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. Some fans are ridiculous lol, this thread was started because of a basically .500 start after 9 games. That would be awesome if he wins the Jack Adams!

He could if they keep playing like they are and end up top 3 seed. We're climbing the standings for sure. But realistically I can see us dipping down again before picking it back up. The usual. Personally these last 5 or 6 games I must say his coaching is at another level. Who would have thought that Nyquist and Tatar would do as well as they are on a line together. Babs couldn't get them going together. Blash forced it and has been getting results. And as much as Smith annoys me, he's been playing pretty well under Blash - same goes for Kindl. I think if he won it - that would be sort of funny seeing as though Babs didn't with the Wings..

I hate ties. Why would any one like a tie? Nobody wins, nobody loses, doesn't mean a damn thing.

The way this team is playing, I'd be shocked if we don't finish top 2 in the Atlantic. Overtaking Montreal will be tough for sure, but as of right now they're only 7 points up, and we have the game in hand. I see Ottawa and Boston falling off way before Detroit, and Tampa could turn it around but they'll be in tough trying to catch us, the same way we are with Montreal. They're 5 points back, and we also have the game in hand on them as well. We survived a pretty grueling early schedule, with back to back games virtually every weekend, and it should only get easier from here on out (in regards to the schedule, not necessarily the competition...). We have our Western Canada road trip out of the way, but we still have our California trip coming up in January. There's no doubt that Blashill is a great coach but regardless of who was going to be behind the bench this team has been a team on the rise for a while, and I don't see us slowing down going forward. It may look genius to have Nyquist and Tatar clicking, but they're two really good young players, and they're just entering their prime now. I don't really think it should be that much of a surprise that they're playing well together. I do still think they'd benefit from playing on separate lines but as long as it's working, I guess it's not much point in mixing things up. If we do end up finishing top 2 in the Atlantic, you'd have to think Blash would be in the conversation of Jack Adams candidates. He definitely has a shot at being the first Red Wing coach to win it since some guy named Scotty Bowman exactly 20 years ago...

Kinda how I see it too. Except I don't like the idea of teams playing for ties (or shootouts) and just trapping up the neutral zone and dumping the puck for the last portion of the game. Besides being exciting to watch, 3 on 3 makes it really difficult to play for a tie/shootout. I also like that there's still a hockey game to be played, unlike the shootout. Faceoffs still matter. Being a strong skater matters. Being a good passer or playmaker matters. Rebound control matters. Timely line-changes matter. Deciding whether to pinch or not matters. So I think 3 on 3 is a good balance between preserving the integrity of the game (something the shootout fails to do) and promoting offense and not playing lock-down defense for a guaranteed split of points (something the tie system fails to do). Maybe over time my view will change once the novelty wears off, but right now I think it's a good system.

The difference is Varlamov was a 23yr old RFA and Schneider was a 26yr old on a good contract. Howard is 31 and has a big contract. Those guys had their best years ahead of them. We've probably seen the best Howard has to offer. He's just not the same value as those guys. Especially in a cap system. I could see a late 1st or a couple 2nd rounders for Howard at most. Plus we'd probably have to either take salary back or retain some. It could be an expiring UFAs salary, but there's no way we're dumping that 5mil with nothing coming back. Regardless it's an offseason deal if it happens at all.

To Bill's credit, he doesn't seem like a guy who only shows up when he can prove his point. (like that Simon guy) If so, wouldn't he be harping about how Smith was in the game and we won?! ...and to Smith's credit, he's been putting together some pretty good play of late. DEATH TO FALSE HOCKEY! DEATH BY REAL HOCKEY! DEATH BY BOREDOM! Miller would have. To the game: I was able to DVR the replay from FSD. Pretty complete game by the boys. That fourth line is plain U-G-L-Y and the PK as mentioned previously wasn't great. Nobody willing to go down in front those Weber bombs. Mrazek didn't have the best of games, but all in all, the skaters in front of him looked to have their s*** together and things were clicking well. Good to see us get another come from behind point and then to finish it off in OT. Also, seeing Ellis in the box after that nasty/unnecessary hit on Helm and have it lead to the tying goal was so gratifying. As mentioned above, he was really pushing it. I get that the hit was up high and Ellis didn't like it, but Helm was rightfully penalized. I really think Ellis should have gotten a bench minor for unsportsmanlike for complaining/water squirting. You let the league deal out the further punishment if necessary...

I think it's becoming obvious that blashill prefers playing mrazek over Howard. Mrazek has gotten 2 starts in a row wherwas Howard does not. Mrazek just looks more confident out there in front of the team. Even last night mrazek had an average night for his standards but still made the big saves when it mattered (especially in OT). Point is as the year goes on I think mrazek is slowly going to start getting more starts.

I like how both goalies are playing the same amount of time so far. There's no need to change that.

Without price Montreal is as vulnerable as they're gonna get.

Florida also ahead of Tampa, with an extra game to play. If they get in a battle with each other or Tampa look at it being "5 teams ahead of us" rather than looking at points, a distraction like that could make 2nd very achievable for us. Bear in mind Montreal have lost 2 straight as well, so catching them isn't impossible - they also have the WC to prepare for, which is always a tad of a distraction.

I feel like Mrazek has slowed down as of late but I'm still more confident in getting a win when hes in net. He seems to do enough in order to win. Jimmy is almost the opposite, does just enough to lose....no matter how well he plays

"I swear that puck was going at least 200 MPH!" "I think you're off at about 100 miles..." "What?! You mean it was going 300 MPH?!" - NHL 2002 Announcers

Maltby was also a 50 goal scorer in Junior. Ericsson isn't known as a great fighter in the NHL. Tootoo can hold his own, wasn't given a fair shot in Detroit, and would be welcomed depth to a roster lacking some physicality. Also, you think knowing someone will come after you doesn't deter players from taking cheap shots? Yeah, it still happens, of course. But having a guy who can stand with just about anyone in the league makes you think twice.

He was definitely being a bit facetious, but in his defense, he was referring to the all-star game, which is going to be played at 3-on-3 in its entirety, which I can see being exhaustive (and will likely result in a very bad on-ice product).

The night Ellis had was one of the most gutless things I've seen. First he tries to spray water on the ref, when he's not looking, then drills Helm from behind into the boards, when he's not looking. Ellis was lucky Helm didn't turn around and punch him after he got up. I probably would have broken Ellis's jaw with my right hand! Weber probably taught Ellis how to act like that. I keep saying how gutless Canadian athletes are, and that they're crybabies, well they continue to prove me right. I hope Nashville misses the playoffs by 1 point.

Smith showed some confidence out there, had a good game. I like how these defensive pairings are shaping up.

3 games in a row with 5 goals. Mother. Effin. BUTT PATS

Did someone say "goalie battle"?