GoWings1905

Smith reverting to his playoff series turnover woes against the Blackhawks. That was very untimely. These interference calls are a joke. All three have been very soft. Eddie would not be singing the same tune for those penalties if they went against his favorite team.

Quincey is back to himself. Nice sell by Saad though.

Cleary has been more terrible than usual, but that was not a penalty by any stretch. He was just trying to get back onside and it took the ref ten seconds to make the call after. That was a strong period still. Tatar is sensational, Jurco was all over the place too. It would be a huge boost of confidence for the team to hang on to this lead in the third. Outside of the Blues dud, the Red Wings have competed in every game lately with not much to show for wins.

That should be two penalties hopefully. The original call and the massive slash. Make this 5-on-3 count unlike the last one.

Helm knows he's on his own with those passes off the boards. Chicago got away with too many men there. Another game where they have zero penalties called against them in store here?

Quincey! Nice pass by Nyquist. Eddie trying to say a non-icing call that actually benefitted Chicago initially somehow created that goal for the Wings.

What a weak call. They could get interference 200 times per game if that's the standard.

Agreed, it's tough right now. I like the kid line together too. I guess I would probably just flip Miller and Cleary. It sucks because that 4th line was good in the first, but I don't think the Wings can afford more of Cleary and Bertuzzi on the same line. Yes, both need to be off the team when some of these other guys get healthy.

Best period from Eaves in a long time. Always liked him and happy to see him get rewarded. They responsed well after going down 2-0. Thought it might get pretty ugly, but to their credit, it's a brand new game. Can't keep Cleary and Bertuzzi together, though. Already been on the ice for two goals against and you know something else bad is bound to happen.

Eaves! What a shot and great hustle by Abby. Anyone else hear a whistle right before Eaves scored?

Tatar! Love the young guns together. More of them, less Helm and two bozos line please.

Quincey stops playing. Bertuzzi and Cleary -2 half way through the period. Babs really thought that was going to work well? His line construction this season is horrendous. This might get really ugly.

So that's what a natural goal-scorer looks like. I still miss him. It was only a matter of time before Cleary and Bertuzzi racked up a minus playing together. It's like Babs thinks of the worst possible idea and tries it out.

I hate Helm with Bertuzzi and Cleary. Talk about eliminating his speed with two anchors for wingers.

Already have a bad feeling about this game and we get the Blackhawks biggest cheerleader in the booth too. Go Wings! Definitely gonna need more than one goal to win.

Kindl hasn't been good by any stretch, but what is it going to take to get Kyle Quincey as a healthy scratch? Babs should keep Smith with Kronwall too regardless -- Smith has been far more consistent when paired with Kronner. I want to believe the Wings can find a way to win tonight because they desperately need points, but this is a complete mismatch right now. The Red Wings can't score goals, the Blackhawks certainly can and they are firing shots at a goalie in his first game back from injury. I hope this doesn't turn into that game on Easter against Chicago last year.

Out at least one week in Red Wings injury terms is probably after the Olympic Break for Howard. Huge loss, obviously. Jimmy was stealing games with the team unable to score goals and now they have to ride a habitually inconsistent Gustavsson coming off injury. It's getting to the point where you almost just have to call this season lost. A lot of other teams in playoff contention plus the Wings inability to get remotely healthy is going to be very tough to overcome. I just don't want the injuries to be an excuse for complacency in the off-season. Remove the dead weight, let the kids have permanent spots and make a move or two to solidify the defense.

Sheahan is so impressive. I'm just going to assume at this point the Red Wings likely won't ever be healthy, so he will stay up regardless. Certainly has earned it otherwise, though.

Jurco gets demoted to the 4th line for I guess not playing well in the two shifts he got prior to the third.

There goes that. Another bad break on a puck going wide. The Blackhawks may score 12.

Helm is everywhere already. Couple good chances there. Need one quick to get some energy and confidence back.

Completely overmatched. Kinda expected given the Blues are probably quite superior even if the Wings are healthy, but it's really ugly. Had a chance down 3-1 with a long 5-on-3 and obviously didn't score. Inexplicably, Babs had Eaves and Bertuzzi out there instead of Tatar and Sheahan.

Cleary, Kronwall and Quincey and I guess now Jimmy too. It never ends.

How does Tatar not see the ice during a 5-on-3 when you have Eaves and Bertuzzi out there? I know the penalties play a role, but this game needs more of Sheahan, Jurco and Tatar.

Alone in front of the net yet again. Could any of our d-men try and put a body or stick on the man in front? That's too easy and it happened on both goals.