A sports blog by and for Midwest Sports Fans
After months of speculation and discussion, the location for the 2013 Winter Classic was confirmed today in a press conference held by the NHL.
The game will take place between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings on January 1st at ‘The Big House’ (The University of Michigan stadium) and is expected to set attendance records for an NHL game as well as an outdoor hockey game.
Last Wednesday Chicago Blackhawks’ forward Patrick Kane won the game with an amazing shootout goal that had the whole ‘Hawk fan base in a buzz.
With baseball wrapping up, no NBA season in sight, and the NFL only being on a couple times a week, looks like you’ll be turning to the ice for your sports fix.
I mean, you could just do something else, but you won’t. So kick back, relax and enjoy the conclusion of the MSF NHL Preview. (View Part 1 here: Eastern Conference Preview and Predictions.)
Now let’s make like Ice Cube and “Rep That West”
Since the recent move of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg there have been many news stories and blog posts about the NHL realigning its divisions and even switching teams from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference and vice versa. The newest report that came out Monday and that CSNchicago.com reported on Tuesday morning has the Central Division consisting of the Minnesota, Winnipeg, Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville, Dallas, and possibly Columbus.
Read over the teams again. See anything missing?
There’s no Detroit in that list.
It’s NHL playoff time again.
I’m taking a break from bringing you forgotten baseball players to preview the Sweet 16 of the National Hockey League. This year looks to provide some intriguing match-ups to go along with the standard blow-outs.
Let’s get to it, with previews and predictions of each 1st round series.
The trade deadline was, for the most part, uneventful. There were still some dealings, but the excitement of the trade deadline was lessened by the lack of sellers on the market this season.
Every team in the NHL Central, except for Detroit, had a deal set in stone before the Monday deadline.
There was not any huge player dealt, but Chicago, Nashville, St. Louis, and Columbus all got skaters that they hope will benefit them this season and possibly for seasons to come.
Here are the NHL trade deadline winners and losers for the NHL Central.
Many fans want a veteran player on their hockey team, but what really gets them excited is raw, young talent.
There’s no doubt that to be a successful franchise you must never lose sight of young talent. It’s pretty much a staple in today’s sports world.
Hockey is no different.
Young talent can mean the difference between a one-time wonder team and a dynasty. However, it can also be a risky business.
Mess up and fans will not let you forget about your “future star” bust; but if you’re successful, it could mean years of praise.
On that note let us dive into a much closer look at the NHL’s Central Division’s top prospects.
The Central Division is always one to watch in the NHL.
With the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, and the Columbus Blue Jackets, winning the division is never as easy as it might seem.
Each team has some great talent; but with talent also comes problems.
In this Central Division outlook, we’ll look at some of the more pressing offseason issues for each team.
Thursday night was a mixed-emotions day for both the Blackhawks and their fans. After being blown out 8-3 by the Columbus Jackets, possibly their worst played game of the season, the Blackhawks found out they had clinched the playoffs for the second straight year after a Calgary loss.
In the loss, Cristobal Huet made coach Joel Quennville’s choice for starting goaltender even easier. Quennville gave Huet the green light on Thursday even after Niemi’s sixth shutout of the season, hoping Huet would make his case for starting goaltender in the playoffs.
It backfired.
The Blackhawks, once again, beat their rival Detroit Red Wings, but this time it was a much more excited and intense game.
This game had a playoff feel to it. Both teams played like the Cup was on the line, and because of that it earned its title as Game of the Week.
The Hawks came busting out of the gate and quickly took a 2-0 lead gaining all the momentum in the 1st period, but the momentum would rapidly shift throughout the whole game.
This is just icing on the cake for the Blackhawks.
The Hawks proved they could play earlier this year when they dismantled San Jose and beat Pittsburgh in OT, but nobody could have predicted such a dominant performance against their most hated rival, a rival that plays the Hawks so well that it often looks like they are sometimes bullying them.
But this game the Hawks were the bully. Not only did the Hawks beat the Red Wings, they shut them out. Never have the Hawks been do dominant against Detroit.
The Chicago Blackhawks have re-signed 23-year old forward Kris Versteeg to a 3-year, $9.25 million deal. Recently rated 21st best franchise in sports today by ESPN, the Hawks have kept their young team mostly intact. The Hawks have drafted great young talent the last couple of years, and it has made hockey nation look at Chicago as a serious contender for the Stanley Cup.
After losing the Western Conference Finals to Detroit, Hawk fans are really excited for what next year could bring. Many more NHL teams and owners are taking this young Hawks team seriously now. While the Hawks have lost their season MVP, Martin Havlat, they did add a powerful scoring forward in Marian Hossa. The Hawks lost a great goaltender in Khabibulan, and leaving the team to Huet is a bit risky. Huet has shown he can be a great goaltender, but his inconsistent play has had Hawk fans questioning how good a deal it was to pick him up and at such a steep price.
The Hawks have really big expectations to fulfill this coming season, and nobody really can say for sure if this team is capable of going all the way next year. As young as the team is though, Chicago fans are at least positive that the Hawks could win a championship in the near future. While the future is bright, the players don’t need to feel like they have no room to improve. Their inexperience was exploited by the veteran Detroit team last year in the playoffs and Detroit seems to always have the Hawks’ number. Most of all, Detroit capitalized on every mistake the Hawks made, and the Hawks will have to limit their mistakes against the Red Wings moving forward.
One thing that made me mad was the hatred for the Hawks by Sports Illustrated. They never gave credit to the Hawks, even when they made it deep into the postseason. They said they would lose against the Flames and the Canucks. When the Hawks did win those two series, SI didn’t praise the wins, they just ignored them completely. Just recently Alan Muir has called the Hossa signing a bad one. Come on! They never give the Hawks credit for building a team that can win. Sorry for going on a mini rant, but that has always bothered me a lot.
With prospect camps currently ongoing, the Hawks could find another gem. Next hockey season will be a fun and interesting ride for the Hawks and their fans. As a fan, I can only wish for another playoff berth, and who knows, maybe even a Cup.
Whether you love Stanley Cup betting, watch hockey casually or live and breathe it, Friday night should be something special. The epic rematch between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings has lived up to the hype, treating us to a Game 7 this Friday night. Here are the particulars:
Stanley Cup Finals Game 7 Preview
So who will take the Stanley Cup?
Originally, we broke down the NHL betting matchup edges into offense, defense, special teams, goaltending and coaching. Have the edges shifted in any of these categories entering Game 7?
Stanley Cup betting lines for Game 7:
Penguins +160
Red Wings -190
Red Wings-Penguins Game 7 Preview: OFFENSE
The Penguins are not the same team offensively on the road. In Pittsburgh, they’ve forechecked hard, beating the smallish Detroit defenders to pucks in the corners and taking the body. Jordan Staal, Tyler Kennedy and Maxime Talbot have been particularly impressive. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were brilliant in two of Pittsburgh’s three home games but have done very little in Detroit – amazingly, Crosby has no points at Joe Louis Arena in this series.
Save for Game 5, the Red Wings’ offense hasn’t exploded but it’s been relatively steady. Pavel Datsyuk’s return to the lineup breathed major life into the team in Game 5 and should help distribute Detroit’s scoring in Game 7. Henrik Zetterberg is clutch, as is Johan Franzen, but Marian Hossa has disappeared off the face of the Earth. He looks uncomfortable with the physicality of this series and can’t be relied upon to bust out in Game 7.
Overall, since Crosby and Malkin have been neutralized on the road, the edge shifts to Detroit.
Original Edge: Penguins
Game 7 Edge: Red Wings
Red Wings-Penguins Game 7 Preview: DEFENSE
Both teams should be commended for their overall defensive efforts in Stanley Cup betting, though they go about their success in different ways. The Wings have relied on skill, speed and smothering positioning to take space away from the Pens forwards while the Penguins have used their size, brute strength and shot blocking to keep pucks out of the net. As courageous as the Pens have been, they’ve been more tentative and, more importantly, less disciplined on the road, so Detroit keeps its edge here.
Original Edge: Red Wings
Game 7 Edge: Red Wings
Red Wings-Penguins Game 7 Preview: GOALTENDING
Could this be the deciding factor in NHL betting lines for Game 7? So far, the matchup has gone just as it seemed it would on paper – Chris Osgood has been solid if unspectacular for the Wings and Marc-Andre Fleury has alternated scintillating and horrible performances. Fleury remains the more physically gifted netminder; he showed in Game 6 that he can singlehandedly steal a game as he stopped 13 Detroit shots in the third period and made some spectacular saves. However, Fleury has melted down on the road and Chris Osgood has loads of big-game Stanley Cup experience, as he’s seeking his third ring. Fleury still can’t be counted out as he’ll need to carry the Pens, but Osgood is oh-so-steady, so Detroit pulls even here.
Original Edge: Penguins
Game 7 Edge: Even
Red Wings-Penguins Game 7 Preview: SPECIAL TEAMS
Nothing has really changed here. We know the Wings power play is second to one and we know its penalty kill is brutal. The Wings showed in Game 5 that they will bury anyone who takes penalties against them, but the Pens’ PK has been brilliant aside from that game and its power play has been adequate. No real offshore sportsbook advantage here, but the Pens must stay disciplined.
Original Edge: Even
Game 7 Edge: Even
Red Wings-Penguins Game 7 Preview: COACHING
You have to hand it to Dan Bylsma; he guided the Pens from almost missing the playoffs to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final and he found a way to instill confidence in them for Game 6 after the ugly Game 5 loss. However, Bylsma has never coached one deciding game with the equivalent significance of the Super Bowl. Mike Babcock has. He’ll be cooler under pressure, so the Wings get the edge for Game 7.
Original Edge: Even
Game 7 Edge: Red Wings
Red Wings-Penguins Game 7 Prediction:THE VERDICT FOR GAME 7
As you can guess based on the analysis above, I’m picking Detroit to win Game 7. My original online wagering prognosis – Penguins in 6 – was contingent on the Penguins being up 3-2 heading home. Back in Detroit, the defending champs are just too good and the Penguins haven’t shown that they can handle the hostile environment at Joe Louis Arena. Another factor to remember: the home team is 12-2 in Stanley Cup Game 7s all-time.
Stanley Cup betting pick: Detroit Red Wings -190
If you are a regular reader of this site, you know that I do not write much about hockey; and by “much” I mean that I don’t write about it all. It’s not that I don’t “like” hockey or that I don’t appreciate the greatness and athletic ability of the players in the NHL, but I never played hockey growing up in Indiana and never developed the passion for it that I did for football, basketball, and baseball.
However, as a devoted sports lover, I enjoy watching any sporting event in which the best players in the world at their respective sport are playing with something great on the line. Certainly, when the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins take to the ice in the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals, some of the best hockey players in the world will be battling it out for something great on the line.
And I will watch. (Although, as we all know, hockey is much better viewed live. But I don’t think I’m getting out to Detroit or Pittsburgh anytime soon…)
——————–
——————–
Maybe I won’t watch every game, but I’ll tune it for most of them. Or at least flip over during the commercials if the Stanley Cup Finals are played concurrently with any NBA games.
And here is the TV Schedule for the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals, a rematch of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals between the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins.
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time | Location | TV | Spread / Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Wings def. Penguins 3-1 | Sat, May 30 | 8:00 ET | Detroit | NBC | DET leads 1-0 |
| 2 | Red Wings def. Penguins 2-1 | Sun, May 31 | TBD | Detroit | NBC | DET leads 2-0 |
| 3 | Penguins def. Red Wings 4-2 | Tue, June 2 | 8:00 ET | Pittsburgh | Versus | DET leads 2-1 |
| 4 | Penguins def. Red Wings 4-2 | Thu, June 4 | 8:00 ET | Pittsburgh | Versus | Tied 2-2 |
| 5* | Red Wings def. Penguins 5-0 | Sat, June 6 | 8:00 ET | Detroit | NBC | DET leads 3-2 |
| 6* | Penguins def. Red Wings 2-1 | Tue, June 9 | 8:00 ET | Pittsburgh | NBC | Tied 3-3 |
| 7* | Penguins at Red Wings | Fri, June 12 | 8:00 ET | Detroit | NBC | DET -1.5 |
| * - if necessary |
Last year, the Red Wings came out on top and won their first Stanley Cup since 2002. In addition to being the defending Stanley Cup winners, the Red Wings are the last team to win the Stanley Cup in back-to-back seasons (1997,1998). Pittsburgh is looking to take home the Stanley Cup for the first time since they won it back-to-back in 1991 and 1992.
Yesterday, our good friends from BetOnline broke down the matchups and offered up a Red Wings-Penguins Stanley Cup Finals prediction. They picked the Pens to come out on top in 6 games. What do you think?
Who will win the Stanley Cup in 2009?
- Detroit Red Wings (75%, 153 Votes)
- Pittsburgh Penguins (25%, 51 Votes)
Total Voters: 204
Loading ...
