Matt

Absolutely. That kid needed a few minutes in the timeout spot tonight. Loved watching every second of that temper tantrum.

It's not related to this game at all, but can someone please explain to me how the hell the Lightning held the Penguins to a 15-shot goose egg tonight? Is this bizarro-world or something?

I think you could sense a huge weight being lifted of the Red Wings' shoulders when they got that weak goal from Franzen. The tentative play of the club through the first period completely disappeared from that point on and the Sharks were totally kept on their heels. Anyone remember a genuine odd-man rush for the Sharks? I don't. When's the last time we can claim we saw a game this season when the Wings haven't given at least one of those up?

You know, I don't mind the Red Wings losing as long as I can comfortably say that they gave a 100% effort out there. But losses like tonight infuriate me.

Hossa was obviously laboring tonight. Very short strides, no explosiveness... I'd rest him tomorrow. And that game? That... that was gross.

I hope someone took that woman's purse and smacked her in the head with it for leaving it in the aisle.

Click Here to Go to the Download Page Enjoy!

On a side note -- hearing of Babcock's remarks this morning put a smile on my face. Love the challenge there and I think it was obvious that the club rose to it in effort tonight. Let's hope (again) that it's sustained. I think he knows as well as most of us that a long homestand + bad habits & lack of 100% effort are a bad combination.

That has absolutely nothing to do with it. All you're doing is running around here starved for attention, it's obvious when/what you post. The Red Wings play a solid, 60-minute game and you pipe up about (paraphrasing) "well, the Ducks played last night." I pointed out the Red Wings' latest jaunt over the last week and compared it to that of the Ducks. The Wings have played more, and it wasn't as if they were home for all of them. The Ducks and the Wings each have played 3 in 4. What was your point again? (And going back to that October meeting, both clubs had played 4 in 6 then, too. The Sharks had 1 game in the previous 4 days heading into the game when the Wings were coming into that game.)

I think as the game progressed tonight that the Wings started on the perimeter and slowly bore down as the game progressed. The crack in the dam came with Franzen's goal late in the 2nd. Immediately after that goal Zetterberg clanged a shot from inside the faceoff dot off the post and Giguere had some blind luck having Cleary shoot it right into Giguere's pad. (Giguere didn't even have time to get down in his butterfly.)

Now you're learning.

Why is the fact that Anaheim played last night even a factor in the discussion tonight? Did we all forget that the Wings have played four games in six days? Including a back-to-back jaunt out to Boston? Anaheim's had 3 games in SEVEN days. Excuses about Anaheim being tired? Please.

Admittedly, I've just read the posts on this page... but seriously -- people are bitching after this win? Good lord.

Click Here to Go to the Download Page Enjoy!

/dies

I'm not expecting perfection, just a hard 60-minutes of work. I think that everyone that watched the game can attest to that.

First complete effort all season. Great to see!

QFT.

No, it doesn't. The Wings are on the hook for Lidstrom's contract for the duration whether he retires or not. (And he won't, anyway.)

Interested in a mid-November road trip to sunny Florida? How about taking in a Red Wings game as the defending Stanley Cup champions take on the Panthers? On Friday, November 14th this fall the Red Wings and Panthers faceoff at the Bank Atlantic Center and the Panthers have been generous enough to offer travelling Wings fans group-rate ticket prices and hotel accomodations for those that need them! The tickets are available in the lower bowl "end zone" areas of the arena and will be priced at $97/seat when tickets are on sale to the general public. The Panthers, however, are offering these same seats for $50/seat! The club works closely with the Crown Plaza, located just down the street from the Bank Atlantic Center. The hotel also offers shuttle service to the arena and to Sawgrass Mills, one of the largest shopping malls in the nation! We only need 10 ticket commitments to qualify for the group rate. When the official schedule is released next month expect this game to sell out quickly! Already a Florida resident? Take advantage of this great offer to Red Wings fans! Interested? Please e-mail me at mattschwartz@gmail.com or send me a private message on the Forums!

He said it wasn't possible unless they all took discounts. But that's splitting hairs.

No, it was a horrible call and absolutely a kicking motion. The follow through is a dead giveaway.

It's not possible, though. No white seperation from the goalline and the puck. I won't even by the lame "well, we'd need something conclusive to overturn the ruling on the ice" BS. It was clearly NOT across the line and clearly a kicking motion. I don't understand how these assclowns can still get that wrong.

It never ceases to amaze me how incompetent NHL refereeing can get. It's clearly a kicking motion, clearly hasn't cleared the goalline... yet it's a goal? You can't claim inconclusive evidence here... If the top goalline cam didn't give you a clear indication of a kicking motion, the one from the top of the glass directly behind the net DOES. Absolutely pathetic.

You could say I was one of those people that attributed the bumps to start the season as just a "hiccup" -- something that occurs during the initial dog days of the season and are ironed out. That feeling has persisted until we've now hit the one month mark. While it's certainly no panic -- it is November, after all -- there's absolutely no doubt what we're seeing: A Stanley Cup hangover. A 9-2-3 record you say? That's great, but that doesn't mean there isn't a hangover with this club. This team has done nothing but (no pun intented) skate by on sheer offensive talent to help them win games. The effort is clearly not there so far this season. It's not just so obviously visible in the atrocious defensive statistics -- where the team was 19th BEFORE tonight's calamity -- it's mired by the woeful penalty kill and the regular habit of surrendering bushels of third period goals. The team is simply being outworked. I damn near made myself hoarse at the game yelling at this guys to win the little battles, finish your checks, etc., as the third period progressed because they simply STOPPED doing that after building that 5-2 lead. Stuart wasn't finishing checks any more, Filppula passed up opportunities to finish his, Sameulsson, etc... The list goes on. The Wings built that lead on solid play though the first half of the game just sat back. Can we honestly say we've seen a full 60-minute effort from this club yet this season? They're also showing a regular penchant for getting themselves outshot when that would be something unheard of last season. I want to end with this, however: I'm not doubting this team's ability to repeat. Absolutely not. I believe we're definitely seeing a Stanley Cup hangover and that if the same tendencies had affected any other NHL team that doesn't boast the Red Wings' ridiculous skill and depth they wouldn't have been able to mask it with a 9-2-3 record. This club is NOT playing like a 9-2-3 team and needs a chip-on-their-shoulder attitude that pushed the the 2007-08 club to grind you into submission for 60 minutes. I'd rather not have the team feel they can just switch that on by the time March rolls around. Bad habits need to get broken.