xtrememachine1

Crawford is good for this team, but if he played elsewhere, I don't think he'd be as successful. I think Howard is way better than Crawford and if he played for a different team, he'd still be just as good.

He's been a solid d-man for us when he's in there. I was little worried when Shaw blasted him into the boards late in the game. We don't need another injury on our blue line.

Yeah, I've never had a problem with Toews in the past, but this series he's really Crosbying it up. Maybe he should act more like the guy that won the Conn Smythe a few years and less like the guy that whines for penalties.

Like it or not, fighting is not the Red Wings game. Speed is our game and its won the last two. Unless you're inserting a Darren Helm into the lineup, not need to mess with the winning formula.

Typically I just ignore them. They're like background noise unless they say something really stupid like "Rang off the pipe... and its counts!!" (Emmerick's call of Datsyuk's goal last night) Yes, the Wings are so blessed that hitting the post counts as a goal. lol

I hope the Blackhawks players are as focused on the no-goal interference call as their fans. That means they're not focused on what's really beating them. We are swarming all over their best players with our speed, which means the role players have to step it up and at this point, they're not. Since the Wings got that extra day of rest after Game 1, we look much quicker and Chicago is going to have to figure out a way to deal with that because we're getting another extra day of rest before Game 4. Playing like goons and whining about calls won't cut it either.

Well in fairness to them, they're almost always on the the powerplay because the refs buy into their diving every time.

A chance to go up 3-0 in the series and they give up a shorthanded goal with 29 seconds left. That could very well be the turning point in the series. If this series goes back to Pittsburgh 2-2, this will get interesting and probably a little nasty. The Pens don't handle losing very well and to be that close to a commanding lead and blowing it, they may reach some new lows.

I posted this in another thread and I think it needs to be said again. The Wings have been traveling back and forth across the country playing Anaheim for the last two weeks. It took 7 games most of them went to OT. The Hawks played Minnesota and it took only 5 games. Less travel, less games. The Hawks are very well rested and the Wings are understandably burned out. Last night, was to be expected. The Wings look slow and tired. They looked like a team that had a rough first round and the Hawks looked like a well rested team. Will a couple days off help? We'll find out.

The Habs were 5th in the league in goals scored. 3 goals behind Chicago for 2nd and they were 5th in the league playing teams like Boston and Ottawa multiple times who are a couple of the best defensive teams in the league.

I think Ovie needs to be on a different team. He had a strong showing in the second half of this season, he's an MVP candidate again, they should trade him while his value is high. He's frustrated, the franchise is frustrated, the fan base is beyond frustrated. If the Caps are going to be successful, they need to be different. Every year its the same story, high finish in the reg season, gone in the first or second round (usually the first) and they can't blame it on Boudreau anymore.

Tough series, especially if Lundqvist stays on a roll like he is. I'll say Rangers in 6. Boston looked very tired at the end of the Leafs series and got an emotional boost in Game 7 that carried them safely out of that round, but I don't think they have enough in the tank for another long series, which this will be.

Absolutely devastating end to this series for the Leafs. To be down 3 games to 1, make a dramatic comeback, be winning 4-1 with 10 min left in Game 7, 4-2 with 90 seconds left and lose is more than anyone should have to handle. If something like that happened to the Wings, I would feel gutted like someone in my family died. Really feel bad for their fan base.

Exactly. The Isles aren't exactly the '77 Canadiens here. The Islanders are... well, the Islanders. A team that made their first postseason appearance in 6 years and hasn't gone beyond the first round in 20 years. This was supposed to be like a bye round for the Pens and it almost went 7 games. This round they'll be up against the 2nd best defensive team in the NHL that just shutdown and destroyed one of the better offensive teams in the league in Montreal. I wouldn't expect Crosby to have a highlight reel round again. The Pens will need to win close, low scoring games in this round if they want to advance.

The Blackhawks don't scare me. I think we could take them under most circumstances, but the deck is severely stacked against us considering how the first round went for both teams. Chicago had virtually no travel, won in 5 games and is going to be well rested. Oh yeah, they have home ice and the best record in the league too. Meanwhile, we've been flying back and forth across the country over and over again in a hard fought, OT filled, 7 game series against the Ducks. It would make my season if we knocked out the Hawks, but I have a hard time seeing it happen.

Last night was another perfect case in point as to why I don't like the Pens. It reminded me so much of Game 2 in 2009 against us. Pens lose, they act like spoiled little brats, throw punches, take cheap shots, etc. They did it against us, they did it last year against Philly and now they're doing it this year against the Isles. They are TERRIBLE losers. Does frustration play a part in it? Sure, but guys like Crosby and Malkin can't act like that for two reasons. One, they're supposed to be the leaders of the team. Coming unglued at the end of every losing game isn't leadership. And two, the NHL wants them to be the faces of the league. Being a sore loser isn't the image that the NHL is striving for. As for the series, they'll switch to Vokoun and win the next two games. Fleury was destroyed by the Isles in the regular season (3.60 GAA) too, while Vokoun was a brick wall (0.90 GAA in 3 games). Plus, the NHL won't let their Golden Boy get knocked out by the Isles in the first round. That's not good for business.

LOL I picked the Wings to win it. They could play the NHL all stars and I'd pick them. Such a homer.

I think this will be a good series. In the regular season, they played them tough, won the first meeting, lost the next one, then lost the last one 1-0. Teams play differently in the postseason than in the playoffs. The Wild are one of those teams that could be a total PITA to play in the postseason. Not saying the Wild will win, but they'll make the Hawks work for it. Probably Hawks in 6, maybe 7.

This is going to be a slaughter. The only way this isn't a sweep is the Pens don't take them seriously. Can't believe the Isles actually made the playoffs. UGH This is like a bye for the Pens.

At least when we face the Ducks this time we don't have to put up with Pronger's crap. Maybe I'm putting too much stock into those back to back wins in Anaheim, but I'm optimistic for this series. The Ducks don't have the defense they used to and Boudreau doesn't have a very good playoff track record. Not to mention, the Ducks last 19 games they finished the season under .500 while we come in red hot.

I do. As up and down as this season has been for us, if we beat the President's Trophy winning Blackhawks in the first round it would be almost as sweet as Lord Stanley.

Interesting stat. Really shows what we need to improve on and that maybe we're not as far off from being a contender as the standings show.

This is more stressful than an elimination game in the playoffs? I think not. lol If they make it, great. I'm not expecting a Cup run. If they don't, oh well. Not the end of the world. Maybe it'll force Holland to actually make a move to improve the team. Plus, we'll have a better draft position for what is supposed to be a strong draft class.

Since 2010 here are the players Holland has signed, re-signed, or traded: Traded Ville Leino for Ole-Kristian Tollefsen Traded C Kris Newbury to the N.Y. Rangers for LW Jordan Owens. Signed D Brendan Smith to a three-year contract. Signed D Nicklas Lidstrom to a one-year contract. Agreed to terms with F Tomas Holmstrom on a two-year contract. Re-signed F Patrick Eaves to a one-year contract. Re-signed F Drew Miller to a one-year contract. Re-signed D Derek Meech to a one-year contract. Agreed to terms with F Mike Modano on a one-year contract. Re-signed F Darren Helm to a two-year contract. Agreed to terms with F Justin Abdelkader on a two-year contract. Signed F Kirk Maltby to a one-year contract. Re-Signed G Jimmy Howard to a two-year contract. Agreed to terms with D Jonathan Ericsson Signed D Mike Commodore Agreed to terms with G Joey MacDonald on a two-year contract. Signed G Ty Conklin to a one-year contract. Re-signed G Jordan Pearce to a two-year contract. Signed F Fabian Brunnstrom to a one-year contract. Signed G Petr Mrazek to a three-year entry-level contract. Agreed to terms with D Niklas Kronwall on a seven-year contract. Re-signed F Todd Bertuzzi. Traded D Mike Commodore to Tampa Bay for a conditional 2013 seventh-round draft pick. Signed D Xavier Ouellet and D Ryan Sproul to three-year, entry-level contracts. Signed C Riley Sheahan to a three-year contract. Signed F Teemu Pulkkinen to a three-year entry-level contract. Traded 1st round pick for Kyle Quincey. Signed F Martin Frk to a three-year, entry-level contract. Signed F Tomas Jurco to a three-year, entry-level contract. Agreed to terms with G Jonas Gustavsson on a two-year contract Signed Jordin Tootoo to a three year contact Signed Mikael Samuelsson to a 3 year contract Signed Damien Brunner to a one year contact Signed Carlo Colaiacovo Signed Kent Huskins So he's really good at signing players that were already wearing the Winged Wheel. That's something. But these other signings. Entry level contracts, low risk gambles, and bad trades shouldn't put him above other GMs in this league. Its not hard to look at this list and understand why the team is finishing lower and lower and is now in danger of missing the playoffs.

I understand and you're right, consistently making the playoffs like the Wings have is great. Holland's career as a whole has been pretty good. What I'm wondering is, why is there are article ranking Holland as the best GM in the league when he has done very little in the past three years while the team's performance has been declining. I get that we're "rebuilding" and going with younger players, but does that mean he's doing a good job by doing nothing?