New faces make this Wings team an unknown quantity
Nicklas Lidstrom put it exactly right.
"It seems like it has been a very long camp, even though it hasn't really been that long," he said Thursday.
The question is, was it long enough? The Red Wings open the 2009-10 season today against the St. Louis Blues at Ericsson Globe Arena with perhaps more uncertainty than in past years.
"You can definitely tell the team is anxious to get going," said Lidstrom, beginning his 18th season in Detroit. "We are all excited to be here. We've had fun. But we all want to play in a real game."
It's been an atypical camp, starting with the Wings acquiring three veteran players -- Jason Williams, Todd Bertuzzi and Patrick Eaves -- and having to mix as many as eight new players into the mix.
On top of that, the exhibition season was compacted to the point were the Wings had to play eight exhibition games in 12 nights, which forced them to keep and play 39 players all through camp. Groin injuries to Henrik Zetterberg and Danny Cleary kept them off the ice until the final exhibition game in Karlstad on Wednesday, a game that goalie Chris Osgood sat out because of an illness.
So, technically, the Wings played the entire exhibition season without having their full roster intact.
"Yeah, but who cares?" coach Mike Babcock said. "We play (Friday) and we are as ready as we can be. We have to get good goaltending, we can't turn the puck over and we have to score when we get the opportunity. That's how it's going to be every night."
In other words, no excuses.
"What you want to do is get off to a good start," Babcock said. "When you don't, you start to feel the pressure of the world. Pretty soon you are not only playing against the other team, you are playing against yourself and that pressure. So you really do need to get out of the gate."
Osgood practiced Thursday, but was clearly under the weather. Babcock said Osgood's condition will be evaluated this morning, but he expects him to play. If not, Jimmy Howard, who played a strong game Wednesday, will get the call.
The only other decision Babcock has to make is whether Eaves or Kirk Maltby will play on the fourth line. He won't make the call on that until today.
The other lines are set -- Johan Franzen-Pavel Datsyuk-Tomas Holmstrom, Bertuzzi-Zetterberg-Cleary, Ville Leino-Valtteri Filppula-Williams, Kris Draper-Justin Abdelkader-Eaves or Maltby.
The defensive pairings will be Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski, Brad Stuart and Niklas Kronwall, Jonathan Ericsson and Brett Lebda, with Derek Meech as the extra blueliner.
If there is an x-factor for the Wings this season, it could be that third line of Williams, Filppula and Leino. Babcock and others expect this to be a breakout year for Filppula.
"We think Filppula is a big part of our success," Babcock said. "Remember, Fil was our second-line center when we won the Cup (2008) because Pav and Z played together. What Fil has to do to get recognized is, he needs to score more. In order to score more he needs to get more opportunities, and he gets those opportunities based on when the coach puts him on the ice."
Babcock said he is willing to give Filppula all the ice time he needs if he produces.
"I am about winning and not about Fil scoring, but those two things have to go hand in hand, then we are willing to adjust to do that," Babcock said.
Leino and Williams, Babcock believes, are an upgrade over the departed Mikael Samuelsson and Jiri Hudler.
"Leino is real good," Babcock said. "He's a bigger man (than Hudler) and harder on the puck in the offensive zone."
The Blues certainly aren't about to let the Wings ease into the season. St. Louis had the best record in the league over the second half last season (25-9-7) and features a healthy Paul Kariya and Erik Johnson, two players it sorely missed last season.
"Their confidence going into training camp this year compared to last year has got to be like night and day," Babcock said. "It's been a four-year process for them and those kids took a beating for a couple of them. But now they are men. Do I think they are a good team? Yes. Do I think they will do well? Yes."
Are they good enough to keep the Wings from a ninth Central Division title? The Wings don't appear ready to concede that yet.
Nicklas Lidstrom put it exactly right.
"It seems like it has been a very long camp, even though it hasn't really been that long," he said Thursday.
The question is, was it long enough? The Red Wings open the 2009-10 season today against the St. Louis Blues at Ericsson Globe Arena with perhaps more uncertainty than in past years.
"You can definitely tell the team is anxious to get going," said Lidstrom, beginning his 18th season in Detroit. "We are all excited to be here. We've had fun. But we all want to play in a real game."
It's been an atypical camp, starting with the Wings acquiring three veteran players -- Jason Williams, Todd Bertuzzi and Patrick Eaves -- and having to mix as many as eight new players into the mix.
On top of that, the exhibition season was compacted to the point were the Wings had to play eight exhibition games in 12 nights, which forced them to keep and play 39 players all through camp. Groin injuries to Henrik Zetterberg and Danny Cleary kept them off the ice until the final exhibition game in Karlstad on Wednesday, a game that goalie Chris Osgood sat out because of an illness.
So, technically, the Wings played the entire exhibition season without having their full roster intact.
"Yeah, but who cares?" coach Mike Babcock said. "We play (Friday) and we are as ready as we can be. We have to get good goaltending, we can't turn the puck over and we have to score when we get the opportunity. That's how it's going to be every night."
In other words, no excuses.
"What you want to do is get off to a good start," Babcock said. "When you don't, you start to feel the pressure of the world. Pretty soon you are not only playing against the other team, you are playing against yourself and that pressure. So you really do need to get out of the gate."
Osgood practiced Thursday, but was clearly under the weather. Babcock said Osgood's condition will be evaluated this morning, but he expects him to play. If not, Jimmy Howard, who played a strong game Wednesday, will get the call.
The only other decision Babcock has to make is whether Eaves or Kirk Maltby will play on the fourth line. He won't make the call on that until today.
The other lines are set -- Johan Franzen-Pavel Datsyuk-Tomas Holmstrom, Bertuzzi-Zetterberg-Cleary, Ville Leino-Valtteri Filppula-Williams, Kris Draper-Justin Abdelkader-Eaves or Maltby.
The defensive pairings will be Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski, Brad Stuart and Niklas Kronwall, Jonathan Ericsson and Brett Lebda, with Derek Meech as the extra blueliner.
If there is an x-factor for the Wings this season, it could be that third line of Williams, Filppula and Leino. Babcock and others expect this to be a breakout year for Filppula.
"We think Filppula is a big part of our success," Babcock said. "Remember, Fil was our second-line center when we won the Cup (2008) because Pav and Z played together. What Fil has to do to get recognized is, he needs to score more. In order to score more he needs to get more opportunities, and he gets those opportunities based on when the coach puts him on the ice."
Babcock said he is willing to give Filppula all the ice time he needs if he produces.
"I am about winning and not about Fil scoring, but those two things have to go hand in hand, then we are willing to adjust to do that," Babcock said.
Leino and Williams, Babcock believes, are an upgrade over the departed Mikael Samuelsson and Jiri Hudler.
"Leino is real good," Babcock said. "He's a bigger man (than Hudler) and harder on the puck in the offensive zone."
The Blues certainly aren't about to let the Wings ease into the season. St. Louis had the best record in the league over the second half last season (25-9-7) and features a healthy Paul Kariya and Erik Johnson, two players it sorely missed last season.
"Their confidence going into training camp this year compared to last year has got to be like night and day," Babcock said. "It's been a four-year process for them and those kids took a beating for a couple of them. But now they are men. Do I think they are a good team? Yes. Do I think they will do well? Yes."
Are they good enough to keep the Wings from a ninth Central Division title? The Wings don't appear ready to concede that yet.
