Rear Admiral's Bruins vs. Red Wings Preview And Prediction
(Electric preview picture from Rear Admiral Per Usual)
The last time the Bruins and Red Wings met in the playoffs, Claude Julien was three years old. Elvis Presley’s #1 song had the nation all shook up. JFK was but a bird-dogging Senator, a few years shy of becoming a bird-dogging President. Motown Records was still merely a twinkle in Berry Gordy’s eye. And a young Jerry Thornton was honing his burgeoning stand-up act by listening to Henny Youngman on his Victrola.
So needless to say, there’s a dearth of both playoff highlights and playoff hatred between these two Original Six teams. Detroit and Boston’s ‘rivalry’ is the weakest the Bruins have among O6 squads. However, the two teams will finally add a new chapter to their long-dormant postseason history starting tonight at the Garden as they square off in highly-pedigreed first round series.
Don’t fall for the ‘1 seed vs. 8 seed’ shit. This isn’t the Bs playing the little sisters of the poor to get primed for the second round. The Wings are a great organization with a stellar coach and 23-year playoff streak (the record of 29 is held by…the Boston Bruins) that gives them a crack a title every season. They also have a knack for finding guys late in the draft and/or bringing in guys who work out in Detroit after failing to elsewhere. Seemingly a perennial contender, they’re sort of the NHL’s version of the New England Patriots. And the Bs best take them seriously from the get-go or it’ll be a short run. Let’s take a closer look.
Forwards
When both healthy, the Wings boast one of the best 1-2 punches in the NHL with Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. Zetterberg is reportedly out for the first round. But Datsyuk recently returned from his knee inflammation and will be dangerous as always. Daniel Alfredsson is still a very good player that is familiar with the Bs. Youngsters Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar help provide ample scoring depth and will keep all four Boston lines on their toes. The Wings had a lot of kids in the line-up this year thanks to a never-ending flow of injuries yet still managed a playoff spot (much credit to Mike Babcock), likely in part because many of the youngsters were part of a Calder Cup-winning squad last year. Like the Bs, the Wings have a few lines that can score on you.
The Bs top line of Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Jarome Iginla was one of the most consistent and dominant in the league this season and they should continue to do the same in the playoffs. Between the physical dominance of the wings and cerebral weaponry of the center, they’ll be causing nightmares for opposing D. Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Reilly Smith, the 1A line, can beat you at both ends. Anchored by Selke favorite Bergeron, this unit can be used to shut down opposing lines AND score on you. Smith looked to be shaking off his late-season slump. Carl Soderberg has been outstanding lately and his chemistry with Loui Eriksson makes the Bs third line look more like a second line. But there are questions about just how banged up Chris Kelly and Dan Paille are. Paille is doubtful for tonight after (likely) suffering his third concussion of the season last weekend. Losing Kelly would hurt their depth, experience, and savvy because any replacement won’t have those things. Shawn Thornton and Greg Campbell (along with Paille) fill out the effective fourth line. Advantage: Even.
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Defensemen
Niklas Kronwall anchors the Detroit back end that is currently missing Jonathan Ericsson. Kronwall reminds me of the great Vladimir Konstantinov because of his hard play that makes forwards keep their heads on a swivel but he also contributes offensively as well. Brendan Smith, Jakub Kindl, Brian Lashoff, Danny DeKeyser, and Kyle Quincey round out a solid, if unspectacular, D unit that will be charged with slowing down the league’s third highest scoring team.
Norris Trophy candidate Zdeno Chara leads the Bruins once again on defense. But he won’t have Dennis Seidenberg for this round to pair with for a shutdown combo. The Bs are also going to miss the physical, stay-at-home Adam McQuaid, though rookie Kevan Miller does a pretty damn good impression of him, even down to the beating the shit out of opponents part of the gig. Johnny Boychuk needs to avoid mental errors in his own end. The unit is missing a lot of the experience it had last year and the front office is hoping that youngsters Dougie Hamilton, Torey Krug, and Matt Bartkowski can apply the lessons of last year to this year’s run. Andrej Meszaros, who failed to grab ahold of a spot after being acquired at the deadline, provides depth. It’s not the same D that got them to the Cup last year but it is the one that helped ice the best regular season team this year.
However, the big X-factor here is Seidenberg. When he returns, the ripple effect will make the overall unit better. If the Bruins win the first round, Seidenberg might just be ready to join them for the second round. If not the second, expect to see the German back for the Conference Finals, should be the Bs get that far. Advantage: Bruins.
Goaltending
Jimmy Howard shut up some naysayers last spring, myself included, with his postseason play. He had the Wings within a tipped shot of knocking out the Blackhawks. He battled a few injuries this year and didn’t have the best season. But as long as he’s between the pipes (and plays like he did last year), Detroit will have an opportunity. Jonas Gustavsson is the back-up and a guy Red Wings fans really don’t want to see any of. Tuukka Rask is the Vezina favorite. He was stellar last spring and on the Conn Smythe shortlist until the Bs were eliminated. He’s cool and unflappable. And when the guys in front of him do have a breakdown, he’s there to make the save. Still, he’ll need to be on against this squad. Advantage: Bruins.
Coaching
Mike Babcock is looking for his fourth trip to the Stanley Cup Final (1-2 with Detroit Cup win in ’08). He’s a whipsmart coach who gets the most out of his players and has done a phenomenal job of coaxing a banged-up, youth-laden squad into the playoffs.
Claude Julien is aiming to return to the SCF for the third time in four years. After some early hiccups in Boston, he’s established himself as top coach in the league and a guy who commands the respect of this players in the room. These are the two longest-tenured coaches in the league going head to head. Advantage: Even.
Prediction
This series is going to be a battle. These are two teams that are great at possessing the puck. They both roll four lines. Each coach has won a Stanley Cup. Each squad has a well-liked vet vying for his first Stanley Cup championship. And they’re two evenly-matched teams whose only significant difference is between the pipes. But that advantage for the Bruins, Rask over Howard, will be what sends them onto the second round. Bruins in seven.
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