Nyquist clip added below…

I’m getting this nagging feeling that won’t go away. Teams are experimenting like crazy and taking the losses for half a season … and then they stop just in time to surge into the playoffs. New York, Washington, Detroit and San Jose did that this year. And of course, we remember the Kings from a year ago. Hopeless, completely hopeless…and then at the midpoint the wins come. Detroit looks really good. New York looked really good in the first round against a similar ‘late surging’ team the Capitals. Anyway, I won’t go any further with this theory unless the Wings upset the Hawks. But if that happens, I’d have to wonder if we’ll see a lot of dominant teams in the regular season – with records puffed up by playing against ‘experimenting’ teams, suddenly get wiped out in the playoffs when those same teams stop with the experiments.

Examples of experiments – Brunner was an 17-minute player for Detroit, Ovechkin moves to the right wing, etc.

The Gustav Nyquist – Joakim Andersson – Damien Brunner line looks like a keeper. The problem is, I think Brunner goes back with Zetterberg in the regular season. But if this line remains together, Andersson benefits. He’s a two-way center playing with a pair of offensive geniuses. The collateral points he could earn would potentially be huge.

Nyquist’s goal last night by the way – gorgeous. Still trying to get a clip. UPDATE: Got the clip, here it is – enjoy this sweet goal:

Speaking of huge, Brunner’s playoff performance has been huge. Eight points in 10 games. He’s adjusted to the NHL now and I expect a big year from him. Assuming the Wings can afford to keep him. He’s a UFA and the team has a few free agents to sign and somebody has to go. He saw just 9:15 of ice time last night despite his production.

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Don’t blame Toews for the loss – the guy had seven shots and three hits.

Stalberg was back in the lineup for Chicago but played just 9:25. Still in the doghouse.

Dave Bolland, a proven playoff stud, has been back for three games now but is still pointless and minus-2.

Justin Abdelkader is seeing a lot of ice time in these playoffs and here is an example of why – six hits and five shots on goal last night. He’s starting to blossom into the power forward the Wings were hoping he’d become.

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I missed this fascinating article earlier in the month, you may have caught it but I’ll pass it along anyway. Puck Daddy explores how a couple of Sharks’ fans smuggled a shark into the arena and threw it on the ice after a goal. Great stuff.

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The Sabres re-signed John Scott for one more year.

I mentioned in the ramblings yesterday, later in the day (it’s the offseason now, so more updates are added to the ramblings later in the day, as with every summer) – Wojtek Wolski has signed to play in the KHL. Mark Dekanich has also signed to play there.

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Brendan Ross has the latest Prospect Ramblings up over at DobberProspects. Be sure to check it out as he follows the 2013 NHL Draft class and the 2013 CHL Memorial Cup.

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No goal! What do you think of his, gang? No interference, nothing wrong with this – what would have been the tying goal. All I can come up with is the old ‘intent to blow’ bullshit that they threw at us a few years ago since the ref started to raise his arm as the puck crossed the line. Not that Chicago deserved the game, but they deserved the goal.

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Kronwalled – a TSN feature:

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Here’s another good clip if you didn’t catch this one. You know I love candid coaches and athletes – from Roenick to Avery to Tortorella, I love them all. Here is Torts on why Carl Hagelin is not being used on the power play: