BlueMonk

I'd trade John Keating for a bad case of the flu.

The Wings aren't going to tie this game up if they keep playing an east-west game. They need more traffic in front of the net and guys crashing the crease.

It seems like Kronner and Stewie are on the ice for almost every goal against.

I wasn't being sarcastic. I'm the first person to be critical of the Wings for lacking elements of toughness and I'm also on record saying that I think it's dampened some of the passion the Detroit fans have for the team. So no, I don't see any hypocrisy in criticizing the Bruins because I'm equally critical of my own team.

The goaltending has to improve. Conklin has been good most of the season but he needs to stop both of those goals, especially the second one.

If you gotta say it, then say it. But I think it's lame to pretend that all forms of hockey are equally exciting.

The Bruins play the most aesthetically miserable hockey I've ever seen. They make the Lemaire Devils look like the Gretzky Oilers. They may win a Stanley Cup playing this way, and it still won't be worth it.

The Western Conference is 51-28-10 versus the East as of this moment.

We've let this thing die, time to resuscitate it. With all the hype surrounding Steve MacIntyre (who's out with a broken orbital bone suffered in a fight with Godard), another giant, Mitch Fritz, has quietly made a name for himself. Despite a shiner suffered in his tilt with Laraque, Fritz got the better of the fight and has generally looked like a beast. Anyone have a clip of the Lilja-Boll fight? I can't find one anywhere.

Nice post. I've never met Burke, but I've spent enough time listening to him to come away with similar impressions. I think he's a good fit in Toronto and the Leafs fans have cause to be optimistic. Burke isn't popular with a lot of Wings fans and he may be a bit of a megalomaniac, but he's a good GM.

No.

O'Halloran's grudge against the Wings dates back to when he was shot in Detroit. Look it up.

Meltdown.

I tend to think these problems have more to do with inconsistent officiating and the (seemingly real) tendency for officials to call penalties on the team that has the lead than on a bias against the Wings. That being said, the Wings have the puck almost all the time, so there's something not right with the balance of penalties for and against. I posted a blog entry a year or two ago about how the Ducks benefit from playing on the edge of dirty all the time when it comes to penalty calls. With the Ducks taking liberties with borderline play all game long, the officials may start out blowing the whistle but eventually stop calling all the penalties they should on the Ducks. If they called them all game long, the game would become a parade to the penalty box, and the officials just aren't going to allow that (even if they should). So, the end result is teams like the Ducks eventually end up getting away with more than they should through the course of the game. I think the Wings' style of play has the opposite effect. If every infraction against them was called, they'd be on the PP constantly. I don't think it's a mandate against the Red Wings specifically, but they pay a higher price for it than most teams because they're so skilled and so good at possessing the puck. They should get more calls than they do.

"The NHL is a garage league" -Mario Lemieux

If the league really is favoring the trailing team, then it probably does hurt the Wings disproportionately, just because they've had the lead so often in their games. But as brutal as the officiating has been, there's still no excuse for the defensive weaknesses this team has shown. Lack of physicality. If a forward skates near the crease with the puck, punch him in the head. I want him balled up on the ice, bleeding from multiple cavities. Fancy-assed puck possession cuteness leading to either turnovers or excruciating stretches when the opposing team seems to have the puck for minutes at a time. Sometimes, the appropriate play is to fire the puck off the glass and get it OUT OF THE F**KING ZONE. Odd-man rushes. Inexcusable when protecting a 3rd period lead.

The Pittsburgh loss sucked because I was at the game, and I hate paying money to see them lose. But in the big scheme of things, it's not such a damaging loss. The Pens have slipped below elite status and the Wings dominated the game until they lost interest. It's losing to the big rival teams and being outplayed badly against a measuring stick team that really eats at me. That Sharks game people are talking about was one of those games that killed me. Up 3-0 and the allowing 9 straight or whatever happened that night; man. Any losses to physical/dirty teams like the Ducks or Flames when the Wings get manhandled; the loss when Pronger elbowed Datsyuk in the head and the Wings DID NOTHING. That's the demoralizing sh** for me. Showing no guts and no heart and losing without any self respect. That stuff is way worse than this game.

OK, I just saw the conclusive replay. I hadn't seen that one before. Yes, he clearly kicked in the puck. Brutal call. Almost robbed. Damn.

Franzen just now: "It seems like the team with the lead gets the penalties, like they're trying to even it up." Hit the nail on the head. The NHL really is a garage league. Thanks, Mario. You were right.

OK, I could have missed the definitive replay you guys saw. Either way, the fact that a) the defensemen allowed the forward to get that kind of prime real estate and b) the goaltender wasn't able to do more to prevent it is lamentable.

I'd take the empty netter at this point. The more common ending has been allowing the tying goal when they pull the goalie for the extra skater.

They made the right call, I think. The puck went off the skate, but I don't think you can conclusively say it was a kicking motion from watching the replay. Osgood needs to come up big here.

I've never heard anyone argue that he isn't a piece of sh** as a human being. The debates usually center on his hockey, which is hard to separate from the person. But even in pure hockey terms, his cancerous presence in the dressing room makes him a net negative. I do like villains, though, so I enjoy watching him embarrassing himself by turtling and dodging fights. Moments like when Hordichuk punched him into the ice make it all worthwhile!

We're not talking about a Cup hangover that's going to last until next Spring; we're talking about one that has led to undisciplined, uninspired play in the early weeks of the season following the championship. To my mind, this is clearly about a Cup hangover. These are basically the same players, but they're not winning the battles for the puck, not playing physical and not working for 60 minutes. They look bored. As tough as it is on the fans to see them underachieving right now, the playoffs are so far off that the poor form they're displaying in these games isn't all that important. If they're still playing like this in March, then we'll know there's a real problem. Until then, let them save their real push for the Spring, I say.

Just got back from the game. The Wings were the far superior team all night until about the 6 minute mark of the 3rd period. Only problem is, they not only ceased being the better team, they turned into a Timbits squad. Brutal defensive breakdowns at the end. I hate to fault Osgood too much because the breakdowns were so bad, but 7 goals is too many. The Wings had their foot on the Pens' necks but let up. It's been a patter this year, eh?