Aethernum

I'll give you a hint: We have this conversation only when the team loses. When you win, you're the best team on the planet. When you lose, you're god-awful and should just quit. I guess. Yeah, they look bad tonight. Guess what? It's the second game of a back-to-back, with brand new lines and a brand new face in the lineup, and they've had a bunch of bounces not go their way. Mrazek is a little off tonight from his usual self and there have been a few egregious mistakes on the defensive end. That's a bunch of really bad things to throw into one game, but I don't think the sky is falling here. I don't think we should look at this game positively so far, but nobody needs to be shipped off before the game is even over. I'm not about moral victories but let's see who steps up in the third.

What a difference two games makes on this forum. Yeesh.

Green with an inexplicable decision there to play the guy with the puck rather than taking away the pass. Not really sure why he would do that - but it left Mrazek out to dry. Between that and not hitting the net on his shots, it's been a rough night for him. Gotta get one back, preferably before the period is over. Then we can fire Blashill during the intermission. That worked really well last time.

That's great, and by all means you're right to say lock up all our stars. But in the meantime, you need about 20 other people who can play, too. Abby is a great player and will be a valuable veteran presence once he slows down a bit. Even if it's $4.5M for 7 years, I'd take it. We would lose more than that - either in money or prospects - trying to pry a player of similar talent from another team in three years.

No player over 25 has guaranteed sustainable upside. And I would argue only a handful do who are under 25. My point is you're asking for something that doesn't exist. Locking up Abby is a smart move. Expecting people to take a discount to play in Detroit is absurd.

Can you name any players under the age of 25 with guaranteed sustainable upside?

I'm a few minutes behind, but that play by Green to break up the 2 on 1 was great. That was some surprisingly responsible defensive play. PK and goaltending look good. Once we're back at even strength, I expect we'll get a goal before the end of the period. Too many good chances so far.

Was there ever a hearing for that head shot on E? I'd be surprised if they didn't at least look at it.

Wait no I was only joking.

While I love the idea of Larkin and Dats together, Z and Larkin have been developing some pretty chemistry so far. Not sure I'd want to break that one up. How about a Larkin-Dats-Z line, just for kicks?!

Okay...we had LARGELY mistake-free defensive play. Minus garbage time. That's what I get for speaking so soon. But I'll take it. Also, the Ottawa goal horn is ugly.

It's a complete team effort tonight. Goals on the PP, and on 5-on-5, from wingers and defensemen. Defensive play has been largely mistake-free, and Mrazek has been clutch when he needs to be. Oh, and they got a little chippy and physical just now. If you're a Wings fan, you can't be unhappy with just about anything from tonight's game.

We tied with Toronto in the opener, and had more against Tampa, Edmonton, and Carolina (3rd time). But it's the first time they've taken advantage of their chances. Which is huge.

And a combined 88-49-15 over the last two seasons. Or do they need to fire Blashill, too? No. The only proper response:

Wait, huh?

Don't engage the troll.

This for me is the point of concern. Speed is generally not a weakness for this team, and all the skill in the world doesn't make up for it. Agreed. Fewer egregious defensive mistakes. More offensive chances. But we got no bounces our way, no help from the referees, and we're not moving our feet. I think the fact that Blashill seems to be making progress on the defensive front is hopeful for fixing the speed issue, but that's also a much harder thing to deal with. Hopefully our guys are just tired. They've had some periods that made them look like Cup contenders. Consistency in generating chances is key. Then we have to get a bounce or two.

Anaheim should fire Blashill. That's the answer when the sky is falling, right?

It's pretty incredible how we've made the playoffs 24 years in a row by refusing to overpay for overhyped free agents, refusing to be impatient with our pieces, and refusing to give up draft picks easily...and yet those are exactly the things fans on this forum want us to do more than anything.

Third in the division, they overachieve in the first round and lose to Montreal in the second.

This is an important point. We haven't gotten any bounces lately, and that can kill a hockey team until things start going their way again.

Barring some sort of misconduct, I can't think of any way Blashill gets fired before he has two or three years with this roster. Playoffs or no.And that's the way it should be.

Can you imagine being told that you're expected to be the next in a line that has included Yzerman, Lidstrom, and Z/Dats? That's a big load to carry.

Mrazek's mistake aside, the decision-making seemed a lot stronger in the last game than it had been before. There was also the bad pass that Jurco (I think?) either didn't see or couldn't hold on to that led to a goal by Carolina, but on the whole I think Blashill has recognized the problem and is addressing it quickly. (Which is the sign of a strong coaching staff, by the way.)

Another FWIW... http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/13990231/nhl-john-buccigross-opens-twitter-bag