With Franzen Out, Lineups Get Shaken Up
October 10th, 2009 | by Chris Hollis |A quick heads up on the forward lines tonight for the Wings, which will obviously look very different now that Johan Franzen is out for four months.
Forwards
Tomas Holmstrom-Pavel Datsyuk-Henrik Zetterberg
Dan Cleary-Valtteri Filppula-Ville Leino
Todd Bertuzzi-Justin Abdelkader-Jason Williams
Brad May-Kris Draper-Patrick Eaves
Quick Thoughts
- We all knew Filppula was going to move up and center the second line, but I’m a bit surprised that Leino made the jump with him. Obviously, Babcock feels more comfortable with the two Finnish players working together, but it might also be a shot in the arm to Bertuzzi, who has yet to make a meaningful contribution on the scoresheet.
- Good to see Eaves in the lineup tonight, but I’m mildly surprised that Maltby will get the night off. This is obviously an Uncle Mike move, as he has been steadfast in his belief that the Wings need to be more physical and not get pushed around. I’ll be watching this line closely, especially Eaves. It’s his first start of the year and his chance to make some noise, which he failed to do in the preseason.
Tags: Johan Franzen, Washignton Capitals
