GoWings1905

Aaron Downey or Darren McCarty would not have won the game for the Red Wings last night. One loss in January isn't the end of the world. It figures these threads only show up after a loss.

Wow, what a great game. The Red Wings played hard with the exception of some poor defensive breakdowns. These are clearly the two best teams in the Western Conference. We'll get 'em when it matters. I am going to go now before I get upset with all of the oncoming Ozzie bashing.

That was a blatant trip on Cleary. He didn't even have to dive like Thornton.

Z never quits. What a game Z!

The Red Wings defense makes me sick.

Very true. I thought he was horrible against Buffalo and he scored the game winner that night. I won't complain with any goal scorer at this point.

Z has been really good tonight. Sammy, not so much.

My bad, I thought Lebda took the penalty. He still sucks at defense. One thing about the Red Wings that has concerned me all season is the fact that opponents seem to be able to cycle the puck and sustain pressure on the Red Wings defense in their own zone rather easily. Stuart and Kronwall playing more physical would probably help the issue somewhat. Hudler is going to score on this power play.

Brett Lebda takes really bad penalties at really bad times. Why exactly did he need to knock the net off? Probably to avoid playing actual defense, which he also is horrible at. If Meech is healthy, it is very clear he should be playing over Lebda. Great game and the intensity is amazing. The Sharks diving is brilliant too. I like how easily a player as big as Thornton falls down. Gift-wrapped goal from the refs there. I like how the Red Wings have played for the most part. They have had some major defensive lapses where they get caught watching the puck and standing around in their own zone. It's tough to blame Ozzie when there are guys on the ice that forget the concept of defense. Should be an exciting third period. The Red Wings need to take care of the puck and make good passes out of the zone against the forecheck. Stay out of the box and keep the pressure on Nabokov and the Sharks defense. 6-5 Red Wings and first in the West...

Nice diving by Thornton and Nabokov. Very impressive.

The Pistons are going out in the first round this season. Clearly, Allen Iverson is not "The Answer" for this team.

This is a big game. I am pumped up for this one. For all the hype the Sharks have gotten (and rightfully so) to start this season, the Red Wings could be first in the conference with a win tonight. That is pretty special for a team that by all accounts hasn't played anywhere near their collective potential yet. Red Wings: 3 (Rafalski, Franzen, Hudler) Sharks: 2 (Marleau, Clowe) Let's Go Red Wings!

Ken Holland usually has solid ideas, but this isn't one of them. I really hope the NHL doesn't go for this. Teams that win during the regular season have earned that home ice advantage especially on the biggest stage. I want to see the Red Wings at JLA in front of their fans, not at some random site in another city.

Friday: New Jersey @ Columbus Anaheim @ Pittsburgh Toronto @ Atlanta Philadelphia @ Florida NY Rangers @ Chicago Edmonton @ Colorado Saturday: Los Angeles @ Dallas Carolina @ Buffalo Montreal @ Ottawa New Jersey @ NY Islanders Boston @ Washington Florida @ Tampa Bay Atlanta @ Nashville Chicago @ St Louis Anaheim @ Minnesota Phoenix @ Calgary Detroit @ San Jose Sunday: NY Rangers @ Pittsburgh Columbus @ Vancouver Calgary @ Colorado Phoenix @ Edmonton

You are using best in a very loose sense of the word. Kopecky has been just as bad as Maltby and/or Draper. There isn't one area of the game that Kopecky is decent at or has even improved since coming into the league. The only reason he is even on the Red Wings roster is because of Marian Hossa. The fourth line has been awful, but Kopecky is easily the worst player on the team.

Good post. I was very confident Z would get a deal done too, but if this report is true, I am beginning to get somewhat nervous as well. I don't know about all the details behind the financial situation, but 7.5 million seems more than fair for Z.

I hope Meech gets to play again tonight. I have been so impressed with him lately. I hope the Red Wings focus tonight and aren't looking ahead to Saturday. Red Wings: 5 (Holmstrom, Hossa x2, Datsyuk, Kronwall) Kings: 2 (Brown, O'Sullivan) Let's Go Red Wings!

Before everyone starts ripping Z, keep in mind that Hossa is going to get/demand at least 7.5 million as well. It isn't like Z turning down this contract suddenly makes Hossa a better, cheaper alternative.

I'd be confident Tomas Kopecky could do quite well in that category.

Maybe I'm missing something, but what would be the point?

Helm earned his spot and even moreso deserved to keep it. Kopecky has had more than a fair chance of proving anything and he hasn't. Our fourth line does suck, but it isn't something the Red Wings can't fix. Any scenario would be better than Kopecky at this point.

Effort and defense for 60 minutes tonight please. Red Wings: 3 (Hudler, Lidstrom, Z) Duckies: 2 (Getzlaf, Kunitz) Let's Go Red Wings!

Glad to see Meech is in tonight. I wish it was for Kopecky instead of Maltby, but hopefully it will be a positive change for the fourth line. I will still be holding my breath every time they take a shift.

Back in the Central is better than back with the Red Wings.

The fourth line is just awful. Maltby has been the "best" of the three. I like Draper, but he doesn't provide anything to this team anymore. The Red Wings have plenty of good centers at faceoffs and certainly more than enough penalty killers at forward. Kopecky is one of the worst hockey players ever. If Meech is somehow going to keep getting scratched on defense in favor of Lebda, he should at least get some time at forward. My first wish would be to get Darren Helm on this team as quick as possible. Ideally, I would like to see something like this on the fourth line: Maltby/Meech - Helm - McCarty/Downey Rotate in Maltby and Meech. I don't know where to put Draper, but Helm is most certainly a better player at this point. Kopecky can go play for a high school team. None of this will ever happen (especially Draper getting benched), but it is nice to dream about.