kipwinger

Here's some perspective. Datsyuk and Zetterberg are the biggest offensive threats we have. You know it, I know it, and every team we play knows it. When they're separated they get double teamed, and when they're together no other line has any potential offense. We simply don't have the horses. That's why they don't score...because everyone and their brother knows to key on those guys to the exclusion of everyone else.

Well at least Columbus lost last night, that would have really stung if they'd won too.

Haha, keep dreaming. We'll be in the same division soon enough and nobody wants to play against that guy. I'd love him in the Winged Wheel though. Pretty much the only guy in the league that could deal effectively with Backes (whom I also would love to have). Damn.

Yeah, obviously not a lot of accountability around here. Everybody in the organization is making excuses. Unless we lay a complete egg like the first game or the game against Chicago, where everyone is awful, there's never any effort to make guys pay for their half assed play. Mind you I don't want a Tortorella that demotes guys every other day, but some sort of accountability some of the time might go a long way on this team. I think it was Harold that said last night, if you started benching guys who passed when they should have shot, you might drive the point home (to the whole team) that you want shots and not dipsy doodle passes.

Ideally I'd like guys that are edgy, but at the same time know how to contribute. I don't think bringing in any more Tootoo type guys is going to do anything. But look at Columbus, they're a team full of scrappy, edgy guys, who still find a way to produce at the NHL level. Not that I necessarily think that Columbus is some sort of organizational model or anything, but simple that a couple Foligno, Dubinsky, Umberger style players would be helpful. Note to all the argumentative types out there: I am not saying I want to be Columbus nor am I saying that the three guys I mentioned are available, or should be on our radar. I'm just saying a couple guys with their skill set would probably help us out.

I actually agree. Cleary was a very legit second line winger on this team a few years ago. His age and knee troubles have taken his game away from him, but it's not like it was never there. Back then he made the wings hard to play against, he was tenacious, he went to the net, he had enough offense in him to be a credible threat. Even though we didn't win in 09, I liked the composition of that forward corps a lot better than I like what we've got going on now. I'd like to see a high end goal scorer for Dats (a Gaborik/Hossa type of guy) and a couple of grinding type guys that will give you 15-25 goals and will be hard to play against. Then role with... Goal Scorer-Dats-Grinder Grinder-Z-Franzen Nyquist-Flip-Brunner Tootoo-Helm-Abby/Miller

I like Sheahan fine, but he's another center. I'm sick of watching this team move centers to the wing and then complain that they don't shoot/score enough. I want actual wingers with some size, who can put the puck in the net. They don't have to score 40 goals a season. But if they could score 20-25 and do it from the crease/slot area then it would open up the ice for everyone else. Ideally they'd play well on the boards and hang onto the puck as well.

In their last game against Columbus, San Jose benched Joe Thornton for the entire third period because he was playing like garbage. Joe Thornton. I can't even imagine what it would be like to see our team bench anything for playing like s***. And obviously I don't mean Eaves, Kindl, Smith, Tootoo etc. etc. etc. Pretty easy to scapegoat those guys and bench them, takes a little more guts to do it with your high end talent.

Here's what I don't understand. Even if we cut all the fat from the forward corps. Let Cleary walk, buy out Bert or Sammy or both, and replace them will all the GR guys who deserve to come up, we're still one of the smallest and softest teams ever to be assembled. You can't have a top six of Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Filppula, Tatar, Brunner, Nyquist, Jarnkrok. They'll get forced to the outside, and wither away playing a perimeter game. So it's pretty obvious that at some point some of these guys are going to have to be moved out and replaced with gritty guys with size right?

Yeah, I understand them putting a premium on responsible defensive play. But to try and turn your franchise into Nashville, Phoenix, or someone like that doesn't make much sense. We haven't been drafting for that type of system, nor developing, nor coaching, nor anything. So switching midstream without the type of roster necessary to excel in that type of game is a bit silly. Then again, what do I know. It's obviously been working out for us thus far eh?

I don't know what you're talking about man. Babs just said that Abby is a 20 goal guy IF this were a full season. And obviously we'd score loads of goals IF Franzen brought it every night and IF Sammy and Bert weren't hurt, and IF Filppula would shoot more. Doncha see? We're not a low scoring team, we're a dynamic powerhouse offense who has somehow earned the wrath of the gods through no fault of our own. Probably by being so bad*ss for so long, if I had to guess. Long story short, no need for scorers, we've just got to "compete harder" and "want it" more than the other guys. WE'VE GOT SPIRIT YES WE DO, WE'VE GOT SPIRIT HOW BOUT YOU?!?!

If Jimmy D would just retire already this whole mess would sort itself out.

Fair enough, have a good one bud.

Not dumb luck. How many times does the goalie stop the puck for the defenseman to pickup? A million times a game? It's a routine play that they bobbled, bumbled, and ultimately got scored on. Luck had nothing to do with it. Execution did. Also, good teams that play good rise to the occasion in "must win" situations. They score on one of their million powerplay chances. They beat the worst team in the conference. They do lots of things. What they don't do is commit a litany of mental errors which ultimately give the game to the opposition on a night when their main competitors for the playoffs beat the second best team in the conference in a nearly identical situation.

You're going to have a hard time convincing people we didn't play terribly when two Detroit f*** ups led to two Calgary goals. We also had a load of power plays which we couldn't convert on, and we were completely lackluster in every other facet of the game. The fact that they were as lackluster offensively and defensively doesn't mean we weren't terrible...we were. They were just bad enough to make our utterly ineffective team look like it was doing something productive.

I disagree. It was sort of like, who's the smartest dumb kid. They couldn't score and didn't really play much defense. We couldn't score, didn't play much defense, AND actively gave them goals. We were clearly the worse team because we scored their goals for them, those weren't lucky bounces, they were miscommunications and screwups. Neither team was good, but we were probably the less...um...gooder? Edit: We gave them two goals by screwing up, they gave us one goal by being Canadian and therefore forsaken by God.

aaaand Cabrera or Fielder could win it right now

Well the Tigers are playing a hell of a game right now for those who are interested. Scherzer was an absolute beast, striking out 12 through 8 innings. Against a Cy Young winner no less. Extra innings now and time for the boys to go hunting.

Just finished watching Columbus. Late in the game, playoffs on the line, playing the second best team in the Western Conference and they were all over Anaheim in the third period. Watching it, you just knew they were going to score. Compare that to us. Late in the game, playoffs on the line, playing the second worst team in the Western Conference and we were nowhere to be found. Watching it, you just knew we were f***ed. Ugh.

Aaaaaand Gaborik assists on the game winner in OT. Columbus wins.

hmmm, what to watch the Columbus game or the Tigers?

I should probably be watching the Columbus game right now, which is far more indicative of whether the Wings will make the playoffs than their own play does.

"Some guys score goals and some guys don't. We've got a lot that don't" - Mike Babcock.

Ok I didn't see that goal. On the replay it looked like Jimmy stopped it behind the net for Ericsson to pick up, but then I couldn't see how it got back into Jimmy's skates. A little help please?

I'm not too upset right now because we're playing well, but why is Babs so dead set against playing Pav and Brunner together. He's tried every single other combination but hasn't tried Brunner-Pav-Big Body (Abby, Franzen, Cleary, whoever). Any theories?