Husker BigGuy

solid take

Too many cooks? sure. But the only chef here is Babcock. This is a meaty chili with lots of steak and vegetables. Anyone who thinks these observations are mere arrogance need to explain why so much open ice tonight. Either the Ducks are wearing down, or we are onto something especially between the blue lines, or some combinatioin. Not only did Hiller show up with a five-hole, but a seven hole, too. He was unable to set up and keep his flaps in tonight.

Hossa scored last game with a minute left. He scored twice tonite. He hasn't been slumping. Datsyuk is playing very well, So is Hank. there's an entire fabric to look at, not just pucks in the back of the net.

Waving a gun instead of shooting it is insane. If you are not going to shoot it, don't pull it out.

"Fighting words" is a specific phrase that means words that justify a fight. I am not certain that avoiding a thug or bully is always the right thing to do. When someone is busting up your car, and beating on your friend, it's possible that confrontation is needed. I do not know the exact circumstances, but it's very possible that in a crowded parking lot, this victime had nowhere he could go. Sometimes a thug gets surprised. We had one here in Nebraska just a little while ago who shot at a pawn broker with his 9 mm only to find out - albeit, his last thoughts - that he was facing 18 30-cal rounds. Sometimes you "recognize them when you see them," and then you engage them with equal force.

This scene would not happen in Florida, and probably wouldn't happen here in Nebraska. With concealed carry laws, 2 large guys attacking a smaller man after busting up his vehicle might end up with two dead fat boys lying in a parking lot. I very seriously doubt that "So, fellas, who won the Stanley Cup last year?" can be interpreted as "fighting words."

So, in summary, the official meant to blow, and then he did.

The whistle blew after the puck was in the net. The ruling is he intended to blow it sooner.

Put Kopecky on the ice with Hossa. Then he will play well.

I agree that Sammy adds little to the PP, but the PP wasn't really our problem yesterday. If you want a power shooter in there, what's wrong with Flip? He's got a rocket.

Erickson has really stepped up. So has Helm. When Helm was in for a moment on the PP for Holmstrom yesterday, I thought Babcock had seen the light for that particular game. Helm had the kind of energy that we needed yesterday. How bad can the GR defense be? Watching Chelios out there is like watching paint dry. Give somebody his shot and see if he can step up. Hey, even bring up Villie Leino and let Hank Z play for Rafalski. He could surely get it done. Losing Rafalski has made this matchup with the Ducks an even one. That means whoever takes 2 of three in Anaheim can win it.

Mindless optimism.

I trust the Hart Trophy to Pavel Datsyuk. You should too.

The Blue Jackets think the combination of moving Antoine Vermette to center their first line, and matching against anybody but Nick Lidstrom might set Wings killer Rick Nash loose. They are claiming that this matchup, plus getting some second chance shots on Osgood, will be their keys to victory in their first playoff game at home. In two games, the BJ's have only had two scoring chances from rebounds, and Ozzie has stopped both of them. They are also VERY determined to keep all seafood off ice for their grand opening playoff evening.

They missed Franzen and Toby Flenderson of "The Office" fame.

Seriously, is it all Ozzie stepping up, or is there a different face on the whole defense? Osgood is facing far fewer rebound chances than usual, and Lidstrom has made Rick Nash look like Joe Thornton (or Alex Rodriguez) at playoff time. BJ fans are calling the RW defense, besides Osgood, "a force field."

I think I will by one of these shirts. You should too.

Football solved the spearing problem that Tatum perfected, but unfortunately only after the Stingley incident. More recently, they implemented the Roy Williams horse-collar rule more proactively to avoid concussions. Passes over the middle to wide-outs are virtually already illegal in the NFL due to concussions, as Don Beebe can attest. Hockey is way behind the curve on the ridiculous tolerance of fist-fighting, especially when defenseless players are getting injured. Even John L. Sullivan never hit a man when he was down. "Beaning" is hitting someone in the head with a ball. There is already armor against that. In MLB, NO ONE throws at someone's head. When pitchers throw at someone, they throw at their legs. They are warned and tossed after warning, and fined seriously when they do it. As well, there is shin armor, and many players wear it. There are no league rules governing "appropriate" purposeful attempts to hit a batter. Pro basketball is not a sport with rules, so let's just pass on that. If "hockey is hockey" it doesn't need ultimate fighting cameos.

Lilja was hit eight times without returning a punch. When it came to the fight, Weber was the aggressor, despite Lilja's clearing illegal roughing penalty. The officials did not stop the fight when Lilja went down. In fact, Weber hit him 4 times while he was down. Even in boxing that it not allowed. Furthermore, Weber was not even given a match penalty for the injury. The league looks blindly on these things because fans who want an ultimate fighting side show besides a hockey game are thereby entertained. It made me sick when Jack Tatum killed Daryl Stingley. Tatum was not playing football. I was a youngster and saw Benny Paret's manager stand by and watch as his fighter died from a beating by Emil Griffith scarcely three months after Paret was bludgeoned by Gene Fullmer. The official stood by, too. That fight changed boxing for the better for good, and this is coming to the NHL real soon. Hopefully it comes before someone like Andreas Lilja dies. BTW, I am a huge boxing fan.

Lilja should sue the league, the officials, and and the player who hit him.

In fact, the TV rating was lower than any ML baseball game EVER.

I think we are 2 for the last 25. Something like that. Just when the PK picks up, the PP falls apart. I know we had about 6 off the iron last night, but 0-6 on the PP? Has that happened before?

If you are looking for last night's highlights, there weren't any.

We were far and away the PP leader, and now are in danger of slipping under 25%, after dismal PP performances for at least 5 games. Maybe the team can just turn it back on, but that's not how it usually works. I saw a bit of desperation in the 3rd period last night. Not a happy feeling watching.

If the Wings get Luongo and maintain the rest of the team, minus a goalie, we should be called the Yankees. How about instituting a cap tax, like MLB?