Aethernum

I actually really like these lines. I'm not sure about AA on the fourth line, but if Blashill is worried about his defensive game I would trust in that assessment. Bottom line, I think these are our 12 best guys to have on the ice. Maybe I'm the only one around here who thinks so, but I don't hate Richards. He hasn't scored much this year, but every goal he has scored has been timely: Goal One: 33 seconds left in 1st period against Nashville. Made the score 1-0. (Won 5-4 in OT) Goal Two: Few minutes into the second period against Buffalo. Made the score 1-0. (Lost 2-1) Goal Three: Unassisted, second of three goals to take lead against Calgary. Made the score 2-1 (Won 4-2) Goal Four: Halfway through first period against Buffalo. Made the score 1-0. (Won 4-3) Goal Five: Power Play goal halfway into first period against Islanders. Made score 1-0. (Won 4-2) Goal Six: Few minutes before end of second period against Ottawa. Made score 2-1. (Lost 3-2 in SO) Goal Seven: Game-winning goal with one minute remaining against Colorado. Made score 4-3. (Won 5-3). Goal Eight: Power Play goal in garbage time in the third period against Chicago. Made score 1-3. (Lost 5-2). Goal Nine: Game-tying goal with 30 seconds remaining against the Rangers. Made score 2-2. (Won 3-2 in OT). So every goal he scored with the exception of the one against Chicago either tied the game or gave us a lead. Half were the first goals of the game, which we all know is really important for this team. He's also got some game-winning/game-tying goals, and most of his goals are right at the beginning or ends of periods, which help with momentum. It's the exact same role he played in Chicago last year - not a primary goal-scorer, but definitely a supplementary type guy for your bottom six who chips in when we need it most. There's also the fact that outside of the 7 guys who seem to rotate in and out of our top six (Z, D, Larkin, Tatar, Nyquist, Abby, Helm) he's the next leading scorer. He's tied for 4th in +/- on the team. And he has the fewest penalty minutes of anyone who has played more than 30 games for us (fewest on the team except AA, Miller, and some AHL guys). I'm not saying he should have top line minutes or anything, but of our Bottom 6 guys, he might actually be my favorite. He seems to be responsible defensively with the puck, and he's the type of veteran guy that you want your new kids learning from. Good attitude, steps up his game when it matters most, plays two-way, error-free, smart hockey...he seems to me like a player whose game is ten times more complete than Jurco or Pulk. I'd put him in before either of those, for sure. Just my two cents. The lines outlined above are the ones I'd go with. Edit - Some people have also said to swap out Glendening. Now, I don't love how much Blashill uses Glendening, but do you know who the best faceoff guy is on this team? One hint: It's not Pavel Datsyuk.

I don't think anybody is denying Blashill is a step down from Babcock...the point is, so what? Babcock may well be the best coach in the NHL. Look at what he is managing to do with an AHL team in Toronto. Did anybody expect Blashill to come in and immediately do him one better? The point isn't that the coaching isn't as good as last year, the point is that there is no reasonable fix beyond simply giving Blashill more time to adjust to the NHL level. Even if we miss the playoffs, you cannot after one season fire the guy who has been groomed for this head coaching job for years. That sort of show-me-now mentality is antithetical to everything that the Wings organization does and has done for decades, and avoiding that short-sightedness is what gave us our playoff streak in the first place.

Choosing not to retaliate was the smart move - keeps us from taking the retaliatory penalty, ends the Philly power play, and will give us a little PP time. Stop letting your emotions get in the way; that was the right thing to do. Mrazek is fine.

Broken stick on a breakaway and a post for Mantha, Larkin hit the post earlier, the bad bounce off DK for the fourth goal...seems like this has been all season long for us. Who do we need to sacrifice around here to appease the hockey gods?

They're a physical, bang-it-out team, and they've drawn us into playing their game. Detroit has an identity - speed, skill, defense-oriented - and they just don't seem to know how to force that identity on others. This, to me, is why they always seem to start late. Not sure what the solution is, but we can't hang with Philadelphia if we make this game about who can hit harder. We have to play our game. Also, Schenn was going down before he even got touched. Surprised no reciprocal diving call, to be honest.

They're outmuscling and out-positioning us. Gotta use our speed here, to get pucks on net. Who is going to step up? That's the question...

Crawford has been as important to the Blackhawks' recent success as Toews, Kane, or Keith. He's part of their core, so I would not be upset one bit to see him acknowledged for that. I still think Petr can close the season strong and stay in contention, though.

Food for thought: Is our Power Play the problem, or is the ineffectiveness of the PP just a symptom of an overall problem with our offense? Obviously we want our PP to be better but I wonder whether our struggles there are just more noticeable because we track it more carefully; I don't see anything wrong with our PP that isn't also wrong with our 5-on-5 play. Just thinking out loud here...

Initial look with Datsyuk's injury was that he got stepped on by a skate blade. Now they're saying his return questionable because of an upper-body injury - probably the head hitting the ice. Hope that's not a concussion.

I hate that penalty anyway. Just hope that no-call goes both ways...

Mrazek has seen more contact today than some of our checking guys. Larkin never going to see a better chance than that in OT. Have to bury it, but that's why Lundqvist is Lundqvist.

It's called garbage time for a reason; while there are positives to take away from the end of tonight's game, there is the inescapable giant boulder of salt with which that must be taken given that teams - no matter what they say - let up towards the end of a game with a comfortable lead. Not saying there weren't good things there, but our inability to score and run up a lead is beginning to become worrying. We have the speed. We have the hands. (Not always in the same person, but...) We don't ever seem to get any breaks, though, and the Power Play is not delivering. Now it's up to Blashill to do what coaches have to do best - address problem areas. The next 16 games will define Blashill's first year.

*Checks schedule* *Sees a three game win streak and a five game points streak* Rough stretch? You people confuse me.

The thing is, he tried to sell it like it was a tripping call, but it was a blatant hook. He didn't have to (or shouldn't have had to) sell it.

I had a feeling the moment the announcer made the comment about our PP, we were going to score. So perfect. Way to go Jimmy.

An OT loss would put us tied with Vancouver with 12 - the most in the NHL. What about our team lends itself to so many OT losses? Only about half of those come from the shootout.

Datsyuk in his prime wins the skills contest every time, but there is no denying the leadership qualities that Toews brings to the table. The one thing you can say about Toews is that he plays his best hockey when the team needs him the most. His ability to step up in the big moments is just about unparalleled in the game today. I love Pasha, and I'd take him at 27 over Toews in terms of raw hockey skill, but if I needed a captain, between those two I'm going with Captain Serious. And that's coming from a diehard Wings fan who has to live in Blackhawks territory and is sick of hearing about him.

Blashill and Holland aren't forgetting that performance. The fans may be fickle, but the people paid to know what's going on are going to keep perspective. Howard showed tonight that he still has the stuff to be a top tier goalie in the NHL.

Larkin has looked good at center so far. I've wanted to see a Nyquist-Larkin-Tatar line for a long time.

Waiting for the "You're losing by two late in the third" penalty that so many other teams seems to get playing us... Edit: Yes!

Our two goal scorers are in the bottom 5 for minutes tonight.

Seriously, how can a sports league with teams worth over a billion dollars go this long without functional microphones for its referees?

Referees giving us nothing tonight. And Mrazek seems...flustered? I've never seen him get too emotional, but maybe he's still thinking about his bad game the other night.

If you're going to block a shot, you have to block the shot. No chance for Mrazek there.

Wideman taking the case to an arbitrator. Edit - Anyone know how to embed tweets?