Apr 7 :: Sounds like a damn monster movie…

On By mpetrella

WHAT’S ALL THIS THEN?

Red Wings and Blue Jackets, 7:30pm, Wednesday, Detroit. The first of a home-and-home series spread out over three nights. 
WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?
Detroit lost control of their destiny by bed-shitting the weekend away, the Wings find themselves in 7th place in the Western Conference. All 8 teams are set, and the Wings will need some help to climb back into 6th – let alone 5th. 
5 :: Nashville :: 98 points (2 games left) [at Phoenix tonight, 10pm]
6 :: Los Angeles :: 97 points (3 games left)
7 :: Detroit :: 96 points (3 games left) [vs. Columbus tonight, 7:30pm]
8 :: Colorado :: 93 points (3 games left) [at Edmonton tonight, 9:30pm]
NOW WHERE WERE WE?
We totally just did this. On April Fools Day, the Wings defeated the Blowjays (hi Natalie) 3-2 in a game that featured the most glorious Todd Bertuzzi play of all time: the flying karate chop. Homeboy played a lot of Mortal Kombat back in the day. Which explains all the Fatality and Brutality. TOASTY!
OH HI AGAIN / MEMBA ME?! / BEST NAME NOMINEE
I’m tired of this shit. Jason Williams blah blah blah, Sami Pahlsson yadda yadda yadda. 
THEIR LAST GAMES
–Chris Osgood lost to Philadelphia, 4-3, on Easter. 
–Columbus lost to St. Louis, 2-1, in overtime on Monday. I didn’t see the game, but I can assure you it was likely the best, most exciting hockey game in over a decade.
RECORDS
–Detroit Red Wings :: 41-24-14 (3rd in Central, 7th in West) :: 24-10-6 at home.
–Nashville Predators :: 32-34-14 (5th in Central, 14th in West) :: 12-22-6 on the road.
JACKETS YOU SHOULD KNOW
Coat :: Blazer :: Windbreaker :: Peacoat :: Jerkin :: Flak :: Straight :: Smoking
EXPECTED LINEUP
Franzen — Datsyuk — Holmstrom
Bertuzzi — Zetterberg — Filppula
Eaves — Helm — Loins
Miller — Draper — Williams
Lidstrom — Rafalski
Kronwall — Stuart
Ericsson — Lilja
Howard (starting)
Osgood
As promised, Rocky-themed Nicknames, with the aid of Mr. Herm:
Scratch
Brett “Just Wanna Let You Know I Am Very Available” Lebda
Derek “Yeah, Yeah, I Mean Business Too” Meech
Injuries
Kirk “Down! Down! Stay Down!” Maltby
Honorable Mentions
Henrik “Women Weaken Legs” Zetterberg
Pavel “Not Worth Braggin About” Datsyuk
Jason “Forget About Sports as a Profession” Williams
Darren “Eat Lightning and Crap Thunder” Helm
Brad “The Truck That Run Over Your Face” Stuart
Mike “Let Me Do The Figurin'” Babcock
Ken “Cut Me Mick” Daniels
Chris “It Ain’t Over til It’s Over” Chelios
Brad “You Ain’t So Bad” May
Krys “No Rematch” Barch
Todd’s Corner
Todd “Screw You Creepo” Bertuzzi
Todd “Maybe I Like Garbage” Bertuzzi
Todd “Kentucky Fried Idiot” Bertuzzi
Todd “I Want You Outta Here Instamatically” Bertuzzi
QUICK THOUGHTS
1. The weekend threw the breaks onto an impressive winning streak that propelled the Wings into playoff safety. Now that they’re officially there, will they play for a higher seed, or will they settle in a bit and try to click as a unit? I think this game goes a long way in determining their mentality – and whether or not they care who they’ll play in the first round.
2. The top six will need to continue to be the top six, even though we all expect them to get a little bit of a breather: if not with healthy scratches, at least with decreased ice time. Red Wings Masterton nominee Tomas Holmstrom’s back could use a day or two to prepare for even more cross-checks in the post-season.
3. Speaking of rest, do you think Nick Lidstrom takes a break? He’s one of the three guys that have played in all 79 games so far (Brad Stuart and SheTuzzi are the others), and could certainly use a breather heading into the grind. Unless he doesn’t like to roll like that. In which case, I say cyborg on.
4. If you missed the 14th episode of The Obstructed View, go now. Make sure you check out the post and make your guess as to what Tyler said that was beeped. 
WHAT WE LEARNED vs. the Flyers
Seventeen seconds: a new personal best.
JACKET WE COVET (JJ Special)