GMRwings1983

We're getting owned. Big surprise.

He didn't even do anything dumb. But he still shouldn't be playing right now. Unlike Draper or Helm, he's just a completely useless 4th line center.

Has Emmerton really earned a spot in the lineup for the playoffs? I know it was a bad call, but still. Why is he playing?

Is this a ******* college basketball game? What's up with all these petty calls?

Wasted shot by Hudler.

No, but it does help to win those offensive races. You've watched playoffs games before. They won a puck battle and got rewarded for it. Yeah the bounce was sort of fluky, but it's the way it goes. If we won the puck battle, he wouldn't have thrown the puck out front in the first place.

They have Crosby.

It's not bad luck guys. The puck was dumped in and the Nashville player got there before our guy did. Should have skated harder. That's how goals are scored in the playoffs.

That's what happens when you get beaten to loose pucks. Lazy skating here on the dump and chase.

Well, part of making good moves is signing players no one else think will succeed. Kind of like Holland did with Cleary many years ago. You've gotta take chances sometimes to be a step ahead of other teams. Someone took a chance on Nystrom, and it paid off. Plus, some of those "so-called" bottom six players are interchangeable. However, we don't have any player like a Clarkson or Moen. Abby is sort of like Nystrom I guess. But guys like Nyquist, Hudler and Holmstrom aren't really bottom six players. They need to play with more skilled players to be effective. But frequently, they're just thrown on the bottom lines and that's why those bottom lines have no identity.

It would have looked better with Moen, Clarkson or Nystrom in it. All guys we could have gotten easily in the offseason, and guys that would have been a pain to play against in a long playoff series.

So the Wings are going to play 28 playoff games this year?

Jason Williams scored 2 points in 8 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins. His numbers in the minors were a lot better.

Not as many as the Pens.

According to hockeydb, Dmitry Bykov has 10 points in 49 games for Magnitogorsk Metallurg.

Honestly, I can never remember the Wings looking so vulnerable going into the playoffs. In 2002, this team played awful to end the season, but that team was loaded like none other. You had to know they'd win. In 2010, we were a 5 seed, but had the best record in the league after the deadline from what I remember. And after destroying Phoenix in game 7, most people would have picked us to beat San Jose. Even last season, the team looked really strong sweeping Phoenix and it looked like they could handle the Sharks potentially. But this team has fallen into the playoffs like no other Wings team I can remember. I don't know why anyone is surprised that so many people are not excited about our prospect of going far.

You're off your rocker if you think Zetterberg and Holmstrom are no worse than they were in 2008. Datsyuk scored almost 100 points in 2008 and was a healthier player in general. Health is a big factor when comparing him then to now. Seems like something is always nagging him now. Otherwise, he would be equal in terms of talent and dominance. I don't think he's dropped in that regard. Franzen was a monster in the 2008 playoffs. It was unreal. You think he can put up those numbers again? Bertuzzi is not better than Samuelsson. I never thought I'd say that, but Bertuzzi is lazy too often and doesn't really score that much. Sammy played very well during our Cup run. Also, Hasek and Osgood are a much better tandem than Howard and McDonald. Howard is a question mark because of his health, which is a big deal. Kronwall is probably a more complete player now than 2008. I forgot that one in my OP. So we're left with Filppula, Hudler and Kronwall. Basically, all secondary scorers and not the main guys. Those aren't as important as the star player comparisons. Also, you're still only looking at names and not hunger, work ethic and drive. This team doesn't come close to that 2008 team in any of those categories. That may be hard for you to understand since you only look at names and line combos, like it's some video game. Oh, and there's our crappy special teams to boot. And last but not least.......

This thread misses the most obvious point. Outside of Filppula, none of the players mutual to both teams are as good as they once used to be. Maybe Datsyuk, but he's been battling injuries the last few years. Yeah, the names are the same, but that's a very misleading way to look at it. Also, the 2008 team was very hungry. That's a very important part of their success. This team looks anything but hungry this season.

Is Babcock not watching the games out there? Cleary is just skating around aimlessly and isn't able to help the team. In not doing so, he's hurting it. Call up some youngster from the minors who will play hungry and try to shine in the playoffs. Kind of like Helm in 2008. It's honestly more the coaching staff's fault than Cleary's. He'll play until he drops, but they have to step in there and realize it's not a good idea.

I love the contradictions in the original post. We should stand behind the decision making of the organization and players, yet we shouldn't be afraid to criticize the team or the players. Okie dokie.

He shouldn't be playing. Some guys can play at 50% and still help the team. As we've seen all season, Cleary at 50% is not helping the team at all. In fact, he's hurting the team and is rather easy to play against right now. He needs to sit.

This is the 4th time in the last 5 playoff series that we'll be starting on the road. Before that, this team started at home in every series since Colorado in 2000. Shows you how this franchise is slipping (albeit at a slow pace), but still slipping. If we go down in the first round, there's no doubt who should be blamed for the loss.

Dude, most people here aren't picking the Wings.

Just because you look like Tootoo, Ryan? For people living outside Detroit, this TV schedule kind of sucks. Hardly any nationally televised games. What experts? All they ever talk about is basketball and Tom Brady's hair.