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Gator's Blog: Will Modano Spark The Wings?

If you look at tonight's game 6 between the Wings and Sharks, both teams will be putting new players on the ice. Of course this means that some won't be on the ice. For Detroit, that means Franzen is out and Modano is in, this is something Wings' fans are hopeful will provide a bit of a spark. Franzen is hurt and Modano healthy, it only makes sense.

For the Sharks, Clowe is out due to an "upper body injury", I'm not sure who gets the call in his stead, but to lose your leading scorer in the playoffs can't improve their chances at success.

Looking at both injuries, the Wings lucked out in this respect; Franzen was playing hurt all along so it's not like Modano has to pick up the slack for his scoring (Jo Jo only has 3 points in the post season). Clowe, on the other hand, has been San Jose's most consistent scorer and a physical force to boot. Their lineup will suffer much more having him out than the Wings without Franzen.

Let's hope the difference is greater than when Sidney Crosby missed the last half of Game 7 in 2009, as the Penguins tightened up and played through his absence by winning the Stanley Cup at the Joe.

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