GoWings1905

That's a back breaker. You can't spend the entire game in your own zone when your defense stinks.

Jimmy! That might be a game-changer. Quincey is such an idiot. Didn't play defense at all on the first goal and there's his once per game moronic penalty.

He was right. Pretty fortunate whistle.

That's a makeup call for missing the slash by Bertuzzi.

The kid line is skilled, but they compete so damn hard every shift. Maybe the veterans could do the same too soon.

Sheahan! Huge goal to get back in it. Thanks PK!

That went well. Good urgency and execution for a huge game. I don't want Alfie back for any price. Already have too many forwards next season and he just hasn't stepped up with the injuries. Glendening's line played way too much. They aren't going to help when trailing in a game. Better hope the kids bail the Wings out because Franzen doesn't appear to be having fun again.

Ugh, that puck had to be left for Andersson.

Yeah Babs, let's keep throwing a line of Miller, Glendening and Bertuzzi out there every other shift down two goals. Those are three offensive stalwarts to make up the deficit.

What a nightmare. Nice showing following a terrible effort in Columbus. This defense is just awful at everything -- coverage, moving the puck, chipping in offensively.

That was a nice shot. What was the four million dollar d-man doing?

Has Bertuzzi ever made a pass forward? Everything is backwards or cross-ice through five bodies.

Oh hey six minutes in and the best line finally hits the ice. Nice coaching, Babs. The Wings are a mess in their own zone.

Five minutes and counting and they still haven't played. This is absurd. Keep rolling those bottom-six plugs though Babs.

The kid line hasn't taken a shift yet. I wouldn't use our best line either.

The Canadiens keep winning, but I just don't think they are that impressive. If the Wings were at all healthy, I believe they are definitely ahead of Montreal in the standings. As I type this, the Canadiens will probably win 6-1 now tonight. Great to have Jurco back -- I really don't like Mule and Alfie together and this gives the Wings three lines with scoring potential now. Alfie has done well with Helm before. You can throw anyone with Mule, but it's all dependent on whether he is engaged or not.

Emmerton got sent down today. My guess is Callahan goes when Jurco returns and hopefully Bertuzzi is done when Abby comes back next week.

For real? In a league where poor officiating is the standard, tonight somehow topped that. They called everything for 10 minutes, nothing the rest of the way except for that "slash" (which wasn't) on Legwand. The refs were a disaster.

I get where you are coming from, but I'm not sure that's a move that would even motivate Franzen (which I assume is what you want). With Franzen's mentality, he would probably just pout and shut down entirely. He's infuriating to watch and obviously right now is a stretch where he has no confidence and doesn't appear to be engaged in the game. I don't expect him to consistently produce like he does on those scoring streaks, but as a veteran and skilled player, he can't just go invisible for a ten-game stretch with a depleted lineup in a playoff race. There's no middle ground with Franzen -- he's either a dominant player or completely invisible. You can't call the team out though and then yourself not show up in the biggest game of the season.

Blew a huge opportunity. I don't even know what to say anymore about the NHL and its officiating. The past three games were disgusting. Situational calls, disallowed goal, making up rules about the net being off. They have their hands far too often on the outcome of games. As for the Wings, everyone stunk besides the kid line and Helm. The bottom-six works hard, but there is absolutely no offensive skill from those players. Franzen and Alfredsson wearing the A's which stand for atrocious. Nice veteran leadership there from those two as no-shows in the biggest game of the season. Pav really needs to come back soon because this is a one line team offensively. Winning streak, followed by two losses. Seems to be the trend of the season. They can't let it spiral beyond tonight. Gotta get two points on Thursday.

Put the kids out there. Mule and Alfie are spectating.

Unbelievable. How much more would the refs like to do to aid a Columbus victory?

Smith with an unfortunate pinch at the worst time. He looks great lately, but still makes huge mistakes. Once again, the Franzen line not helping at all. I think that's a goal.

Now the refs are letting everything go. I'm fine with that as opposed to how they called the first, but Helm got away with a huge hook. The kid line is the only one generating anything offensively. I don't expect the bottom-six to do much in that regard, but Franzen's line needs to get in this game.

Most important third period of the season coming up. Leafs are going to lose and a regulation win would create some separation from the Jackets. Hopefully no meltdown like last time in Columbus. Would be nice if Mule and Alfie made an appearance for the final 20.