GoWings1905

Yup, pretty much. Although, they will conviently use Stuart leaving and say Quincey will fill that void now. However, if Quincey's tenure back with the Red Wings since being acquired is any indicator, he looks to be a lot like the same player they let go the first time. He isn't a top-four defenseman on a championship calibre team.

That might have been the best pregame event the Red Wings have put together for the playoffs. It's a shame we only got to witness it twice.

Smith is not on par with Ericsson. I really like Smith and he has all the potential to be very good, but he isn't near E. I think that's just simply the grass is always greener and Ericsson is an easy target. Smith is a much different player too -- I don't doubt he could come in immediately and produce more offensively and make better break out passes than Ericsson. However, Smith has not proven he can handle playing 20+ minutes against NHL competition. You can cover up some defensive flaws playing 12-14 minutes per game. Not to mention, the crucial role Ericsson plays for the penalty kill. The PK completely turned around when E came back from injury. Ericsson makes mistakes, but I also recall Smith turning the puck over in front of his own net multiple times during his second trip up with the Red Wings. I do agree Smith will be on the team next year and not in the capacity of the 7th d-man. He's definitely ready to make the jump full time and I think the best thing would be having him paired with Kronwall. Although, I guess a lot will depend on what happens with Nick, Quincey and any potential free agent signings.

Love how hard Parise forechecked there and got rewarded for it with a goal. His combination of speed and finishing ability is something the Red Wings need badly.

What a game. Really rooting for the Rangers to win it all now. Dan Girardi may be the most underrated player in hockey. I love watching him play.

Does it change anything really? The Red Wings are still at home. Nashville may have been overhyped some, but what does it say then that the Red Wings won one lousy playoff game against them?

Max Scherzer drives me nuts. I genuinely like him as a pitcher, but he needs to find some consistency. He's one of the most hit-or-miss players I can remember watching.

Can't wait to have Eaves back next season. Second best penalty killer on the team and hands-down the best forward at blocking shots. Definitely need his energy and hard work to boost the bottom six alongside Helm. I'd love to see a line of Miller-Helm-Eaves consistently.

It doesn't, but it also further illustrates how badly the Red Wings do have needs. If Nashville/Rinne came out and shut down the Coyotes too then maybe it perpetuates the hot goalie excuse. I want Phoenix to continue to humiliate the Predators -- anything to keep pressing away from the "we like our team" mantra this summer. Phoenix's best goal-scorer is Radim Vrbata, top point-producer is Ray Whitney at age 63. Yet, they have done the right things to take command of the series with far less talent offensively than the Red Wings threw on the ice. It doesn't change what the Red Wings need to accomplish, but I do think it really emphasizes how important it is to get serious help at forward.

Phoenix has now scored the same number of goals in two games against Nashville as the Red Wings did in five. This is why "we score a lot of goals in the regular season" doesn't mean s***.

Doubtful. Franzen never goes into the tough areas.

It's definitely in context. I was sitting directly behind Luongo that night and remember him sliding across the ice like they had just won something important. Didn't even catch the Burrows gesture live because I was focused on Luongo's celebration.

I guess Game 2 really was the best method to beating Rinne. Fewer shots means more goals on him.

Thanks to Matt and all of the mods for their hard work. I appreciate having such a great place to come and talk about the Red Wings with other fans.

Young, not surprisingly, is not in the lineup for tonight's game. If the incident alone didn't get me mad enough as a Tigers fan, Leyland's lineup tonight sealed the deal. Dirks isn't even starting, Kelly is batting 5th and Eldred 6th. What the hell? I wouldn't throw Prince a strike all night if I was Nova with the short-porch in right. Move Avila and/or Peralta up in the order, please. They should be hitting 5th/6th even when Delmon is playing.

Ugh. You hit it right on -- this is exactly what the Tigers don't need happening. I too have never been a fan of Young's demeanor and figured he was a time bomb from the day the Tigers acquired him. The legal process can play itself out here, but nothing changes the fact Young was highly intoxicated the night before a game and ended up getting into a fight. As you pointed out, how much of an idiot do you have to be in a contract year to put yourself in that position? Does he think his s***ty numbers so far this season are going to get him a nice new deal when he already had major character concerns? I miss Victor Martinez more every day. If he's around, then you can probably say farewell to Delmon after this incident and move on. From a baseball perspective though, I don't think the Tigers can afford to just walk away. Who plays left field or DH's? Eldred is still an unknown commodity in the big leagues. I hate Young batting 5th because his plate discipline might be the worst I have ever seen, but I was hoping hitting behind Cabrera and Fielder would lead to some big numbers again. V-Mart would be back next year, Delmon would help the Tigers win this season and get a huge contract offer elsewhere because of it. Too bad he still swings at anything thrown near the plate and hasn't shown the power he displayed in the playoffs. It just feels like nothing is going the Tigers way since that special opening homestand.

STL/LAK: 4-3 PHX/NSH: 4-2 NYR/WSH: 4-3 PHI/NJD: 4-1

I will be civil here and just say thank you to Inge for his service to the Detroit Tigers. I haven't been a fan of his efforts on the field for most of his career, but I do appreciate his dedication and passion for the team and community. Baseball related, this is the right move. Hopefully Eldred can add some much needed pop to this struggling offense.

C - Zetterberg A - Datsyuk/Kronwall/Parise rotation This is purely for when Nick retires in 2042.

Rough times right now all the way around. The offense has completely dried up since the opening series against Boston. The Tigers have gone up against some pretty strong pitching so far, but the bats aren't clicking at all which is very surprising considering the depth throughout the lineup. The starting pitching is extremely erratic. JV has been his usual self, Smyly has been excellent despite not winning. Porcello got bombed against Texas, but his first two starts were great. Scherzer really needs to find some consistency soon. Clearly, Doug Fister is a huge loss. He eats innings and usually wins. Once Fister comes back, I will feel way better about the pitching. Overall, I'm not really worried about this recent slump. The offense will heat up probably with the weather. The Tigers were eight games out of first on May 2nd last season. They are the best team in the AL Central by a mile -- the Indians and White Sox are maybe .500 teams over the long haul IMO. Granted, I think the Rangers series especially exposed some of the Tigers most glaring flaws. No speed to manufacture runs, the gaping hole at 2nd base and some pretty shoddy team defense in particular. Wilk got sent down after tonight and Villarreal is back up. Below has been lights out from the bullpen so it will be interesting to see who takes Fister's spot next time around.

I would forgive Weber after seeing him in a Wings uniform for .3 seconds. It won't happen regardless, but you don't turn away arguably the best d-man in hockey over some bitter feelings.

Signed, The World

Thank you Coyotes. At least now with the Red Wings eliminated, I don't have to worry about seeing the Penguins or Blackhawks winning it all either. Changing of the guard in the Central Division.

Yes. I'm pretty torn on whether Parise or Suter is a bigger need if the Red Wings can get only one of the two. I would lean Parise after watching the Red Wings trying to score goals against Nashville. Hell, all four teams left in the West play very similar styles with sound defense and great goaltending. The Red Wings couldn't beat any of those teams in a playoff series right now with their current roster of forwards. That being said, the defense was turnover prone and sloppy in the playoffs and there is a real possibility neither Nick nor Stuart returns. Then Suter becomes a real necessity, just as much as Parise.

This looks like a gesture to spread world peace, no? Some things never change. You can alter your name, but everyone knows he is a hot-headed moron.