DirtyD

I don't think that Stuart is gettin' enough love in this thread. Despite putting up an absolute stinker in game 6, Stuart was overall pretty consistent throughout the series and it really paid off in his stats. 2g 4a 6p +6 He tied tied with Lids for the series for top scoring D-men on the team and tied with Hank for best +/- for the series. I can't help but feel like this series was pretty much a mirror image of his entire season; overall very solid and consistent, but he is prone to make some big mistakes that people tend to remember more than all the solid minutes he eats out there. Nonetheless, I think that I'd still give #2 to Datsyuk because he had, I think, his best playoff series since Dallas in the Western Conference Finals in '08.

Something tells me that this round is going to be a bit easier (in terms of PS War material) than the last. Anyways, here is my first, nothing special, just trying to get my mental juices flowing.

While I agree that Franzen left a lot to be desired in the series, the guy did finish at a point per game clip (1 goal, 6 assists) and had some big moments in the series. Nonetheless, Franzen is clearly not consistently playing at the beast level that we have come to expect from his performances in the last two playoff runs. With that said, this team could theoretically find a whole other gear if Franzen can turn into the Mule full time against the Sharks. I think that he'll get there. And, if not, if he can continue to put up a point per game while the rest of the big boys pick up the slack and the Wings keep winning, I'll be plenty content.

I couldn't tell if it was HOWARD or COYOT'S. Hmmm...

From Datsyuk to Draper & Lidstrom to Lilja that was an absolutely dominant performance. One of those games where no one had a bad game. It is games like that which make me realize that this team is capable of winning the Cup.

Take note that there is no coincidence that we are in complete control of this game in which Dats, Z, Lids, and Rafalski all have multiple points. When our stars are our best players, we win. Like every time.

All in all, good game for Howard tonight thus far as well. Although he hasn't been particularly busy and I'm sure that he'd like that goal back, he's made some real big saves to ensure that the Wings stay in the driver's seat tonight.

Full speed ahead! Bring on the Sharks.

Out of sheer faith, I'm going to start working on something for the Wings vs Sharks Photoshop War. I really hope I'll get to use it.

From your "It's Always Sunny..."-referencing display name to the outstanding tale of drunken belligerence that you have just woven for us, you have made a positive impression on me, friend.

K.

I was thinking the exact same thing. It really seems like when Howie is able to get a few routine saves in the early going to get him into a rhythm, the Wings win the vast majority of the time. Meanwhile, getting the first goal would on Bryz would really tilt the ice in our favour because Phoenix really prefers to play with a lead. Watching Halak play last night got me pretty pumped for this game tonight and I'm confident that Howie is gonna have a nice bounce back game like he usually does. Wings - 3 Phoenix - 0.5

That's what she said.....?

This. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for Sammy and wish him nothing but success (except against the Wings). However, we all know that Sammy doesn't exactly have the biggest bag of tricks; he's a shooter. When shooters can't get to the prime areas they need to in order to get their shots off, they can turn from prolific scorers to blame-laden floaters on a dime (*cough*Franzen*cough*). Obviously its very helpful to Sammy that he's playing with the Sedins who are both talented enough to open up a lot of free ice for him, but I just can't shake the feeling that the Kings really screwed the pooch in terms of defending against that line. With that said, I think that the super-tight version of the Wings from Games 4 & 5 would be able keep that line in check, while the sloppy-as-f*ck Wings from Games 1-3 & 6 would get eaten alive. Let's just hope we get the opportunity.

This game - like each of our three losses this season - we lost on our own. We didn't bring it for anything close to 60 minutes, and although we may not have deserved to be blown out like that, we certainly did deserve to lose. With that said, refereeing in this league (and I mean the ENTIRE league) is embarrassingly poor, easily the worst of any of the professional sports that I watch on a frequent basis. There is no conspiracy, just ineptitude.

I usually try to remain pretty even-keeled about these things, but HOLY F*CK! Can you name another team that this would happen to? Every conceivable advantage going into the game, and they just don't show up. Nothing. From anyone. Granted I missed the first half of the game, so I came home to a 2-1 deficit - then a penalty and a PP goal - then a fluke ass goal - then a new period, and another penalty and a PP goal. That's what I've had the privilege of witnessing, all the while with no indication that the Wings could care less about what's happening. I'm usually as optimistic as possible, but to me there is no doubt that game 7 is going to be a nail-biter, which really doesn't suit my nervous demeanor particularly well. Hopefully Jimmy bounces back (though from what I've seen he really hasn't been the problem) to shut the door like he always seems to. Oh. And hopefully the rest of our team decides to give a f***, too.

<--- Anywho, I've switched over to my good luck rally cap avatar, so things should start looking up any time now.

What pisses me off the most is when the boys start flying with about two minutes left and they're down 2 goals. It's really a slap in the face to the fans as we are given a brief glimpse of everything that they are not doing for the other 58 minutes of the game. To me, this was essentially game 1 just set in Detroit. Decent first 20 minutes, followed by an embarrassing 2nd and 3rd periods in which the team is unable to manage any sustained pressure and simply gets outworked by a much less talented, hungrier team. Howie was a big reason we lost this game, too, of course. There is really no way that we can go to Ozzy anymore, so Howie has to play better or we are done, simple as that. In all, though, I have faith. One game at a time, boys. Whatever it takes.