kipwinger

I have no problem with what you're saying, but I think it obscures the fact that we didn't lose last night because Ottawa was physical. We lost because we could score on any of the three 5 on 3 powerplays we had. Hell, forget about scoring on them, we couldn't even get any shots on goal. Three shots on three 5 on 3 powerplays. Pathetic.

Apparently there are lots of ways to beat this team, since we can't seem to buy a win no matter how the other team plays. Last night was the first really physical game we've played and we lost. But the zillion games we lost before that really didn't hinge on physicality. I agree that we got beat up last night, but it's not like that's a sure fire way to beat us. We lose no matter what style the other team plays.

Might want to look at that again. Smith has asking Neil to go for quite a while before Neil dropped the gloves. Kind of a stretch to say he didn't want to fight. Also, the idea that teams are going to look at last night's game as a model for how to beat the Wings is laughable. We've lost like gang busters for about six weeks now and this is the first time that a team really took it to us physically. Hell, if you wanted a model for how to beat the Wings, wouldn't you use the last Ottawa game, which was barely physical and more of an ass whipping?

Correct, but we could use better forwards.

Haha, you're being optimistic here. Teams don't need to get all chippy to beat the Red Wings. Just playing regular old hockey will do. But it does make me feel better to think that teams will have to do something special to beat us, rather than just show up and wait for our team to blow the game late in the third. See above.

We had three five on three penalties last night and didn't convert on any of them. and only got three shots on goal during that time. We don't need to be bigger and tougher, we need a team that's not full of scrubs. Oh yeah, and we need a new coach.

Wasn't Tlusty a total stud last season? I rarely pay attention to the Hurricanes, but I thought he scored a gob of goals a season ago. Also, I'd trade Cleary and Quincey right now for Ruutu if his term wasn't so long. That guy hits everything.

I didn't say any of Babs comments. What did he say?

Bable Quincock!!!!!!!! Funniest name I've ever heard in any context. Atta boy on the GDT!

You'd think Babs would jump at the chance to shuffle the lines. Is he feeling ok? Maybe that flu bug going around the locker room finally caught up to him. #BabsFeverDreams

Don't just blame that on the Canadian fans, look back through the GDTs to see that our fans complain all the time about the officiating. I actually came here to post about it actually. So here's mine. "There's definitely not a league wide conspiracy to keep the Wings down. That's just silly." "It's not the ref's fault we're taking stupid penalties" "None of our guys were at fault, that was just a great effort by Ottawa, Boston, etc." "Gary Bettman almost certainly isn't trying to ruin the hockey experience for me personally"

It could be improved in the sense that it is theoretically possible to improve the line without changing the roster. But it cannot be improved in the more concrete sense that Mike Babcock will never, EVER, put Tomas Tatar on the top line over Danny Boy or Abby...which are really the only other options.

Yeah, at the cost of the first line. Once Alfie and Weiss are back though...

I wish Kindl would rush the puck more. He always looks really good when he skates the puck out of the zone. He's much more suspect when trying to pass under pressure.

Well, we looked like a totally different team in that period. In the sense that we looked like a team that knows how to ice skate. I'll take it. However, I'm not really sure why Babs decided to screw around with the lines there at the end of the period...oh wait, I am sure, Babs is an intellectual cripple.

I actually don't think he's nearly as bad as some make him out to be. That said, he does get paid more than he's worth and I see no reason to re-sign him, any more than I see a reason for him to want to stay on this team. Quincey's through here.

Aren't wing dings more appropriate?

I don't get the feeling that Quincey has any special love for Detroit. I'd imagine he walks after this season.

Maybe we could just get Dave Dombrowski to GM both teams. He apparently just traded Prince Fielder for Ian Kinsler. Obviously that guy isn't afraid to pull the string.

Well the good news is that the Detroit News is reporting that Nyquist may finally be called up. The bad news is, he'll play on a line with Zetterberg whose spot on the first line will be taken by Dan Cleary. f*** you Babcock. f*** you to death.

Little bit of double-speak on the topic of Nyquist and Jurco. Yes they're getting pp time in GR and scoring, and yes they wouldn't be guaranteed pp time here, but it's not hard to imagine them earning pp time on the big club given how poor the second pp unit is. If they were on the team and not on the pp, who's going to get that time...Helm? Abby? Cleary? Of course, we'd actually have to get a pp once in a while for that to even matter.

According to "The Fourth Period" the Wings have inquired about Dmitry Kulikov. Wonder what our offer was? Probably Tootoo or Eaves straight up, because anything other than our scraps would be an "overpayment" and god forbid.

I've seriously started five different posts and couldn't finish them. My brain is pissed off in about ten different directions. s***ty roster, stubborn coach, under performing team, and nobody owning up to anything. I wish I were like many hockey fans and could find a way to just pin this on Bettman. But alas, this is our mess. On the bright side, Datsyuk will be 36 next year. Ugh.

Ugh, totally brutal. I honestly do not know what to think right now.

First, I think you're selling both Kulikov and Del Zotto short defensively. They're both noticeably better defensively than Kindl or Smith. Secondly, even if they don't play any defense, they still score more often than our "offensive defensemen" and would therefore be an upgrade. It's not too hard to make the argument that part of the reason we look so bad defensively is because we can't move the puck out of our zone consistently. Look at our turnover numbers so far...they're horrible. Our team gets scored on less by blowing coverage, and more because we turn the puck over. A defenseman who can make good passes, or has the skill to skate the puck out of the zone, would improve our team in that regard and we'd get scored on less. I like stay at home defensemen, I really do. And usually it's not hard to sell me on guys with a Brad Stuart-like skillset. But I genuinely believe that's not our problem. We don't move the puck efficiently, and a stay at home guy isn't going to help much in that regard.