GoWings1905

Difference of opinion I guess. I think Comerica Park is very nice both inside and out. Besides holding a ton of people, Michigan Stadium wasn't all that pleasing to look at before the recent renovations. Seems like the Detroit Red Wings should host the Winter Classic in Detroit if the option is there. Regardless of venue, I'm still very excited by the news.

That's horrible logic. That was the Sabres only option as a venue to host the event. The Red Wings have a beautiful baseball park in the city in which they actually play should they get the Winter Classic. I get the appeal of wanting to pack as many people as possible into the game, but I hope Ilitch prefers Comerica Park. The Wings should host the Winter Classic in Detroit if they can.

I revised everyone's picks from last weekend so all scores should be updated. Don't forget the Winter Classic tiebreaker selections need to be completed by Monday as well, if you choose to play along. Weekend Picks

It is a shame he won't be around either for the Red Wings to light up in the first round this year.

Definitely Game 6 against the Sharks. My ears were ringing for days after being at JLA that night.

One meeting out of six in December determined that for you? The Red Wings are in their toughest portion of the schedule right now and only trail by five points with a game-in-hand still. Last night was hardly a strong indicator the Hawks are better. They won by a single goal on their home ice in a game where the refs called everything against Detroit and nothing against Chicago. Flip the powerplay advantage around and I guarantee the result isn't the same.

I hate the Blackhawks, but it's pretty clear their top forwards are much better than ours as a collective unit. I don't like their depth as much, however it's tough to match their firepower up front with Toews, Hossa, Sharp and Kane. As mentioned last night, they have the cap space to make moves as well. You have to appreciate the Red Wings edge on defense and in goal at least, though Crawford has turned it around lately. I think it would be a very intense and long playoff playoff series should the two meet, although I would like the Red Wings chances much better with another any goal scorer around. That goes for any opponent really, but especially against top-tier teams like the Blackhawks, Canucks and Sharks. Yeah, I'm sure the Wild are real disappointed with that one point they didn't get in three meetings so far.

Not as much when you consider the term. Franzen for 11 years is looking like a very poor decision. I would take my chances with Hossa again despite the pretty clear advantage you mentioned Franzen holds in the playoffs. Hossa's impact during the regular season compared to Franzen's is a huge difference in Hossa's favor. Better goal scorer, point producer and defensively it's a runaway. Not to mention, effort has never been a question surrounding Hossa. Maybe Hossa gets you a couple more wins during the regular season and home ice in some playoff rounds, which is huge. I guess I would take six months of Hossa over Franzen with the trade-off being possibly a slightly lesser impact come playoff time. Franzen clearly has the ability to at least match Hossa offensively, but puts in little desire to do so.

Very tough to get going offensively killing penalties all of the time. Both goaltender interference calls were terrible and obviously the "hook" to give Toews the penalty shot was too. I would prefer they call very little and let them play, but if you are going to make questionable calls, do it both ways. This was definitely a game where the refs influenced the outcome.

I don't disagree, but he was playing hurt too. When healthy, there isn't one thing Franzen is better at than Hossa unless you count being invisible October-April.

I couldn't agree more. I despised the decision in 2009 and nights like this one only further that belief. Hossa was everywhere tonight and a force at both ends. Easily the most noticeable player on either team. It would be really nice if Franzen could show half that effort in a game sometime in the next couple months. You can't even deny it isn't an effort thing with Franzen because he's one of the best goal scorers in the league when he shows up. Problem is those games are few and far between. Beyond that, the ice was horrible and the refs were even worse. Six penalties to one and the double standard with goaltender interference is infuriating. Once again, the Red Wings intensity and attention to detail was lacking on the road. Zetterberg's line was awful in defensive coverage. Another tough challenge tomorrow night. At least it's a home game.

Jimmy MVP and Nick a very close runner-up. Pavel, Fil and White deserve some serious recognition for their play as well.

What a game. You have to give the Red Wing some major props for battling through some bad calls and a tough break on the second Blues goal. Just seems like the Wings are usually going to find a way to win at home where as the confidence definitely isn't as high on the road. The Blues are a very tough team to play against and generate offense, but the Red Wings did a great job sticking with it and ramping up the intensity in the third. Howard and White were remarkable. Auger and O'Halloran were the complete opposite. It's a shame those charming Blues fans won't be around here to present us with their insightful analysis after this one.

Can't win games in this league only playing for 20 minutes. They got what they deserved. It just pisses me off even more they can show that kind of effort in the third when they should be the most tired. I can take losing, but this garbage of not going hard for 60 minutes is frustrating. The Red Wings can dominate seemingly whenever they want to and yet there have been so many stretches this season where they don't even look like they want to be there. Huge week of games coming up. Gotta re-focus after Christmas and do some damage against the Central.

If there was no chance of Vokoun agreeing to play a backup role, I guess I don't understand why the Red Wings would have been in his final two of potential destinations. Holland and Babcock have always been high on Howard, so it's not like there was any doubt Howard would get every shot to be the starting goalie. Obviously, you look at Howard and Neuvirth and the decision is relatively easy, but there's still a decent chance Vokoun is on the bench should the Capitals make the playoffs.

Not entirely true. Neuvirth actually started the season opener for the Capitals and Boudreau had implied when Vokoun signed, that he was likely going to pretty much split time between the two goalies. Vokoun started well (as did the team) and Neuvirth missed some time. Even now, Neuvirth is getting most of the starts lately so I wouldn't call Vokoun an undisputed starter by any stretch. Even if Vokoun doesn't outplay Howard with the Red Wings, he would still be one of the best backup goalies in the league and give Detroit an elite tandem in goal. Instead, Howard is getting overplayed because Conklin has been awful in every start except his first.

Why do you always have to answer for hitting in the NHL now? Keep your head up next time Kesler and it won't be an issue. This guy used to be one of my favorite players in the league until last season, especially in the playoffs. Now I just see him as a whiner and hypocrite. It is completely wrong for Kronwall to make a hit but Kesler is allowed to stick his knee out and try to injure Zetterberg? Total clown -- fits in well on that team with the Sedin's, Bieksa and Burrows.

After some discussion and review of the site we are using, we are going to alter the contest slightly for this weekend. There are only games on Friday because of Christmas, which we typically take off. Because of that, it truly won't matter who you select as everyone is getting all 11 games correct regardless. I don't have any way to wipe this weekend out entirely and didn't think it would be fair to make everyone use this as one of their "dropped weeeks", so this seems like the best solution. Please at least choose a team for each game, as I can only adjust your picks to get the free 11 points if one of the teams is actually selected like usual. Sorry for the trouble and thanks for participating! Also, I am going to post the Winter Classic tiebreaker thread within the next few days. We will use this to determine the overall winner should there be a tie at the end of the season. Happy Holidays, guys! Weekend Picks

Yeah, it's locked now from changing the dropped weeks. I agree with you that this is likely going to eliminate one of the lowest scored weeks just from the sheer lack of games. The site scores everyone that has signed up for the contest each week so all of us would get a zero if we decide not to pick any games, which I prefer as well. Only a couple people had submitted picks so far from what I can tell. I may go in and get rid of those if I can find a way to block this weekend altogether.

Weekend Picks

Good thought -- I had forgotten we usually don't pick on Christmas weekend. After looking at the site, I can make the pool inactive but I'm not real certain what that will do. I can try that out or we may just go ahead and have to pick Friday's games instead.

You can hate the point system all you want, but it doesn't change the results. Head-to-head does mean something considering the Wild have picked up 5 of a possible 6 points against the Red Wings so far. The Wild are sitting near the top of the conference. Using your own formulas doesn't change that. If the Wild aren't doing that great, then no one in the NHL is either. I even stated I don't think they will keep their current pace, but as of now it's hard to say they haven't been impressive.

They may not sustain this level of winning, but I think over two months of playing well is more than just a lucky streak. Their division is definitely weak, but they did beat the Red Wings twice within a couple days and only lost in OT the other meeting.

I don't buy them as a serious threat to win the West, but I think a playoff spot is definitely likely. They play in a horrible division. The only other team in the Northwest that is any competition to the Wild are the Canucks. Have to give them credit so far, though. They play a very boring style of game, but it has been effective. Solid defense and very strong goaltending.

USA Today Coaches Poll It is almost the best time of year again - Saturday's in the fall!