titanium2

Nice observations. When Pav and Z aren't clicking on the PP of all things then to me I'm not so sure it's matter of lineup changes. The overall mentality just has to change a little. I know they pride themselves on playing with poise and calmness but I'd like to see just a little more edge from everyone except Filppula. Speaking of Filppula, I really hope Babs keeps him on there. At the very least, with him on a PP unit, you'll have someone providing some motion. It seems like he's so used to being defensive minded that he has too much edge when playing offensively, which is why the puck seems to bounce off his stick or why he fans on shots or shoots too quickly. We need to see him have consistent PP time so that maybe he'll develop a little more poise with the puck, which will allow him to make passes and take shots with confidence.

Bert was definitely out to close the game in Columbus. I remember that pretty vividly.

Can anybody upload the Wings 5 on 3 kill? I know it wasn't against one of the better power plays in the league but it was still nice to watch.

Not to me. I know it was a different era but to me a massive lead was in 2002 when they clinched the Presidents Trophy with like a month and a half or something like that left to go in the regular season. The lead is ok for now but like dragonball said; they're 6 or 7 points out of a playoff spot. Not much of a comfort zone to me. Overall, maybe that's good for the Wings at this point because we all hate to see them play too comfortable.

He has a concussion I think.

Man... This year just got a whole lot longer for Modano: Guess Modano can't just fly to California and lounge with Willa all day huh?

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2010/11/red_wings_mike_modano_out_long.html In regards to the forwards, they practiced yesterday with: Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Holmstrom Franzen-Filppula-Bertuzzi Hudler-Abdelkader-Cleary Miller-Helm-Eaves And on the PP, Hudler will man the right point for the 2nd unit: “It’s nothing new to me,” Hudler said. “You just have to make sure you don’t turn pucks over and think ‘shoot.’ Keep your head up and be smart with the puck.”

Anyone seen the league standings recently? Nobody is significantly further apart from their nearest neighbor. http://www.nhl.com/ice/standings.htm?season=20102011&type=LEA I wonder what that would look like as a curve in statistics. It's been a while for me but seems as if it would have nearly no altitude whatsoever. I guess if the league wants parity then they get it. EDIT: I don't exactly remember: Was it like this last year?

Adding insult to injury: Modano On Last Few Seasons: "I Kind Of Gave Up On It" http://www.defendingbigd.com/2010/11/26/1837371/modano-on-last-few-seasons-i-kind-of-gave-up-on-it

Well no it's nothing like that. I'm not exactly sure about the TOI distribution. For the dmen I heard they still divide it up pretty evenly. As in 20 minutes for each, more or less. To be honest, it's really hard to keep track of the lines Fraser puts out there. I don't necessarily watch EVERY game but the most consistent line I've seen that he has sent out there is Filppula-Emmerton-Mursak and today that line is long gone. In regards to the power play, sometimes Fraser would force out a unit with the likes of Janik-Pare-Minard-Johnson-Tardif. Or something like that. Not nearly as talented as something like a unit of Smith-Pyett-Filppula-Emmerton-Mursak, which would be the second unit that would get the last 30-35 seconds of a PP sometimes. Again, not something that has happened EVERY game, but it's still frustrating to see. He's probably trying to get Minard and Johnson going offensively. These guys were supposed to be the veterans who produce at around a point per game and they're both at 8 or 9 points out of 21 games. Yikes.

Well Konnan's Vets>Skill comment pretty much sums it up. He gives ice time to AHL vets who aren't very good on offense and some of them defense; ice time that should go to guys like Mursak, Tatar, etc.

I was thinking Anders Eriksson instead. Then maybe we could have a Ericsson-Eriksson pairing. Teammates can refer to them as C and K. Like Men in Black.

Somehow CBJ finds a way to win a lot on the road. Wings probably have to be better defensively than they were on Friday and they were pretty damn good then. It's a home game for the Wings and so I hope they don't rely too much on their power play or offense in general. Gotta find a way to win.

Wouldn't he smoke between periods or something like that?

Uhh... What?

Whoa... Looks like Sasquatch will now be in the next Resident Evil game.

Serious hockey question that I hope to get some real feedback on: How is it that Pav and Z suck on the power play now? I mean, what is their deal? They couldn't maintain possession in the zone last night to save their lives. Is it because they both want to play the same role on the PP or...? I mean, when Franzen was on the unit instead of Z, for some reason, they're at least able to pressure the opponent. Maybe because the units have more defined roles perhaps. I don't know. It's surprising to say the least and disappointing. Anyone else feel a slight letdown when Homer said that Z listens to soft country? I mean, it's probably not the only genre Z listens to but still... I would never imagine Z as a country fan. Maybe one that wears a shirt that says "FU TK" but barely even that.

Could they use him in a "net front presence" role? Yes I can already hear you all laughing. Those guys (like Homer and Cleary) mostly have to make sure they retrieve the puck wherever it may go so they can get it back to the other forwards. When they're not doing that they park themselves in front of the net. Hudler still has great hockey sense and can anticipate where the puck will go. When his mind is on, I think he can be great at that task. What if they simplified his job to those two tasks? Or is this just a really stupid idea?

Whoa... Looks like QMJHL numbers.

Side note: Have you given up on RWC yet?

What is that one song they play pretty much after every Wings goal at the Joe? Something something... "I like it"...?

Good point about Tatar saying the AHL really challenged him to work on his weight. Maybe he would put on weight faster in the AHL. Whatever he and Kenny think is best will probably be the right answer. It wouldn't surprise me either way. I can't really say I favor one or the other for him.

Seems like it was by his request. Look at him bop his head to it at 59 seconds in.