I was listening to XM-204 tonight on my way home from work and the ice cap boys got me thinking about first round upsets. I think its safe to say after watching tonight game it looks like Calgary isn't going to be the team to knock off a top seed in this year Stanley Cup playoffs.
Detroit as of late has been known for their early exits. Last season the Edmonton Oilers beat the Red Wings in the first round. The Red Wings went home to play golf and the Edmonton Oilers went to the Cup finals before losing to the Canes in the Stanley Cup finals.
Tonight it appears that the Detroit Red Wings want to make it further than the first round as they absolutely destroyed a usually very defensive Calgary team. Detroit out shot the Flames 46-20 and got a well-balanced attack from the whole line up. If it wasn't for Miikka Kiprusoff the game could have been 10-1.
I think this might be Detroit’s last chance to make some noise in the Stanley Cup playoffs with the team it has right now. If the Red Wings don’t win it all this year this may be the last hurrah for many of the Red Wing’s players many of them are ready to start collecting social security.
Kind of makes you wonder if the Flames wasted all of their energy making the playoffs or are the Wings that good? It is a question that many of us are going to be asking as the playoffs play out.
Wings are playing at a different level. Flames just suck right now as a team. They don't suck on paper, but that's why we play games. Players have to gel, be committed, motivated and play as a team. Sounds easy, but obviously some teams are doing a far better job than others right now.Flames aren't playing to their potential right now, they're lucky they're in the playoffs and maybe they're "too dumb to know it" right now. Not that they're literally dumb... Something hasn't been right with their team chemistry, coaching maybe? who knows... but if they don't change it soon, Detroit will win all the home games, split the saddledome series and it'll all be over faster than you can say Iggy Pop 5 times fast...
I am thinking this series goes 4 games.