Wings_Dynasty

FWIW, there was no kicking motion.

Clean and beautiful. If only a few of our guys would attempt that.

If we go down early in the game and it is not Jimmy's fault but it is OBVIOUSLY the defense's fault. Then I think he MIGHT switch up the top 2 pairs to: Lids-Kronner Stuart-Rafalski But I really see him f*cking around with the forward lines before he plays with the D. He constantly plays with line combos in bad situations, but to see him make changes to the "untouchable" defensive pairings that got us to the Finals twice in a row... might scream "panic" to the press and fans.

When it was 3-2 I thought to myself "Well, he would be smart to do it now." When it was 4-2 I thought to myself "Well, he HAS to do it now!" And then he didn't do it. Why is Mike Babcock so against putting two of the most talented, dominant players in the NHL on the same line in a 5 on 5 situation? Does he think that the 2nd line will be weak with 5 minutes to go in the game? I don't understand when you are in a situation where you almost have to win, you decide to play with the lines in the absolute opposite way than the way you should (moving Cleary up, Homer down, and putting Flip with Pavel and Franzen). Why? With 5 minutes left it is the BEST time to put them together. The opposing bench wouldn't have the time to match them defensively and would be even more concerned with covering 2 play-makers instead of one. Did anyone else feel that Babcock made a huge mistake by not using the not-so-secret weapon when he should have?

I agree with every word in this post. That rarely happens.

It's one thing to do it occasionally, and another to be the poster-boys for it. Everyone (fans and players) knows that these guys dive and are famous for it. How do I know? Look for a Datsyuk diving video. Go now. Go to YouTube and type it in. "Datsyuk dives." Now, do the same search using Crosby, Ribeiro, Avery, Carcillo, or Forsberg. What happened? I rest my case.

He let in 2 softies in Game 3 alone. The obvious wrist shot to the short side and the one where he was WAY out of position to stop the tap in. And not to mention all the HUGE rebounds he leaves on the most pedestrian of shots that end up in the net.

I think Ericsson has too much potential for a goal to justify taking him out in favor of Lebda. Example. Final Score: PIT 2 (Talbot x2) DET 1 (Ericsson) Painful memory, but he was the only reason we were even close to winning that game (on the scoresheet anyway).

Well..... Danny look on the bright side... it was a pretty nice shot. Most players go their entire careers without putting a back-hand in at that kind of angle.

I would be fine with more diving penalties. That's why it's in the books, to stop guys like Forsberg, Carcillo, Avery, Crosby, and that douchebag in Dallas from doing this stupid stuff and making the NHL and referees look bad. But what if they call that diving penalty on Carcillo and he DID get clipped? Is it embellishment then? We don't know. One guy might take a stick in the face and continue on, while another guys takes the same stick in the face and it hurts him bad. Is one reaction more genuine than the other? It's a gray area, and that is where the referee comes in. And sadly, when it comes to gray areas (did it cross the line, is it interference, was it a kicking motion, etc) the refs seem to just guess at it.

I think Kronwall has the potential to be where Rafalski is now. And I think that he could be paired with Lidstrom RIGHT NOW. A balance that I have in my NHL10 game (I know it's not real) is that I have a defensive D-man and an offensive D-man on each pairing. Lids-Kronner Stuart (more offensive in the game)-Ericsson Rafalski-Lilja I think that these pairings (though laughable to some to have Rafalski on the 3rd pairing for some reason) give a balance and responsible-ness to each pairing. One player is always back, one is available to jump in on the play. I think that one problem that the real Wings are having is that the two top pairing are unbalanced. Lids-Raf are getting caught pinching with no one playing defense. And Kronner-Stu are sitting back a little too much and not helping out the offense when they are in the O-Zone. Sweapping Kronwall and Rafalski might change that. He can be the physical presence on a pairing with a more offensive minded defenseman (Lidstrom, Greene, etc). He has good hands, knows when to go to the net, and we all know about the "looking for a hit" judgment he has. #2 is not impossible for him. Just right now, he is the 3-4 D-man.

If Lidstrom does retire, we do need a replacement. IMO, Rafalski is not a number 1 d-man, and Kronner isn't there yet. IMO, I think we should go after a bigger defenseman (i.e. a Pronger/Chara type). It sucks about Fischer because he had the potential to be a Pronger-esque defenseman that we need so badly. I would settle for an average sized (6'2") player who throws his weight around though. But enough with the "puck-moving, small but fast" defensemen (Rafalski, Lebda, Meech), they aren't designed for the Western conference.

I agree, they haven't been as awesome this season. I am willing to sacrifice 1 dominant scoring line for 2 good scoring lines. They are unfamiliar to each other except for when they are on the PP when they have Homer in front and 1 less player to worry about. However, with 5 minutes left and down by 2, something needs to happen. Defense and goaltending no longer matter at that point. They need to both be on the ice doing one of two things: getting open or looking for where the open man is.

All I care about is that he uses the body. He has been, standing in front and throwing it around a bit. I would like to see some more snarl from him. Cross checks after the whistle, face washing guys hacking at him in front, etc. Make the Yotes do something stupid by paying attention to him instead of the puck, then get open and look for rebounds. I think he has improved over the season. The OT winners and SO goals I think have helped. A few post season goals may be a catalyst to a different level of play from him.

Game 1: Was close, but the Wings didn't play with any passion and it seemed like another reg season game to them. Howard was average at best, at least 1 softy. Defense was OK, offense not so much. Game 2: Defense was bad. Howard was decent, but it was more the defense's fault for just letting the Yotes do what they want when they came across center. The offense was pretty good, and it had to be. Good net presence looking for rebounds and a greaty game for secondary players, namely Flip, Abdelkader, and Bertuzzi. Game 3: Worst. Game. Ever. Excruciatingly bad defensive lapses. Lidstrom looked terrible and Rafalski was worse. The Yotes made the defense look like a high school team with simple dump and chase plays and give and go's. The offense didn't start until there was 3 minutes left in the game. Howard had his worst game in a while, at least 2 soft goals, one of which was terrible. And IMO, Babcock missed an opportunity to attempt to tie it up when they were down 1 and missed an OBVIOUS time again when they were down 2 to put Z and Dats together to at least attempt some kind of offense in the last 5 minutes. Right now, we are the under-dog.

I agree to an extent. I hate when I see Euro soccer with guys BLATANTLY feigning injuries. In that respect North American soccer is tops. And don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to see Carcillo catch a dirty elbow from a guy and be down for a month. My point was that if we win the Cup, who really cares about a few embellishments? I wouldn't.

My opinion clarified: Datsyuk and Zetterberg should have their own lines. Spread the wealth in order to facilitate more than one good scoring line. HOWEVER!!! If you are in Game 3 of the first round, down by 2 goals, and have 5 minutes left to tie it up, PUT THE BEST LINE YOU CAN ON THE ICE AND DOUBLE SHIFT THEM!!! Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Holmstrom/Franzen is the best line we have. And when we pull our goalie Franzen and Homer are both out there with Z and Pav. Send Bert-Flip-Cleary out there when the top line needs a 45 second rest. THEN SEND THEM OUT AGAIN!!!

If Babcock decided to switch, he would need to run full practices today and before the game to get Oz up to speed. I mean FULL practices, 5 on 5 with Howie at the other end. Would I be comfortable with Ozzie in after a long break? No. Do I think he is capable of saving our asses like he did in 08? Yes.

My pick was Wings in 5. I really doubt that the Wings can win 3 straight the way they are playing. Wings in 7 (because I'm a Wings fan). If I was a PHX fan I would be saying Yotes in 5 and would be able to validate it using several examples of the Wings inability to beat my team 3 times in 4 games, concentrating mostly on goalie, horrible defensive pinching mistakes, and coaching flaws.

If the Wings did that and won I wouldn't care. Just like Philly fans don't care with their 2-1 series lead.

Can we queue the ones with our guys failing yet? Maybe Howard's pads made of Flubber, a wannabe playmaker making a spinning no-look pass to a Coyote in our zone, or a small, non-hitting defenseman pinching to make a hit and the resulting 2 on 1 (could be anybody. coughRafalskicough.) Now if the Wings could go out of their way to hit some Coyote players not near the puck we could have a series worth watching and I wouldn't be as pissy this morning.

I have a word about the goaltending: F%#K!

It was luck. I would be hugely impressed if he had looked over his shoulder while he was falling and then made the pass.

Lebda...

I LOL'd.