VM1138

Phoenix could pull an upset....but I'm going with Chicago in 7.

Hard to decide whether the Rangers will win in 5 or 6. I want to give Ottawa credit...but I don't see them winning more than one. So Rangers in 5.

You can't totally dismiss the Caps, they find a way to hang around, but they won't win this series. Bruins in 6.

Jersey in 4. The Panthers are the weakest team in the playoffs. They'll get trounced.

Yes, because their ROW is good. Anyone look at Florida's? They have the 3rd worst ROW record in the East, yet they're in 3rd place. 18 overtime losses. Jesus. Shows how stupid both the loser point and the division seeding is.

Well, they dug themselves a hole (no home ice through the playoffs most likely) and now they have to live in it. Everything hinges on their ability to win on the road now. This is what I'm afraid of. To Nashville, the Wings are an arch-rival. A benchmark. To the Wings, Nashville is just another team. I certainly hope heart and motivation isn't lacking on the Wings roster. I do think Wings in 6, though.

They've got nothing to play for except the President's Trophy which isn't all that great of a motivator. It's understandable why they're suddenly not trying hard.

I hate this widespread thought process. You're going to play tough teams in the playoffs. Better to get them out of the way first. Besides, 4th would position the Wings for some home ice in a lot of circumstances down the road, which the Wings DESPERATELY need.

This is it Wings, you have to win this one to be ranked respectably in the standings. Beat Chicago, go into the playoffs in a good position and with some little momentum. Go Wings!

You mean like keeping track of how many players are on the ice? Or maybe the guy throwing his stick over the side and interfering in the play?

It's a shame, really. Sports would be way more interesting if they weren't so sanitized. Honestly there shouldn't be a fine for trash talking another team. It's part of competition. It's okay to play mind games with other teams and there should be more of it. They want rivalries, this is what makes them.

It's a shame that every time the Wings have the power in their hands to further secure themselves in the standings they lose. This year it's been like that.

Anyone else feel that Smith will play over Kindl? At least for a game or two? I know it's risky but I feel both of them are pretty much at the same stage, skill-wise, but Smith has more upside and seems like he'd be a better playoff player. And yes, Franzen had a great game. Let's hope this is the start of one of his streaks, and it lasts until June. Then he can take October off.

Dragging the skate sideways like that will wear down the wheels if you do it on one leg more than the other, but I agree this is most effective. This is in fact the only way I know how to stop on blades. The "brake" just never works for me, it either doesn't slow me down enough or I lose my balance if I push too hard. And I never learned how to ice skate so I don't know if that's similar to how you stop there. I encourage the original poster to join the league. Street hockey is a LOT of fun. I'm not the greatest skater in the world, but I love playing and I'm actually testing the waters to see if there's any interest in one in my area. Pick up games are fun and all, but some competition would be nice.

I agree. I'm really not too worried about playing the Blues in the playoffs. Their lack of discipline and their immaturity will kill them no matter who they play this playoffs.

That's a whole other issue, but I hate ties, too. Sports is about winning and losing and there's nothing more frustrating than having a game end in a tie. I do agree we should get rid of the loser point. A loss is a loss.

I've always criticized the division seeding, even when the Wings were on top. You sort of make my argument. There really is no need for divisions, other than for scheduling purposes (guaranteeing certain teams play certain teams enough times). And lately it hasn't seemed to matter much, because we haven't seen a terribly weak division in a few years. But this year is reminding everyone how flawed the system is. To be honest, I've never seen this importance of division games early in the season. They're just two points to most teams. They may say they're important but watching the games, there's no extra benefit to it other than that. I'm just going back to first principles, that being divisions don't need to exist except as a scheduling tool.

I agree with Milbury (shudders) in saying Crosby is fair game if he's going to keep getting into scrums and putting himself out there. Not because I hate the guy, but because it's not fair to have two sets of rules for the league superstar and everyone else. That's why die hard fans of sports end up hating superstars. That being said, Milbury is a ****** and a creep.

To be fair, they're only 3rd because of division seeding. They're actually 14th in the league, could wind up being lower if they don't win more games to end the season. They are smack dab in the middle of mediocrity. While I disagree with the constant negativity, it shouldn't have taken a shootout to beat them.

Over the last three years the Wings have gone from the absolute best puck possession team in the world to one of the worst passing teams I've ever seen.

I was really excited to get Quincey at first, but even when we first got him and he impressed, I was annoyed by how he always takes penalties. Granted, I haven't seen a handful of games the last month and a half, so maybe I'm wrong...but every single game I've watched he takes one or two stupid penalties.

Why does a division winner "earn" anything? The division is a completely arbitrary creation for the purposes of scheduling. There is no point winning the division. But teams will play harder to win because their ranking will actually matter. Division titles should come as a side note to having a great season and finishing high up in the standings. They're only a goal for teams who will never win the conference, the presidents trophy or the Cup. Division seeding is a joke that screws up the playoffs every year, though it hasn't been this bad in a few seasons. Get rid of it. It's also grotesquely unfair.

I think it'll happen either way. Here's why: As far as I know the 2012 summer UFA class is the best there's been in years. And I'm betting there won't be another great class like this in the next year or two, which means this summer is the only truly great chance we have to replace Lidstrom without losing anything other than money. Obviously a free agent signing is a better option than a trade, and Holland is going to make that push whether Lidstrom retires or not. After all, Lidstrom's only going to be around for another year (maybe) and you still need him replaced. Better to do it now, enjoy one super-amazing year, and then already have his replacement locked in when he retires.

Cup or bust. Honestly anything further than 2nd round is an improvement, but would still be a disappointment. The last two playoffs were flukes in a sense, so I think most people still expect them to compete for the Cup. They are way too good to not make the Finals, the key is re-establishing the hunger they had in '07 and '08 and '11 (the 3-0 comeback series against the Sharks).

Seriously? If they have a way of providing access to a game without cable, it's bad of me, the consumer, to want access to local games without having to shell out $100 bucks a month for cable I won't watch that often other than for games? Now, the real deal is that I don't think the NHL is alone in this regard, all the sports do it.