uncle ovipositor

... says the guy who's team didn't even make the playoffs... It's going to be interesting to see what happens. A lot of people thought the old coach was the problem. I always thought it was that there were glaring holes in the line-up that could at least partially be addressed by spending some $$$. And yet here we are. There are a lot of good players that can be depended on and should stay. Boyle was a huge addition. Huge. Mitchell coming back helped a lot in the finals (not enough, obviously). Vlasic has a big career ahead of him, in spite of the huge-and-as-of-yet-unannounced hip injury that slowed him up this season. Pavelski, Clowe, and Setagochi are all young guys with a big future. Marleau and Joe are both solid second line guys and one should stay. But there needs to be someone else playing on the top line that is a serious contender. As far as who goes, well, there are some easy answers there. Mihaleck has never delivered, for reasons I'm unclear on. Cheechoo is an excellent third-line guy who had one fluky season that put his expectations (and salary) well above what he could possibly deliver on. Blake would be great at half the price. It'll be interesting how this plays out.

As someone else noted, that's got a lot to do with the way the Ducks are playing in their own end. Shots have to to through several Ducks because they all collapse in their own end. If something makes it through all those legs, Hiller's been there for it. Driving the net requires going through all of those big bodies as well. Not to say it's impossible, and the Wings are the team to do it if they get the chance, but it's not going to be an easy series. The Wings count on a lot of rebound chances. The Ducks just don't give them up lately. I think they've been outplayed for most of this series (the glaring exception being game 4, which was pretty much theirs), but they're very good at hanging on, being patient, then opportunistically striking when the time is right. That's a pretty good formula for beating the Sharks, who always seem to need a collective nap or two during every game. They don't have much secondary scoring (the Wings can handle the Selane line easily), but their top line is hard to shut down. Bobby Ryan has been incredible - watching him score is watching perfect play. HZ would be a good match-up, and will likely go a long way against that line - certainly better than Thornton's line (I like JT a lot, but he's just not a 2-way forward). I don't know who's a more ideal opponent for the Wings (Nucks or Ducks), but my hunch is either one is going to go down in a much more enjoyable series than the one versus Columbus. Either one is a good game. For the Ducks, if they get through this round they've got 3 SCF-caliber series ahead of them if they want to win it all. Only one of those is the actual SCF. I would be amazed if they make it that far, but it would be worth watching. They're not playing the same game they were when they won the cup, and it's been a lot more enjoyable to watch. But this series is going to cost them a lot, and I don't know if they could get through Detroit. If the Sharks somehow make it through, they've got a much easier path, but it also likely hits the Wings. That should be a good series, assuming the Sharks show up.

More than a few Sharks fans are worried about the Avery factor.

Interestingly, not every move the Sharks make is based on the Wings. He's coming up because of injuries, not the least of which is Torrey Mitchell re-injuring his leg yesterday. There have been a couple of guys up from the AHL, and their time is about up, so they're going back down. Meanwhile, the Sharks still have a D man playing forward in a number of games, because there are so many guys out right now. So they need people, and all of the younguns who looked good in camp have already had a turn. Claude said he wanted to get back into the NHL and would do whatever it takes, and he's jumped through every hoop the Sharks organization asked him to jump through. He went to China to play for a few months to prove he was serious, and didn't complain. Then he went to the AHL, again without complaining. Everyone has said he can still play. He proved that he's serious, now he gets rewarded. I've got to respect him for everything he's done to get this chance. All that said, I don't think he'll be up for more than a few games. The Sharks have their team, and it's been working together for a few months now to be a solid unit. Unless he comes in and really does play the best hockey of his career, he's going to have a hard time winning a place. In the same way that the Sharks, like the Wings, won't be renting a star for the playoffs, they won't be adding someone out of desperation or fear. Most likely the Sharks will offer to trade him to whomever is most likely to face the Wings in the first round. Because that would be funny.

You do understand what offsides is, right?

That was one of the best games I've seen in quite a while. In both of the previous match-ups this season, one or the other team was not playing great, and the games ultimately weren't that fun to watch. This one, though... That's exciting hockey.

I don't think I made it sound like anything - I just posted what he said when asked about the team's identity.

Modano's comments on the game. "Tonight, it was idiotic and stupid,'' Stars center Mike Modano said when asked what the team identity was. ``It was one of the most embarrassing things I've seen. If that's what we're going for, then they need to find me an office job.''

I think Crosby's got a lot of raw skill, and he's obviously put in the hours. It's kind of like how musical prodigies always end up playing classical or lame jazz. What they excell at is the formal stuff, and they practice all the time to improve on that. But the formal stuff isn't what makes music interesting, and no matter how many charts you've memorized or double-stops you've mastered, it never gets past technique. If you don't feel it, neither do the people listening, and the end result is a dull sort of respect. I think Crosby screwed himself by staying with the Pens. He's the best player on the team, and there's nobody there to push him - something he needs because he's only 21. And the team's gotten worse this year, while the rest of the division has gotten better. Hopefully either he leaves (unlikely) or they get some better/other veteran players in the line-up so he can improve (only slightly more likely). But as it stands I think he might have hit his glass ceiling. His skill will get him far, but I'll take Iginla any day.

As a Sharks fan, you guys are still the team to beat for the cup this year, and Babcock is a significant factor in why. Detroit's been lagging a little bit and still managing a 7-2-2 record. At least wait until February before you start doubting the coach.

It was a clean hit. A very, very big clean hit. I'm a Sharks fan and can't find fault with it, even if I wish it hadn't happened. Milan's reportedly fine. No broken bones, but they're waiting to hear the full medical report. He should be back to full speed come the fall.

Don't think that all SJ fans think that. I think last year the central was pretty weak and Detroit benefited from that, but were still a solid team that should have gone all the way (and got farther than the Sharks by beating them). This year the central started out amazing, and Detroit was at the top of that heap. I saw some incredible games in the fall, and I think next year's going to be even better. And the season series between SJ and the Wings does speak for itself - no argument. The Sharks are streaky. Massively talented in fits and bursts, but not consistent.

The slashing rule is making the player's INTENT a judgement call, which is redundant anyway, since there are no objective factual measures of intent. Before that, it defines what slashing is in a non-ambiguous way without adjectives. The one adjective in the definition ("non-aggressive") is a reasonable linguistic qualifier that doesn't introduce too much ambiguity into the definition of the penalty. The fact remains that the refs didn't blow the whistle, so the puck was in play and the goal counts. That he should have blown the whistle doesn't really matter because there are all kinds of instances in every game where they should.

I absolutely agree that there are bad calls as well as bad refs. There's some solace in the fact that every team gets the same refs at some point, so at least there's something like parity, even if the mediocre and bad ref won't make the same percentage of stupid calls in all games. They missed a big one here. It happens. Outside of that play I don't think it was badly officiated, even though one of the refs kept getting in the way behind the net and screwing up the flow and they missed at least 2 too-many-men calls on the Sharks and a nasty Lilja cross-check. Sucks that the mistake was a huge one, but there ya go. I'd take it over some of the games I've seen this season, in which the whole game was called from a deep intestinal vantage point (the last Wings game against the Ducks ranks pretty high on this scale).

I find it funny how many people around here won't acknowledge that their team benefits from bad calls as well. I don't hate the Wings at all - quite the opposite - but they get just as many "lucky breaks" as the next team. Let's not pretend that the world hates the Wings. I did in fact see the goal against the Ducks in the last game, and it was a bad call, but you can see how it could be missed. I also saw Modano move the Sharks goalie out of the crease with his leg during a power play to open some room for a shot - I'm guessing you missed that play. I saw Brodeur get whacked in the back of the head with a stick, causing him to go down and miss a shot from close in. Guess what - it happens to every team. Not because of bad reffing, but because it's an imperfect world and the refs don't see everything.

Nobody's arguing that whether the puck hit the netting is open to interpretation in the rules. And by the letter of the law, roughing, cross-checks, slashes and obstruction aren't up to interpretation. Holmer in the crease isn't up for interpretation. All of the rules are clearly defined. They become up for interpretation when you involve refs having to call games as they're happening. Unless you review everything you're just going to have to accept that mistakes can happen and goals will be scored that shouldn't have. The truth is the whistle wasn't blown, so in the context of this game it was still in play. Make no mistake - I completely agree that it's a s***ty, frustrating way to lose a game. It's also frustrating that the Wings were given a make-up 5-on-3 that helped get them back into the game. If the Wings won because of that I'd be pretty pissed, but I'm not such a Homer that I would deny that the Sharks got a break, or that I would claim the refs are conspiring.

That's not a happy medium at all. The problem here is that the refs don't see everything, so if you only make what they happen to catch reviewable at their discression then you're going to miss a helluva lot of penalties. In this instance it would have stopped a play that should have been stopped, but I've seen a lot of stuff on replays that was clearly illegal and the refs missed it. How is it more fair to only review the infractions that the refs think they might have seen? And every team in the league is going to demand that every play be reviewed when Homer's in front of the net. He's a thin line with what he does, and there's pretty good grounds for saying every play he makes there should be reviewed. Even as a Sharks fan, I don't want to see that. I appreciate the game he plays - it's fun to watch - but it's pretty dubious. At some point you're going to have to come to terms with the fact that it's an imperfect world and there are no hockey gods. Tough break in a really bad month for the Wings. They'll get back to winning soon enough.

Bad call, the Sharks got lucky, tough break. Do you honestly think that the Wings haven't benefitted from similar bad calls? as I said in the GDT, the last time these two teams met Hasek got away with a blatant dive and delaying the game. In this game you got a make-up call which shouldn't have been made. Homer's absolutely brilliant at being in the crease, but he very definitely crosses the line sometimes and gets away with it. Sometimes he gets called when he shouldn't. How do you propose to address that? Look at this from a rules point of view. You either have to accept the fact that the refs are human and fallible and bad calls will be made, or review everything. And I do mean everything - if you just review goals, then there are going to be a lot of plays that arguably lead to goals - dirty hits, obstruction, slashes - and have to be reviewed as well. And then there are all the things that don't get called. How do you not review them? Every game teams get away with cheap shots and hits that violate the letter of the law and don't get called, and they quite obviously influence the outcome of games. If the standard you're going for is that everything that happens on the ice is within the strict confines of the rules then you've got to review EVERYTHING. Sounds like a boring game. I like hockey because it's fast and exciting and open. I prefer that the rules exist as they're enforced to the best of the abilities of the fallible refs. It means bad calls are going to happen, but it beats the alternative. And before anyone says "isn't there a happy medium?", no, there isn't. There are mediums, but no happy ones.

Sorry, but I'm tired of this argument. Terrible calls happen all the time, and not because the officials are plotting against the victim's team but because the refs are human and fallible . Like bad ice, it's a factor that is without blame and is going to affect all teams. How coaches and teams deal with that reality is the issue. The Ducks generally go for overkill, figuring that if there's a penalty on every play the refs aren't going to dare call them all. I'd say Babcock's reaction to the bad call is pretty realistic: yes, it was a bad call. And? And don't pretend that the Wings haven't benefitted from a bad call here and there. The law of averages being what it is, they should be getting about the same amount of benefit as loss - same as everyone else. That the Wings have packed all of their losses into one month is fluky, but numerically the season works out to being the same as everyone else's as far as the refs are concerned. Think about Homer in front of the net: he breaks the rules sometimes and doesn't get called, doesn't break them sometimes and gets 2 minutes anyway. It's a gamble the team is willing to take. Granted, in that case it's a calculated effort and not a fluke, but in the context of bad calls it's the same principle. As to the rest of what you said: I agree with you to a degree. I don't think the Wings can count on a massacre ever, but I do think they're odds-on favorites to win it all. The playoffs do strange things to hockey players, and you've got to win the games before you buy the cup polish, but in spite of Feb, this is still an incredible team.

Hm. Guess we're even for that horrible dive Hasek took last time these two teams met. If it makes any difference, this is now the 4th time the Sharks have won at the Joe. Ever. And they just barely kept from getting shut out by the Wings in the season series (although if you go by goals, it ain't even close). I'm still thinking this team can go all the way - you just need to get your defensemen back.

Oh yeah - Hasek is a marked man this game. He got away with a ridiculous dive and delaying the game last time against the Sharks and they're pissed. I don't know what that's going to mean to the game (lots of reasons it could go either way), but I know it's true. He can probably expect to see a lot of Jody Shelly tonight (the other new Shark who's made a big difference for them). Should be an exciting game.

I think this is going to be a great game to watch and I'm glad to hear it sold out. The Sharks are actually playing hockey lately (although that could change - they're still incredibly streaky), and even with out NL Detroit's a great team. I don't really care who wins, just so long as the Sharks don't get lazy (never a worry with the Wings) and it's fun to watch. I think the Sharks finally are ready to play well against Detroit. Cheechoo's finally going full strength, Marleau seems to be picking it up at least a little, and 2 of the young guys are starting to light the lamp more (watch Mitchell, who's on a line with Greir and tends to get a lot of shorties, and Pavelski, who's probably on the second line tonight and seems to be coming into his own lately). Campbell had a great first game and fills the gaping hole in the Shark's line-up. More like a sucking void. But aside from the fact that Detroit is a great team (even if they're in a slump), the Wings just seem to have the Shark's number. As long as they stay calm and don't make desperation plays, they seem to do pretty well.

Yes, there is a game day thread that I could post this on, and no I haven't posted here in forever. But I usually enjoy it when the Sharks play the Wings, regardless of who wins, and have been thinking about that series generally and wanted to put it in one place. First up, I'm glad that several Wings fans got to hear Drew and Randy call the game against the Sharks. They're a lot of the reason I got interested in hockey again, and they really are something special. Drew's skill at breaking down plays and willingness to point out the weaknesses of both teams makes him a joy to listen to. Drew posted his thoughts on the Detroit vs. Sharks game here: http://boards.sjsharks.com/index.php?autom...p;blogid=1& I don't think there's any fan of the Sharks who would argue with his summary, and they'd be an idiot for trying. This has a lot to do with why I haven't been enjoying RW vs SJS games this season. As everyone knows, the Sharks were pre-season picks to go all the way, and I think they deserved that to some extent. It's obviously ridiculous to call a season before it's started, and I wouldn't put any stock in it after the first puck dropped, but on paper they were coming together quite nicely, and deserved a lot of credit. They've been a pretty good team, and the whole organization is committed to taking this team all the way. And the Wings have been on fire this season, plain and simple. They're doing everything right. Last season the Wings were good, but they benefited from a soft division and had some pretty weak games. This year the division has improved dramatically and yet the Wings have rocketed out in front of everybody in the league. No flukes, no dumb luck, no lucky streaks, just a team playing solidly excellent hockey. And so, the games between these two teams promised to be great hockey. There's nothing so satisfying as watching 2 skilled hockey teams in top form go at it. I've been looking forward to these games since they playoffs. How disappointing it's been. None of that's on the Wings, it's pretty much all on the Sharks. The first 2 games the Sharks couldn't be bothered to skate, let alone shoot. Yes, Detroit got 2 points for each, so Wings fans are probably fine with them, but it was hardly worth watching regardless of which team you were cheering for. But if you enjoy hockey as something more than an accumulation of numbers printed in the paper the next day, those games were unsatisfying crap. I think the Sharks finally played okay hockey in the most recent game - enough so that the game had some interesting moments, but not more than that. The ironic part is that when they Sharks played their best hockey and were starting to come on in the second, the end result was them going to the locker room down by 3. For all the reasons Drew highlights, I hope this game sticks with the Sharks, and that they learn something from it. They aren't of the same caliber as Detroit this year, plain and simple. They could be, but they seem to be waiting for it to happen. I'm hoping the final game of the series is a better game. I'm hoping the Sharks really do learn a lesson from this and come out and play a solid game. Regardless of the outcome, you know that'll be fun to watch - IF it happens. The odds are just as good that the Sharks will turtle after a few goals and try to wait the night out. Regardless, the Red Wings are playing some incredible hockey this season. I've enjoyed every game I've seen them play and only regret not getting to see more of 'em.

Not to give up. And that hockey is a "vicious ballet".

Lessee here: A one-line offense backed by a struggling but great goalie; vs. A solid team that's currently only getting offense from one line and has a back-up goalie that's blowing the doors off of other teams. [That would be the Nucks, then the Wings - just so there's no confusion there] Is Osgood starting? Doesn't really matter. The Nucks are as good as they're going to get this season, and it ain't that great. Luongo hasn't been doing that well so far (with some glimmers here and there), and the team needs him because, well, he IS the team. Their strategy as always seems to be to have him stop everything and then squeak out a goal or two. The Wings are clearly the team to beat, and the Nucks don't have any way to make that happen. Their only hope in the game is an endless string of power plays, since the Sedins seem to be able to pull longish shifts if they don't have to skate too much. 3-1. That's generous to the Nucks. Not much to watch, unless the Wings put together a solid team game that they can build on. Otherwise, it's just a matter of how many get past Luongo.