Matt

While he does look bloated under his chest equipment, it isn't that that is making those saves... When it hits the logo that's solid positioning -- and that's been the case 99% of the time. The bloated pads excuse just looks like sour grapes. He's playing with it -- it's legal -- and it should be left at that. If you want to talk about ridiculous pads we can look squarely at the GM of the Islanders -- now there's a lacrosse goalie wannabe!

That could've been it. My initial reaction was that he was settling down the puck after the hard pass from Selanne so it didn't flutter when he shot it.

I didn't think of this until later on -- so I'd have to watch a replay of the goal to be sure -- but I found it hard to believe that a Wings' PKer couldn't get down to block that shot considering Getzlaf looked down and had to settle the puck momentarily before snapping it on net. Could be wrong, however. That was the gut feeling this AM after waking up.

Cross-ice lanes were there (looking for the slam-dunk on the far side), however brief, especially on the one to start the 3rd period. Guys just didn't make the pass.

Oh, horse s***. The lines 5-on-5 were just fine. The Red Wings, for enormously long stretches, controlled the play tonight. Two power play goals and some boneheaded defensive plays were to blame -- not Babcock. This thread is desperately grasping at straws.

Really disappointing to see the Red Wings fail to take advantage of the opportunity they had tonight. It's hard not to get the feeling that Detroit took the boot off Anaheim's neck and allowed them to regain their footing. Although the "momentum" from game to game is overblown, there were loads of positive things the Ducks can take from this game: Power-play got untracked, Selanne found the scoresheet, they did it without Pronger, etc... That said, outside of a few horrible defensive plays and a penalty kill that failed to give Hasek clear lanes, the Wings didn't play horrible hockey. Hasek was the victim of some seeing-eye pucks that in Game 3 found his pads. A big blown opportunity. If Anaheim comes back to win this series you could look at this game -- and specifically that 5-on-3 to start the 3rd period -- as the turning point.

Please continue the discussion in the Post-GAME 4 thread at the following link: http://www.letsgowings.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=43345

Maintain the pressure in the 3rd, fellas... That 2nd period was played damn near perfect, penalty kills aside. And that call on Rob Niedermayer was BRUTAL. Horrible, horrible call.

But isn't that a win in and of itself?

It is? Against an Anaheim defense that allowed 5 in Game 3 and is without Pronger? Make no mistake, the Ducks capitalized on their chances, but I don't doubt for a second the resiliency of this club over the next 40 minutes. They need just two goals in that span and I don't think that's asking much. Up the tempo in period 2, get the forecheck going hard and force the Ducks to take penalties. Get a couple power plays in the second period and keep rolling those four lines at even strength. As long as you stay responsible in your own end, steadily wearing down the Ducks will reap rewards as this game continues on.

What a pathetically sloppy opening period. Seemed like the team was far too greedy offensively (gambling more often than usual) and sacraficed the level of play in their own zone. I'm not completely discouraged by the period, though. Selanne's tally is a potential back-breaker, but I think as this game goes on the Wings will get stronger. Outside of the few sloppy plays that cost them they didn't look too bad. ... But, for the next 40+ minutes, how about we lose the sloppiness, mkay?

TSN Breaking news...

Remember, it's not "justtheducks" it's "justheducks"... So I think, indirectly maybe, he's a closet Wings fan... I mean, his name, in a roundabout way, means "Roasted Duck sitting in it's own juice."

Really? Show me.

No, they wouldn't. I think we've seen as much from other Ducks fans that have posted here. It would appear that you're flying solo on a lot of your "opinions" and that's the reason why so much of the venom has been in your direction. You make outlandish, out-of-leftfield and erroneous statements you can expected to get lambasted for them. Some posters have crossed the line at times, and I think I could be guilty of dancing along it here and there, but don't confuse having your argument ripped apart with being baited into a flame war.

You do realize that Kunitz's injury came from him blocking a Pronger point shot with his hand, right? .... Right?

Just a reminder, again: Non-photoshopped images will be removed from this thread.

To be honest, I'm getting the distinct feeling he was still rolling around in diapers in 2002.

Damn... the Wings have been good for just the last five years?

Yep, you have your opinion. And my opinion is that your opinion is biased and dumb. ________ I don't mean to pile on Duckette and the ridiculous "comparison" between the 'celebrating' of injuries to Kunitz and Holmstrom, but.... come on. You're not even comparing apples and oranges, that's how far off that is. The fact of the matter is that Wings fans weren't celebrating his injury directly, per say, they were celebrating the circumstance it created. Keep in mind this was found out only heading into Game 2, and that Kunitz was fine (sans the broken bone in his hand) -- what had happened to Kunitz was, in lack of better terms, a "known quantity". Ducks fans didn't have the same 'luxury' with Holmstrom -- for all they knew he could've had a broken neck. But it was clearly audible that there were fans there lusting for blood and it was clear on TV. And don't bother trying to speak for 17K+ fans that were there... Why not just ask some of the people that WERE at the game that are members here? No one is saying it was the entire Ducks fanbase en masse, but it sure was noticable. Hell, even the Ducks media was lambasting fans for it.

Now here is where Detroit needs to take the boot and press firmly down on Anaheim's neck.

Greg Brady from WDFN mentioned this morning that he overhead Pronger saying this in the shower after Game 2. (Don't ask me how he heard him ). "They can't handle us 5-on-5... They better be ready for us Tuesday." Just throwing that out there for digestion... (Not that what he's saying hasn't been true to this point, really.)

http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?service=page&am...&gameType=3

Oh, please. I love nothing more than a good, hard check -- but there's a difference between belting the guy because he had his head down or was admiring his pass compared to having his back turned to you and deciding that you need to use your forearm/elbow to mash his head into the glass. Scott Stevens rocked Slava Kozlov to Jupiter and back in 1995 and I didn't have one single thing to say about it other than "!@#! Slava! Keep your @!#%@# head up!" -- it was a beautiful, hard check. Pronger intended nothing other than the hurt Holmstrom. He's lying if he says otherwise. You don't hit people like that unless you're hoping to inflict something.

I'm sure Pronger wasn't skating up to him to get that BIG HAIRY SPIDER off the back of his helmet.