OT: Western Conference Finals (Game 3) Thread

by rangers85 on May 12, 2008 4:50 PM CDT Comment 24 comments

Tonight is as close to a must win game as you can get in my opinion. Go down 3-0 in the series and you've got a mountain to climb. Win tonight and you bring the series within 1 game. Ideally, Stars probably need to win both game 3 and 4, but let's focus on game 3 for now.

No word yet on whether Lehtinen will suit up, it seems that if he doesn't Chris Conner joins the lineup. Hopefully Lehtinen is in there. Seems that Barnes will still be out for the Stars and Franzen will be out for the Wings.

Overall, the Stars looked a lot better in game 2, but couldn't get their shots on net. Hopefully tonight they go on net.

GOOOOOOOO STARS! We need this one tonight.

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IMO

Game 2 was as close to a must win as you can have, unfortunately. Regardless, GO STARS!

by Brett Perryman on May 12, 2008 5:12 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah...

I really think we needed a split in the first couple games. At this point, I think now you need to win games 3, 4, and 5 since you don’t want to go into a Game 7 in Detroit needing a win.

Stars in a Texas Night Sky, a Dallas Stars blog from a fan's perspective.

by rangers85 on May 12, 2008 5:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I mean if they won 3 and 4

You would at least give them a bit of a chance again. But that is a huge task, followed by another huge task of winning 2 of 3 with 2 on the road. They just aren’t the right team to beat the Wings. They needed someone to do it for them, and they could probably have beaten any other team in the playoffs. But they don’t have the elements necessary to deal with Detroit’s unique strengths.

by Brett Perryman on May 12, 2008 5:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

completely agree

i was just telling a friend of mine that same thing last night.

Pittsburgh is the only other team that would have really scared me, simply because of the risk that their immense talent up front could take over a series. But the matchup with Detroit is just a nightmare.

by disposablehero on May 12, 2008 5:58 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

Pittsburgh was definitely the one team in the East that I really feared if Dallas were playing well enough to win the West. At least I wouldn’t have gone into that series seeing a very real possibility that we would get swept. And I wouldn’t have gone into game one curious whether we would even belong on the ice with them.

by Brett Perryman on May 12, 2008 6:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah...

Without winning games 3 & 4, their series is pretty well over. At least at that point you reduce it to needing to win 1 road game and the remaining home game. However, losing either one of these leaves too little of a margin for error I think.

Pittsburgh does scare me as well, they’re got 2 dominant scoring lines and their blue line is pretty good as well. Penguins/Red Wings is the NHL’s dream finals I think and they may just end up getting it.

Stars in a Texas Night Sky, a Dallas Stars blog from a fan's perspective.

by rangers85 on May 12, 2008 7:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i'm gonna say

the Stars take this one tonight, but it will be their only win of the series.

hope i’m wrong (about the series, not tonight).

by disposablehero on May 12, 2008 5:23 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Hope you're wrong, too.

I shelled out too much $$$$ for a ticket to Game 4.
But I also don’t want to go to a pre-funeral if they’re down 0-3.

All Aboard Von Ryan's Express!

by Clueless on May 12, 2008 5:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

stars are winning this series

negative nellies

"I thought that was bull," Washington said. "What is he 6-13? That's just frustration. He overreacted." - Wash on Sexson

by Longhorn on May 12, 2008 6:49 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

First 5 minutes...

looking promising. Let’s hope they keep this drive the rest of the game.

Stars in a Texas Night Sky, a Dallas Stars blog from a fan's perspective.

by rangers85 on May 12, 2008 7:16 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

what a great sequence there

"I thought that was bull," Washington said. "What is he 6-13? That's just frustration. He overreacted." - Wash on Sexson

by Longhorn on May 12, 2008 7:38 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

geez

what a great GREAT pass by Modano

"I thought that was bull," Washington said. "What is he 6-13? That's just frustration. He overreacted." - Wash on Sexson

by Longhorn on May 12, 2008 7:38 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

OMG

nevermind

"I thought that was bull," Washington said. "What is he 6-13? That's just frustration. He overreacted." - Wash on Sexson

by Longhorn on May 12, 2008 7:39 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Rhobidas sucks

"I thought that was bull," Washington said. "What is he 6-13? That's just frustration. He overreacted." - Wash on Sexson

by Longhorn on May 12, 2008 7:40 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Detroit almost always wins

when they score first, so I think that you have to feel pretty good about being even at the midway point. Shots and faceoffs are even for once as well.

by Brett Perryman on May 12, 2008 8:22 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Good grief, Zetterberg just undressed Richards....

"I should apologize to girls for saying Sexson threw that helmet like a girl. I’m not even sure girls do that." - TAG 05/08/2008

by Captain Fubar on May 12, 2008 9:01 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Game...set...match...

Marty, you have to get those…you had plenty of time to react on that one.

I'd love for part of the "new look" to be a return to the red uniforms of the 1990s. - Ian Kinsler

by ortonius on May 12, 2008 9:02 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

i give up: its pretty much over... cant wait to see crosby versus Detroit though

by hinduplaya on May 12, 2008 9:16 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Wow...

I don’t know if Detroit is that good…or if Dallas has just decided that this series is too hard to put much effort into it. They look like shit out there. They are being outworked and outhustled on every play.

I'd love for part of the "new look" to be a return to the red uniforms of the 1990s. - Ian Kinsler

by ortonius on May 12, 2008 9:29 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Right now, Detroit is that good

They’re just clicking on all cylinders. The second Dallas goal is what I was talking about in the Game 2 thread (Dallas gets their big guns against Chelios, starts cycling and finishes), but the Wings have been dominant really since Game 5 of the Nashville series. Datsyuk and Zetterberg have just been amazing and the Detroit defensemen are doing a great job of either breaking up the Dallas rush at the blue line or getting to the dump-and-chase pucks first and quickly moving it out of the zone.

The NHL gets their dream Cup Finals matchup, but I don’t think it goes more than five games.

I remember someone pointing out that the Wings had a bunch of guys who were 35 or older, but, with the exceptions of Lidstrom (who isn’t exactly slowing down), Chelios (who really isn’t a top-4 D-man anymore) and Osgood (who is a goalie, plus he’s only 35), almost all of the Wings core guys are only around 30. This isn’t a team that is suddenly going to fall off of a cliff, particularly since they’ve shown themselves to be pretty adept at getting some quality players in the draft.

by mparks on May 13, 2008 9:19 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs