The Final 6 Games

So by the stats below you can see there is little separation between the the top 9 teams in The Western Conference. Right now our First Round Opponent would be Vancouver. We are only 1 pt behind Nashville with a game in hand. This is where a hockey fan can torture themselves by trying to project the seeding every week but I think I would like The Wings in 5th seed a little more. That would land us in Phoenix which is no pushover team, but at least we have 50% of the crowd in our favor while the Phoenix fans remain blissfully unaware of the great hockey team in their midst. Or should we start calling them The "Winnipeg Jets" again.

Wherever we end up The Wings will not likely have home ice advantage throughout the playoffs. I honestly can't remember the last time we went into a playoff series without home ice advantage. I want to say it was during the first Cup run in 97 when we started the Finals in Phili. I think that was the last time Game 5 at The Joe was not a given. So it will be very interesting to see how that affects the longevity of The Wings playoff run. I think the raucous crowds at The Joe are a huge advantage and this will be a huge change of scenery for The Wings. The other obvious factor also working against this team is exhaustion. We have enjoyed 3 long playoff drives in a row and it seemed fatigue caught up with our veterans this season. The way they are playing right now though they have to be considered one of the more dangerous playoff teams. How much is left in the tank? We shall see. This is where the additions of Howard, Helm, Abdelkader (expected to be on playoff roster), Miller, Eaves, Ericcson, and the young guys will make or break the playoffs. The core of this team is playoff tested, they are too smart and rehearsed at summer hockey to not bring their A game. The depth of our bottom 2 lines and if Jimmy can continue stealing games could provide for many playoff parties at our house!

More to follow on the amazing games that have happened in the last 2 weeks! Down with Columbus tonight!