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OK, all in fun, hope nobody takes offense.

About half of your FACTs are actually just opinions, not actual facts.

Grypho, stop making me feel bad for not participating as much.

either i'm getting smarter or you're getting dumber

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2011/05/red_wings_kris_draper_will_pla.html Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom Cleary-Zetterberg-Bertuzzi Hudler-Filppula-Abdelkader Draper-Helm-Eaves Lidstrom-Stuart Ericsson-Rafalski Kronwall-Salei Howard MacDonald ...I'm not a big fan. That second line isn't going to score any goals. It's going to be the Zetterberg-Show, with no help. That third line (or some variation of it, at least) has been used time and time again, and it hasn't worked, and it's not going to work. And I continue to be baffled by Bab's refusal to split Pav and Mule, regardless of how much less chemistry they have than Pav and Flip, or even Pav and Huds. I'd go: Filppula-Datsyuk-Holmstrom...Pav and Flip have insane chemistry, and Flip's not contributing on the third line. Franzen-Zetterberg-Cleary...Proven old favorite. Modano-Abdelkader-Bertuzzi...Still a checking line, but with a little more scoring potential (and hunger). Draper-Helm-Eaves...Solid, obviously. Hudler Miller

s***, Doc's in the game, gotta step up mine.

Lidstrom understands now why the Sharks are giving Howard snow showers.

If anything, you should be comparing players by salary, not by position in the lineup. Comparing Bertuzzi at $1.5 million to Thornton at $7 million is ridiculous.

Exactly. The last few minutes used to be a nasty dogfight. Now players just skate into the slot, wait till they feel a stick and throw their head back looking for a call. It really is kinda sad what the NHL has become.

Homer is second on the team in scoring behind only Datsyuk in the playoffs. I admire his guts to go to the "HARD" areas of the game and wish Franzen had even half of the courage that Homer has displayed over the years. Yes he is getting old and maybe this will be his last season but I for one will really miss him when we no longer have the BEST net front MAN in the game.

Bogosian is the most overrated player on this forum. As I've said, just sign Upshall and Laich and Hamrlik in the offseason. Play Mursak full time and we'll be fine. Imploding a successflu team isn't the answer and will never be an answer.

TAMPA BAY YZERMANS!

Just win!

this is the worst squirt in my town and look what he did

I think if the Caps get knocked out, it's bye bye Boudreau

To me Wings look slow and 'off'. Their passes are delayed, sluggish and off target. They are not skating like they are capable of, and they aren't battling like they are capable of. I'm not sure if it's 'rust' or just lost their compete? Against the 'Yotes, Red Wings were making quick crisp passes and skated very well. They were cycling well and the D was pinching at the right time. But from I notice the most is how slow and off their passing is. We've seen this before, when Wings passing is off, they struggle. Wings play better with the puck. Another big issue is their skating. It's like they are skating in mud. They are not moving around the ice like they normally do (Especially notice Helm.... He been a fire-cracker on skates all season). Franzen looks like he's struggling with an ankle injury. Zetterberg lost his bursting quickness... The Red Wings bread and butter is their quick, crisp tight passes and mobile skating... without that, they are an average team. Howard has been a wall. P.S. I also felt Red Wings should have won GM1. That Bertuzzi 'roughing' penalty was complete horse s***. Refs helped the Sharks in that game. GM2, Red Wings just flat out lost... and they lost with, in my opinion, the edge in calls. When they can't score on a full 4minute double minor to tie the game, they don't deserve to win. I am bitter about game 1, however. Series should be tied 1-1 right now.

This place is f**ked which is part of the reason I love it here but we have lost 2 games in a row, played like s*** and now it's going to be 2343 offseason threads...have some faith. I like how the OP put in the disclaimer at the start of his post ... "Ok folks, I'm not one to panic and say the sky is falling, nor am I one to be negative when things get bumpy." That is exactly what you are doing !

I say because of this Wings start Game 3 with a 1-0 lead.

Blame Canada.

Couldn't resist playing with a variation on an internet classic.

OK, true to my word... Is that something along the lines of what you were looking for?

From today's Malik Report: Yesterday, I reported that Wings prospect Dick Axelsson had indeed terminated his contract with the Swedish Eliteserien champion, Farjestads BK, but he’d whined to Aftonbladet’s Mats Wennerholm that the Wings might as well trade him because the Wings’ contract offer to the restricted free agent probably wasn’t to his liking. Well today, wouldn’t you know, it turns out that Aftonbladet’s Hans Abrahamsson and Emil Karlsson are reporting that the team FBK defeated, Skelleftea, is bidding for Axelsson’s services, though their GM, Lasse Johansson, “declined comment.” Abrahamsson and Karlsson say that Skelleftea has a bigger budget than FBK, so they could offer Axelsson 80,000 more Swedish Kronor a month (or an extra $13,142.00 per today’s Krona-to-Dollar exchange rate) in pay, though FBK’s GM, Thomas Rundqvist, states the obvious in saying that Farjestad was led to believe that Axelsson would be leaving them for the NHL, but people can of course change their minds. Like I said yesterday, you can see why Wings director of European scouting Hakan Andersson told Matthew Wuest of RedWingsCentral that while the Wings will retain Axelsson’s rights because they’re intrigued by his level of talent, they also think that he remains inconsistent and plain old immature. He’s negotiating a contract with another SEL team, and a team which can offer him an extra $80,000-or-so in pay and the opportunity to play with his pal, Jimmie (brother of Jonathan) Ericsson, through the media. Hell, earlier this month I I mentioned that Andersson himself was speaking to the other Swedish sports tabloid, Expressen, when he suggested to Tomas Pettersson that Axelsson’s still the kind of player who’d rise from his seat in the locker room and try to complain to Mike Babcock if he felt slighted or things were going poorly. As Andersson so expertly put it… “It’s enough that if he storms from his locker twice to go to Mike Babcock, he’ll be benched for good.”