Red Wings vs. San Jose In The Second Round Of The 2011 NHL Playoffs

The rematch from last years opening round against the Coyotes went very well for the RedWings. Seeing them sweep the Coyotes out of the playoffs and possibly back to Winnipeg. In the Wings second round match up they will have the opportunity to get some revenge on the team that ended their playoff run last year in the conference semi-finals.

The match up of these two teams sets up for a very physical, hard hitting series. San Jose is known for how big their players are all through their roster and they aren't afraid to throw it around at the opposing teams players. The depth players on the RedWings like Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader and Patrick Eaves among others showed in their last series that they can be as physical as any other player on the ice. The way that Jim Howard performed well and the way that Antti Niemi struggled at times in their first round series, and how they both perform in this series will have a large impact on who will get to the next round. I believe that the depth and balance of scoring that the Wings exhibited in the first round will give them an edge on the offensive side of the puck, but the sheer size of the Sharks could cause problems for them if this series goes 6-7 games. I also think that it is critical for Detroit to get off to a good start in game 1 tomorrow night out in San Jose and to show the Sharks that this wont be a quick and easy series for them this year. I see the Wings taking this series in 6 games and moving on to the conference finals.

Goodnight from the greatest sports city in the world and congratulations to the newest member of the Detroit Lions Defensive line Nick Fairley.

Drew in the D