dr_lobster

Other than "Doc" or whatever his name is, their play-by-play guy, I've never had much respect for Eddie and Pierre. Pierre always tries to scrutinize every minor aspect of play -- why a forward missed a shot, what's wrong with someone's psyche, whatever. It's goddamned speculation, and the guy gives awful interviews.

It was cool to see everyone on the bench supporting Downey right at the end there, patting him on the back and such. You can tell they really appreciate his presence.

I'm really with you guys on the Fillipula/Hudler talk. I have no problem giving guys chances, but man. It just doesn't seem like they do anything productive while they're on the ice -- check, get scoring chances, put pressure on, forecheck. They're undersized and underconfident, it seems like, and this needs to be amended pronto. It just seems like they get wedged against the boards every time they try to bring it in, or the puck gets dumped behind the blueline, and they promptly turn it back over. Gah.

Datsyuk finally gets a point on the road, wooo! Just solid play all-round, though. If Hasek can steal a game like this against Anaheim, just one...we're in good shape. Great work by our defensemen tonight...all of them.

I was nervous at first, but it Lilja did well when he carried the puck into the zone a few times. It was good to see him step up and get involved...in the regular season he seemed passive at times.

Kid's got great reach.

Hey, credit to the Flames for playing a clean game tonight, for real.

The way he reacted...he looked hurt, clearly, but not as if he got hit in the eye. You can almost read a player's body language when that happens, and tell.

Hahaha. Oh man. He had some decent moments tonight...I just hope it doesn't result in any back-patting.

FRAN(LAZ)E®N

Detroit's specialty teams need to continue to perform as they did on Saturday. If they can kill penalties and get a goal off the PP, they'll be in good shape. Considering the amount of emotion (and some fatigue) on both sides, I'm predicting a wide-open game. 6-4 Wings.

I wish the Rangers and Buffalo didn't have to play each other in the second round...I'd love to see both teams advance further.

lawlz

No offense, but are you kidding me? Franzen's been an asset in both zones, and has been skating hard in addition to throwing his body around.

This is a tough call for me. I like Hudler a lot, and he's been playing with enthusiasm, but in Calgary I think I'd prefer Calder, especially if we plan on being more physical than the Flames.

Good job by the Wings to not get wrapped up in Calgary's cheap shots more than they had to...Draper took two cross-checks, as did Schneider, but they didn't retaliate whatsoever.

Chelios is seriously stepping up his game, people. There were some naysayers when we signed him on, but I think he's proven his worth of late. In the beginning, he was intended to play on the third pairing, but with Jiri and Kronwall unavailable...I've just really been impressed with how he's taken it upon himself to fill that gap. Earlier in the season, and in seasons past...he seemed a little tentative with the puck at times, having difficulty clearing it out of the zone on a PK, or mis-handling it and creating a turnover...I really think he's turned things around. Today, for example--Chelios was arguably the most physical Red Wing presence out there. He was throwing hipchecks left and right, going out of his way to finish his checks on guys. In the third period, when Shanahan scored...he carried the puck into the zone by himself, created time for his teammates to catch up, absorbed a tough hit but gave his team the chance to score, which they did. And a shorthanded goal in the game against Philly? We'll take it. In a way, I almost want to credit Babcock for being able to make veteran players "set in their ways" adapt to changes in depth and situation when the time calls for it. Either way, this is the kind of Chelios I like.

Oh man...unrealistic as it is, Brendan Witt is one of my favorites. Thanks for this bit of info, it'll be interesting to see where he ends up.

Man, he was pretty cocky himself though. Nice goal, but geez...the whole "sheathe my stick" celebration is pretty overdone, and he looks right at the goalie the whole time. I'd be pissed too, haha.