wings_fanatic

Jimmy wasn't bad but the 3rd goal should have been stopped. If mrazek played tonight I think we would have won. One thing I noticed last game and especially this game is that pav is finally starting to look like himself. This was the best game he's had this year.... great to see and I'm sure more to come. I don't know what blashill was thinking with 11 forwards on a back to back against the kings. Another dumb coaching decision there. Overall we were bound to lose a game on this trip so hopefully the boys regroup and finish the trip strong on Thursday with petr in net.

Howard needs to stop that 3rd goal.

The goal wasn't Howards fault but it is another example of him never being able to bail out the D at key times. He can't make game stealing saves and that's the difference between him and Petr. Nonetheless how crappy is the PP going to be before blashill tries something different?

Even though I am not optimistic with Howard in net on a back to back, he has historically played well against the kings. I'm hoping for even a point in this one. Hopefully the wings show up and get an early lead.

As this season is going along I am more and more convinced that blashill needs to go. I just feel that this team has no chemistry. It's like watching a pick up team just kind of coming together to get some goals but too often look flat and lost. Once again our only good player is mrazek. Blashill doesn't get the best from his players and that is becoming more and more obvious to me.

Fire blashilllll

Exactly my point. And whose fault is that? Who is sticking those 2 players with pav and refusing to change it up no matter how stale the lines look? Blashill needs to go I'm getting tired of his stubbornness. Bring in Ron Wilson, a guy who knows how to get scoring with good lines.

Not to mention pav does not look like himself at all? I think blashill is failing this team. If we didn't have these stupid lines we would be in 1st place right now. His lines make zero sense.

He is also teaching the players that they will be rewarded for crappy play. Helm sucks. But yet he stays on pav line.

Not to mention helm needs go be off of pav line!!!

Khan reports the same lines!! Blashill should be fired. Hire Ron Wilson.

There are LOTS of options for our lines that I would be okay with, as LONG AS HELM IS WHERE HE BELONGS! How many breakaways do we have to watch him screw up? He is a 4th line player. THat is his role. Now for lines, like I said, lots of possibilities! Z- Pav- Larkin Abby- Richards- Nyquist Jurco- Sheahan- Tatar Miller- Glendening- Helm This is my preferred choice. I really like a stacked 1st line and I feel like Larkin can really get Pav AND Hank playing at their best, while also playing with one another. The 2nd and 3rd line would play essentially the same amount of minutes and, in doing so, I would play more like Randy Carlyle used to with his Ducks (play your top 3 lines a lot more than your 4th line). Other line possibilities: Larkin- Pav- Richards (If Blash really wants Richards to stay with Pav). Nyquist- Z- Abby Jurco- Sheahan- Tatar Miller- Glendening- Helm OR: Larkin- Pav- Tatar (This would be a fun line) Richards- Z- Nyquist Jurco- Shehan- Abby Miller- Glendening- Helm There are even more possibilities. But what do they all have in common? They all look better because Helm is on the 4th line!

Could not have said it better myself. When was the last time Howard even won a game? I looked and he has not won any of his previous 5 games, but the website only showed that stat, so maybe it is even more than 5? I don't like that Kenny in general seems too loyal these past few years. He is afraid to trade anyone away because of this loyalty. He needs to be reminded that this is a business. In this business, Howard is not going to bring us over the top- best move him in a package to require pieces to make our team better. I think it is growing more and more obvious that Howard has no future here as a starter.

He was pretty consistent in the playoffs. One of our best players actually...

I couldn't watch the whole game. Did Blashill change the lines up at all yet?

Excellent! About frickin time. Lets just hope Blashill does that. At least Mrazek is going to play New Years Eve since I am there haha.

HAHA did they ACTUALLY say that>?!

What game were you watching last night?! Mrazek was SOLID against the Wild, by far the best Wings player on the ice. HE GAVE THE TEAM A CHANCE TO WIN. Something Howard has trouble doing. I think Blash needs to stick with Mrazek. In fact, if he would have been sticking with Mrazek and if he used half decent lines, I think we would be solidly in 1st place right now. The longer this season goes on, the more I question Blash and his ability to coach.

If Blash refuses to change the lines tonight then I feel like we will get blown out- maybe that will finally force him to make some changes to give Pav actual line mates. I cannot believe how un- Pavel like Datsyuk looks. And I fully blame Blashill for that. Time to make some changes or deal with a blowout. 2nd half of back to back, with Howard in net, and they looked super sluggish and stale last night. Hopefully Blashill changes things up and proves me wrong.

What a ridiculous thread this is. Smith was playing some of his best hockey with Green and then Blashill just decides to change that up? Horrible coaching imo. How about talking about how Kronwall has not played like our number 1 Dman consistently? How about talking about how bad Kindl looks everytime he is out there we are hemmed in our zone. How about talking about the stupid plays that Dekeyser makes? There is a lot to complain about, but it is unfair to just talk about Smith.

Did you fail to watch the game last night? Petr made some spectacular saves. The breakaway save in the 3rd, and the save right before the 2nd goal was one of his best saves of the year. Mrazek has some of the lowest goal support from his teammates when he plays compared to other goalies. FSN detroit talks about this all the time. Despite that, he still wins far more often than not. When Carey Price came into the league, the Habs WENT with him and got rid of Huet (who was their starting goalie at the time). Look how that paid off. Bob McKenzie believes that Mrazek has the ability to become an elite goalie like Price, but as others have said, he lacks experience. Hard to get experience when he has to share games with Jimmy. From this point on Mrazek should get 2 of 3 starts.

Mrazek clearly gives the team a better chance to win every night. Both goalies typically make the saves they are supposed to but mrazek makes the saves that only elite goalies make. Blash clearly agrees because he is slowly starting to play mrazek a little bit more. Let Howard play tonight and then back to mrazek in new years eve.

So Khan reports that Blashill was disappointed with the team tonight. Well newsflash Blash- most of us fans are disappointed with you and your stubbornness sticking with the SAME STALE LINES game in and game out. It could not have been more obvious that the lines need to be changed, but yet you still stuck with them. How bad does Helm have to be before you take him out of the top 6? How many games does Z and Pavel have to look unlike themselves before you make some changes? Christ, the one change you did make tonight made no sense- splitting up Green and Smith after Smith had his best game as a Red Wings player last game. You can be disappointed in the team all you want, but I blame this loss on poor coaching. Mrazek was a stud! Without him this game would have been embarrassing! New lines! Pav- Z- Larkin (Actually try it out for a while, I think Pav and Z play best together and Pav especially will be energized by Larkin) Abby- Richards- Nyquist Jurco- Sheahan- Tatar (they were great the other night- why split them up?!) 4th line This is a no brainer. At least do something to re-energize the team!

Hard to be consistent when your coach keeps changing your partner. Smith played very well with green last game. So blash naturally changes that up why? And for the love of god change the forward lines!!!

Khan said Larkin is likely tonight. He practiced with Z and Abby today so it looks like he is likely to play.