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I will start off with tonights (Thursday November 29th) game vs. The Tampa Bay Lighting.

The Lighting are a team that really makes me wonder whats wrong with them they have alot of talent and just are not in sync no more I guess Dave Andreychuk was the backbone of that team.

They are 5-4-1 in their last ten and 10-12-2 overall. I don't see how a team this good can be this bad with the likes of Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Vaclav Prospal. Their goaltending is a real question mark here with Marc Denis (was hyped as the next Patrick Roy but isn't every single Montreal born goalie?) If the Lighting can get it together and make a quick jump they should push us for a good quility game. We have the edge I think in most categories with our defensive minded team play.

Keys for Tampa Bay: Keep the puck moving short tape to tape passes, make Vinny play like a power foward ie crashing the net, help out on defense.

As for Detroit, I think with our depth and chemstry we should win this game 4-2. I am going out on a limb and I am predicting 2 goals for Henrik Zetterberg and 3 points for Datsuyk. I hope Dominik can once again pull a great season together and with Osgood have a 95/96 year all over again. I see our defense men as the best in the league (overall not that we have the best of the best), If we can play like we have as of late this should be a easy win for us.

Thoughts?

Tonite: Wings vs.Canadiens

Should be a win here. We get to see super-prospect Casey Price make the start, so im kinda excited to see him. That said, he should be beatable.

Carbonneau has been switching up the lines pretty heavily i read, even moving Mark Streit to wing up from D.

Either way, i fully expect Datsyuk, Zetterberg and co. to do the job in Montreal.

I can't belive I nailed that score on the Tampa Bay vs. Detroit game a while back.

I think we should beat the 'Habs but they are pesky and a bunch that has little to loose. I predict a 5-3 final.

My analysis was pretty on, Datysuk and Zetts with both good games, Price was shaky and even Streit moving up to forward got him involved with the one goal

I applogize to my fellow Red Wings fans as I haven't been as active as I wanted to be.

I will start with Saturday's game vs the San Jose Sharks.

San Jose is underachieving in my opinion they are a great complete team with Joe Thornton leading the way in my eyes the most complete player in the league. He's leading their team with 56 points (15 goals and 41 assists) and is a + 14 (if you don't know what that is just ask). They are 6-4 in their last 10 with losses to Dallas, Phoenix and Anahiem in their last 3. I see them as a team that matches up to us well as their first line is pretty solid with Thornton-Michalek-Bernier, thats a good mix of speed and power and Thornton will find you almost anywhere he's very unselfish and a guy who I wish we had.

Evgeni Nabokov is a goalie who when on his game can just flat out win and keep you in games. He's very quick and can get to each post with ease he's got a good glove hand but it weak blocker side. I think if we can get in his head and "ring" alot of shots off we should be able to get a few by hm.

Keys for San Jose: Thornton needs to take over their game and run everything threw him and shoot more and pass less. He needs to just play like this is game 7 of the Western Confrence Finals (2 Western teams can't meet in the Cup Finals). Evgeni Nabokov needs to play the angles and cut off passes and just don't get psyched out of his game.

Keys for Detroit: Have Datsyuk play Briener not Thornton and have Zetts play Thornton since Thornton is bigger and could just bowl over Dats with ease. We need Hasek or Osgood to play how they have been perfect and not make any mistakes. Since this is a West coast start we should be holding some practices and test out their responsiveness to onetimers and blind passes.

I expect this to be a great game with a score of 3-2 for us and the 3rd goal in OT.

Dasyuk will get 2 assits and Zetts will have 1 and 1.

shouldn't we be thinking about the playoffs likes blake or sundin

ctabaczy wrote:shouldn't we be thinking about the playoffs likes blake or sundin

Had the playoff's on lock since maybe December. The team is 30 games above .500! Sure Sundin and Rob Blake would help but Toronto dosn't want to move Sundin and LA wants a first for Blake as well as Valtteri Filppula or Johan Franzen and Brett Lebda. I would give that package only for a player with some gas left in the tank like a Marian Hossa if we were to get him it would be over for the West just think of the lines.
(LW-C-RW-D-D) (Assuming we give up Filippula and Frazen)

Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Hossa-Lidstrom-Rafalski
Holmstrom-Draper-Samuelsson-Kronwall-Lebda
Maltby-Hudler-Drake-Chelios-Meech
Ellis-Hartigan-Downey-Lilja-whatever

Looks pretty damn strong for years to come.