Detroit to play Nashville in first round
This Thursday, the postseason begins for Detroit as they face off against the Nashville Predators in the Western Conference quarterfinals. Specific times and dates have yet to be released, but if I had to take a guess I’d say that it’ll be a normal 7:30pm start on Thursday and an earlier game on Saturday (between 3-5pm). I will definitely have a pre-series post before Thursday, but it won’t be today. And you know what’s interesting? The Predators want to play us too because they did not want to head to San Jose, who beat them 4-0-0 this season.
There’s little question the Predators are a good draw. They are a 90-minute plane ride away, and only one time zone, as opposed to five hours to Calgary (plus stopping to refuel) and the two-time zone difference. The Predators are also very banged up, with Grosse Pointer David Legwand out indefinitely with a foot injury, Steve Sullivan out for the season because of back surgery, and Martin Gelinas hobbled by a knee sprain.
The Predators have also struggled to find consistency in goal, and while Ellis has had some good outings against Detroit, he’s no Miikka Kiprusoff.
My biggest concern in the first round? The health of our team.
Three days ago, Kirk Maltby pulled his hamstring so he’s going to miss at least the first round. Mikael Samuelsson may return during the first round, but definitely won’t start it with a bad groin. Brad Stuart has been out with a broken finger and it is unknown if he’ll be ready for the start of the playoffs. Tomas Holmstrom’s ab injury is still giving him trouble, but it is believed that he will play in the playoffs despite not being 100%. During Thursday’s game, big physical forward Tomas Kopecky partially tore his ACL and sprained his MCL. His injuries are severe enough to require reconstructive surgery so he won’t be able to play for 4-6 months (maybe in time for pre-season).
One of my biggest concerns in terms of getting healthy is Kris Draper. I don’t think you realize how much he does for the team until he’s not out there skating. Whether it’s a big face off win or killing off a penalty, we definitely want his presence in the lineup as soon as possible.
Forward Kris Draper missed five games with a groin injury, came back to play in four, then had a flare-up that caused him to miss the last two games. A groin injury he suffered in the playoffs last season turned into a sports hernia that required off-season surgery. Draper leads the team with a 58.6 winning percentage on face-offs.
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April 5th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
[…] (1:06 PM): Christy Hammond has a reaction to the news here. - […]