kipwinger

Not sure I like Brunner and Nyquist out there against Nystrom and Cole. Those are a couple of big boys with some serious hustle. Could be a pretty big mismatch for our guys if this game gets chippy.

I'm fine with Renney

good heads up defensive play by Andersson there. Atta boy kid.

I'm not mad because we've been playing well. But man do I want to see Bert hit the ice sometime soon. It would kill me if we somehow managed to win a cup and he didn't have much to do with it. I've been looking forward to seeing him get handed the cup first for about four years now.

Agreed. Insert Bert and Helm into this lineup and we'd arguably have another 5 or 6 points.

I've always loved Doan. He's just like Backes. Everybody hates playing against him because he's often borderline. But he's a force, and anybody who wouldn't want a guy like that is crazy.

There is no way in hell that Franzen plays until he's 40. Just not going to happen. So stop sweating the small stuff fellas.

When and where did Doan say this haha?

I generally save all of my most serious fanboying for any game seven in the playoffs. Typically this involves me getting loaded and listening to Motley Crue all day until puck drop. But considering this is a HUGE game, and it's a Saturday, I might have to make an exception. C'mon Red Wings...KICK START MY HEART!!!!

I can respect wanting to see the original six play each other. That would be pretty cool. However, I want nothing to do with Chicago in the first round. Also, because of how tight this has been down the stretch I've been watching a lot of Columbus' games and they're a real fun team to watch. They work their asses off and never go away. They're obviously not as talented, but they remind me of the 2010 USA Olympic hockey team. They don't have the star power of their competitors, but they'll nickel and dime you to death with their work ethic.

Did they perform well when together? I don't recall that line but I definitely like the nickname.

I do. Just not at our expense.

Franzen, Flip, and Bert might be a hell of a line. Problem is, if you put Bert in that spot then what do you do with Cleary? The third line is playing well as it is and so is the fourth.

It's good to see Franzen and Filppula heating up. However, I don't think that it's some sort of miracle or something. With Datsyuk and Zetterberg on the same line, teams have to put their best defensive units on the ice against them, and Franzen and Filppula end up taking advantage of the mismatch. Also, having Filppula back at his natural position does wonders as well. I'll admit I wasn't a fan of having D and Z back together at first, but the proof is in the pudding and it's working for both lines. Kudos to Babs for finally getting the lines sorted out. I do sort of wonder if it's worth putting Bert back in the lineup now though. On the one hand I think he's probably better than Abby OR Cleary on their respective lines, but on the other hand I'd be hesitant to mess with success.

Jakub Kindl = B- He's shown considerable progression in all aspects of the game and easily won a spot on this team's defense. However his very good offense has been offset by inconsistency in his own end. I don't expect him to be a shutdown guy, but I would like to see him stronger on the boards, and use his size more to his advantage when defending.

I really hope that Minnesota loses out and both us and Columbus make it in. I think Columbus is exactly the type of team that could upset Chicago and lord knows I'd love to see it. That team does not go away.

It's amazing how much better Filppula looks at his natural position. It's also amazing how much less aggravating it is when you're not expecting him to shoot a lot.

Gonna be a nail biter. Ugh.

As deep as this year's draft is, I'm having a really hard time trying to determine why White, and to a lesser extent Filppula, weren't traded. I realize with Flip it was a "just in case" we make the playoffs thing, but man wouldn't it have been nice to land another first rounder?

Why would we put three wingers together without a center?

Isn't the same true for every team playing us though? They all know we're still in the hunt.

Yup. For a few years there nobody could touch the guy, as both Gretzky and Lemieux admitted.

It'd be worth extending him a try out that's for sure. It's hard to say with Halifax though, they've got so much talent up front that you have to wonder whether the rest of these guys are benefiting that heavily from the coattail effect. I know that's one concern with Frk, as well as the same criticism used for Jurco when he was with St. Johns.

As far as the game goes, I don't really miss much. With the exception of diving, which isn't as out of control as some make it seem, I think the game is better in pretty much every way now than it used to be. Goalies are tougher to score on, forwards are super skilled and moving faster, and even the lower end guys need to be able to play the game. I love not seeing the Marty McSorley types bungling up and down the ice. Tough guys need to be able to play now, and I love it. Sidebar: I love watching Brandon Prust play hockey. I guess the only thing I miss are the individual players who were so good over the years. Lidstrom, Yzerman, Fedorov, Shanny. All amazing. And when I think about how much time I spent watching them, and knowing that I'll never see them play again, bums me out a bit. I'll see other amazing players...and have (Datsyuk)...but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't do just about anything to see Fedorov take an outlet pass and race up the ice and do this one more time... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDkodlLc274