| | If the Detroit Red Wings want to beat the Colorado Avalanche, ESPN hockey analyst Bill Clement has some simple advice: Get the puck past Avs goalie Patrick Roy.
Easier said then done. Clement told an ESPN.com chat audience that Roy has been the difference in the series but the Red Wings must stick with their game plan.
"Detroit was better defensively and they had
better scoring chances, so they want to play the same game as they did in Game 4."
Clement also talked about some of the other impact players having great playoffs and offered his opinion on some of the postseason awards.
An edited transcript from Clement's May 5 chat follows:
|  | | Colorado Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy has been in the difference in the Red Wings series says Bill Clement. |
Bill Clement: Hi everybody. Did you get eight hours of sleep (Thursday) night?
Dave in NJ: What did you think of (Thursday) night's marathon game ? Does it give the edge to the Flyers? Will it
demoralize the Pens?
Bill Clement:
The Flyers now definitely have the edge, and yes, the challenge for Pittsburgh will be an
emotional one. But the Flyers will win only if Boucher can come up big early instead of looking
off balance and nervous for the first 10 minutes of the game.
Dave: How serious do you think Eric Lindros' latest setback is?
Is it time for the big guy to hang the skates up?
Bill Clement:
With concussions, you never know. But I know Eric wants to play again, and I don't think this
is that serious. So whether or not it's time for him to hang it up will be determined by the
doctors. My hunch is we will see him next year, but not in a Flyers uniform.
Rishi: Do the Wings need to do anything differently from Game 4 to win Game 5?
Bill Clement:
Just get the puck by Patrick Roy. He was the difference. Detroit was better defensively and they had
better scoring chances, so they want to play the same game as they did in Game 4. I
think they might make a roster change; I haven't been able to find out who yet. But Stacy Roest and
Brent Gilchrist didn't skate this morning. But Mathieu Dandenault did. So if somebody goes in, it will either be
Roest or Gilchrist. I just can't figure out who would come out.
Ponty: What is your feel on the Ray Bourque injury? Report and rumors range from slight strain to
career ending. How far can the Avs go without him?
Bill Clement:
Let me put it this way: With him, they can go all the way; without him, they can't. It is definitely
not career-threatening. He is walking without a limp. If Detroit had won Game 4, we might have
seen him (Friday). And if Detroit wins tonight, there's a good chance we will see him Sunday.
Remember, he skated away from the hit and skated his shift after that. If your knee explodes,
you don't do that, no matter how tough you are.
Tim: After (Thursday) night's marathon, I'm more convinced than ever that the NHL belongs in
Portland. Not to be a buzzard circling here, but any news out of Calgary on their troubles?
Bill Clement:
They are trying to sell 5,000 season tickets, and they are running out of time. I forget what the
date is; it might be June 30. And to my knowledge, they have only sold 2,000. And the longer
this goes on, the tougher the tickets are to sell. The first 2,000 are the easy ones, and they have
been working at it for a month. So keep your fingers crossed if you are in Portland. I would
love to see the NHL in Portland, but not necessarily at the expense of the Calgary Flames. The
other thing is the NHL would be using up a potential expansion site and costing itself $100
million if a team is permitted to relocate to Portland. The league likes to keep those virgin
markets open for expansion teams.
Rishi: If the Leafs are to beat the Devils, who has to step it up?
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The former NHL All-Star, who played for 11 years in the NHL with Philadelphia, Washington
and Calgary, is the game analyst for ESPN's extensive schedule of National Hockey Night
telecasts. In 1992-93, he served as ESPN's NHL studio analyst.
Clement first served as ESPN's NHL game analyst from 1986 to 1988. From 1988 to 1992, he
was the analyst for Philadelphia Flyers games on PRISM (a regional cable service in
Philadelphia) and a playoff analyst during the Stanley Cup Finals for SportsChannel America. He
received the 1992 CableACE Award for his work in the playoffs. He also worked Flyers local
over-the-air telecasts (WGBS-TV from 1988-91 and WPHL-TV 1991-92). He was an ice-level
reporter for NBC's coverage of the NHL All-Star Game in 1992 and '93. Clement served as an
analyst for TNT at the 1992 Winter Olympics and as the studio analyst for the 1991 Canada Cup
on CTV (Canada).
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Bill Clement:
I don't think it's as much a matter of stepping it up as it is trying to be better defensively. To me,
it's still New Jersey's series to win or lose because the Devils are better defensively than the
Leafs. The pressure now is clearly on Martin Brodeur because of the way CuJo has played. He has to
hold for the Devils to win. If I had to pick one player for Toronto who is capable of world-class
accomplishments, it would be Mats Sundin. Great players get it done when it counts the most.
So for him to be classified as a great player, he will have to do more than he is doing now.
Mark: Could Detroit make a comeback like Philadelphia?
Bill Clement:
The difference in this series is that Detroit is trying to come back against Colorado, not
Pittsburgh. The Avs can not only match Detroit's firepower, but are as good defensively. And
as well as Chris Osgood has played, Patrick Roy is still the difference. Can Detroit come back? Yes.
But only if they get help from Roy and the Avs.
Brad: Did you watch (Thursday) night's entire game? What did you think of the Keith Primeau goal?
Bill Clement:
I started falling asleep in OT No. 2. And then got bits and pieces as I lapsed in and out of
consciousness. I woke up just when they were replaying the Primeau goal. I thought he made a
hell of a move. The goal was clean, the move was terrific, and the shot was under the crossbar,
which is where you have to shoot to beat Ron Tugnutt.
FlyersFaithful: The playoffs are full of the same cliche's every year. What's your favorite and who's the best at
delivering them?
Bill Clement:
I'm not really a big fan of cliches. It's just that it's difficult to find a way to prevent saying the
same thing year after year. And everybody is the best at cliches, especially when their backs are
against the wall, it's do or die, or there's no tomorrow. That's when you have to dump and
chase, grind it out, wait for your chances, not take any dumb penalties and hope that your
goaltending holds. And above all else, don't forget to give 110 percent of disciplined hockey.
Mr. Owen: How much of an impact do you think the return of Jere Lehtinen will have on the game (Friday)
and the series?
Bill Clement:
It definitely makes Dallas a better offensive and defensive team. He plays in all situations,
special teams included, and he is one more reason why Dallas will win this series.
Zac: Why was Dallas overlooked in terms of NHL awards, especially Ed Belfour and Hitchcock?
Bill Clement:
That's a good question. From wire to wire, Belfour was more consistent than Olaf Kolzig and CuJo.
I don't think many writers like Eddie because his social skills are not the greatest and he's not
that good an interview. I know if I had a vote I would have voted for him. I did have a vote for
the Adams, and I did vote for Hitchcock. I gave Quenneville my first-place vote, Hitchcock my
second-place vote, and Wilson my third-place vote.
Owen: How is Owen Nolan not up for the Hart? He is the heart of the Sharks.
Bill Clement:
If every creature could have four Harts, then Nolan would have made his way into the finalists'
column. I think you have to examine the accomplishments of the teams. The Sharks barely
squeaked into the playoffs. St. Louis was the best regular-season team, Pavel Bure led the league in
goal scoring, and Florida finished second in its division. You could argue that the Penguins
squeaked in too, but when Jaromir Jagr misses as many games as he did and still wins the Art Ross as
the league's top scorer, how could you not include him? The bottom line is this: There aren't
enough awards to go around.
Romeo the Sioux: Is a healthy Jiri Slegr crucial to a reawakening Pens offense?
Bill Clement:
I think so. He was so good before he got hurt. Mind you, Michal Rozsival was terrific in Game 4 and
almost won it in OT. But yes, I think Slegr is a key piece to the puzzle for the Pens.
Eric40: Why didn't Steve Levy do a tribute to you (Thursday) night and wrap his tie around his head?
Bill Clement:
Because Steve was only 12 years old when I did that and probably doesn't remember it. Only
kidding -- he remembers. And you know what, you are right. I have to ask him about that.
Believe me, if I get to that stage in a game, I'm going for it again. For those of you who don't
remember the old tie-around-the-head trick.
Jennifer: It seems Matthew Barnaby has been quiet this series against the Flyers. Do you expect him
to return to his usual pesky self now that the series is tied?
Bill Clement:
That's hard to say. While the Flyers' power play has been quiet, it is still feared. Look at (Thursday)
night. The score was 1-1 for seven-plus periods. So a bad penalty by Barnaby and the Penguins
could lose the game. Also, the further a series gets, the harder it is to intimidate other players
and get under their skin. If anything, I could see him scoring a big goal rather than irritating the
Flyers.
Rishi: Who is the MVP of the Wings-Avs series this far?
Bill Clement:
Unquestionably, Patrick Roy. With Peter Forsberg No. 2.
Dave: Can the Av's win if Forsberg remains primarily a passer, rather than taking good shot
opportunities? He has a natural tendency to pass the puck.
Bill Clement:
I would say so if the Avs didn't have as many snipers. If he was feeding Dave Reid and Shjon Podein all night,
I'd would say the Avs aren't going to win. But when he is feeding guys like Chris Drury, Milan Hejduk,
Sandis Ozolinsh, Dave Andreychuk, and Joe Sakic, then the Avs are strong enough to win.
Tulane Flyer: Everyone talks about shutout streaks, but why doesn't anyone mention that Boucher hasn't let a
goal in for seven periods now?!
Bill Clement:
Great point. Perhaps nobody has put it in those terms. But I think everybody is impressed with
how he played, especially after allowing the Alexei Kovalev goal, which was a stoppable shot. The
Penguins know Boucher loses his net, so if they can get the play moving from side to side in
front of him, there will be something to shoot at.
Joewho: Is Yzerman becoming old or his he just having a bad playoff year?
Bill Clement:
Steve definitely isn't getting any younger, but I don't think he is having a bad playoff year. He's
been incredible defensively, blocking shots and killing penalties. And this series has been so
tight that nobody has been able to light it up for either team. The only reason we are talking
about Yzerman is that his team is down 3-1. It's funny how Sakic's slump doesn't seem to be an
issue.
Larry Kristiansen: Hope you saved some energy for (Friday's) game! Sounds like you didn't get enough sleep!
Bill Clement:
You should be talking about sleep. At least I dozed off a few times during overtime. But as we
both know, sleep is overrated anyway, or was that when we were younger?
PhillyJim: What is it about Andy Delmore's game that has put him in the middle of so many critical
offensive moments in the Flyers' comeback against the Pens?
Bill Clement:
One thing: explosive skating, combined with the fact that his coach is consistently encouraging
him to make things happen.
Jeanette: When are the Colorado Avalanche going to get the credit they deserve?
Bill Clement:
They may get a whole bunch of it by 11 p.m. ET (Friday). And just out of curiosity, who isn't giving
them any credit? I know most of us are.
Jason: Watching a game like (Thursday) night's makes people discuss the greatest hockey game they ever
saw. Mine was Game 7, Devils-Rangers in '84, and I was wondering what yours was?
Bill Clement:
I have to agree with you that the best I've ever seen live was Devils-Rangers, especially
because of how dramatic the end of regulation was, with the Rangers losing their lead with only
seconds to go.
I look forward to seeing all of you again next week. | |
ALSO SEE
ESPN.com's NHL playoffs coverage
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