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This season has been such a roller coaster for even the most seasoned Wings fan. Let's face it....We should be up near 65 points on the year with the talent we have....except we are in a dog fight for a playoff spot, praying for our " big guys" to get healthy. With that being said, I can't remember a season that I have been more emotionally invested in this team I love. It's so easy when you have all the cogs in the wheel to expect greatness. DEMAND wins. In certain years, one loss was a huge deal because we have seen this team be so dominant for so many years. Saturday nights game made me realize how all of the injuries and all of the uncertainty has perhaps been a blessing in disguise. Sounds lame? Perhaps...but I have never been so happy for some of the young men on this team who have really stepped up. Acknowledge how much character is on this roster. I no longer expect a win....I REALLY want one and the victory somehow is a bit sweeter when we get one. I think of Tatar who plays like he is shot from a cannon every night...even the night after he found out his dad died. He is so fun to watch....and without injuries, he would have been a healthy scratch and we wouldn't have the opportunity to see his heart and how big it really is. Guys like the Monster who was terrible last year is one of the reasons we are even in the wild card race. He has been fantastic and I am so happy for him that he has been able to resurrect his career. Jurco, Shehan, Mrazk and Glenny have all shown that the future is bright in Hockeytown. We have a ton of talent, character and heart on this team and we are finding in the most unusual places. I'm really proud of this team and although it's been a train wreck of year for injuries, it's shown the fans of this team that we can and will be contenders for years to come. Ok, that's my warm fuzzy for today.

If Detroit started their fourth line, I don't think anyone would notice.

It just too bad it's been the "wrong" people out. Imagine these kids with a healthy Pav, Mule, Ericsson, Helm... Subtract the dead weight and we have a very dangerous lineup. (Maybe not dangerous but at least competitive)

Ansar Khan ‏@AnsarKhanMLive2m Wings on ice for morning skate. Helm is skating with Tatar and Miller. Helm might be ready to return tonight in place of Emmerton.

I'll be back before Weiss Signed, Open Heart Surgery

From Bleacher Report: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1918199-5-bold-predictions-for-detroit-red-wings-in-2nd-half-of-2013-14-season 1. Jimmy Howard Will Win 25 Games This Season Jimmy Howard is having the worst season of his career, both statistically and otherwise. The highlight of his season has to be when Team USA raised eyebrows, picking Howard to be one of three goalies at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. The Red Wings No. 1 goalie has not looked at the top of his game this season and it has showed up in the Red Wings' placing in the standings. With a 7-10-8 record, Howard has played in just 25 of the Red Wings' 44 contests, due to injury and poor performance. But Howard looked to turn a corner on New Year's Day against the Leafs, allowing just two goals on 26 shots in regulation, losing in a shootout. In his next contest against Dallas, Howard stopped 44 of 45 shots in a 5-1 win. Howard surrendered four goals in two periods against the San Jose Sharks on January 9, but when looking at his record overall, his eight shootout and overtime losses are clearly indicative of games that could have turned into wins for Howard. While a 15-10 record (assuming all the extra-time losses were wins) doesn't sound too much better, it is important to note that Howard has still given his team a chance to win in the first two periods, surrendering just 37 goals in 25 games in those periods. The third period has killed Howard and the Red Wings, as he has given up 27 goals in that period alone. If Detroit can clamp down on second-intermission leads—winning just 62.5 percent of the time (29th-worst in the NHL)—it should give Howard a chance to get to 25 wins this season. 2. Pavel Datsyuk Will Score a Career-High 33 Goals This Season Pavel Datsyuk has been hit by the injury bug this season, forcing him to miss nine of the 44 games, so far. But this season, Datsyuk has already matched his goal total of 15 from last year, but he has done so in 12 fewer games. Datsyuk has already equaled his shot total from last season (107) in 12 fewer games, meaning he is on track to shoot more for the remainder of the season if he keeps it up. His player page on NHL.com "predicts" that he will finish with 31 goals, assuming he doesn't miss any more games, but that isn't a given either. But Datsyuk's entire career has been defined by defying predictions and often surpassing expectations. The two-time 97-point scorer has a career high of 32 goals, but he has only played all 82 games once and has not played more than 70 games since 2009-10. If the Russian superstar can continue getting shots on goal and get back on the ice in general, he has an outside shot at putting up a career-high in goals. 3. Kyle Quincey Will Have Second-Most Points Among Red Wings Defenseman When it comes to Red Wings defensemen that score, there is Niklas Kronwall, and then there is everyone else. Kronwall leads Detroit in scoring from defensemen with 28 points, and he has more points than his next nearest competitors combined. Enter Kyle Quincey. Now try not to laugh because Quincey has been nothing short of abysmal on offense in his time in Detroit, with just six points in his first 54 regular season games over two seasons with the Red Wings. But Quincey, slowly but surely, is coming around offensively. The pending-UFA defenseman has five points in his last 12 games for Detroit and is starting to heat up. Quincey is beginning to prove his doubters wrong, and although he still has a lot of work to do to live up to his $3.375 million salary, he is slowly turning the corner. He will finish the second half of the season with the second-most points behind Niklas Kronwall. 4. Detroit Will Win the Atlantic Division The Detroit Red Wings have been snake-bitten in shootouts this season. They set the NHL record for consecutive shootout losses dating back to last year before snapping that streak on December 21 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Red Wings have lost an NHL-high 10 times in extra time this season. Conveniently enough, they are 10 points behind the division-leading Boston Bruins. Put two and two together. The Red Wings have the talent and the desire to win games, but the team hasn't been fully healthy all season. If they can get their top-six forwards healthy and get Jonathan Ericsson back to help their defense, they could put together a streak of wins at some point this season. Whether it will be sooner or later is anyone's guess, but Detroit won six of their first eight games this season and they could very well do that again if (and when) they become healthy. Look for Detroit to win the Atlantic Division and at the very least, challenge for a division title. 5. Detroit's Special Teams Finish in the Top 5 for Both PK and PP The Red Wings won six of their first eight games to start the season and their special teams were red-hot. Their power play was over 20 percent at one point and the Wings moved their penalty kill up into the No. 1 spot in the NHL at one point. Since then, the power play has gone downhill (17.7 percent and 16th in the NHL), while their penalty kill has remained relatively constant (85.0 percent and sixth in the NHL). Detroit's ability (or perhaps inability) to get healthy over the second half of the season will determine whether their specialty teams have a resurgence over the second half of the season. If the Wings can get healthy, they can return to top-five status in both categories. This will result in more wins down the road and cement themselves firmly in a playoff position. Health is a big "if", but it isn't out of the question at this point.

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Ansar Khan ‏@AnsarKhanMLive2m Helm confirms he is in tonight.

If I'm trading Nyquist and Kindl, plus whatever, I want a legit top line winger with size in his prime or a top pairing d-man coming back, or I don't do it.

Yes I know it is a goal according to the rules, but how could the officials NOT see the puck hit the net?? There are four officials on the ice. If that is not embarrassing I dont know what is.

I thought last year would teach Holland and Babcock that the youth movement was ready. Unfortunately, it took a bunch of injuries to get guys like Sheahan or Jurco in the lineup. And Nyquist wasn't playing early on in the season, while old fools like Cleary, Bertuzzi and Sammy were getting gametime. It's a blessing in disguise based on what happens next offseason. If it's more of the same, then it's hard to feel upbeat about the future. Holland and Babcock need to cut bait and not feel like loyalty should come before contribution. I do like what I see from some of these youngsters, though.

The whole f***ing show!

Let's get back on the topic of the game instead of fixating on 13 year old girls.

I've been wanting to edit together something like this for a while:

I wish we had Torts on our 4th line! esteef

I'll do the 2/3 Canucks @ Red Wings game for old times sake if it's okay. My graphics are a bit dated now but I'll try to piece something together.

Hartley absolutely did. He put out that starting lineup and had Westgarth, a winger, take the opening faceoff. Everyone in the hockey world knew exactly what was going on. When you put those players out and an all out brawl ensues, the coach is responsible. If the league is fine with the outcome, so be it. But if they don't like how that game and want to be seen as a legitimate sport then they absolutely need to punish Hartley for his actions. Everyone knew what was going to happen. This wasn't simply a coach starting his 4th line. It's fitting that it happens the same night as the Wings goal off the netting. If the NHL wants to be taken seriously they need to address what is actually happening. Everyone knew the Wings goal shouldn't have counted, yet it did because of four incompetent officials and a bad review policy. Everyone knows what was going to happen when Hartley put out that lineup. The league has all the legitimacy of professional wrestling tonight.

Is there a way we can photo shop this and put the Laughing Hudler's in there?

Words can't describe how much I hate that fake tough guy, spotpicker Bieksa. Gutless piece of garbage.

You have no proof to support your claims, though. Show me proof that Samuelsson was faking an injury to avoid being bought out. Sure, fans don't seem to like him much because he hasn't been producing. Yes, Babcock has sat him quite a bit - 'never plays him' is obviously false. Never complimented by Holland or Babcock in interviews...... “I thought (Mikael) Samuelsson was good, had lots of opportunities to score last game so I’m leaving him back in,” Babcock said. - November 14, 2013 ... again, obviously false. Show me proof that Samuelsson would have been bought out if it had not been for the injury situation. If it's so clear, surely you can find me a quote from Holland or someone saying 'Yeah, we would have approached him about a buyout, but he said he was injured, so that didn't work out.' I haven't seen anything like that as of yet. All I've seen is posts from people like you full of speculation and opinion and devoid of pertinent factual information. As far as pissed, I'm not going to 'read between the lines.' I can't do it any more than you can. We don't know Bobcock and Holland well enough to tell what they are thinking by their tone. Mikael Samuelsson did not screw anyone's plans. He signed a contract that he was offered. No one had a gun to Ken Holland's head and made him an offer he couldn't refuse. They offered him the contract and he took it.... same way as he did with Vancouver when Detroit wouldn't pay him what he wanted the last time. It isn't Samuelsson's fault that Holland put himself in his current position. The contract is on Holland. The NTC in the contract is on Holland. The fact that a buyout was even potentially necessary (not that we can prove that one would have happened anyway) is on Holland. Mikael Samuelsson didn't sign 20 forwards to the team this season. If you must be pissed off, I think your anger is misdirected. There's more reason to be pissed at Holland than Samuelsson. And, if everyone is so annoyed about the Samuelsson contract, I don't understand why there aren't like 10 threads full of posts with people fuming about the Weiss contract. Detroit is done with Samuelsson after this season. Weiss is getting paid $2 million more per season. Has basically the same amount of points in the same amount of games played this season - WITH over 4 more minutes of ice time per game. AND..... there are FOUR more years left on his contract. Not to mention that the guy he replaced is absolutely lighting it up in Tampa.

This statement is so impersonal like he's just a commodity. How about a little empathy for an injured person. Especially since he's incredibly talented individual and very important to the team.

I wouldn't mind Kane (Evander), here.

Well I think the values are off. In your post you said you'd rather have a top ten d-man than a top ten goalie, which I agree with. Problem is, Jimmy Howard won't get you a top ten d-man. He'd likely get you a top pair guy, but there are lots of top pair guys who aren't top ten. If all you're getting is a top pair guy (and we've already got two) then why trade someone as important as Howie when you could trade a less important piece and get a second pair guy (which is exactly where any new addition will be playing anyway) and not lose your starting goalie? Basically, Jimmy will get you a good d-man, but not a great one. And good defensemen can be had for a lot less than Jimmy Howard.