Icesurfer

In case anyone has not been paying attention, since Hitch has taken over for the Blues, the team defense has built a veritable wall in front of their goaltenders!!! How is it that TWO goaltenders on the same team have absolutely incredible numbers and between them have FIFTEEN SHUTOUTS (9 + 6)? They have tied a NHL post-expansion record for shutouts and may break it when they play the Wings... If any fans should know how important team defense is and what defense can do for a goalie it should be Detroit fans. Lidstrom and company have taken an average goalie and made him a possible hall of famer..... and yes I am referring to Ozzie. It is up to Detroit's DEFENSE to make Howie look good on Friday.... whether he is on top of his game or not. Nashville is not exactly a high scoring team. And if Detroit loses it will be the whole team's fault not just Howie. This team and Howie need to restore their confidence and winning Friday is an OPPORTUNITY for the team to do so.

That is why I stated "if healthy" and "if ready to play". But what Babcock said is that even if he is healthy he will not play against Nashville. NEWS FLASH..... ANY player at ANY time can get hurt. You don't have to be playing a good team to get injured. In fact, players get injured in practice.... players get injured even when they are not on the ice. Not playing a player because you are afraid they will get hurt in asinine. There is that "fear" again. If you are afraid then pack your bags and go golfing because you won't be playing hockey in May. The playoffs ARE a war of attrition. It is usually the healthiest team hoisting the cup at the end... not necessarily the best. A team can be the healthiest team going into the playoffs and all it takes is facing a team like San Jose or St. Louis at this point and they can hit and punish you into oblivion and there is no way you make it to the finals. IMHO, it is mostly luck.... the luck of having the "easiest road". And right now the easiest road starts by having home ice advantage over Nashville.... so you have to do whatever it takes right now to achieve that.

Smith's emergence could lead to tough decisions As long as Bendan Smith remembers he is paid to play defense first he will be just fine. I hope he doesn't make the same mistake Ericsson did last year. Smith did get caught out of position occasionally but he was able to recover a few times. Ericsson made that mistake last year and this year he has been much improved.... and Ericsson is one the reasons why the GAA has fallen... but the whole defense has taken the defense first approach... up until the streak ended. Ericcson and Smith both started out like wild stallions on the ice trying to prove how much they can do. I know fans just absolutely love when a defensmen can rush up the ice and score a goal.... and that is all fine and dandy but in order for a defensemen to play the game the right way it is defense first. They must be intelligent enough to read the play and know when to join the rush or step up. The NHL plays at a different speed than the AHL. It is a learning curve and it will happen in time. Lidstrom and Kronwall are the best in the business in reading plays. Smith will learn a lot from them.

Dear Lidstrom, Please make some phone calls back home to Sweden and get some advice on Orthokine Therapy (Regenokine in US) or PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) Injections or ABI (Autologous Blood Injection), depending on what other therapy you have had done so far, along the periosteum and you will be back on the ice in 5 days. Just some professional advice. We need you on the ice ..... and desperately.... or the Wings season could be over in the first round. It will be a sad day when you retire! Icesurfer

If the Wings had 3 "Datsyuks's" on the top 3 lines it wouldn't do them any good right now. The most important aspect of the game, which Lidstrom provides to the team that no one else can provide, is extreme confidence.... and most importantly... confidence to the goaltender. If your goaltender has no confidence it doesn't matter how much skill you have on the ice. When Lidstrom is skating in front of you the confidence rises exponentially. Right now Howie has ZERO confidence. His confidence most likely won't return until he sees a healthy Lidstrom skating in front of him, IMHO. And this is one of the reasons why DEFENSE AND GOALTENDING WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS. I hope Lidstrom plays one more year because, IMHO, the only defensemen who can come close to what Lidstrom does is Shea Weber. Of course, no one will ever "replace" Lidstrom but getting Shea Weber would make it a little easier. Weber will not be a UFA next year (only RFA), but the year after he will be. There would be two reasons for getting Shea Weber... even if Wings have to pay him maximum salary. One reason is that he would be the best defensemen available and the second reason is if Weber signs with someone else in Detroit's division or conference he will put a nail in the Lidstromless Wings' chances for years to come.

"The Blues are in the driver's seat" has now become an understatement. In the passenger side are the Predators and the Wings are in the back seat taking a nap!!! The Wings will be lucky to take fourth seed. Not only will it take Howie about 4 or 5 games to get back at the confidence level he once had but it will take at least 5 games before Datsyuk and Lidstrom are back in form. Ever since the end of the 23 game win streak it has been like a snowball going downhill. IMHO, the 23 game win streak was a curse.

Halak is sick .....absolutely sick. There is no way you can beat him down low.... must get the puck up on him. He stole the game against Columbus. One thing about Halak is that he doesn't have a lot of "wasted" movement. He doesn't overplay the puck. As steady as you can get and always in position and covers as much net as possible.

It is the way the Blues are winning that scares me. Their defense is just absolutely shutting everyone down and their goaltending is phenomenal... true sign of a champion.... and this has been going on for the last three months. If you are hoping for St. Louis to lose you are barking up the wrong tree. Howie hasn't been the same since his first injury. The Blues' GA is 28 less than Detroit's and 11 less than Lundqvist and Biron. The Blues would not be fun in a 7 game series.... if they don't win the 7 game series they will put a heavy dent in their opponents chance of winning the cup.... the series would be brutal and the winner will come out limping.... "Road to the cup".

The Blues look unbeatable. I think I changed my mind about wanting the Wings to face them in playoffs.... LOL.

Is it possible that the 23 game win streak will effect the Wings’ chances of winning the cup? Of course everyone will say “no” now, but if the Wings don’t win the cup then they will look back again at all the injuries and how it may have effected the seeding, etc. At what point during the win streak did Datsyuk’s knee start to bother him? Did Datsyuk keep playing to achieve the record? Should he have been rested longer earlier? We will never know. I believe Lidstrom was actually hit twice in the same ankle. The first time earlier in the streak, but I am not sure. Was he already playing with a sore ankle before the second injury? After Howard’s injury the defense was playing at a higher level. I thought so anyway.... because Joey Mac was in net. Fatigue had to be a factor. We all know that playing with fatigue can lead to injuries. Babcock was saying they weren’t skating. I thought they were just exhausted. We all know that Babcock is very good at “pushing” his players and getting the most out of them. I am not blaming anyone.... it is part of the game. Injuries are inevitable. Will the injuries prevent Wings from claiming a higher seed and improving their chances? Sometimes I think, during a long season, it is not such a bad idea to take “a night off” if you know it will be a difficult game to win. Of course, it goes against the conventional thought of giving your best effort every single game… but realistically… how is it even possible to play at a high level every single game? It reminds me of the years when Scotty Bowman built his teams to win in the playoffs and not to win the President’s trophy or even the division or to set 23 game win streak records.... he could have cared less about stuff like that.... of course that was a different time and era.... before the game changed. The same rules no longer apply. Hindsight is 20/20 but it still makes you wonder. At least as fans we can be proud of the 23-game win streak.

No one is saying St. Louis is going to win the cup. What I am saying is St. Louis is in a good position to win the division which will decrease the Wings' chances of winning the cup dramatically. At least St. Louis will give their opposition in the playoffs a very very difficult time and probably go the distance in a series. Although, I wouldn't mind the Wings playing St. Louis in the playoffs.... at least the travel is less and it would be a very exciting series. You can also have all the elite talent in the world and get eliminated by the second round in the playoffs. The Wings of the last two years are a prime example. They were beaten, battered and exhausted and the Sharks were licking their chops. Hence, the three elements and in case of the Wings it is FOUR elements.... number four is travel.... which is why it is a cr@p shoot.

What some fans don't seem to understand is that the playoffs are a war of attrition. Which team is better, which team has a better PP or PK, which team has a better goal differential, etc..... you can take all the stats and throw them out the window.... they don't mean a darn thing. IMHO, the most important aspects/elements of a Stanley Cup Champ are that they have the strongest will and determination, they have the capability of completely shutting down the opposition (that boils down to defense and goaltending as well as forwards who can play good defense), and finally the team that is usually the healthiest overall. Now if you take those elements and not only apply them to the team as a whole but apply them to each individual on the team you can see where you stand. Every year the "war of attrition" has been occurring earlier and earlier.... even before the playoffs start. Why? Because the teams are so close and the battle for each single point is so intense and one single point could make all the difference. The ONLY thing we know for certain is that if your team finishes as a higher seed your chances improve. That is really the only thing we know at this point. Other than that is it a cr@p shoot.... plain and simple. I often talk about the "road to the cup". If you look back over the last few years the Stanley Cup champ had an "easy" road..... including the Wings in 2008. With the Wings being in the West and the possibility of long travel each round it is paramount that they finish as a top three seed..... and not just because they play better at home than on the road but because of that long travel and the extra trip if they don't have home ice advantage in a 7 game series. So besides having the three important elements I have listed above the Wings are one of the teams that have to deal with something else. Now, I am not rooting for St. Louis but I am impressed with the fact that they are exhibiting high marks for those 3 important elements.

I am already looking towards next year. I am guessing with Ericsson and Datsyuk out the Wings will end up as fourth seed and be eliminated in the second round or third... a familiar scenario. It will take Datsyuk a few weeks to get back into form. There is no forward on the team playing near Datsyuk's level and he can't do it by himself. The playoff teams will double or triple cover Datsyuk. Detroit lost the last two at home and St. Louis won the last three on the road..... so much for the "easier" schedule for Detroit. The next three games for each team will determine who wins the division and St. Louis is on fire.... and they are on the road. Anyway this is my roster for next year. You can add one big gritty forward to the mix. So far the cap total is only 61.5 mil. Brendan Smith won't be full time until the following year IMHO. Todd Bertuzzi $2,075,000 Pavel Datsyuk $6,700,000 Johan Franzen $3,954,545 Henrik Zetterberg $6,083,333 Valtteri Filppula $3,000,000 Daniel Cleary $2,800,000 Justin Abdelkader $1,000,000 Darren Helm $1,200,000 Drew Miller $837,500 cory Emmerton $533,333 Tomas Holmstrom $1,600,000 Patrick Eaves $1,200,000 jan Mursak $550,000 Nicklas Lidstrom $6,200,000 Ian White $2,875,000 Niklas Kronwall $4,750,000 Ryan Suter $6,000,000 Jonathan Ericsson $3,250,000 Kyle Quincey $3,200,000 Jakub Kindl $883,333 Jimmy Howard $2,250,000 Joey MacDonald 550,000

I predict St. Louis will now win the division. If Detroit doesn't take top seed their chances to make it to the Stanley Cup diminish tremendously.... they are not good on the road.

I have a feeling Detroit will end up getting Samuelsson. Holland is very big on players knowing Detroit's system and fitting in well. So you can move those players to the top of the list. Just putting a fresh face in the lineup doesn't mean it will work regardless of who it is... unless you are talking about a star player like Datsyuk.... and especially if there is only 6 weeks to go in the regular season.

Hudler and Filppula can NOT compete against teams who have size.... period. They will be pummeled in the playoffs. Look at their stats against teams like Vancouver, San Jose, Chicago.... and now St. Louis. I don't understand why peeps can't see it. All night against Vancouver the Cleary, Filppula, Hudler line played at the Detroit end.... and the Miller, Helm, Abby line played at the Vancouver end. Hudler and Filppula are third line players at best. If Detroit does not get a top six forward who can skate well with some grit by the trade deadline they are done. If Datsyuk is not 100% for the entire playoffs Detroit is done. Datsyuk sets the pace of play.... after him it is players like Helm and Abby... there is no one in-between.

The rumor mills keep talking about Alex Hemsky. I am telling you now that would be the WORST possible acquisition. The guy can't stay healthy plus he is a "lightweight". We already have two lightweights on the second line. Wings need a shooter who is not afraid to take a big hit and to deliver a big hit..... period..... because I will tell you now... San Jose, Vancouver and St. Louis will deliver hits that will cause some injury.... guaranteed. And it is possible that Wings could face all three teams in the playoffs.

Zetterberg looks good once you get him away from Filppula and Hudler.

The third period against Edmonton is proof there is NOTHING wrong with Zetterberg. Put him with Franzen and Bertuzzi and he looks good. The problem is with Filppula and Hudler or having Filppula and Hudler on the same line. What good does it do when Filppula or Hudler get 30 or 40 points and they give up 40 or 50 points? Wings can not have TWO lightweights on a line with Zetterberg. Neither Filppula nor Hudler are "hard" on the puck. They get knocked off the puck easily and get knocked down easily. When was the last time you saw Filppula deliver a big hit???? If I get to choose players to play against the big teams like St. Louis, San Jose and Vancouver...... Filppula and Hudler are not on it. Putting Datsyuk on a line with the two lightweights will not work either.

My grandmother could have passed the puck faster than the Wings did on that 5 on 3 two-minute power play…..that was just awful. That was a classic example of why the Wings’ power play stinks…,… if you are not making good crisp multiple tape-to-tape passes you will not score….period. You have to get the defensemen moving around and the only way to do that is by puck movement. I think the Wings need a new assistant coach. Holland better get a decent backup goalie and soon…. Otherwise it will cost the Wings the top spot in the west.

In the past 6 games Abdelkader has been averaging only about 10 minutes per game. Earlier in the year he got up to 17 minutes. In case anyone has forgotten Abby was Detroit's BEST plus/minus leader last year at PLUS 15. IMHO, Detroit's road woes are due primarily to the second line of Filppula, Zetterberg and Hudler.... they are something like MINUS 24 on the road. Opposing teams are smart when they have last change.... they put their checking line against Datsyuk's line and their best scoring line against Z, Fil and Hudler.... NO CONTEST. Last year I remember Abby getting a few games on the top line and the second line and more on the third line. Why not? He is an excellent checker with good speed and willing to go into the corners and wins battles for pucks... unlike, say, someone like Hudler. Although, I do have to say I see Hudler willing to go to the net and that is how he is getting his points... but when it comes to checking a big scorer.... forget it. What good is getting 30 points when you give up 50 points in the process? Yes, Abby has taken some bad penalties this year and has made a few bonehead plays, but what player hasn't (Datsyuk not included..LOL)? If the fourth line is going to get only 7-9 minutes a night anyway why waste Abby on that line? The one problem I know is that Abby has centered and Emmerton is the only other center. So if Mursak is in for Emmerton there is no true center for the fourth line. I know Babcock has put Cleary on the second line for a few games lately on the road but then that messed up the third line... which was doing well before the injuries. Maybe the Wings should trade away Mursak and bring up Nyqvist who is a center. Could have Homer, Nyqvist and Hudler as the fourth line. Abby can be a second line skater and would do well with Zetterberg and Filppula until at least Detroit gets a top 6 forward, hopefully, before the trade deadline.

Sharp has been out for FOUR games and Chicago has won three of them and almost came back to beat Detroit. Chicago has Hossa, Toews and Kane backing up Sharp. Who does Detroit have backing up Datsyuk?? NO ONE on the Red Wings is nearly as good as Datsyuk on BOTH offense AND defense. Detroit needs another top forward... period. Detroit is going to have Hudler because no one would even want him.... he can not compete with the big teams like San Jose, St. Louis and Vancouver. Yeh he gets a few points against the smaller non-playoff teams... big deal. San Jose already OWNS the Wings because of their size.... they play Red Wing hockey with SIZE! Detroit simply will not be able to compete in the playoffs if they have back-to-back series with St. Louis, San Jose or Vancouver. Conklin is useless.... ANYONE would be better than him. IF Howie gets injured Wings are done. If Datsyuk gets injured at any point in March, April, etc... Wings are done. If Stuart stays with the Wings Detroit will get nothing for him. There is really no one other than Filppula, who Detroit would be willing to trade, who can get you a player that is actually worth something. And like I wrote earlier to get a top forward two top prospects would have to be included with Filppula. Filppula's stock is high right now... come May it will be worthless. There are now THREE good teams playing the "Red Wing" system..... San Jose, Chicago and St. Louis and they all have the size advantage. Filppula gets thrown to the ice almost as much as Hudler. The second line of Filppula, Z and Hudler will be a very weak one for the playoffs.

Can you imagine if Holland added Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan or Ryan Getzlaf? Brian Murray has stated that they are all available. Of course the Wings would have to put a package together to get one of them. But I will tell you now, if Datsyuk gets injured for a prolonged period the Wings are done. Look at Chicago.... they are without Sharp and it doesn't matter. Datsyuk misses one game and Detroit does not look the same.. even though Howie also missed that game. Detroit needs a TOP forward if they seriously are to contend for the cup. The only one on the roster that Murray would probably want AND that Detroit would trade is Filppula along with some top prospects. Yeh, I know people see Filppula FINALLY starting to do something ...but it took SIX years. That is the point .... Filppula's stock is high right now.... but I don't expect it to stay up there. Filppula is doing better simply because Detroit is relying on him more and he is getting tons of ice time. Detroit needs size, speed and toughness.... more than what Filppula can provide. I would take any one of the Ducks top forwards in a minute. Filppula has a tough time going up against the big forwards of Vancouver, San Jose, St. Louis and Chicago.... all possible opponents in the playoffs. Also, the Wings are not going to be able to resign Stuart because he wants to live in California. So they would probably have to trade him for Beauchemin, Vlassic or Douglas Murray... although I would love the Wings to get Jack Johnson from LA. Lastly, the Wings need a backup goalie.... everyone seems to think it will be Nabokov.

I don't believe Stuart will resign with Detroit next year because his family lives in California. Francois Beauchemin, Vlassic, Douglas Murray or Jack Johnson would be targets for the Wings. Rumors are LA would be willing to trade Jack Johnson but the Wings would probably have to trade Smith and Stuart to get him.

To make the proposed format balanced and fair I think for the regular season the proposed four divisions can be as they had planned. But once the playoffs are ready to start all 30 teams are reseeded from ONE to THIRTY. The top 16 seeds make the playoffs. The winners of the four divisions are ranked from seed 1 to seed 4. The remaining 12 seeds are ranked behind like they are now. Seed 1 plays seed 16. Seed 2 plays seed 15. Seed 3 plays seed 14… etc. That way each team in the NHL has the EXACT SAME CHANCE of making the playoffs even though they may be in an 8 team division vs 7 team division. And actually it would be more exciting because there is a better chance of facing a team that is not in your division in any round of the playoffs and each team in the NHL has the same chance. The whole idea is that the travel during the regular season is balanced so that by the time the playoffs come around the travel is much less fatiguing. I think playing a team that you played five or six times during the regular season in the first AND second round of the playoffs would get really boring year after year. It would result in a team trying to get by a nemesis year after year to make it to the finals.