puckbags

Considering where we are right now at this very moment I'm not so sure I wouldn't accept the fate of a one game winner makes the playoffs game against the Canes.

I am doing the same thing in March, I'm from Western Canada, 37 years old, Wings fan for 25 years and I've never been to the Joe. My trip won't be as long as yours but I hope to see the Hawks and Rangers. I will be hijacking off this thread for ideas.

Bizarro world, we have 21 shots and 4 goals.

Steve Ott is obviously not the most skilled guy we have but hell at least he shows up every night and puts some effort into it

Yea this franchise is terrible and they have made me nothing but miserable for the 25 years I have been a fan, I mean what kind of fan wouldn't want their team to make the playoffs every year, and in that time have some of the best players of the era ( Yzerman, Lidstrom, Hasek, Fedorov, Shanahan etc...), play a very exciting brand of hockey and win 4 Stanley Cups in that time. There are up and downs in everything and we are on a downswing right now, no denial. The city of Detroit, it's hockey fans and this franchise I think are way too proud to just throw in the towel and hit the panic button. Things need to change but I will take this 25 year stretch and be very happy with what I have seen and watched.

It's pretty simple, this team needs a culture change. We have plenty of usable parts up front and there is no reason why a bunch of these guys aren't scoring. This organization has gone stale. Watching #55 and #52 last night was sad, they are out of position every shift yet they are still on the same pairing. Make some moves.

As long as Glendening, Ott and Miller are on the 4th line I don't really care how he mixes up the other 9. Throw them in a hat for all I care. No one on this team can score. Once Helm and Abby are back any combo of the 2 of those 4th liners should sit but you know it will be Mantha and AA in the press box.

No kidding, well done, I didn't read it but I'm sure there are some valid points. Who has time to write that much stuff. I get on here 5 minutes a day at this point of my life and try to plug in a sentence here or there lol.

Pitt scored 7, we are half as good as the Pens so we should win 3.5 - 0 They have been working on this contraption for him that forces him to play with 2 hands on his stick. It's a mix or super glue and industrial grade rope.

PP is garbage, I don't know what the % is and I don't care. In a tight game yesterday they have to show something on the PP. Too many of the same type of player on this team. Need a serious shakeup in the makeup ( yea I rhymed that on purpose). Make a couple of hockey trades and get better on the back end. Either Gus or Tats need to go in a trade.

Standard default answer for everything right now. Not very creative. I agree Blashill seems disconnected a lot of the time but blaming him for everything is a cheap cop out.

I don't agree with this really. He's improved every year and I expected like most people ( maybe not you lol ) that he would get 20 goals this year and be a solid 2nd/3rd line center. The cap hit is minimal and I do agree with his play right now he is 4th line player.

Z looks the best he has looked in quite a while. Hopefully the body holds up. Up front we will be just fine. With Helm, Abby and AA it will give us the ability to do whatever we want up front in terms of lines. Our D needs work like always and the only way to do that is a trade.

When Helm and Abdelkader and AA are all back ( barring any other injuries) we are clearly going to have to waive a couple of dudes right?

I'm so sick of that stupid effing look that Blashill has on his face half the time that reminds me of Tortorella. Like he can't figure out what just happened.

Our D are just terrible. Pittsburgh knows it. All you have to do is pressure them and they turn it over. The root of all this pressure.

Tatar looks like he's on speed. His body is going way faster than his brain. Like take a deep breath guy.

Good job taking away the pass E

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/oliver-ekman-larsson-nhl-arizona-coyotes/ I think a lot of young Swedes in the league idolized Lids but this a great story on OEL's first game against him and some other random creepy fan boy stuff lol. If it's been posted apologies.

Guy has some sweet skills. It's the health and motivation that I hope he can keep up. I love Vanek, it's the same reason some time ago I loved Tatar and Gus. Vanek isn't vanilla. He tries stuff. Tries to be creative and I'm not talking in a cocky way. Tats and Gus used to be like that but they are so complacent now.

Before the season I would've laughed my ass off at anyone who told me that Jimmy would be our MVP 20 games into the season.

They say you have to hit rock bottom before you can change. Would this be rock bottom ? Wings win by 5.

You nailed it, neither of them are very good. Do either of them have a style? E plays with one hand on his stick most of the game and Smith has tried to change his style about 5 times and none of them have worked. On a good team ( Chicago, NYR, Montreal) neither of those 2 would even sniff the ice. I've always been an optimist around here but it has to change. Ericsson is terrible and Smith is confused.

I want Hamilton, he was the best d man on the ice the other night against us. Steady, calm, good puck mover. I think Howard would've been possible trade bait to the Flames but we will let him play enough to suck and lose all his trade value. Any 2 way combo of Hamilton/Fowler/Shattenkirk would be great but in my wildest dreams I want OEL.

In it's best times over the last 25 years or so this team has always been about the quality of our D and their ability to move the puck. We lost Rafalski and Lidstrom and they were never replaced ( # 5 can never be replaced ). Need to make moves, suck it up and trade some prospects and young guys to get a d man or two. Need to change the culture of our D and we need to do it quick. Green and DK have been good, Sproul is a breath of fresh air back there but Machenko, Ericsson, Smith and Kronwall with his 22% knees are not very good and can move on. If Kronwall is ok with playing 12-13 mins a night that's fine but he can't be in the 20 minute range anymore, its not possible. Ericsson and Smith are the same guy pretty much and Marchenko is just treading water.