Detroit Sports Nation

Detroit Tigers | Cabrera Powers Tigers Past Tribe, 5-1

Jeff Deacon — Wed, 22 May 2013 02:37:39 +0000

Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Indians
Progressive Field -- Cleveland, OH
Detroit Tigers	5

Cleveland Indians	1
FINAL

W: Scherzer (6-0) L: Kluber (3-3)

CLEVELAND, Ohio –

Miguel Cabrera continued his red hot hitting streak and Max Scherzer moved to 6-0 this season as the Detroit Tigers took the first of a quick 2 game series against the Cleveland Indians, 5-1.

The Indians took a quick 1-0 lead in the 1st, but Scherzer would settle down and retire the last 22 Indians he faced, striking out the last 4. “Mad Max” finished with 7 strikeouts in all, while allowing only 2 hits over 8 innings.

Meanwhile at the plate, Miguel Cabrera continued to prove he’s the best hitter in the game of baseball. Miggy finished just 1 for 4 but the one he did get a hold of was a towering 2-run home run in the 6th inning. It was Cabrera’s 12th of the season and 4th home run in his past 2 games, following Sunday’s 3 home run outburst. Miguel is leading the MLB in batting average, and RBI, and only trails Atlanta’s Justin Upton by 2 home runs in the race for his 2nd straight triple crown. Andy Dirks homered 2 batters earlier for Detroit’s first run on the night.

Victor Martinez finished 3 for 5, which was great to see. While Alex Avila’s struggles continued, as he finished 0 for 3, further lowering his average to .174. There has been a debate over whether to send Alex to AAA to get his head straight.

Detroit and Cleveland wrap up their 2 game set tomorrow at 7:05, as Justin Verlander takes on Ubaldo Jimenez. Verlander looks to rebound after a rough outing last week in Texas, and also move above .500 as a starter vs Cleveland (he’s 14-14).

As always, GO TIGERS!

Alice Eve – Into Darkness

Jeff Bilbrey — Wed, 22 May 2013 02:27:46 +0000

From Shes Out of My League, to Star Trek: Into Darkness Alice Eve is burning up the silver screen.

[gallery type="rectangular" columns="2" ids="9548,9545,9546,9547"]

NFL Cheerleaders, in slow motion.

Jeff Bilbrey — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:56:16 +0000

Yes, this is about to happen. Gentlemen, I give you NFL Cheerleaders in slow motion.

http://youtu.be/EeKEzcU8DaY

Miguel Cabrera belts three home runs against the Rangers

Jeff Bilbrey — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:37:10 +0000

Once, maybe twice in a generation will you ever see a hitter as pure as Miguel Cabrera. Here is a shining example as to why he is the best hitter in baseball, period.

Detroit Red Wings Take Series Lead, Win Game Three 3-1

Nathan Webb — Tue, 21 May 2013 02:28:17 +0000

Detroit Red Wings vs Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago Blackhawks	1

Detroit Red Wings	3
FINAL

The Detroit Red Wings take the game from the Chicago Blackhawks by a score of 3-1, and take the series lead 2 games to1.

After watching the Red Wings and Blackhawks test each other’s waters in games 1 and 2, (and subsequently get thrashed by one another), everyone knew this was going to be a high-intensity, tightly-contested game. The first period was a display of such. It was scoreless throughout, despite a few power play chances for each side and some great scoring chances. The Red Wings left the ice trailing in shots 15-9.

The second period was when the Red Wing’s offense started to click. At 7:49, Gustav Nyquist found himself entering the Blackhawk’s zone by himself, against Brent Seabrook. He put the puck under Seabrook’s stick, got around him to gain possession again, patiently waited out Corey Crawford, and buried his shot for the Red Wing’s first goal of the game. Damien Brunner and Joakim Andersson picked up the assists. Just 31 seconds later, at 8:20, the Blackhawks turned over the puck in an attempt to clear their zone. Cory Emmerton was there to keep the puck in the zone, and got it over to Patrick Eaves, who put a shot on net. Crawford stopped it, but the rebound was picked up by Drew Miller who buried it to make it 2-0 Red Wings. The teams would leave the period tied in shots at 23 apiece.

The Blackhawks would finally get themselves on the board in the third period. 4:35 in, Johan Franzen was boarded on the opposite side of the ice with no call made. Patrick Kane took a pass heading in alone against Jimmy Howard, and buried his shot under Jimmy Howard’s legs to make it 2-1 Red Wings. They would then have a goal waved off as it was determined that Andrew Shaw was inside the crease when the puck when over the line. The Red Wings would answer quickly, though. At 6:46, Pavel Datsyuk took a pass at the Blackhawk’s blue line and dangled a defender waiting to get his shot off. He fired it at the top of the faceoff circle and it beat Crawford high, and ricocheted off the back bar of the goal to make it 3-1 Red Wings. Brendan Smith picked up the lone assist. The Red Wings would finish the last minute of the game on the power play after a cross-checking call against the Blackhawks. They would hold off Chicago’s desperate onslaught to take the game by a score of 3-1.

Even with their power play being as anemic as it is, the Red Wings continue to find offensive success. The penalty kill is going a long way to keeping the Blackhawks from fully capitalizing on their chances. Sometimes, as they say , defense is the best offense.

Next game will be Thursday night, again at the Joe. See you then, Nation!

-Nathan Webb

Western Conference Semi Finals Game 3: Blackhawks at Red Wings

Brett D'Angelo — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:35:46 +0000

The Detroit Red Wings were able to use a dominating performance in game two of the Western Conference Semi Finals to even up the best of seven series at one game a piece. The series now shifts back to Detroit with the Red Wings in control of home ice advantage. [singlepic id=70 w=484 h=100 float=center] Matchup: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings Venue: Joe Louis Arena; Detroit, MI Time: 7:30 PM EST Television: National- NBC Sports Network; CBC Series: Tied 1-1 After was was most likely the Red Wings worst game of the playoffs in game one it was easy to write off the Red Wings as good as dead in this series. That was not true though, as the Red Wings were able to storm back and dominate game two from the second period on against the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday afternoon. The win allowed the Red Wings to game home ice advantage with three of the next five games at Joe Louis Arena. Though the Red Wings dominated most of the game Saturday, it was the Blackhawks who once again were able to record the games first goal after Patrick Kane was able to record his first goal of the playoffs. That was all the offense that Chicago could muster though as they were only able to record 20 shots on net the entire game, similar to what the Red Wings did in game one. The Red Wings were able to tie the game early in the second period when Damien Brunner was able to tip in a shot from Jakub Kindl. From there, the Red Wings took control of the game and did not look back. They were able to take the lead late in the second period when Brendan Smith recorded his second goal of the playoffs on a two on one play, a goal that would be the eventual game winner. The big story of the second period was the Red Wings limiting the Blackhawks to only 5 shots on net in the period due to the smothering forechecking and defense. The third period did not fare much better for the Blackhawks as they were only able to fire 7 shots on net to the Red Wings 10. The Red Wings were able to connect for their third goal of the game when Johan Franzen was able to sneak behind the defense and recieve a perfect pass from Jonathan Ericsson to shoot the puck top shelf over Corey Crawford's shoulder. The Red Wings put the nail in the coffin mid way through the third when Valtteri Filppula broke in with his second goal of the playoffs. The biggest problem for the Red Wings in game two, that was a problem for the Wild as well, was the ability to score on the powerplay once again. The Blackhawks remained perfect on the penalty kill in the playoffs and if the Red Wings are able to break that streak in game three, it could hurt the confidence, though maybe only slightly, of the Blackhawks penalty killing unit. The win on Saturday was the biggest of the playoffs thus far for the Red Wings. A loss would have put them into a 2-0 series hole that might have been impossible to dig themselves out of. They instead get to come home for two straight games with no pressure on themselves. The same can't be said about the Blackhawks though. After winning the President's Trophy in the regular season, and dominating the Minnesota Wild in round one, they are expected to make a deep run in the playoffs and many have picked them to win the Stanley Cup. With Detroit earning the split in Chicago, the Blackhawks have the pressure on them to win game three and avoid going down 2-1 with another game to play in Detroit. The Red Wings will once again have the steady Jimmy Howard in net after a good rebound performance in game two. Howard stopped 19 of the 20 shots he faced and did not let in a goal after the beginning of the first period. He will look to continue his strong starts in game three tonight in front of the home crowd at Joe Louis. It should help him being home after facing loud and unforgiving crowds in three consecutive games. The Blackhawks will counter with Corey Crawford in net who was anything but stellar in game two. After a strong performance in game one where he gave up only one goal. In game two, Crawford gave up four goals on 30 shots. The four goals gave up in game two are the most Crawford has given up against the Red Wings this season and the loss was his first of the season against the Red Wings. Players To Watch: Detroit

Damien Brunner recorded his fourth goal of the playoffs and second in as many games this series in game two. It seems that Brunner has rediscovered the scoring touch that we saw in the beginning of the season which is good as he is a crucial part of the Red Wings depth on offense.
Henrik Zetterberg continues to play well as of late in the playoffs, recording two assists in game two. The Blackhawks are having a hard time containing him and if Detroit is able to win this series, Zetterberg will be a main reason why.

Chicago:

Viktor Stalburg was a healthy scratch in both games one and two for the Blackhawks, but the Blackhawks decided that they need some change after the game two debacle so Stalburg will be inserted into tonight's lineup to provide some more energy. Though not a game changer usually, Stalburg will be well rested and could pose some issues if the Red Wings fall asleep on him.
Patrick Kane was the lone goal scorer for Chicago in game two and it was his first goal of the playoffs. In order for the Blackhawks to continue on in these playoffs, Kane will need to get going and scoring in bunches like hes capable of.

Let us know if you are watching or going to the game and you will be entered into a drawing to win 200$ worth of tickets! RSVP here:http://tiqiq.us/Kuu -Brett D’Angelo

Detroit Red Wings Take Game 2, Win 4-1

Nathan Webb — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:39:48 +0000

Chicago Blackhawks vs Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings	4

Chicago Blackhawks	1
FINAL

The Detroit Red Wings take a multitude of things today; game 2 from the Blackhawks 4-1, home-ice advantage in the series, and the series lead from Chicago, tying it 1-1.

Both teams came out in this game and looked to contain the other as much as possible, right from the get-go. The scoring wasn’t opened until 14:05 in the first period, and it was done so by the Blackhawks. As Brendan Smith went in for an unsuccessful pinch at the Blackhawk’s blue line, he was upended, and Patrick Sharp brought the puck into the Red Wings’ zone. After an initial save by Jimmy Howard, Michal Handzus passed over the rebound to Patrick Kane, who one-timed it past Howard before he could get a glove on it to make it 1-0 Chicago. Red Wings would end the period with a 12-8 edge in shots.

The Red Wing’s offense came to life in the 2^nd period. Just 2:40 into the period, Jakub Kindl, with a great display of patience, let loose a shot from the blue line that was deflected off of Damien Brunner’s leg and past Corey Crawford for their first of the game. Assists were given to Kindl and Joakim Andersson. They’d strike again late in the period. At 16:08, Henrik Zetterberg brought the puck in behind the Blackhawk’s net, and let off a pass at just the last second to a waiting Brendan Smith in front of the net, who buried the one-timer for a 2-1 lead. The secondary assist was given to Daniel Cleary. Red Wings left the ice with a 20-13 lead in shots.

In contrast to 3^rd periods past this postseason, the Red Wings kept the foot on the accelerator going in. 7:19 into the period, Johan Franzen found his way in behind the Blackhawk’s defense. He took a huge stretch pass from Jonathan Ericsson to go in alone on Crawford. He put the puck up high and beat him over the shoulder on the short side to make it 3-1. Assists went to Ericsson and Niklas Kronwall. They weren’t done yet though. Right off the faceoff, Zetterberg put on the wheels and battled into the Blackhawk’s zone. Covered, he dropped the pass to Valtteri Filppula, who put on a great move to get around the defender, and let off the shot in the slot to put the Red Wings up 4-1 at 12:03. That would end up being the final score as the Red Wings even the series 1-1.

This is the type of play you need game after game in the playoffs. They came out firing from the start and didn’t let up at all. And contrary to games past, they had a great 3^rd period. The turnovers were a fraction of game 1, and they kept possession for most of the night to give themselves a chance shift after shift.

Next game will be Monday night back at the Joe. See you then, Nation!

-Nathan Webb

Game 2: Red Wings at Blackhawks

Brett D'Angelo — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:01:21 +0000

The Detroit Red Wings came out sluggish in game one of the Western Conference Semis and were outplayed which ended up leading to a 4-1 loss and a 1-0 series deficit. [singlepic id=70 w=484 h=100 float=center] Matchup: Detroit Red Wings vs. Chicago Blackhawks Venue: United Center; Chicago, IL Time: 1:00 PM EST Television: National- NBC; CBC Series: Chicago leads 1-0 The Red Wings will look to even up their series when they are back in the raucous United Center for game two of the Western Conference Semi-Finals. After a poor display of offense in game one, the Red Wings will look to get more shots on the net and create more quality scoring chances. They will also need to limit Chicago's shots on net as Chicago was able to fire at will in game one racking up 42 shots, 21 more than the Red Wings were able to get. The Red Wings were not able to register more than 9 shots in any period and Chicago had nearly as many shots in the third period, 19, as the Red Wings had the entire game. The first period was the most even period of the game, as both teams were getting a feel for the opponents game plans. The Chicago Blackhawks were able to strike first when Marian Hossa was able to fire a slap shot in the back of the net for a powerplay goal. The Blackhawks lead did not last long though, as Damien Brunner was able to poke in a rebound less than three minutes after the Blackhawks took the lead. No more goals were scored in the period, though Chicago had multiple opportunities, and the period ended in a 1-1 tie. Chicago increased the pressure in the second period firing 17 shots on Jimmy Howard, but Howard was able to come up big and stop all 17 shots to keep the score tied at one after two periods. The third period could not have gone much worse for the Red Wings as they were terribly outplayed the entire period. Things really went downhill when Johnny Oduya was able to get wide open in the slot and fire a wrist shot past Howard to give the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead. The Blackhawks were able to extend that lead just over three minutes later when Howard tried to dig the puck from the back of the net and got turned around leading to a goal by Marcus Kruger. Patrick Sharp added an empty net goal with 50 seconds remaining to give the Blackhawks the final lead of 4-1. There were not many positives to take from game one heading into game two. The Red Wings looked much slower than the Blackhawks and that was to be expected with all of the travel they did in the past week. The extra day off between the games should help the Red Wings recover some and be able to keep up a little better in game two. The best thing the Red Wings were able to do is limit the Blackhawks to only one powerplay goal, though they only had four chances. The Red Wings were not able to connect on the powerplay as the Blackhawks killed off all of the Red Wings chances to remain perfect in the playoffs. The Red Wings will need to change that if they are to put any pressure on the Blackhawks in game two or in the series. The Red Wings will continue to ride Jimmy Howard in net, even after the 4-1 loss in game one. Howard was the sole reason that the game did not get more out of hand. Howard made big save after big save and kept the Red Wings in the game until the third period where the offense, and mostly the defense, failed him. It was Howard's fifth loss to the Blackhawks this season and he is still in search of the elusive number one win against them this year. The Blackhawks will counter with Corey Crawford who was once again brilliant in net for Chicago for the sixth time these playoffs. Once again, the Red Wings failed to conjure any offense against Crawford as the most goals he has given up this season in five games against the Red Wings is two. The Red Wings NEED to get the offense going against Crawford to have any chance at all. Players To Watch: Detroit

Jimmy Howard will need to have a strong bounce back game, though it will be difficult for him to play much better than he did in game one. If he is able to come out as strong as he did in game one, he offers the Red Wings a chance to steal game two and head back to Detroit with the series tied.
Niklas Kronwall needs to step up and be the leader for the defense which was nearly non existent in game one. He is not only the leader of a young defense, but also an assistant captain for the entire team, so he, and the other captains, need to make their voices heard and be leaders in game two.

Chicago

Patrick Sharp added his team leading sixth goal of the playoffs with the empty net goal to seal the victory, but also assisted on two of the Blackhawks other goals. He continues his strong play this post season and will most likely continue to do so as this series goes on.
Marian Hossa recorded his fourth goal of the playoffs in game one to give Chicago the early lead. The former Red Wings forward has been solid the entire playoffs and will need to be contained if the Red Wings are to take game two or the series. Hossa continues to have the ability to score at will and is one of the best offensive threats for Chicago.

Nicklas Lidstrom, We Miss You.

Jeff Bilbrey — Sat, 18 May 2013 13:37:21 +0000

I remember when I first saw that laser of a slapshot that he had, I thought it was the fastest that I've ever seen.

Such a pure hockey player. We miss you Nick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy2aeLaOshQ

Detroit Red Wings | Wings “Rebuilding On The Fly” To Adapt In Today’s NHL

Jeff Deacon — Sat, 18 May 2013 04:23:58 +0000

May 18, 2013 DETROIT, Michigan --- Gone are the days of dynasties. Gone are the days of luring high profile free agents to join your club or team. This, is the new NHL. The Detroit Red Wings have gone through more change this season than this generation of Wings fans has ever seen. With the retirement of defenseman Nick Lidstrom last summer, the final piece from the dynasty known as the late 90's-00's Red Wings was calling it quits. Ever since the 2004-05 lockout, the NHL has put a salary cap on teams, effectively ending the crazy spending some teams were (and weren't) doing up until then. What this did was create more parity throughout the league since teams had a certain range that they were allowed to spend on their rosters. Teams such as the 2001-02 Stanley Cup Champion Red Wings which had players like Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, Luc Robitaille, Dominik Hasek, Sergei Federov, Lidstrom, Brett Hull, Igor Larionov and Chris Chelios, would never have been able to stay under the cap. In my opinion, this team, one of the best rosters ever assembled, aided the NHL in realizing it needed to change. Teams like this will never be seen again, as long as Gary and the owners have their way. GM Ken Holland referred to the drastic changes in Detroit the past few seasons as "rebuilding on the fly". For many teams in the NHL today, rebuilding essentially means that you trade away your players that have the biggest trade stock for top prospects in the minor leagues, and future draft picks. It's a minimum 3-5 year process, as those prospects and picks need time to develop to the NHL game. They also must be surrounded with the right core of veterans to show them the way, all the while their teams must adhere to the salary cap restrictions. Most rebuilding teams spend years at the bottom of the standings. Just look at the Edmonton Oilers the past 5 years or so. In the NHL today, you absolutely must build off the draft. All of a sudden the Red Wings, who have a history of trading away draft picks in return for top players, find themselves needing to change. We saw this in particularly during the trade deadline this year, when Ken Holland elected to save Detroit's draft picks, even when fans wanted the Wings to add a top scorer or veteran defenseman. It was a move for the future. Holland realized the teams that have drafted well over the past 4 or 5 years are seeing tremendous results today. Take for example, the Red Wings 1st round opponent, the Anaheim Ducks. The trio of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Bobby Ryan were all Anaheim picks and have now blossomed into huge stars. Now, Kyle Palmeri, Emerson Etem, and Cam Fowler are the next wave of Duck picks that will emerge into NHL stars. Also look at the Pittsburgh Penguins. By drafting Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and further surrounding them with star players, they're now an annual Cup favorite. Now, let's look at the Red Wings current opponent, the Chicago Blackhawks. If there's a team that has used the draft more effectively than any other, it's Chicago. In a recent Fox Sports Detroit article, Red Wing senior VP Jim Devellano stated that "Chicago is good enough to win the Cup this year". [http://www.foxsportsdetroit.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/story/Devellano-tells-it-like-he-sees-it?blockID=903213&feedID=3706] Chicago was awful for quite a long time, but were collecting draft picks at the same time. Their terrible play finally paid off when they were able to draft Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in the 2006 and 2007 drafts. Once they had the core of Kane and Toews, they surrounded them with other top draft picks, such as Bryan Bickell, Corey Crawford, Brandon Saad, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Nick leddy and Andrew Shaw. Add good trades, like the Patrick Sharp deal, and the signing of Marian Hossa, and you have a team that was built from the ground up that is the favorite to bring home a Stanley Cup. In the FSD article, Devellano points out that had there not been a salary cap, Hossa would probably still be a Detroit Red Wing.

“We have spoiled people rotten here. We really have. But if you (fans) really follow the league, really know what’s going on and know the rules, then you’ll understand what the Red Wings are doing. You will not have unrealistic expectations.” - Jim Devellano

For the Detroit Red Wings, "rebuilding on the fly" will mean collecting draft picks, while keeping their record breaking playoff streak alive. It's hard to find star players like Kane and Toews or Perry and Getzlaf without top 10 picks. Those are only reserved for teams who don't make the playoffs, something unheard of in Detroit. With a core of aging veterans like Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, young players will be looked at to have a bigger role. The Red Wings will certainly be competitive for years to come, especially with the emergence of Nyquist, Brunner, Andersson and DeKeyser. But the dominance this generation of Wings fans has been accustomed to seeing will probably never be seen again.