Stevie Y needs to get some O
By Brian A. Shactman
ESPN.com
Detroit needs its star players to produce.
Duh. That's a master of the obvious statement, if ever there was a perfect example of being MOTO.
|  | | The Wings need goals from Yzerman, who hasn't scored in the playoffs. |
But let's narrow the focus to one star in particular who must get goals, or the Red Wings will be gone from their West quarterfinal quicker than Scotty Bowman can change line combinations.
Steve Yzerman. Zero goals. Minus-3. Just 13 shots in six playoff games.
Heck, Kris Draper has two goals for Detroit.
Yzerman may not be the goal scorer he was earlier in his career -- in '88-89, he scored 65 goals while he had 35 this season, but there are several reasons for that statistical fact:
Detroit has been a much deeper team the last few years, thus needing less offense from Yzerman.
Yzerman has changed his style of play and now excels at both ends of the ice.
He's a bit older and, perhaps at 34, no longer at his peak.
The third reason is the least important because Yzerman's 35 scores this season are his highest goal total since '95-96. But Yzerman has been looked upon in recent years as the model of an all-around player who plays huge in the postseason. When Mike Modano emerged as a clutch playoff performer last season, people compared his maturation and success to Yzerman. Same with Pierre Turgeon a year ago.
That's because during Detroit's consecutive Cup-winning years, Yzerman scored 13 goals and had 37 points in 44 games. Yzerman has never gone through the playoffs without a goal. Even the years Detroit was swept in the first round, Yzerman lit the lamp at least once.
There is so much talent on Detroit's roster, and there are several players who have been practically invisible the last two games -- like Igor Larionov (one assist, three shots), who should have taken that contract extension when it was still on the table a few months ago. But on a team full of stars, Yzerman is the leader. He's scored huge goals in the past, and to make a statement that Colorado isn't going to romp through this series, a goal or two in Game 3, especially early in the game, could be just the remedy Detroit needs to regain confidence against goalie Patrick Roy.
So, people can lump Sergei Fedorov, Brendan Shanahan and Yzerman together when discussing which offensive stars Detroit must have perk up in order to beat Colorado.
But it's Yzerman who needs to put the puck in the net.
Brian A. Shactman is the NHL Editor for ESPN.com. |
