Red Wings vs. Senators: The NHL's Sadly Under-Hyped (Indoor) Game of the Year

In a perfect world, tonight's game between the Eastern Conference leading Ottawa Senators and the Western Conference leading (and the closest thing the NHL has to a juggernaut this season) Detroit Red Wings would have been hockey's answer to Patriots/Cowboys. Yet the NHL hasn't exactly solid it as such, with the barrage of promotion and interview opportunities it gave to, say, one of those early Crosby/Ovechkin games. Maybe post-Winter Classic event fatigue, All-Star Game announcements and Ovechkin's contract signing have sucked the air out of the room. Maybe if the game was on a more widely available American television platform than HDNET, it would have cranked up the hype machine more. Maybe if Ottawa was relocated to Las Vegas before the game.

Whatever the case ... never fear, FanHouse is here. We've plucked the brains of several prominent Red Wings and Senators bloggers for previews, predictions and snappy answers to stupid questions about the Ottawa/Detroit inter-conference smack down.

For the Red Wings, we've got Christy Hammond of Behind the Jersey, Matt Saler of On the Wings, Bill "The Chief" Houlihan of Abel To Yzerman, and HockeyTownTodd, who considers himself a hockey fan before a Red Wings fan, but is a Detroit-watchin' hockey nut. For the Senators, we've got Jeremy Milks of Black Aces, Sherry from Scarlett Ice, and Erin Nicks of The Universal Cynic. They expertly answered every question, and we've edited them down for space. The result is everything you need to know about the Senators and the Red Wings that the NHL was too busy to tell you:

Q: Why, in your admittedly partisan opinion, is your team so damn good this year?

HAMMOND: If I had to pick one thing, I guess I'd say that it's finally Mike Babcock's team this season. Gone are the players who didn't quite buy into his system. He's no Scotty Bowman, but the way he does some things certainly reminds Wings fans of how Scotty coached. The team may be the oldest and smallest team in the league, but their hard work, puck possession style play, and smart level of play is what makes this time so good.

HOULIHAN: I think it stems back to Game 6 against Anaheim last year. The Wings were down 3 goals late and Zetterberg and Datsyuk took over. We saw a determination from them, during that short period of time, that reminded me of Steve Yzerman. The Wings, of course, lost. But you could see a brand of leadership from those two that I think has carried over to this season. And this team believes they're better than Anaheim, that they should have won that series. It's really driven them this year.

MILKS: There's a tradition of excellence in Ottawa that has sort of sustained itself for awhile now, but not all is rosy in Bytown. They're so good right now simply because coach John Paddock plays his top line for half the game while singlehandedly eliminating the need for a fourth line.

SHERRY: Let it be known first and foremost that I love the Senators and despite the outcome, couldn't have been more thrilled with their finals trip last year. But let's be honest here: they really, really, really -- how do I put this lightly -- were not good at all against the Ducks. Looking at this team on paper, the expectation is that they'll be good. At the same time, they had everybody whispering about how they'll have a Cup hangover and trotting out stats about how repeating back-to-back trips to the finals is pretty much impossible. Playing with a chip on your shoulder can be helpful.

Q. In what is the closest comparison to a Patriots/Cowboys game for the NHL, why do you believe Red Wings/Senators hasn't been pimped at Ovechkin/Crosby levels by the League?

NICKS: The league has demonstrated that it prefers to market individuals as opposed to teams -- and that's a separate discussion altogether. One game -- despite the fact it's taking place between conference leaders -- will never be marketed in the same fashion, unless it has some novelty appeal that's capable of drawing a larger audience (read: Winter Classic).

SALER: Simple answer: Because League Poster Boys One and Two aren't on either team. Extended answer: Both Ottawa and Detroit have stars that stand out, but they are both good as a team. Take the Wings for example. The League could hype Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, but it could turn out that Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula have a big game instead. So who do you hype?

SHERRY: Ovechkin is a great quote, and the only time you'll probably get anybody from the Red Wings or Senators to say anything remotely interesting or funny is when they're not talking about hockey. From a completely boring and uninteresting business perspective, it's a lot harder to pimp out teams and rivalries to audiences that don't have any personal investment in those teams.

HOCKEYTOWNTODD: The NHL's failure to promote (pimp) this game is a no-brainer. The scheduling chimps have gone out of their way to make sure there is no rivalry here. A Wings/Sens regular season game occurs twice in 3 years? Playoff eliminations create rivalries and that has not happened between these two. The fact is that the way the playoffs are set up, the SC finals are the only meetings between the two conferences. A DET/OTT series is even more unlikely this year....When was the last time the top teams in each conference met in the Finals?

HOULIHAN: Because the league has no concept how to promote itself. None.

Q. Daniel Alfredsson and Henrik Zetterberg enter the game tied with 56 points; Pavel Datsyuk and Jason Spezza are tied with 37 assists. At the end of the season, who beats out whom?

HAMMOND: I think Alfredsson will end the season with more points than Zetterberg, but I'd have to go with Datsyuk taking home the most number of assists. As Datsyuk told a reporter earlier this season, he would much rather set up a beautiful goal than score that goal himself.

NICKS: Obsessing over points totals is the hallmark of the monotonous Canadian media. To be fair, debating numbers is pertinent when assessing a player's worth, but the reason why we're discussing Detroit v. Ottawa is due to the fact that both teams are potential Cup contenders, correct? Obviously, Sens fans wish for their players to put up decent totals, but look at it this way: All the points in the world couldn't change the fact that in last year's post-season, the Senators took league-leader Sidney Crosby, and smacked his happy ass like a stripper in the Champagne Room at Scores (sorry...."exotic dancer"). (ED NOTE: Consider that line stolen - Wyshynski.) If Datsyuk and Zetterberg finish with higher totals at season's end than Spezza and Alfredsson, that's fine. If Detroit wishes to pursue the President's Trophy with fervor, go ahead.

Q. If Dominik Hasek, Chris Osgood, Ray Emery and Martin Gerber were all entered into a WWE-style battle royal, what would be the order of elimination over the top rope and who would be the last man standing in the ring?

SALER: The last time I saw Hasek try to fight, he stepped on a stick and fell over. I'd say he'd be first to go. Then Gerber, leaving Osgood and Emery. Ozzie took out Roy, but I think Emery is the last one standing.

HOULIHAN: Absolutely Hasek. He's a sociopath, our Czech Miracle of Insanity. Osgood could probably last a while, with thousands of his Puck Bunnies urging him on. But I see no one who can match Hasek's insanity. He'd refuse to lose that, almost like Clubber Lang in his first Balboa fight.

NICKS: I think Hasek's hemoglobin is infused with vulcanized rubber, and his tussle with Sean Avery three years ago (Sens v. Kings) was one of my favourite Senators moments of the last decade. Despite Dom's stretchability, my money is on Gerber. I know he's the obvious dark horse, but anyone who's willing to dress up in a cowboy uniform and line dance with his Swiss fan club in the off-season has got to be a little buggered up. Bonus points will be awarded if he takes a blank jersey and paints like like Kamala's belly.

MILKS: During the introductions, Gerber would run into the ring, lose his balance and slide so far out of position that he would go over the ropes before anyone had a chance to cheer. Hasek and Osgood would have an epic battle which turns when Hasek fakes a groin injury. Osgood stops punching and seems concerned. Hasek, mistaking Osgood for Buffalo reporter Jim Kelley, grabs him by the throat and pushes him out of the ring. Emery sleeps in, shows up two hours later to an empty auditorium, walks into the ring and declares himself the winner. When no one cheers, he throws a water bottle into the darkness.

Q. Non-goalie fight you'd like to see most.

HAMMOND: Aaron Downey (Detroit) vs. Chris Neil (Ottawa).



HOULIHAN: Aaron Downey against Pierre LaCroix, former GM of the Dive. I'd rally my entire family around the tube if you could somehow set that up.

MILKS: Dallas Drake and Luke Richardson. Two seasoned pros saying hello at the end of the merry-go-round.

SHERRY: Hey, maybe Spezza and Datsyuk should fight it out for the assist title. I'm not liking either of their chances in that one though.

NICKS: Brian McGrattan v. the Little Caesars mascot...or a Bavarian cream paczki.

Q. What worries you most about your opponent?

HAMMOND: Their top line made up of Spezza, Alfredsson, and Heatley. You could easily argue that their line is the best line in the NHL right now.

SALER: That they are something of an unknown, relative to Western opponents. The Wings are 5-0 against the East this season, but Ottawa is obviously different than Montreal, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Washington, and Florida. The Wings skated by in those games relatively easily despite being unfamiliar with them, but the lack of familiarity will be more of an issue with the Senators. That's why it sucks that this is the only time the Wings and Senators will face-off this year (barring a Finals appearance, of course). It's certainly not going to settle any questions and one fan base is going to come out of it arguing, "If they just had another shot at them..." I'd rather we saw the Senators more often than have this on-time deal.

MILKS: Simply the fact that the Wings can make goalies look stupid. If John Paddock decides to go with Ray Emery and the Senators lose, that might tilt the playing time in Gerber's favour and the Senators will suffer all year with Gerber's mental fragility and streaky play. Paddock desperately wants to give the job to Gerber and he's looking for any excuse to do so. To me it's a no win situation for Emery, unless he actually wins of course.

NICKS: Nothing, really (I don't have any action down).

Q. Finally, what is your big prediction?

HAMMOND: Detroit 3, Ottawa 2.

SALER: It depends on whether or not Thursday's game versus the Wild was an aberration or the start of a slump. They didn't play very well defensively and if they give up as many scoring chances in Ottawa, they'll get lit up. This particular collection of players is good at getting right back on the horse, however, and so I'm cautiously optimistic that they'll be ready to play. If the Wings don't come out flat, I'm expecting a close game, maybe 3-2. Wings win, but get out-shot.

HOULIHAN: Wings 3, Ottawa 1.

HOCKEYTOWNTODD: Detroit 4, Ottawa 1. GWG coming in the 1st. Fourth tally an empty netter. Wings will dominate the Sens by winning all the battles on the boards. There may be some hard checks in the 1st, but it will settle down. Tip for Ottawa fans: A real joy to watch the body checks by Cleary, Lilja, and Chelios. These guys check like old time hockey and glide off the check with perfect balance and in stride. They also position themselves tight to the boards when being checked and many times the checker gets the worst of it.

MILKS: I'll take Detroit. They're simply the better team at this point. Under Paddock, Ottawa has been reduced to a one line team with only one rock solid defense pairing and a pair of goalies struggling with their confidence. Ottawa is prone to bad stretches in games and don't blow out teams offensively like they did last year. Detroit is the complete package and play just as good on the road. With that being said, Detroit doesn't strike me as the team to beat in the playoffs. With the inevitable relaxation of the officiating standards in the playoffs, I'll bet Detroit finds themselves wishing they had a bit more grit.

SHERRY: I'm horrible at predictions so I'll just roll a dice here ...4 -3 for Ottawa. In overtime, just to spice things up. With at least one fight, preferably between the goalies.

NICKS: Both teams will be wearing red to some degree, and CBC's Bob Cole will be left horribly confused.