sureWhyNot

Very true - but I am not the one making six figures to stop a puck. I agree, everyone has played bad. But stopping 9 out of 12 ain't going to cut it. Flat out - especially for a guy who has been dubbed the "next goalie", so much so that we f*cking let a guy who won 25 games for us last year. Hell, there are a handful of goalies who have a better SV% in shootouts then what Howard is offering us.

Wow. Howard is pathetic - absolutely pathetic. Granted - he isn't getting a whole lot of help - at all. He is still painfully bad. You guys can make as many excuses as you need to in order to feel good about this team, but it doesn't change the fact Howard is not NHL caliber. When your team is struggling you need a goalie who can help out - sadly this isn't the case. I am not making excuses for anyone, I am simply stating what I have been since this past summer - Jimmy Howard sucks.

Huge win. God, I don't remember a win in a regular season game, this early on felt so good.

Not to be the douchebag of the thread. Just wanted to mention Craig Anderson posted another shut out tonight against the oilers. If you are a fan of USA Hockey, you gotta love this. 1) Miller 2) Anderson

talk about exposing Luango. I know they haven't been his fault but you know he's thinking to himself "god, it has to happen with Yzerman and Babcock in town." Brodeur is somewhere smiling.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

Hank shoulda bit his lip to make it bleed. Woulda loved a 4 minute boy.

It was a penalty. I know a lot of you don't like it, but it doesn't change the fact what Stuart did deservedly sent him to the sin bin. Why he even touched him is beyond me. He had the guy contained, it was just stupid.

You are 100% correct.

hahahahaha. wow. this is such a f'ing gong show.

Wow. The Wings seem as though they are trying to cough up the lead. Stuart with an absolute bonehead play.

It was Stuart who crossed in front - was before the shot though. I dont care who it is shooting, if you are a NHL goaltender you stop anything that comes your way from that far out - unscreened. It's not the end of the world, but I would be willing to bet that Howard would say he would like to have that one back. But ya. Lets kill this penalty. Not feeling good about it.

Howard shoulda stopped the shot. There was absolutely no one in front of him, and their was no deflection. That said - NICE GOAL DATS!

Why would that surprise you? May doesn't wear a visor.

The fight was actually a very good thing for a couple reasons. First, he was sticking up for a teammate, and second, there was a bouncing puck around the goal area. With our goaltending of late I will take a stop in play during a situation like they were in any day of the week.

Obviously the person asking does. As for the game. Wow.

I am curious as to when you would deem it 'ok' to start worrying about this year. Is it after 20 games? 30 games? the Olympic break? I have yet to get a straight answer from anyone thumping the "3-4 is not the end of the world" argument.

Wow, tough question. I would have to say Yzerman, followed by Federov, Kocur, Shanny, and McCarty. I guess that is my top 5.

I am in Chicago and yes, I am buying the center ice package again. The $200 is hefty, but it's well worth it, especially if you are an avid hockey fan who enjoys all the other games, specials, commentaries, etc.

Amazing write up. I tend to stay away from commenting on a lot of things George writes, but this one deserves a round of applause for it sums our situation up perfectly - I mean we're talking 100% spot on.

Ha ha - he played alright. I cannot wrap my head around all this praise as though he did anything special whatsoever. He stopped 20-22 shots, the first goal was not his fault, and the second goal was. Was the loss his fault no. Did he do anything what so ever spectacular. No. The only people eating crow around here will be the blind ones who fail to see that he simply is not a high level NHL goalie. He is in the same class as Joey McDonald, the last goaltender so many around here here had a hard on over.

I never thought I would miss Conklin as much as I do right now. The guy is killing it in St. Louis. Now granted, he's only started two games, but so far he is repping a 1.71 GAA and a .940 SV%. It shouldn't be too surprising though, I mean he played very well last year when he was called on. Hell he won 25 games for us.

Well I think they (and I emphasize 'they' because I am not writing them off yet) are making the predicitions by the only tangible thing available - the teams play so far. Basing anything on any factor other then the play we have seen thus far is speculation.

I don't know. I think there are a couple different ways you can look at it. I mean I hear your argument, but I counter with the fact that Anderson stopped 48 of 49 shots, stealing the game and giving his team another win. Maybe that's why they are the most "dominant" team in the west - because they have a goalie who can stop 48 of 49. Can you friggin imagine if the Wings let 49 shots go on Howard, or Ozzie for that matter? I get the shakes thinking about it.

At this rate we aren't making the playoffs. Now I am not claiming that we are done, because things could turn around. But if they don't turn around, and we keep at this pace, we won't make the playoffs.