Quote of the day … Mike Babcock

CHICAGO — Wings coach Mike Babcock’s response when asked about the last time the Wings played the Chicago Blackhawks in playoffs (2009) they were puppies, what will it be like this time?

“I’ve seen them since then. Obviously, I got a TV too,” Babcock began. “The reality is they’re good players, they’ve grown up. If you do a good job when you’re a bad team, and you draft real well you can probably ride that for eight to 10 years. You just have to be careful to be bad enough, long enough, so you get good enough.

“You may laugh at that,” Babcock continued. “Your fans don’t want to hear it. But if you get too good too fast, you’ll never be good enough. Stay bad enough, long enough in the new world you have a chance to be real good and that’s what they did.”

Babcock doesn’t think Datsyuk is going anywhere by Detroit after next season with video

CHICAGO — Pavel Datsyuk will be entering the final year of his contract next season.

His coach Mike Babcock doesn’t think he’s going anywhere, but staying in Detroit.

“How long is his deal and how much is he going to make? There’s this much possibility (making a zero with two fingers) that he’s going back to Russia. I mean, we’ll get it done in the summer.”

Datsyuk was just named as a Selke finalist on Wednesday.

“(It’s) hard to say if it’s my best season, hope it’s not my last season. Keep playing and improve more.”

Emmerton back in the lineup; Wings not surprised Datsyuk nominated again for Selke / with video

CHICAGO – Quick update from the Detroit Red Wings’ morning skate at the United Center prior to Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Cory Emmerton will be back centering the fourth line as Mikael Samuelsson is back sidelined with a pectoral muscle injury.

“I’ve just got to play my game, be physical and be hard to play against,” Emmerton said. “For our line, we need to play well down low, be in their zone and play hard. That’s going to be the keys for us to be successful.

“You don’t want to watch ever,” Emmerton added. “I got to watch and it wasn’t a lot of fun. I’ll do my best to not get in that situation again.”

Samuelsson was reinjured sometime in Game 7 against Anaheim on Sunday.

“I have some problems with the same stuff I had before,” said Samuelsson, who hopes to return sometime in this series. “I played Sunday and know it’s Wednesday and the next game’s not till Saturday so we’ll see what happens.”

Forward Pavel Datsyuk was nominated for the Selke, along with Boston’s Patrice Bergeron and Chicago’s Jonathan Toews.

“I’m really happy for him,” forward Henrik Zetterberg said. “It’s not a big surprise. I think he should be up for it every year. He’s been really good for us this year.”

The Selke is awarded to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.

“He’s one of the hardest guys to play against, offensively and defensively he has all the tools and he’s so strong on the puck,” defenseman Kyle Quincey said. “He’s one of those guys you’d never think of hitting because he’ll make you look stupid by going around you or counter-hitting you. He’s probably one of the best overall players in the world. It’s amazing just being in the room and seeing what he does every day on the ice.”

Datsyuk is a three-time Selke winner and is a finalist for the sixth consecutive year, surpassing the streaks of Montreal’s Guy Carbonneau (1986 through 1990) and Bob Gainey (1978 through 1982) as the longest since the award was introduced in 1978.

“He’s in my mind the best overall forward in the game,” forward Joakim Andersson said. “For sure I can learn all kind of stuff from him. I can’t do half what he can do with the puck. He’s in the right spots, just making smart plays in the D zone and all over the place. For sure I learn a lot from him and Zetterberg.”

Datsyuk finished tied for the League lead in takeaways (56) and topped the Wings in plus-minus at a plus-21.

“It helps so much when your best defense is your best offense,” defenseman Brendan Smith said. “If he’s got the puck you’re always on offense. Having him out there, it makes our job so much easier on defense, it’s having another D-man back there. He’s so smart with his positioning and having a good stick and he pick pockets everybody. Instead of playing in our own end we’re playing in their end, that’s what we ultimately want to do. His work ethic, that’s the reason he’s a finalist, and his competition level is so high that he battles in all situations.”

Datsyuk named Selke finalist

Pavel Datsyuk was named a finalist for the Selke Trophy.

Here’s the press release.

BERGERON, DATSYUK AND TOEWS NAMED SELKE TROPHY FINALISTS

NEW YORK (May 15, 2013) — Centers Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins, Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings and Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks are the three finalists for the 2012-13 Frank J. Selke Trophy, which is awarded “to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game,” the National Hockey League announced today.

Members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association submitted ballots for the Selke Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The winner will be announced during the 2013 Stanley Cup Final, with more detail on format to be released at a later date.

Following are the finalists for the Selke Trophy, in alphabetical
order:

Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins

Bergeron was the NHL’s top face-off man in 2012-13, winning 62.1% of his draws, as the Bruins ranked third League-wide in team defense (2.21 goals-against per game). He ranked sixth overall and led the Bruins in plus-minus with a +24 rating and played an average of 2:12 per game with his team shorthanded, slightly more than his per-game average on the Boston power-play (2:10). Bergeron is in quest of a repeat Selke win, having claimed the trophy last season in his first appearance as a finalist.

Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings

Datsyuk’s all-around game helped the Red Wings place fifth in the NHL in team defense (2.29 goals-against per game) — their stingiest performance since the 2007-08 Stanley Cup championship season. Datsyuk tied for the League lead in takeaways (56), topped the Red Wings in plus-minus
(+21) and posted a 55.0% face-off winning percentage (488-399). The three-time Selke winner is a finalist for the sixth consecutive year, surpassing the streaks of Montreal’s Guy Carbonneau (1986 through 1990) and Bob Gainey (1978 through 1982) as the longest since the award was introduced in 1978.

Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks

Toews played a leading role in helping the runaway Presidents’ Trophy winners rank first overall in team defense (2.02 goals-against per game).
He finished third in the NHL in plus-minus with a career-high +28 rating, including a League-leading +21 away from home; shared the overall lead in takeaways with fellow Selke finalist Pavel Datsyuk (56); placed second in the NHL in face-off winning percentage (59.9%, 559-374); and played an average of 1:25 per game on the NHL’s third-ranked penalty-killing unit (87.2%). The Blackhawks captain is a Selke finalist for second time, having finished runner-up to Vancouver’s Ryan Kesler in 2011.

History

The trophy was presented in 1977 by the National Hockey League Board of Governors in honor of Frank J. Selke, one of the great architects of Montreal and Toronto championship teams.

Announcement Schedule

The NHL is announcing the three finalists for its regular-season awards through May 20. The remaining announcement schedule:

Thursday, May 16
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (skill/sportsmanship)

Friday, May 17
Jack Adams Award (top head coach)

Monday, May 20
Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award presented by Bridgestone (player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice)

Stalberg to find out if he’s in our out against Wings after morning skate

CHICAGO – Viktor Stalberg’s play in the first round of Chicago’s series with the Minnesota Wild has been called out by his coach.

Now, the winger doesn’t know his status for the opener tonight against the Wings.

“I don’t really have anything to say about it,” Stalberg said after practice Tuesday. “Ask Q.”

His coach, Joel Quenneville, didn’t shed much light on Stalberg’s status.

“Stay ready,” Quenneville said. “Stay ready. Nobody said he’s out of the lineup, but make decisions tough on us. They’ll all know where they stand. We’ll address the situation when the time is right.”

Over the last number of practices, Stalberg has not practiced with any of the Blackhawks’ top four lines.

After having nine goals and 14 assists during the regular season, Stalberg managed just one assist against the Wild in five games.

“We won 4-1, right? So, that’s good,” Stalberg said when asked about his assessment of the series with the Wild. “At times in the series we might not have been as good as we wanted to be, but we still come out 4-1. Sometimes it’s two teams that needs to pick the tempo up, as well. I think we did what we were supposed to do. We could’ve been better at times, but that’s just how it goes.”

Stalberg had a goal and two assists in four meetings with the Wings this year and seven shots on goal.

“Guys get up for those games,” Stalberg said. “We play well against them. It’s been some tight games against them. I know we won (the series) 4-0 this year but three of the games were a one-goal game or overtime, so we know we’re in for a battle here and we’re going to do everything we can to prepare for that.”

Blackhawks take Wings down in six; Sharks, Penguins and Rangers all advance

DETROIT – Breakdown and predictions of the semifinal series round of the NHL playoffs.

Western Conference
(1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (7) Detroit Red Wings
The Blackhawks have had the Wings’ number over the last seven regular season meetings, winning all seven, including all four this year. Chicago also has the ability to roll out top line after top line against teams and it led the squad to the Presidents’ Trophy. This could come down to coaching and Wings coach Mike Babcock proved he was the better coach in the first round and has Joel Quenneville’s number in the past.
Pick: Blackhawks in six.

(5) Los Angeles Kings vs. (6) San Jose Sharks
The defending champs seem to be really catching fire after disposing of St. Louis in the first round, winning four in a row in the series after dropping Game 1. It’s going to come down to the battle of goalies – the Kings’ Jonathan Quick and the Sharks’ Antti Niemi, who’s a Veznia Trophy finalist. Six of the past 10 meetings between the Kings and Sharks have been one-goal games. Four of those went to overtime.
Pick: Sharks in six.

Eastern Conference
(1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (7) Ottawa Senators
The Penguins got their scare in the first round, while the Senators walked all over the Montreal Canadiens. Despite the return of Erik Karlsson on Ottawa’s blue line and the stellar play of netminder Craig Anderson, Pittsburgh has way too much firepower up front for the Senators to handle. The only question mark for the Pens is in net, where veteran Tomas Vokoun has taken over the starting duties from a struggling Marc-Andre Fleury.
Pick: Penguins in five.

(4) Boston Bruins vs. (6) New York Rangers
The one thing that’s for sure, these two teams have got to be exhausted. Henrik Lundqvist recorded back-to-back shutouts in Games 6 and 7 to get the Rangers through, while the Bruins needed to rally from three goals down in the third period to force overtime with the Toronto Maple Leafs before advancing in the extra period. This series could turn into another nail biter.
Pick: Rangers in seven.

Three goal leads

DETROIT — The Wings know all too well about blowing three-goal leads in this year’s playoffs.

Unlike their ability to regain composure and win in overtime, Toronto could not in Game 7 against Boston on Monday.

“It was unbelievable,” forward Damien Brunner said. “When (Boston) was 4-1 down I was still thinking that they were coming back. Then with the two-minute mark, down two goals, and I was like, ‘OK, maybe, no,’ but then they scored the third goal and I was pretty sure they were coming back.”

The Wings also led 4-1 in Game 2 with Anaheim.

“We broke down too, I don’t know why, sometimes it’s the momentum,” Brunner said. “They had the home crowd going and the other team gets nervous. Toronto was the underdog and from what I’ve heard, the fan pressure is pretty big there and they were all pretty excited to beat Boston. Then everything broke down in the last 10 minutes.”

Fourth line decisions; the goalie

DETROIT — Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said he knew what he was going to do with his fourth line for the opener with the Blackhawks, but also said he was going to hold off on it for another day before revealing it.

“I’ve decided. No, you know what. I’ve decided but I’m not going to tell you until (Wednesday),” he said. “Because I’ll wait and see what happens. We’ve got some guys bumped, so we’ll make that decision at our skate.”

Detroit’s fourth line in Game 7 against Anaheim was made up of Patrick Eaves, Mikael Samuelsson and Todd Bertuzzi. Samuelsson left practice early.

On Tuesday, Cory Emmerton, who was a healthy scratch Sunday, centered Bertuzzi and Eaves at practice.

Drew Miller could also be available.

Jimmy Howard left midway through practice, but is expected to start Game 1. He’s been bothered by a hamstring and has seen him practice minutes limited by the team.

Wings know it’s the Blackhawks’ depth at forward that has led them this season

DETROIT – Chicago forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews didn’t put up the offensive numbers fans are accustomed to seeing through one round of this year’s playoffs.

But the Red Wings read that to mean one thing … the Blackhawks are a very, very deep team.

“That just says a lot about their depth,” defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. “That’s how good they are. It’s kind of like (Henrik Zetterberg) in here when he hadn’t scored in the first five games. He finds ways to beat you, whether it’s setting up guys for goals or just being the hardest working guy out there. Toews and Kane are two of the best out there and they’ll find different ways to beat you.”

Zetterberg went without a goal in the first five games of the Wings’ opening round series with Anaheim before scoring three goals over the final two games to get Detroit through to the next round.

Kane and Toews both have yet to score in the playoffs.

“I don’t know if you can just focus on one of them because that’s just how good they are,” Kronwall said. “They’re both so skilled, good hands, great vision, they’re the total package. We have to make sure we know where both of them are, even though that might be hard, but that’s something we have to focus on.”

Kane has five assists in five games, while Toews had two helpers.

“Point production for him, he’s usually pretty productive in that area,” Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said of Kane. “Whether he’s scoring the goal or setting it up, I think he’s involved with the puck and he’s involved with our offense.

“I thought had a decent first round and had an excellent season this year and he’s had the puck a lot more than he’s had it in the past,” Quenneville added. “I’m not particularly crazy about who scores a goal or not, as long as we’re getting some production and being consistent on both sides of the puck is what we’re asking, and he’s been that, so we’re happy with him.”

Patrick Sharp leads Chicago with five goals, followed by Marian Hossa and Bryan Bickell who each have three.

“They love to wheel and get gap and start getting speed going,” defenseman Brendan Smith said of Kane and Toews. “They can make you look foolish as well. You play those players a little bit different.

“Guys like Toews and Hossa are very similar, they’re so competitive and strong that you need your A-game on them all the time,” Smith continued. “Not saying that you don’t for Kane, but you can out-battle him a little bit more because he’s a smaller player, but he does other things well. He sees the ice so well. It’s a different way to play each of them. We’ve played against them and we’ve played hard against them so we know what to expect.”

Wings vs. Blackhawks series closer than some think

DETROIT – At first glance, the regular season series between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks was quite a one-sided affair with the Western Conference’s top seed winning all four times.

However, take away that 7-1 blowout at Joe Louis Arena and the other three games were decided in either overtime or a shootout.

“They beat us all four times, I read that on the way in here,” Wings coach Mike Babcock said. “You’ve got to play real hockey now in those situations. They thumped us the one time on Easter Sunday. That stuff is all over now.”

The teams meet in a best-of-seven semifinal series beginning Wednesday in Chicago at 8 p.m.

“I think we played some good hockey,” defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. “We had ups and downs and I think that’s part of the process, but at the same time hopefully we can continue like these last two games and keep rolling.”

The Wings needed seven games to dispatch of second-seeded Anaheim, winning the final two games in the series.

“If you love what you’re doing and you’re doing it to the best of your ability that’s a lot of fun and we’re getting to play when lots of teams are home,” Babcock said. “There are eight teams left, so it’s a thrill for you to have an opportunity to play at this time of year.

“What I think is exciting about this series is there’s two Original Six franchises, two great cities that love hockey, they have been around for a long, long time, lots of tradition that are getting to play,” Babcock added. “We’ve played them in the playoffs and in the past and had lots of fun in those series. I thought the series this year, with the exception of the 7-1 thumping they gave us on Easter, was a good series. If people didn’t remind me I wouldn’t know we didn’t win any of the games. To me, we played them real well, with the exception of the one.”

This is the 16th playoff series between Detroit and Chicago.

“I think we know more about what we have in here,” Kronwall said. “I think that’s something we’ve learned over the season. We learned how to play to have success. We’ve eliminated some of the earlier mistakes we made. I think we’re definitely the last few games have been moving in the right direction.”

Twice Chicago has beaten Detroit in the Cup final (1934, 1961). On nine other occasions, the team that won the series advanced to the Cup final, but lost.

Nine of the last 10 games between these teams have been one-goal finishes.

“It’s tight,” forward Daniel Cleary said. “I think they had a hell of a season. Obviously you get excited to play good teams. We were in that position for a lot of years here where teams got excited to play us. Chicago’s going to be a fun matchup. It’s going to be like no other in terms of anthem, in terms of energy and crowd for some of the younger players who haven’t seen it before.”

With the Wings heading to the Eastern Conference next season it’s the last time these two teams will meet in the postseason unless it’s in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The last time Detroit and Chicago met in the postseason was 2009 with the Wings taking the series in five games. Three of the games in the series went to overtime.

“Chicago is young and talented, and you could see that they were destined for good things,” Cleary said. “I think they learned a lot from that series. Obviously, they went to win. They’re a talented team. Obviously, the Original Six history speaks for itself. But in terms of rivalry, the rivalry is there based on the history. We have a huge rivalry with Anaheim and San Jose, but there’s no history, it’s all based through the playoffs.”

Chicago has won the last seven regular season meetings against the Wings.

“I think we’ve learned a lot about ourselves over the last stretch of the season and how well we played just to get into the playoffs, and then how well we played against the Ducks,” goalie Jimmy Howard said. “It’s a team that may not be as talented as some of the teams that we’ve had in years past. But it’s a team that works extremely hard, and when you have that aspect you can be a hard team to beat.”

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville has never beaten the Wings in a playoff series as a head coach.

“Winning the Cup you’ve got to take on the best comers,” Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. “We had a good chance five years ago. It’s amazing how long ago that was, and we didn’t face (each other) since then. I don’t think the series was as dominating as 4-1against us, but it was a good learning curve for us. A young team learned from one of the teams that knows how to win, defending Cup champ, I think there’s an education there from them. Now it’s a whole
new challenge and they’re playoff tested. They know how to play. They know how to compete and they know what’s ahead of them, but I think we learned as well. I thought we applied it the following year. You can’t pick and choose who you’re going to play in the course of a playoff
year.”