Perry Perspective: NHL From BetWWTS

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Red Wings in peril?

The crapshoot that is the Western Conference playoffs is in full swing.

In the much-ballyhooed ?new NHL,? the West is still the best from a competitive standpoint. There isn?t nearly the same difference in talent between the top four and bottom four seeds as you?ll find in the Eastern Conference; only the No. 7 Montreal Canadiens hold an ?upset? series lead in the East, while the No. 5 San Jose Sharks, No. 7 Colorado Avalanche and No. 8 Edmonton Oilers all carry the series advantage heading into Thursday?s busy slate.

Of these potential upsets, the one featuring the Oilers and the Detroit Red Wings has to be the most puzzling. The Wings were the top team in the regular season at 58-16-8. They blew out the opposition both at home and on the road, and finished the 2005-06 campaign on an 8-1 tear. Edmonton, meanwhile, backed into the playoffs ahead of the falling Vancouver Canucks despite going a rather tepid 9-7-5 down the stretch.

The Oilers may have backed in, but they didn?t back down against the No. 1 seed in the West. Edmonton has confidence in goaltender Dwayne Roloson, a late-season acquisition who rose to prominence in three years with the Minnesota Wild. Roloson has paid off in spades with a .942 save percentage after three games, leading the Oil to two victories. It could have easily been a 3-0 series lead ? Roloson made 54 saves in the series opener, but the 57th shot on goal by Detroit was Kirk Maltby?s game-winner in double overtime.

Goaltending is hockey?s focal position from a handicapping perspective, like pitchers and quarterbacks. Roloson racked up 15 games of playoff experience in stops with the Wild and the Buffalo Sabres; Detroit?s Manny Legace, on the other hand, played in just five games before these playoffs, and is in his first full season as Motown?s No. 1 man between the pipes.

Having said that, it was a banner year for Legace. He posted a solid .915 save percentage and registered seven shutouts for the Wings, winning both his games against Edmonton along the way. Which makes his .888 save percentage after three postseason encounters with the Oilers stick out like a sore thumb.

However, the goaltender wasn?t the focus of criticism after the first two games, during which coach Mike Babcock admits the Wings were listless as a team. He was much happier with the effort in Game 3. ?The previous games I didn?t think we came at them with as much speed,? Babcock told reporters, ?but we handled the puck and attacked tonight. We had good opportunities. We'll be fine.?

The betting public seems to agree: The Wings remain ?155 favorites to take the series (Edmonton is listed at +135). But they might not be so fine without their heart and soul. Captain Steve Yzerman is questionable for Thursday?s Game 4 after suffering what may have been back spasms during the first overtime of Tuesday?s loss. Babcock, in fine playoff form, would only confirm that Yzerman suffered a ?lower body? injury and will be a game-time decision. ?If he can go, he is definitely going to play,? Babcock insisted. ?His contribution to our team is not just measured in what you see.?

What Detroit fans saw in Yzerman?s 22nd and possibly last season was a 40-year-old center who has fallen to third-line status behind Pavel Datsyuk (28 goals, 59 assists) and Henrik Zetterberg (39 goals, 46 assists). Groin injuries and Father Time have limited Yzerman to 14 goals and 20 assists in 61 games. Yet in the playoffs, Yzerman has registered an assist in each contest, and he can still get the job done on defense. The Wings need more of that production to beat the Oilers ? especially on the road, where Detroit is 2-7 in its last nine postseason games.

History also suggests the Red Wings could be in trouble without their emotional engine. Yzerman was injured in two of Detroit?s last four trips to the playoffs, and the Red Wings lost both times: to the Los Angeles Kings in 2001 and the Calgary Flames in 2004. Wings supporters hope those upset losses were anomalies ? Detroit won the Stanley Cup in 2002 on the strength of Yzerman?s six goals and 17 assists in 23 games, despite his having to play with a bad knee.

Game 4 goes at Edmonton?s Rexall Place starting at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time. OLN has the television coverage. Detroit is listed at -1?, +165 on the puckline with a total of six (-130 on the under).

---Perry

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