Third Man In

lol that's an unfortunate nickname

Are you serious?

Well, the Wings have the worst road PK... 2-man advantage coming up!

Sammy! You hit a small opening! That shot was actually accurate!

Stuart looked woozie getting up. Let's hope it's just that, and not a concussion or a collar bone.

Lots of people go to the Phoenix area, which is rapidly growing, to look for jobs. Also, a lot of retirees winter in the desert where the weather's nice (when it's not 120 degrees, like in the summer). Edit: grammar

lol Panger, easy with the Carcillo-Glenn Anderson comparisons there

It was just down for a second; it's working fine now.

Exactly. Offsides or no, they got in behind our defence twice in the third period of a tight game. I'm not sure if it was fatigue or just sloppiness on the Wings' part, but that can't happen. Disappointing, but also very uncharacteristic--until it becomes a trend, it's not something to worry about.

/ That was an entertaining hockey game. It looked nothing like a playoff game. (I don't expect a lot of 11 goal games come May, let alone 75 shots; the defensive coverage wasn't stellar on either side.) But it was a lot of fun. Congrats on this one, Sharks; see you in a month--and hopefully in the spring.

During the Caps/Bs game on CSN a few minutes ago, they just claimed that tonight's Wings/Sharks game will be the highest combined win percentage (.787) after 40 games *in league history*. That doesn't make the game any more significant, but it's still kinda cool.

Backstrom's not a good fit, even as a rental. Since the cap has come into place, Holland's strategy has been to find a deal in net for a solid but not necessarily game-stealing goalie (Hasek, Ozzie, Conks) and spending the bulk of his money on position players, figuring that the goalie's not going to face a lot of shots anyway. I don't think Holland's too concerned, barring injury, about his goaltending situation come playoff time. The Caps might be a better fit...

Obviously Burkie made a lot of mistakes that we don't need to revisit for the purposes of your question. Sammy and Beauchemin are as you say must re-signs; they, along with Getzlaf, Perry, Kunitz, and it looks like Ryan are the Ducks' core moving forward--cap space must be left to sign these last four when their contracts come up. Pronger's not quite what he was, but he's still a good defenceman (even if he sucks ) and should be kept. Keep most of the free agents there if you can--I'd keep Montador and Hedican (who's still steady), Marchant if the price is cheap. Moen's a defensive liability and should go. Scotty Niedermayer hasn't looked the same this year, and I think that his absence the first part of last year and then subsequent reappearance which forced the McDonald trade soured things for the team and they still haven't recovered from it; it's probably best he go. What the Ducks need now is scoring--behind Getzlaf, Ryan, and Perry there's not much right now, especially if Teemu leaves...

Why would you ever trust this man? ...

Ah yes--second album, third picture, you can see us just above the second AT&T sign on the boards. I think this was just after Huddles shot a puck at my face. Again. Can't say I blame him...

I don't know if you remember but I warned you about this before the Anaheim game. You can get 3' x 5' flags into the Ponda Center but hardly anything into the Staples Center--11" x 17" is a postage stamp. Ponda Center: Signs are allowed as long as they are not derogatory, obscene, do not block the view of other guests and are not attached to a pole. The sign policy is subject to change depending on each show's individual policy. Staples Center: Unless otherwise specified by teams and/or event officials/management, STAPLES Center welcomes guests bringing small signs, flags, banners, and posters inside the building to show fan support during events. The following guidelines relate to these items: Item must be related to event Item may not be attached to a stick/pole Item may not be larger than 11" x 17" in dimension Item may not obstruct any sponsors/advertisers signage Item may not be hung, attached, or displayed on any part of the building Item may not contain or display obscene/offensive language and/or pictures, as determined by STAPLES Center management Item may not be constructed or displayed in a manner that mat obstruct the view of other guests or in any way create a safety hazard for others as determined by STAPLES Center management Item may not in any way enhance the fun of your or any other spectator's experience of the event Edit: ok, so maybe I added one there

The Wings need to make up their mind about Cheli. He's been healthy for awhile now, but they're not playing him very much. He's 46, soon to be 47--he's too old to play once every 10 days and be effective. If he played regularly, he would certainly look sharper and (relatively) quicker. Is he still a capable defencemen? The Wings will only know if they give him a good look--they need to either give him the chance or send him gracefully on his way. I was in that end too. I didn't think the Kings fans were being aggressive or were taunting--they were just bored with their team's play and we're having a bit of fun with Cheli, and Cheli just laughed at them. It seemed like a good natured exchange to me.

duplicate post

whoa whoa whoa there harold...retain players? team identities? better for the fans? When have any of those ever entered into the league's consideration? Of course, I agree with your vision, but the league seems to like fluidity in the name of a 'level playingfield'. Even if that means a player like Hank signing with another team, even if that's not what he, the Wings, or the fans really want. Edit: grammar

This isn't directed to anyone in particular, but addressing a subthread here: I'm always amazed at the willingness of some to overreact and throw a Red Wing under the bus. When Datsyuk was negotiating his last contract and Hank was on a tear and playing like the best player in the world, some people here were quick to question how much Datsyuk was worth or if he should be signed at all. Now that the situation's reversed, and Hank's production is just a bit off so far this year (39pts and 41 games--seriously, Hank, wtf?) some people hear one rumor and are ready to cut their losses with him. Isn't long term performance worth anything?

...maybe we can outdo ourselves and get a Pronger Sucks chant going at the Staples Center. I'm sure the Kings fans would be amenable.

Easy on that pizza, esteff, at least if you're paying Staples Center prices for it... RWNW, see you at the game! I'm in section 1-something...that ought to narrow it down. Go Wings!

That's debatable: 2005-06 57GP 14G 25A 2006-07 82GP 25G 33A 2007-08 77GP 24G 58A 2008-09 44GP 16G 37A Not to bore you with a statistical argument, but while he's scoring a bit more frequently each year, his assists have really increased this season and last. But like you suggest, moves like the one he put on our defence last night on the Ducks second goal are something new. Clearly he's growing in confidence.

Getlaf is a stud. He seems to add something to his game every year. He was always a big presence and could score goals, but he's becoming an elite playmaker now. His move to set up the Ducks' second goal was impressive.

I agree with all three. Ozzie was fighting the puck a bit tonight. Niedermayer was uncharacteristically a pylon all night. But he hasn't looked quite the same since he decided to take a holiday for the first half of last season.