GoWings1905

Agreed. Luckily Babcock has gotten away from Hudler on the point recently. There's no need to have him back there with Lidstrom, White, Kronwall and Quincey/Kindl all fully capable and available. Hudler is too good of a passer anyways and can use that ability much more situated along the half-boards.

I think you are right on. It makes perfect sense -- Avila lower in the order facing a lefty like Lester on Thursday. My goodness, what a lineup. I can't wait for this season to start.

Weekend Picks

Nice win. Not the prettiest display of hockey, but they got two points and did some things much better in the process. Nyquist looked awesome with Datsyuk -- they need to stay together and into the playoffs. Franzen still did nothing, but at least Pavel had Nyquist out there to help create scoring chances. Z's line was terrific as usual. Best part of the game was only one goal against and seeing Jimmy look strong again. Ericsson was very good. I know he gets dumped on here, but he's very valuable on the PK and Babcock even singled him out for it. It's not a coincidence the PK is perfect since E returned. I think he has definitely outplayed both Quincey and Kindl. E always gets criticized, but Quincey takes so many bad penalties and hasn't had the impact that I expected so far. I would rather see Ericsson/Smith as the third pairing right now. Quincey needs to break his bad penalty knack. I like he's aggressive and wants to be physical, but do it wisely at least. Back to controlling their own destiny for home ice advantage. Huge test on Wednesday. We'll see if the Red Wings can fare a little better this time against a tough division rival with a lot at stake.

Can we send Quincey back to where he came from please? He has been an awful addition.

Quincey takes some really dumb penalties.

Tigers announced this morning Smyly as the 5th starter, Luis Marte gets the final spot in the bullpen. Smyly won't start until April 12th, meaning there is one extra roster spot available for now. Dirks, Thomas, Worth and Inge are the final four with three of them making the team.

I hope this turns out to be true so bad. A top-six winger that scores goals to play alongside Datsyuk is the biggest need the Red Wings have this summer. Right now the Red Wings have three top-six forwards that bring it every night. I don't really dislike Bertuzzi or Hudler, but both are very streaky and benefit from playing with linemates that elevate their play greatly. Since Franzen isn't too keen on the whole October-April thing, it really exposes a top-six that has been wildly inconsistent most of the regular season. I don't think Suter happens unless Nick retires.

If the Wings want any shot at 4th, I think this is pretty much a must-win game. The Red Wings have the toughest remaining schedule by far of the three Central teams in contention. Chicago has a home-and-home with lousy Minnesota and the finale in Detroit. Nashville gets Minnesota and Dallas at home, finishes at Colorado. The Red Wings do have a game in-hand on both teams, but I don't think winning at St. Louis looks too promising right now. Game 82 against the Blackhawks is shaping up to have major implications. More than anything, I just hope the Red Wings use these final four games to get in playoff form. I don't think relying on the proverbial "flip the switch" is going to work well against a team like the Predators. They need to compete harder and clean up their defensive lapses very quickly. Free Nyquist and Go Red Wings!

Winding down Spring Training thankfully. It appears the Tigers have three decisions left to make for the Opening Day roster. Obviously the major one will be whatever happens at second base. I think Smyly and Below both might make the team. Smyly as the 5th starter and Below as a long reliever in the bullpen. I like Below's story, but I just don't think he has good enough stuff to be an effective starter consistently. I would rather see a prospect with some upside like Smyly fill the role if the Tigers deem him ready. What I really want and what will happen at second base are probably very different. I think Worth deserves it for many reasons, among them being he can play all three infield positions quite well defensively. Worth is never going to be a great hitter, though he would do just fine for a utility infielder. If the Tigers look solely at merit and not the name on the jersey, it's a very easy decision.

No worries -- I kinda figured that was your point. I understand giving Emmerton a chance this season being he couldn't get sent down, but I think it's pretty clear by now that he isn't really an effective NHL player especially in a 4th line role. Too bad Helm got hurt as Abdelkader could just slide down to the 4th line. I imagine Emmerton being a center is one of the only reasons he continues to play.

What's the point of Emmerton at all? He was on the ice for two Nashville goals in six minutes. Six minutes too many IMO. To be fair, the Red Wings have much larger issues than Cory Emmerton, but my goodness the 4th line of this team is just pathetic.

Completely agree. People here are rightfully frustrated now with the way the team they love is playing. Nobody needs to hear what constitutes a fan.

Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Filppula were the only forwards that played hard and created chances. Having to watch Datsyuk drag around Franzen and Bertuzzi is so infuriating. What a waste of the most creative player in hockey. The top six needs completely revamped, hopefully starting with the addition of Parise. My enthusiasm for the playoffs may be the lowest ever. Maybe they will flip the switch, but there's too many things working against the Red Wings to feel much confidence. Definitely need some new blood regardless this summer.

Nice effort in the biggest game of the season. 4th line has been on the ice for two goals against. How does that happen getting like three shifts per period? It doesn't matter who the Red Wings draw in the first round playing like this.

Consider me shocked the puck went in the net with Cleary, Bertuzzi and Abdelkader all on the ice together. Too many passengers. Besides Pavel, Z and Fil there is no consistency at forward from anyone else.

Wow, what a boring game. Nashville may win a lot because the other team falls asleep on the bench. Clog the neutral zone and the Red Wings haven't done much to get around it. Z looks awesome. Pavel needs the anchor off his line immediately. The 4th line blows anyways -- at least give Nyquist a shot to use his skill.

Correct. Next weekend is the end.

Completely agree about the 4th line. I know the Red Wings philosophy is an emphasis on skill, but it wouldn't be the worst thing ever to just change that idea for guys playing five minutes per game. I think Emmerton is just roster filler and nothing more, though it's also kind of unfair to ask a "skill" player coming up to continue to play that role in such limited ice time. Nyquist may as well not even dress if he isn't going to play with Datsyuk -- they are wasting his talent throwing him out there with Emmerton and Holmstrom. I'm pretty neutral overall on needing someone to fight consistently. However, I would be thrilled if Holland actually added a couple physical players to create something that actually resembles a useful 4th line in the future. Having some big bodies there that will forecheck hard and ideally kill penalties would be so much more valuable than whatever the hell the Red Wings 4th line presently does (nothing). There's no identity right now -- I haven't noticed Emmerton do anything in months, Mursak skates around real fast and Holmstrom is stuck there because he is nothing more than a PP specialist that doesn't do anything else worthwhile. Three lines of skill and depth is plenty. The 4th line should be designated to provide energy and some grit. Derek Dorsett is a maniac against the Red Wings, but he contributes still offensively, which is seemingly a requirement to make the Red Wings roster. Eric Nystrom was on waivers. There are always viable options available and yet it seems like every year the front office tries to force borderline prospects with minimal offensive upside into a role that nearly every other team in the league uses to carry some "sandpaper". Besides addressing the glaring need for a top-six forward (or two), my biggest hope this summer is Holland does a complete revamp of the 4th line. I'm also hoping to date Kate Upton as well.

Haven't won a road game in exactly one month. Absolutely have to get two points on Friday now.

Do we have word on Franzen's potential return date?

Damn, I think that's probably a goal if Abdelkader had his stick on the ice.

That first PP unit is starting to click now. Beyond that, I'm throughly bored watching the lack of compete tonight.

Smart play Quincey.

Sign me up for a cold, coming back from injury Jimmy Howard in goal Friday over Conklin. I get Babcock's philosophy, but home ice may be at stake and this team clearly needs it. Let Jimmy play if he says he is healthy enough. Conklin's numbers speak for themselves.