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Well there's only one way to fix that!

There are a lot of words to describe Henrik Zetterberg, but lazy would never be one.

That will come with experience. I do think his stellar play is a much better indicator of the goalie he will be than the starts he has been pulled. People need to remember how bad Howard was at first. It was painful. But the more he played, the better he got, and then stole the #1 job. I have no doubt Mrazek can do the same.

Leonidas and Miller are Spartans

On this video, does anyone notice a man on skates wearing black-and-white stripes shirt and black pants right behind Byfuglien while he delivered that crosscheck? I was wondering what he was doing there? Who allowed him on the rink during the game? And if he was authorized to be there, to what purpose exactly?

What Bufflin needs is 5 minutes alone in a closet with Bryan McGrattan. Then he'll change his evil ways.

Doubting the captain and calling him lazy should be immediate grounds for a swift kick to the ass.

I agree. Mrazek just needs more experience. But IMO, there are so many positives about his game that indicate how high his ceiling could be if he figures it out. Things like, he always seems to make the big save, bounces back from a bad game with a really really strong start always, plays an aggressive style, and handles the puck extremely well. The only question becomes what happens if Mrazek plays really well down the stretch and Babs uses him in the playoffs.....

They would barely be 3-4 guys if they were all on the same team. Those are all top pairing. Maybe Crosby Tavares and toews are top 3 forward and Malkin stamkos and Seguin are 2nd liners, which makes datsyuk a goalie

Because McGrattan is so good at making out?

Right now this team doesn't have a number 1 goaltender as far as I am concerned. Mrazek is an unproven rookie and Howard needs to find his game. Monster is sadly hurt.

Save your thoughts for the playoffs. Z has an ability to pace himself over an 82 game season. The way he plays the game is different than Pav. Pav has magic and he is still able to use that to dominate the game on most nights. Z on the other hand has success by hard work, which is harder to do over such a long season. If Z played the way he can, as hard as he can, every single night, he would be burned out. So, whether he knows it or not, he paces himself during the season, along with the fact that he is streaky. Now having said that, you go back and look at pretty well every playoffs and look at the numbers that Z still continues to put up. He always turns his game on when it matters most and I have learned to never doubt Z as a player and as a leader. Pav is no doubt the most important player on this team impact wise on a nightly basis, but IMO Z is just as impactful, for other reasons. Look at the playoffs last year. Pav did all we could, but with Z out we were still lacking. Then Z came back, rusty and no doubt not 100% and he STILL put up better numbers than anyone on the team not named Datsyuk. What I am getting at is, yes Z is older and he has had to change the way he plays, but he still remains a very very important part of this team and fans need to respect that and him. Lastly, from a goal scoring standpoint, I do agree with you. I would like to see Z score more goals, but he is unable to do that while playing 2nd line Center setting up his wingers. If we want Z to go back to scoring more goals, the only option is to play him with Pav, something I would very much like to see. I think that change could spark the team going forward. Z- Pav- Abby Nyquist- Sheahan- Tatar Weiss- Helm- Jurco Miller- Glendening- Cleary Anderson is simply not getting it done for me, I would like to see what Cleary can offer as one last run for us since he is fresh. But the big thing is Z playing with Pav if we do that, I think Z will look more like what we are accustomed to.

Fat Albert acts tough and talks a lot of trash, but fights only about twice a year. Reminds me a lot of Bryan Bickell in that sense. Another player who'd have trouble existing in the 80's and 90's without having to back it up.

LOL Imagine poor Jimmy in the press box.

I agree about Howard. As for Mrazek, it depends on your definition of "huge." If you subtract the games in which he's been pulled, his stats are unreal, which leads me to conclude that it is lack of consistency that is holding him back.

Yeah, if only the Wings could be like the LA Kings, you know, they win every year and never are in danger of missing the playoffs. Or maybe the Blackhawks. A team like that wouldn't fall into a wildcard spot. I mean, really, Holland should've had the foresight to get a star goaltender like Devan Dubnyk. I can't imagine how exhausting it must be to have such unrealistic expectations and the constant negativity as a result. I don't love the Wings losing, but I think there are fan bases of twenty or so other teams who wouldn't mind having a team like the Red Wings.

But Kip, this was to the back of the neck. Every argument you have given about concussions can be applied here. People still need to be responsible for their actions in the heat of the moment. I am not saying the guy is scum or anything, but what he did was dangerous and IMO goes beyond what is acceptable in the game of hockey.

I'll just leave this here http://play.shl.se/video/11450762/ (OT goal at ~2:50) Horrible defending, but Axel's flip pass is eye candy. Any similarities with Homer Sr stops with the name, he has a rather different skill set... btw . please leave him in Sweden another year : /

Maybe.. but like, with actual pick playing ability.

Yea this is just stupid. I mean, honestly, why would you cross check someone like that when they're down and defenceless. Absolutely insane. Byfuglien has a phone hearing today, but really, why isn't this a 5+ game suspension? The league really needs to start clamping down on this s***. Give him 20 games. That'll scare the crap out of players

What do Leonidas, Tony Montana, Khal Drogo, and Drew Miller have in common?...

I can't even imagine how much slower and lazier he'll be in two years let alone six. He's already taking the worst angle shots I've ever seen. In six years, he'd be shooting the puck from the other side of the red line.

Dude we need to win every game by 10 or else everyone on the team sucks

It's his lack of playing time in the NHL that's limiting him right now. Give him a full year or two.

Agreed. Anybody who thinks that Dekeyser isn't a top four defenseman is nuts. The guy plays over 20 minutes a night, in all situations, against top opposition, AND puts up points. Not sure what he'd have to do to be a top four that he isn't already doing.