After the Red Wings picked up Game 2 in Detroit, a number of Motor City’s hockey faithful braced for a stumble. Saturday’s win marked the eighth straight postseason victory for the Wings, leaving many with a “too good to last” feeling headed into yesterday’s Game 3 in Dallas.

The Detroit Free Press warned “Turbulence is coming,” and that the Wings “actually seem ready for the Stars to grab momentum in Game 3.” I’m sure the Detroit Free Press has never been happier to be wrong.

The Red Wings’ postseason winning streak is now at nine, the best in franchise history and the second longest in all of hockey.

The warning signs for Detroit’s first postseason loss since Game 4 of the Western Quarterfinals were all there. Since losing to the Predators on April 16 the Wings have been on fire. Ever since then it’s just seemed easy . . . a little too easy.

Combine that with the loss of Johan Franzen who’s leading the league in postseason goals with 12, and a Game 3 loss seemed not only likely but acceptable to boot.

Well, Detroit might have been ready to lose some playoff momentum last night but the Stars weren’t ready to take it. Now Dallas is staring an 0-4 postseason grave square in the face, and Detroit is one win away from their fourth Stanley Cup appearance in 11 years.

But even more impressive for Detroit is the authority they’ve showed on the ice during their last nine wins—during Game 3 especially.

The absence of Franzen was a non-issue for the Wings last night in their 5-2 thumping of Dallas as Pavel Datsyuk stepped up with a hat trick; the first in 73 playoff games.

Datsyuk’s hat trick, along with two other goals from Jiri Hudler and Henrik Zetterberg, completely choked out Dallas’ offensive efficiency—and they were terribly efficient.

Dallas might be down three games, but let’s not sell the Stars short. Thanks to goals from Nicklas Grossman and Brad Richards Dallas had the game tied up by the second period.

But with a team as deep as Detroit, the impact of Dallas’ two important goals never seemed to be felt.

“It shows we have a lot of depth,” Zetterberg said. “We have four lines that really can play in all situations. The longer the game goes, the more advantage for us it is.”

True, but the game’s length isn’t the only thing working in Detroit’s favor. Apparently location isn’t an issue either, and that’s the most important thing.

Dallas’ numbers are fairly even in home vs. away games with the exception of goalie Marty Turco, who seems to play a little better at home. Game 3 was also the first time the Stars have been home since the Game 6 marathon against San Jose.

So you’d think a team as talented as Dallas would have come out swinging last night to pick up a win. Dallas did come out swinging, at home, down two games with the crowd behind them . . . it still wasn’t enough.

Right now the Wings are unflappable, which is the best example of irony a team could hope for.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff

The Philadelphia Flyers’ Steve Downie has managed to keep himself out of the news since he destroyed Ottawa’s Dean McAmmond last September in the preseason. After that game, Sens general manager/coach Bryan Murray said the hit was “all the things we talk about not having in our game.”

And for a short while, there was concern amongst the NHL’s talking heads about rethinking hockey’s attitude towards overly violent behavior. The issue has since been pushed to the wayside, but it might be back on the table again by Saturday.

I say that because the Flyers and the Penguins start their Eastern Conference playoffs this Friday, and to say there’s no love lost between those two teams is putting it lightly.

In fact, to say that Philly and Pittsburg have a rivalry wouldn’t even do it justice. They just plain hate each other, and I’m certain the word “hate” is being used with full understanding that it’s a strong word your mother never wants you to say.

The eventuality of a Pens vs. Flyers playoff game was sealed by the end of the season when Bryan Murray accused the Penguins of throwing their last season game against Philadelphia to avoid playing them again in the first round.

No one will really be able to prove that the Pens essentially chose their opponent by “rigging” a game to draw a struggling Ottawa team, but just like the NFL’s penchant for disciplining its wayward players before all the facts are in, it won’t matter to the Flyers it it’s true or not.

As far they’re concerned it probably is, which only fans the flames of vengeance (the slogan on the Flyers’ Website is “Vengeance Now”) in the city of brotherly love.

Perhaps this is a case of the media chumming the waters, but is does seem like every article is gearing NHL fans up for war rather than a hockey game.

The series is being called a “crucible” and a “vendetta”, and journalists in both cities are goading the other to “bring it”.

Everybody knows that hockey is a physical game. That’s what we love about it, but it’s the playoffs, and in the playoffs everything gets taken up a notch.

Add a media feeding frenzy, a few accusations and two teams that have hated each other for quite some time, and we might be dealing with a few unwarranted Steve Downie-esque hits to talk about after this conference final.

And if that happens, if the series gives us “all the things we talk about not having in our game”, we’ll spend the foreseeable future wondering if some things about hockey are overly violent again.

I wonder how much playing time Steve Downie will see this weekend?

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.

It’s been widely noted that the biggest reason why the Pittsburgh Penguins are resting on a 2-0 series lead over the New York Rangers is because the Penguins are beating the Blueshirts at their own game.

Hockey gurus all over the nation have spent the season watering down Pittsburgh’s defensive mettle. New York is supposed to be the hard-nosed defensive team, but since the playoffs, the Penguins have turned an about-face in that department.

The Pens rank first in defensive parsimony, allowing only nine goals in six playoff games (all of them ending in a win). The Pens have also shed their inconsistency in penalty kills after denying all six power play attempts by the Rangers last Sunday.

So needless to say the pressure is on at Madison Square Garden tonight for game three of this series, but picking up a win is well within reason for New York. If the Blueshirts can manage to take their offense that generated 4 goals in the series opener and parlay that with the defense they played on Sunday, the odds of New York holding their own ice are palpable.

But it’s hard to ignore the frustration that seems to be seeping out of the Rangers’ organization as of late, not only for its irony, but also its comedic value.

There’s been a war of words and accusations swirling around both of these teams recently about Sidney Crosby’s performance on the ice—specifically his dramatic performances.

After the series opener last Friday, Rangers coach Tom Renney and his team was clearly upset with an interference call against Martin Straka for obstructing Crosby as the Penguins looked to have a 2-on-1 break with the score tied at 4.

Straka went to the box, and next thing you know, Crosby set up the winning goal by beaming a slap shot off teammate Evgeni Malkin.

In short, Tom Renney thinks Crosby took a dive, and he thinks it’s dirty pool. Before Friday’s game, Renney said Crosby’s diving would be a talking point during his meeting with the series’ supervisor.

When asked about the call against Straka after the game, Renny didn’t specifically cry foul, but you’d have to have a head like a hockey puck to not notice the innuendo.

I’m not here to hang blame on any specific player (that call against Straka could have gone either way), but for the Rangers to blow a 3-0 lead and then gripe about a penalty doesn’t project the greatest image for New York.

Especially with Sean Avery on the roster.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.

The Canadiens’ series against Boston was a tight one. For a minute there, it looked like the 8th seeded Bruins were going to pull off an improbable comeback. In the end, “improbable” was the only way to describe Boston’s post-season. But for fans in Montreal, the Habs’ win was a huge shock.

It must have been. Otherwise, why would there be riots in Montreal?

Last night, at least three police cars went up in flames during “celebrations” that would make even soccer hooligans and the cities of Detroit and Los Angeles blush. But that was last night. As of this afternoon, the number of police vehicles burnt to a crisp is in the teens.

Canada’s National Post reported this morning that 16 people have been arrested in connection with last night’s celebration, with more arrests to follow. Seven businesses were damaged, and police estimate damages to their property at roughly $500,000.

“After the Canadiens won their game,” Police Const. Laurent Gingras told the media, “people started attacking private businesses, attacking police officers and throwing rocks or any objects they could find at police cars.”

According to the National Post, “16 police vehicles were badly damaged and had to be towed away. As many as six of those vehicles were torched by rioters. A number of private vehicles were also damaged Monday night.”

Thankfully, no one was seriously injured. But lack of injuries doesn’t soften the boneheaded nature of a stunt like this. The fact that there was a riot at all is one thing, but what the caused the riot is even worse . . . A first-round playoff win over the 8th seeded Bruins.

Yes, the same Bruins team that Montreal has statistically owned in the playoffs for the past 80 years. Since the 1920’s, the Habs are 24-7 against Boston in the post season.

It’s only been four years since the Habs have seen the second round, and 15 years since they’ve won a Stanley Cup. In this modern era of sporting congruity, 15 years between championships is the equivalent of 15 hours. It’s not that long, and even then, it’s not worth trashing16 cop cars. On top of that, the Canadiens have 24 Stanley Cups. That’s the most by any team in hockey.

What are they so angry about?

Hey, Habs fans, I get that you have high standards. Good for you. You should. Hockey pedigree springs eternal in your town, but isn’t the looting and vandalism a tad much at this juncture?

Should we check for WMD’s if you get to the finals? What happens if the Habs lose?

I’m just not convinced that Montreal has been starved of victory long enough to warrant this behavior. Let’s be honest, it’s not like the Cubs won the World Series.

If that were to happen, there might not be a planet left come sunrise.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.

The New York Rangers’ Sean Avery has done the improbable. He got the NHL to amend their rulebooks practically overnight, but the circumstances are laughable.

The rule change was in response to Avery face guarding Devils goalie Martin Brodeur Sunday night, when Avery planted himself firmly in the crease and waved his stick right in front of Brodeur’s face in order to simultaneously distract Brodeur and grind on his last nerve.

If you’ve seen the highlight, you know that Avery’s conduct was one of the most annoyingly childish things to happen in any professional sport.

“I’ve played for 15 years in this league. I’ve been watching games for 33 years. I had never seen that in my life,” Brodeur told the press. “I don’t think that kind of behavior should be done in front of the net, but there is no rule for it.”

Well, there is now, and that should speak volumes. Especially when you put this rule change into context. Way back at the beginning of the season, there was a scuttle in the media about what NHL officials should do about players like Steve Downie.

Plenty went on record saying the NHL needs to crack down on overly violent behavior, but nothing paramount ever came of that situation.

Then, after Richard Zednick lived through the petrifying injury of accidentally getting slashed across the neck with an errant skate, there were some who lobbied to make neck guards mandatory in the NHL.

Again, the issue sulked away with a whimper.

Both of those instances involved serious injury to a player, which should clue all of you in on how exasperating Avery’s shenanigans were. No one was injured in last Sunday’s game, but what Avery did was so annoying that the NHL amended the rulebooks in a New York minute.

Here’s how it’s worded. “An unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty will be interpreted and applied, effective immediately, to a situation when an offensive player positions himself facing the opposition goaltender and engages in actions such as waving his arms or stick in front of the goaltender’s face, for the purpose of improperly interfering with and/or distracting the goaltender as opposed to positioning himself to try to make a play.”

The rule is referred to the “Nitwit Rule.” Congratulations, Mr. Avery, you’ve made a lasting impression on the game of hockey.

It’s a shame that this sort of thing has to be on the rule books since it seems understood that Avery’s behavior is childish, but I guess we can’t all act like grown-ups.

In fact, this type of behavior reminds me of the baseball’s 2004 ALCS. Remember when Alex Rodriguez slapped the ball out of Bronson Arroyo’s glove? Remember how annoying that was? Remember how unprofessional people said it was?

Sean Avery isn’t any different.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.

For the San Jose Sharks, 2003-04 was a good season. Not a great season, but a good one. In the 2004 postseason, San Jose came the closest they’ve ever been to a Stanley Cup before having their hopes crushed by the Calgary Flames.

It’s true that San Jose has failed to deliver in postseasons past, but history doesn’t have a direct effect on how a team plays in the future (contrary to what Chicago Cubs fans might tell you). Nothing is certain, but the Sharks have the best shot they’ve ever had at the Stanley Cup this year.

San Jose is sailing into the postseason on a strong wind. They’re happy, they’re healthy, and they’re reading each other’s minds on the ice. Yes, the Sharks stumbled here and there in the regular season. They dropped their last two games to Los Angeles and Dallas, and the real low point was Feb. 12-20 when they dropped five games in a row.

But those bumps in the road have no bearing on the big picture, and the big picture has plenty of beauty in it—like the third-best penalty-killing unit, third-best goals-per-game-output, and they’ve won 18 of their last 22 with an impressive 11 game win streak to start it off.

Outside of that overall showing, the other three specific keys to the Sharks getting out of the first round are Marleau, Nabokov, and Brian Campbell.

Patrick Marleau has silenced the majority of his critics after scoring 19 points in his last 20 games, and that sort of confidence is exactly what he needs in the postseason. Joe Thornton has to be pretty pleased with Marleau these days as well.

If Marleau steps it up again against Calgary, the offensive weight on Thornton’s shoulders will lessen. Plus, Marleau won’t succumb to an “Eeyore complex” if he manages a strong start tomorrow.

San Jose goalie Evgeni Nabokov is surreptitiously threatening to dislodge New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur as the NHL’s elite netminder. His 46 wins are the highest in the NHL; he’s third in GAA with 2.14, and fourth in shutouts with six.

Most importantly, 25 of Nabokov’s wins were one-goal games. So even if he doest spend the off season polishing his Vezina Trophy, Nabokov delivers the kind of front-line goaltending they’ll need to defeat not just Calgary, but the rest of the field as well.

And then there’s Brian Campbell. When he showed up in San Jose, it was like giving an entire case of spinach to Popeye. The Sharks were 33-21-8 before the trade deadline and they’ve gone 16-2-2 since, making them far and away the most productive post-deadline team.

Despite all these positives, the public is still going to hold them to benchmarks of the past. The Sharks might have a lot of convincing to do, but they’ve got everything they need to do it. The stakes are higher than ever this time around.

If the Sharks choke, look for GM Doug Wilson to drain the tank.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.

The NHL’s regular season has less than two weeks before it keels over, and when it does, it’s sure to take the jobs of a handful of coaches with it.

In Atlanta, GM/head coach Don Waddell’s job should be on thin ice; the Thrashers are headed for their eighth season without winning a single playoff game. We’ll just have to see if common sense catches on for the Thrashers, but Atlanta’s bench shouldn’t be the only one missing a suit in the coming weeks.

First, there’s the Los Angeles Kings—or rather last, since that’s what place they’re in. GM Dean Lombardi would be wise to take a long look at coach Marc Crawford. Then he should take a look at L.A.’s 30-40 record, and look at Crawford again. That should be enough to convince anyone in the Kings’ organization that change is needed.

If Lombardi does end up shopping for a coach, he should have plenty of options. Generally speaking, the Kings aren’t hopeless. They’re just young. Ex-Boston coach Mike Sullivan, now an assistant in Tampa, could not only be a good move but also a good investment in the future.

Sullivan didn’t wow anyone during his brief coaching tenure for the Bruins, but I can’t imagine he hasn’t picked up a pointer or two as John Tortorella’s assistant in Tampa Bay. Tortorella still has that 2004 Stanley Cup as well as the most wins in Tampa’s franchise history.

The Ottawa Senators will probably look into a change as well, especially if they get bounced from the playoffs early. Sens GM Bryan Murray made a good move in late February by showing coach John Paddock the door and taking over the reigns himself, but Ottawa still has problems.

The Sens aren’t terrible, but they aren’t terribly consistent either. I’m not sure if Murray is enjoying his reprisal as Ottawa’s coach, but it’s a safe assumption that he’ll look to turn the coaching job over next season. Right now, Murray might be wearing too many hats.

A good candidate to replace Murray in Ottawa could be Bob Hartley, whose NHL résumé is fairly thick. Seven years have passed since his Stanley Cup win with Colorado, and he had a rough time of it in Atlanta, but I don’t think it’s fair to pin Atlanta’s problems squarely on Hartley. The Thrashers have more to worry about than the Maple Leafs.

After the regular season, we’ll see if anyone in Atlanta can figure that out.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.

The Associated Press ran a story before the NHL’s trade deadline about ex-Buffalo defenseman Brian Campbell running into San Jose’s Joe Thornton in a New York restaurant. Now the two are roommates, and the San Jose Sharks are looking to add a 10th win to their franchise-record nine-game winning streak.

If it’s possible to pull a rope-a-dope in the NHL, the Sharks are doing it. San Jose was a heavy pre-season favorite to win the Stanley Cup. Those expectations hit the ice with a dull thud once the season started, but now they’re making a late round comeback just in time for the playoffs.

“We’ve got a lot of players that have really picked up their game,” Sharks GM Doug Wilson told The Canadian Press. “I think they know and feel if we play our game we’re as good as anybody in this league.”

If Wilson had said that a month ago I would have accused him of being more optimistic than accurate. He might even have agreed with me. Roughly two-thirds of San Jose’s total season has been mediocre at best, but Wilson’s move to grab Campbell from Buffalo at the trade deadline is proof that timing really is everything.

Campbell was exactly what San Jose needed; he’s a scoring defenseman with outstanding puck moving ability. Campbell averages 25.02 minutes per game, ranks sixth in points with 49, and third in assists with 43. Of San Jose’s nine-game winning streak, Campbell has been swimming with the Sharks for seven of them.

It wouldn’t be fair to heap all the credit for those wins on Campbell, though. His new roommate and old friend Joe Thornton is tied for first in the League in assists with 62 and tied for third in points with 81. That’s a big help, and even though he can be a little streaky, it’s Patrick Marleau who’s been the clutch man in San Jose.

Marleau has scored the game-deciding goal in San Jose’s last three games, and he was directly responsible for their most recent win against Minnesota after batting a puck out of midair that would have otherwise won the game for Minnesota in overtime.

Still, the Sharks can’t rest on their laurels yet. “Obviously, we’re playing well, but it’s such a competitive league that you can’t get too comfortable,” San Jose goalie Evgeni Nabokov told the San Francisco Chronicle.

If the playoffs started this instant, San Jose would face off against Anaheim in a first round game that many Sharks fans would rather not think about until they have to. Anaheim leads the Sharks in that series 5-1 so far, but San Jose was a different team then.

In any sport the old analogy of “One game at a time” is never false, and tonight, San Jose is in Nashville where the preliminary odds are in the Sharks favor. San Jose has the best away game record in the NHL with 24-8-3, and that statistic might be the most important of all.

If a team can find their center late in the season and win on the road, they can win championships. Any New York Football Giants fan can tell you that. The San Jose Sharks are the hottest thing on ice right now, so if the rest of the NHL wants to go shark hunting, they might want to remember what Roy Scheider said in Jaws.

“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.

For the last two months the Ottawa Senators have been terrible under head coach John Paddock, looking nothing at all like last season’s Stanley Cup finals team. Ottawa began the season with high hopes, but after winning just four of their last 14 games, it was time to hit the panic button.

The local Ottawa press is scolding the players for essentially not caring. That might be true, but since it’s easier to fire one guy than an entire bench of 23, Ottawa ex head coach turned general manager, Bryan Murray, figured that if you want something done right, do it yourself. The big question is, did Murray have his epiphany in time?

The answer is yes, but just barely.

Here’s the silver lining—recent history is on Ottawa’s side. It’s important to remember that Murray coached this team last season, and he did it very well indeed. Murray captained the Sens through choppy waters, and by the time the playoffs rolled around, the Sens keelhauled Pittsburgh, Jersey, and Buffalo to get to the finals.

So there’s no reason for despair in Ottawa. True, the Sens are in the doldrums right now after dropping 4 or their last 14 games, and their two most recent wins against Pittsburgh and Philly can be attributed to luck more than anything.

But for as bad as the Sens are playing, they’re still first in the Northeast Division (by a thread) and second in the Eastern Conference. Compared to last year, Murray has it relatively easy.

Coach Murray is also smart enough to figure out that his players are as much to blame as John Paddock. Pat Hickey, who writes for the Montreal Gazette, mentioned “Anyone who has been paying attention to the Senators’ slide will recognize the situation has all the earmarks of a dysfunctional team that had quit on the coach.”

So scaring the players straight is the first order of business. That’s why Eugene Melnyk, owner of the Senators, is dropping everything he’s doing to fly into town for tomorrow’s game against the Penguins—to let his players know they’re not immune to the whims of a man who doesn’t want to see his money wasted.

Next, Murray will have to get the Sens defense back. It’s the whole reason why they made it to the finals last year. Ottawa ranks 23rd in goals-against (188 for a 2.94 average), and even someone with the IQ of a hockey puck can tell you that’s enough to kill any team’s playoff hopes. But Bryan Murray should be able to handle this. He’s a good coach, and he’s proven he can pull this off.

Still, all compliments aside, he’d better be quick about it.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.

Goalie Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers agreed Thursday on a six-year, $41.25 million contract extension that will keep the two-time Vezina Trophy finalist with the Blueshirts through the 2013-14 season.

At just shy of $7 million per season, New York’s newest franchise player is going accrue a treasury worthy of his nickname, “King Henrik.” Good for him, and good for the Rangers. Giving Lundqvist a top-shelf franchise deal means the Rangers can check one item off of their fairly lengthy to do-list.

Even still, Lundqvist’s deal has its fair share of critics. No surprise there. Finding an indifferent hockey fan is as rare as finding a Yankee fan in Boston—albeit less dangerous.

The biggest complaint about Lundqvist is that he’s overrated and not deserving of such a lucrative deal, but that’s always going to happen no matter if it’s right or not. In this case, the critics are wrong. Plenty of people are basing their opinions on Lundqvist’s recent slump.

At the beginning of the year Lundqvist came out of the gate with staggering numbers, but in December he started to slide, allowing four goals or more in six of 12 starts. This is a perfect example of a reputation taking a lifetime to build and seconds to destroy.

True, in December Lundqvist didn’t look like much, but his stats still put him in the top 10 best this year at 6th or maybe 7th. Lundqvist’s seven shutouts are second in the league, his 24 wins are tied for sixth overall, and he’s got an average save percentage of .916.

On top of that, the kid is 25-years old and has only been in the league for two years. If you want to reduce athletes to investments, Ludqvist is an excellent choice for the Blueshirts. He’s only going to get better, and the Rangers want him around as long as possible. A welcome athlete is a productive one, and if you want proof, take a look at the NBA.

For Rangers coach Tom Renney, this deal is worth every penny. “All I’m seeing is the metamorphosis of a top-notch goaltender in this league,” Renney told the press. “He’s still evolving.” So the Rangers got in on the ground floor.

If you want to talk about overrated players, though, New York has a few. I might be dodging bullets for this, but Rangers GM Glen Sather might want to consider Jaromir Jagr’s future. Unless Jagr does something sensational about his 47 points—like double it—he might not be worth hanging on to. Just because he’s the Rangers captain doesn’t guarantee his job security.

Jagr is an unrestricted free agent after the season, and he could make a good ingredient if the Rangers want to cook up a trade to help out their defense.

The Rangers are a mediocre team this year. Projecting them to just miss the playoffs or lose in the first round is a healthy dose of pragmatism, and I doubt anyone is more aware of that than Sather. The Rangers are doing something that not every team in the NHL is capable of, including the Toronto Maple Leafs.

They’re thinking of the future.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff