VM1138

Anyone else think the Wings are feeding off the pro-Pittsburgh coverage? They said...last year I think that they play best when they are the underdog, and the media sure wants to make the Pens seem like the favorite now, and suddenly the WIngs have elevated their play. One period at a time! Let's go Wings!

You must have some good mojo! Here's to a strong 2nd! Never let up Wings!

Well, it was a little cheap. The point is that they never complain when the Pens get these cheap little BS penalties. That is where the bias is. They seemed really upset that the Pens had to be shorthanded.

Wings are looking sharp. Let's go Wings!

UNBELIEVABLE! I haven't been this excited about a goal in freaking forever! Cleary!!!!!!!!!!! WIngs remember who they are now, time to hit "the next gear!"

I'm liking this. It's pretty even so far, but the Wings are generating better chances so far. Don't lay off and keep pouncing on Penguin mistakes, they've been a little shaky three or four times.

They can do this! I'm feeling it tonight! Let's go Wings!

The Wings were just getting things going and suddenly a penalty. Damnit.

I'm thinking sports fans average lifespan is shorter than the non-sports fan. All of us have probably shaved off a year this playoff run alone.

Let's hope the Joe is rockin' tonight! Let's go Wings! So pumped!

The Pens claimed after the game they heard the Wings "chirping" at each other and Babcock later admitted they lost their cool in the locker room. But I seriously doubt anything was said that would seriously negatively affect any relationships. On another note: Why do you have to look like a penis to work for NBC sports? EDIT: After thinkign about it, I think Helm may have been right when he just said no one turned on each other. The WIngs could have lost their composure, complaining about refs or god knows what, but maybe they didn't actually turn on each other.

It was a great piece, history and determination will drive the Wings tonight. There's a reason they're the best!

The media thought the series was over when the Wings were up 2-0. Now they think it's over for the WIngs. They don't know anything. The Wings have consistently and constantly proven tradition and conventional wisdom wrong in their clutch wins. Tonight, the Wings will show the entire NHL what "that next gear" really is. Oh, if the Wings win tonight, they also get a much needed rest. There are 3 day intervals between the next two games, I read in the Detroit News today. That means if they can pull out a win tonight, they will have a completely rested and healthy team to go for Game 6 and 7 if needed, which bodes very poorly for the Pens. On the plus side, even a loss tonight will still give the Wings enough time to rest up and come storming back. I feel really good about tonight, though.

We always hear about adversity. This is the time shine. Like Babcock said, no excuses, suck it up and win baby!

I surely hope the whole arena cheers him on by name. That'll give the team a much needed boost, and might just be what Pasha needs. Anyone who's ever played sports at any level knows that a sudden burst of wild cheering and chanting for your name gives you an almost superhuman boost. Just imagine what could happen with Datsyuk if he feels the wind is at his back, metaphorically.

Datsyuk is the best all around player in the league. A 50% Datsyuk is still enough to keep Malkin or Crosby at bay. Unfortunate for you that it sounds like Datsyuk is at least 90%, if not 100%. Oh, and that the Pens just pissed off the most dominant team in the league. It's almost game time, brother.

Anyone else have a feeling Dats and Hossa are going to explode tonight? It's a storybook development. Hossa, struggling, finally explodes and redeems himself with the most important game of the year (barring a potential game 7) against his former team? Let's go Wings!

I had to start a thread about tomorrow's game. I know there has been a lot of discussion about it and this is probably redundant, but damnit, this is the biggest game of the season so far and as sports fans it's ridiculous to worry about talking about it too much. I was frustrated after the game. A brief search of my posts will show me going from doubt to frustration, but I've come around now. I'm getting the good feeling again. It's almost like a movie. Even the good guys get the near-fatal blow. The Wings, regardless of what crap is going on behind the scenes, have been here before. The Pens are ridiculously good, but despite a shoddy few games, the Wings have been the talk of the league for a reason. And with Datsyuk back, I think we can be confident. Not overly cocky, but certainly we have a damn good chance. I feel this epic showdown coming up, I don't see the Wings fading away. The Pens are rising up and they're about to run into the buzzsaw that has downed so many great teams the past three years. Anyone else have this feeling that the Wings are going to show up huge, and it's going to be a battle royale not seen since the Anaheim series? It won't be easy, but these guys are battle tested warriors with the skill and determination to overcome anything. It may be a close game, but adversity is what this team thrives on. Let's go Wings!

They will, after taking the last two games off they should be well rested. With or without Datsyuk, they can pull this off. If any team can, it's the Wings.

That was pretty funny, I like the Maguire=C3PO and Babcock=Empire. Hopefully the "Empire" wins this time (If, in fact, we are the Empire.)

I agree. Tired or no, there are no excuses on the Big Stage. You play through it. And the Wings will. If we could beat Anaheim with those ridiculous calls and struggles, the Wings can pull this off.

That is bad news...I wonder who turned on who, and how bad it'll mess with morale? I know Ozzie wasn't too happy. On a couple of those goals he looked furious, but for some reason it didn't look like he was mad at himself. EDIT: However, as long as no one resorted to personal attacks, the fighting could help. We know they're all friends on that team, and I don't think some "lack of composure" will hurt them unless someone let loose with some really cheap shots. So long as it was stuff like "Well, maybe next time you should actually play defense!" we'll be fine. Maybe even energized because players will want to redeem themselves.

Neither team is going to let the other get up after Game 5. I agree with you that whoever wins Game 5 wins the Cup. These teams are so good, so dominant, that the loser won't be able to get enough mojo going to recover. Well, it's always a possibility but it's seriously unlikely. Good thing is, the Wings will win Game 5 and frustrate the Pens into a "not this again" attitude. I'll be working for Games 6 AND 7 (if there is one), at a place where all I do is stare at the wall. Try sitting through an 8 hour shift of nothing and hope like hell no one reveals the outcome of the game.

I've calmed down a lot since last night and now that I think about it, they had about two periods of bad hockey in the last two games. Granted, they were BRUTAL periods, but the Anaheim series had its fair share of those, as well. They know how to come back from this. So long as they keep their cool and don't buy into the Pittsburgh hype and mind games we'll be fine. Remember last year, having to fend off the Stars which were the "team of destiny?" They can do this, Game 5 will belong to the Wings!

It's funny how many people forget we're only in the playoffs because of Datsyuk and Hossa. Lose Hossa and all of a sudden we're a low seed, if this season was any indication. Hossa is having a rough playoffs, but can anyone seriously deny he was beyond awesome all season long for us?