unsaddleddonald

If we don't win AT LEAST 4 of these next 5, we may be able to point at this stretch as where we made it or where we broke. Tired of this crap that this team pulls against inferior competition compared to how they play against the big boys. Can't lose tonight. Shouldn't lose Thursday. We'd better beat that crap team from Ohio in both games this weekend.

He frustrates me as much as everyone else, but if that had been Cleary or Abdelkader in Mule's spot on that play, the puck would have been dumped into the corner. I think it was more the awareness to cut to the middle and wait until Pav created a passing lane. THAT is something most guys on this team WOULDN'T do.

I disagree. Although he does have the ability to snipe, he shoots an awful lot of shots into guy's legs and sticks. And his one-timers?

I honestly feel like you nailed this perfectly. Especially on Filppula and Franzen.

And for how much of a genius Pav is, he cannot shoot to save his life. For every snipe he has, he has about 100 shots that go wide or go off a guy's leg. BAM! Made me look like an idiot tonight. But my point is still valid I think...

Taylor Hall just pulled that move off. Val Filppula needs to take notes as he very often tries that move with little to no success.

Val Filppula needs to ask Taylor Hall how to pull that move off.

If there is a bad angle on the ice, he'll find it! Remember that two on 1 he was in tonight? Here's what a good hockey player will do.

ZETTERBERG - PLAYMAKER (NOT SHOOTER) ZETTERBERG - PLAYMAKER (NOT SHOOTER) ZETTERBERG - PLAYMAKER (NOT SHOOTER) ZETTERBERG - PLAYMAKER (NOT SHOOTER) Summary of what this team is.

From who? Pav? One on one, shoots into a guy's leg everytime.....

The Red Wings kryptonite is a relatively low skill team that.... Skates hard the entire game Hits a Red Wing player EVERY chance they get Gives them NO space in all three zones Forecheck and backcheck the hell out of this team and they turn to jello. Nashville perfected it. Calgary and Columbus have embraced it.

I'm more or less talking about the scrappy teams. We don't look NEARLY as bad against teams like the Canucks and Blackhawks who rely more on skill than the teams I'm referring to. Those kind of teams will give us more space because they don't need to rely on athleticism and effort to win. I mean, let's face it: look at the last 3 games and you will find one constant---->our guys are given no space and are harassed in all 3 zones.

It's an interesting dynamic to me that the more skilled teams in this league aren't nearly as high pressure. But I guess if you have more skill, you feel you have less of a need to play high pressure in all the zones. Score....defeat....what's the difference?

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130311/SPORTS0103/303110350 "I go through this time and time again with the players, with the media, with everyone — the players decide who plays, not me. If you play good, you get to keep playing (and) if you don't …?" LIAR...YOU'RE A LIAR. Exhibit A: Dan Cleary Exhibit B: Tomas Tatar There is so much contradiction in that sentence, I want to throw up.

That's the perfect way to describe this. This is the first time I've really been straight up confused by Babcock and his lineup stuborness. His decisions with the forwards are backwards... I mean, I don't NEED them to put Cleary on waivers, but for christ sake have him sit for a game or two. Eaves and Miller rotate all the time and I would take both of them over Cleary at this point. I understand that completely, but Dan Cleary does not figure into that. He CANNOT skate anymore. There is no acceleration, cutting ability, anything. He has become a liablity. There was a play in one of the recent games where he had the puck in the neutral zone bringing it into the offensive zone (going wide like he always does....), no one was on him, and he flat out fell over. I just shook my head... The Blue Jackets are the Blue Jackets. Do not kid yourself. You're not allowed to leave 7 points on the table against the Blue Jackets.

Flames are absolutely falling apart right now. But with this team, who knows...

EXACTLY!! Why does it apply to some and not others? Double standard.

I'll give you Tatar's last two games, but have you seen Abby try and accept a pass from Pav? Can't do it. Even if it does comfortably find it's way on his stick, he doesn't know what to do with it after. And any lack of defensive game in Tatar's game would be compensated with Datsyuk's brilliance. I agree with you completely here. It's funny though, because when I brought this up at the end of last year, I got the "Cleary has scored nearly 20 goals....Hudler has 20+....Filppula has 20+" Aside from Brunner, who has cooled off considerably, this team has NO goal scorers. Just a bunch of guys who want to pass the puck to each other (see: Filppula, Datsyuk, who has 8 shots in his last 6 games) No, he isn't. Which pretty much 100% contradicts Babcock's reasoning of not putting Tatar on the top 6.

Even though I think he has sucked, Abdelkader has sucked while being put into a role in which he just does not belong. He was signed to be a physical bottom 6 guy. He does not and never will have top 6 skill. Babcock has done him no favors and has turned virtually this whole fanbase against Abdelkader. No win situation for Abby.

They can sit their ass down just like White because they play like s***. Sorry, I'm just really tired of them.

I definitely LOL'd when I read that. I would LOVE to have Cleary claimed off waivers!

I understand your reasoning. I just wish that applied to everyone on this team and that the guys with seniority were not exempt from that. Dan Cleary can't skate. He can't shoot. He gets the puck stripped from him. Everytime he or Abby fumbles a pass from Pav, I want to throw up.

My intention is NOT to attack you here, but next year is now. This move would make sense if we were the Blackhawks or Penguins where we don't need wins in a hurry. Moving Tatar down while keeping those other two sacks of s*** in the lineup makes us worse. Tatar and his defensive struggles.....spare me. DAN CLEARY CANNOT SKATE ANYMORE. How does that NOT make him a defensive liability?

Up is down. Black is white. This coaching staff with its lineup is so incredibly backwards.