutes while crews attempted to safely lower the mascot to the ice. Fortunately no one was hurt though PETA has filed a complaint with the Wild.

 

-          Player Movement

o   Edmonton acquired winger Curtis Glencross from Calgary in exchange for a fisrt round pick in the 2016 draft as well as prospects M. Gernat & A. Lepkowski both of which are defenseman

 

-          Injuries

o   Anaheim winger Teemu Selanne incurred a concussion on the 24^th possibly ending the winger’s career. Selanne will be 42 this offseason.

o   Dallas Winger Mats Zuccarello fractured his wrist on February 4^th. If the Stars were to make the playoffs he might be able to play however that seems unlikely. 

[son of sam99 10]

NHL League Leaders - Updated: Mar 1, 2015
Goals		G	Assists		A
	1. P. Kessel	28		1. R. Nugent-Hopkins	40
	2. J. Skinner	28		2. Z. Parise	39
	3. P. Datsyuk	27		3. J. Thornton	38
	4. D. Backes	25		4. J. Toews	35
	5. B. Marchand	23		5. C. Perry	34
Points		P	+/-		+/-
	1. Z. Parise	58		1. M. Duchene	+25
	2. P. Kessel	57		2. G. Landeskog	+24
	3. R. Nugent-Hopkins	57		3. A. Tanguay	+24
	4. J. Toews	54		4. A. Galchenyuk	+23
	5. S. Stamkos	54		5. A. Steen	+22

[son of sam99 10]

Detroit Red Wings March 2014-15 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Mar 2	at San Jose Sharks
Mar 3	at Phoenix Coyotes
Mar 4	vs TRADE DEADLINE
Mar 6	at LA Kings
Mar 8	at Tampa Bay Lightning
Mar 10	vs Boston Bruins
Mar 12	vs Ottawa Senators
Mar 14	at New York Islanders
Mar 16	vs New York Rangers
Mar 19	vs New Jersey Devils
Mar 21	vs New York Islanders
Mar 23	at Washington Capitals
Mar 24	vs Philadelphia Flyers
Mar 26	at Pittsburgh Penguins
Mar 28	at Columbus Blue Jackets
Mar 30	vs Buffalo Sabres

[son of sam99 10]

March 5 2014

 

 

 

Backstrom Traded… Then Not

 

Detroit, MI--  According to league and team sources The Red Wings had agreed in principal on Wednesday Morning to send Johan Franzen, Teemu Pulkkinen, and two draft picks to the Washington Capitals for center Nicklas Backstrom. The deal apparently fell through when Backstrom failed his physical due to lingering concussion related symptoms. 

 

            Beat writers covering the Wings knew a deal was in the works when Franzen flew alone back to Detroit and did not skate in their game against the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night. It is assumed that Franzen had to be included in the deal for Detroit to take on all of Backstrom’s $6.7 million salary and stay under the cap. In order for Washington to part with their second top scorer Detroit surly would have had to part with their 2015 and 2016 first round draft picks.

 

            The move would have bolstered Washington’s need for young, affordable players and Detroit’s need for goal scorers. However once sources say that once Backstrom failed the physical the Red Wings Front office refused to return to the negotiating table. “We’re disappointed in the conduct of the Capitol’s organization.” Red Wings GM Rick Watkins said when reached for comment. “It is our opinion that they did not deal in good faith on this one.”

 

[son of sam99 10]

March 5 2014

 

 

Oilers Go All In at Deadline

 

 

To Boston:

Defenseman Mikael Wikstrand, defenseman. Brandon Davidson 2015 1^st round pick,

 

To Edmonton:

D. Johnny Boychuck (DFD 83 31 yrs), LW Shawn Thornton (38yr old)

 

 

 

To Florida:

Goalie Austin Lotz, defenseman M. Vainoen, 2015 1^st roubnd pick

 

To Nashville:

Winger Tomas Kopecky (TWF 83 ovr) rental 33 yrs old

 

 

To Calgary:

Defenseman M. Gernat, defenseman A. Lepkowski, 2016 1^st round pick

 

To Edmonton:

Winger Curtis Glencross (84 TWF)

 

 

 

To Winnipeg:

Center Tyler Graovac, defenseman Dylan Labbe

 

To Minnesota:

Winger Daniel Cleary

[son of sam99 10]

 

Entry: April 1^st, 2015

 

The Washington Capitals screwed us. Not a ton more to say than that. We worked on a deal for Niklas Backstrom for three days only to find out at the end he wasn’t even healthy to begin with.

 

We even sent Johan Franzen back to Detroit from Phoenix assuming he’d be traded! I understand these thing happen from time to time but to get stabbed like this in the back it feels is a bad move. I know I don’t have much clout among GMs around the league but Washington just made an enemy.

 

            On the ice the boys went 7-6-2 and fortunately were able to win their final three games at the end of the month or it would have been a very rough lead up to the playoffs. As it stands with five games to go we’ve still got a great shot at winning the division. Despite the fact we can still do that I’m not inspired by this roster or the way they performed on the ice.

 

It appears that we’re carried only by our top line scorers and are unable to shut down even the worst team in the NHL. Coach Babs has shuffled up our defensive pairings but it seems like Kindl & Ericsson are just liabilities at times and DeKeyser is a promising young player but maybe not ready for the big time. Of course none of this is helped by seemingly constant injuries to our top 6 blue liners. We’re fortunate to have guys like Brian Lashoff and Xavier Oulett ready in Grand Rapids to step in when guys go down but they’re very green.

 

I’ve grown more confidant in the trade with the Islanders to secure the top draft spot but as I’ve watched this franchise over the last two seasons I’m less and less impressed with their play on the ice outside of the top two lines.

 

The front office, at my direction, is looking into ways to retool our roster. Guys like Datsyuk, Zetterberg, & Kronwall are all safe of course. But we’ve got to figure out how to shut some teams down. I believe the blue line and goalie will be our biggest focus points in the coming offseason. Brian Elliot is a hard worker and was a playoff hero last year but I believe we just caught lightning in a bottle there. Overall he’s about average.

[son of sam99 10]

Detroit Red Wings March 2014-15 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Mar 2	at San Jose Sharks	Won, 3-2
Mar 3	at Phoenix Coyotes	Lost, 4-3
Mar 4	vs TRADE DEADLINE
Mar 6	at LA Kings	Lost, 8-6
Mar 8	at Tampa Bay Lightning	Won, 3-2
Mar 10	vs Boston Bruins	Lost, 3-1
Mar 12	vs Ottawa Senators	Lost, 6-3
Mar 14	at New York Islanders	Lost, 4-3
Mar 16	vs New York Rangers	Lost, 3-2
Mar 19	vs New Jersey Devils	Won, 5-2
Mar 21	vs New York Islanders	Lost, 5-0
Mar 23	at Washington Capitals	Won, 6-5
Mar 24	vs Philadelphia Flyers	Lost, 5-4
Mar 26	at Pittsburgh Penguins	Won, 2-0
Mar 28	at Columbus Blue Jackets	Won, 6-2
Mar 30	vs Buffalo Sabres	Won, 2-1

[son of sam99 10]

Detroit Red Wings Leaders - Updated: Apr 1, 2015
Goals		G	Assists		A
	1. P. Datsyuk	35		1. N. Kronwall	41
	2. V. Tarasenko	24		2. H. Zetterberg	35
	3. H. Zetterberg	17		3. J. Kindl	34
	4. D. Helm	16		4. G. Nyquist	33
	5. C. Clutterbuck	15		5. P. Datsyuk	30
Points		P	+/-		+/-
	1. P. Datsyuk	65		1. V. Tarasenko	+17
	2. V. Tarasenko	53		2. N. Kronwall	+17
	3. H. Zetterberg	52		3. P. Datsyuk	+14
	4. N. Kronwall	50		4. J. Abdelkader	+11
	5. G. Nyquist	46		5. T. Tatar	+10

[son of sam99 10]

[son of sam99 10]

Playoff Push NHL Whiparound

 

March 31^st 2015

-          Who’s Hot?

o   EC: New York Rangers (10-3-1)- The Broadway blue shirts entered march fourth in the division and on the precipice of missing the playoffs. However, they promptly kicked it in gear and turned their 14 game slate into 21 points putting tem second in the Metro and in striking distance of the first place Blue Jackets.

 

o   WC: Chicago (10-4-0)- The beat goes on for the Blackhawks who are now five points ahead of Tampa Bay, Columbus & Detroit for the President’s Trophy. They’ve already sewn up a playoff spot and barring a major collapse They’ll secure

-          Who’s Not?

o   EC: Montreal (6-7-2)- The Habitants quickly went from comfortably in the playoffs to scrambling for one of the final two spots. Worse yet the hated Ottawa Senators are on their heels just two points back. The last month hasn’t been without effort for the Canadiens but for whatever reason the Bell Centre has turned into a house of pain as the home team went 1-6-2 there in March.

 

o   WC: Calgary (2-11-1)- obviously the last place Flames are not hot but winning just two games in a month’s span has everyone assuming its tank job. Not that Calgary needs to tank as they’re already firmly entrenched in second to last place and even if they lose every game from here out its unlikely they’ll (catch?) the Islanders

 

-          No Overtime

o   The Dallas Stars leads the league in overtime losses with fifteen. If they had been able to turn only ten of those into wins they’d have 81 points and be in striking distance of the playoffs. As it stands now they’re last in their division.

 

-          Sinking Island

o   The hapless Islanders hit the high point of their season by beating the Red Wings on back to back Saturdays. On the 14^th the Isles bested the Wings at Nassau Coliseum in a shootout and on the 21^st they blanked Detroit in Motown 5-0. John Tavares stated that this was the type of hockey his team has been capable of playing all season.

 

-          Vanek Streaking

o   Thomas Vanek has been absolutely on fire s of late. Though the Canadiens have been sliding lately Vanek has maybe been the only thing keeping their playoff dreams afloat as he netted a scorching 13 goals last month. “When you’re hot, you’re hot. I try not to overthink it, just keep doing what you’ve done every day so far and good things will happen.” The Austrian said after Montreal’s home loss to the Jets on March 30^th.

[son of sam99 10]

NHL League Leaders - Updated: Apr 1, 2015
Goals		G	Assists		A
	1. P. Datsyuk	35		1. R. Nugent-Hopkins	48
	2. P. Kessel	33		2. C. Perry	44
	3. A. Ovechkin	31		3. J. Thornton	44
	4. D. Backes	31		4. S. Stamkos	43
	5. J. Skinner	30		5. C. Giroux	43
Points		P	+/-		+/-
	1. P. Kessel	72		1. D. Doughty	+31
	2. S. Stamkos	70		2. R. Nugent-Hopkins	+26
	3. J. Toews	67		3. B. Ryan	+25
	4. R. Nugent-Hopkins	67		4. B. Gallagher	+25
	5. C. Giroux	66		5. A. Steen	+25

 

 

[son of sam99 10]

Detroit Red Wings April 2014-15 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Apr 3	vs Florida Panthers
Apr 4	at Montreal Canadiens
Apr 7	vs Montreal Canadiens
Apr 9	at Buffalo Sabres
Apr 11	at Florida Panthers

[son of sam99 10]

 

Entry: April 12^th, 2015

 

April finished up 2-3 including two losses to our first round playoff opponent, the Montreal Canadiens. We reached our stated goal of 46 wins but President Illich has also said he would like for us to make a run into the conference finals. I think that’s reachable but we’re going to have to do so without the services of Vladimir Tarasenko who was diagnosed with a concussion. Unfortunately that means we’re going to have to resort to putting Wojtek Wolski back in the lineup who hasn’t skated a game since December.

 

The other area of concern is between the pipes. We’ll need another superstar performance from Brian Elliot this offseason if we want to make a run at defending our trophy. Our defensive corps is without Jonathan Ericsson so we’re resorting to Brian Lashoff there which is fine but he’s just inexperienced in playoff hockey.

 

Since April began all discussion with Coach Babcock has ceased on coming up with a new deal. I think we aren’t able to offer enough money to keep him on our bench. I get the feeling he’s just looking to make a change but I’m not sure.

 

He’s been with the franchise for ages and brought the city two Stanley Cups (so far) so unless his people pull some sneaky deal behind our back I think we’ll part amicably. That being said I believe in my heart that the Detroit Red Wings is the best franchise in the NHL to work for, that along with his history with the team it’s very surprising to me he wants to make a change.

[son of sam99 10]

Detroit Red Wings April 2014-15 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Apr 3	vs Florida Panthers	Lost, 6-5
Apr 4	at Montreal Canadiens	Lost, 4-3
Apr 7	vs Montreal Canadiens	Lost, 3-1
Apr 9	at Buffalo Sabres	Won, 4-1
Apr 11	at Florida Panthers	Won, 5-4

[son of sam99 10]

 

Detroit Red Wings Leaders - Updated: Apr 12, 2015
Goals		G	Assits		A
	1. Pavel Datsyuk	36		1. Niklas Kronwall	42
	2. Vladimir Tarasenko	25		2. Jakub Kindl	39
	3. Henrik Zetterberg	20		3. Henrik Zetterberg	37
	4. Johan Franzen	17		4. Gustav Nyquist	34
	5. Cal Clutterbuck	17		5. Pavel Datsyuk	31
Points		P	Plus/ Minus		+/-
	1. Pavel Datsyuk	67		1. Niklas Kronwall	19
	2. Henrik Zetterberg	57		2. Vladimir Tarasenko	14
	3. Vladimir Taresenko	55		3. Tomas Tatar	12
	4. Niklas Kronwall	52		4. Justin Abdelkader	10
	5. Gustav Nyquist	48		5. Pavel Datsyuk	9

 

[son of sam99 10]

[son of sam99 10]

 

NHL League Leaders - Updated: Apr 12, 2015
Goals		G	Assists		A
	1. P. Datsyuk	36		1. C. Perry	50
	2. J. Skinner	33		2. R. Nugent-Kopkins	50
	3. T. Vanek	33		3. J. Thornton	49
	4. P. Kessel	33		4. S. Stamkos	47
	5. M. Gaborik	33		5. J. Toews	45
Points		P	Plus/ Minus		+/-
	1. S. Stamkos	76		1. D. Doughty	33
	2. P. Kessel	76		2. A. Kopitar	29
	3. J. Toews	72		3. G. Landeskog	27
	4. C. Perry	72		4. B. Ryan	27
	5. C. Giroux	72		5. S. Salo	26

 

[son of sam99 10]

April 14th, 2015

 

NHL Whiparound Playoff edition

 

-          On fire: Rangers

o   The Rangers have gone 16-3-1 since March 1^st to storm their way to the top of the Metro Division. Marc Staal, Dan Girardi and Henrik Lundqvist have been team MVPs over that time and stand unified under the power of the hockey mullet which is being seen on the streets of New York City for the first time in ages. They’ll need that extra help as they’ll face the Penguins in the first round. First round upsets are a hallmark of the Stanley Cup Playoffs but this year the higher seeds are especially vulnerable in the East as only ten points separate the top from the bottom. 

 

-          Something to prove: Ducks

o   Anaheim could be dangerous this post season. The team feels they’ve got nothing to lose after winning their last four games of the season, all of which they needed to narrowly edge the Arizona Coyotes for a playoff berth. Their first round matchup with Chicago is going to be a huge hurdle but in the Stanley Cup Playoffs any team that is hot can win a best of seven series.

 

-          Best in the League: Blackhawks

o   Chicago has held the best record in the league for nearly the entire season and clinched the President’s Trophy on Saturday. The overriding theme all season has been the last ride of Kane and Toews together as they’re both due for new contracts at the end of the season. They’ll look for a little more magic from those two as the goaltending has been shaky over the last month. If the Blackhawks make it to the conference finals it will be thanks to superior defensive play to complement their powerful offense.

 

-          Defending Champs: Red Wings

o   The Red Wings enter the post season with quite a bit more fanfare than last season when no one expected them to make a run at the cup much less win it. However, without top scorer Valdimir Tarasenko, defender Jonathan Ericsson they’ll be behind the eight ball. The key to last season’s cup victory was Brian Elliot’s masterful payoff performance. His regular season numbers have been less than stellar so he’ll need to get sharp if Detroit wants a shot at defending their trophy. With a first round matchup against Montreal the Wings are definitely in danger of being knocked out early.

 

-          Going for it all: Oilers

Edmonton pushed all of their chips to the center of the table at the trade deadline, dealing four prospects and two first round draft picks to acquire Boychuck and Glenncross.  The Oilers are all in on this year to make a run at the cup for the first time since 2006. With youngster Ryan Nugent-Hopkins leading the way this is definitely a dangerous team with a shot at making a deep run.

[son of sam99 10]

[brentdog 1]

This is awesomely put together and really well written stuff   keep it coming bud