betterREDthandead

I think the life went out of them with about 4 minutes to go. I don't care how good a player Zetterberg is....you do not let a player come all the way from the bench to the corner, pick your pocket, and let him make an unmolested centering pass. It's like they stopped caring. Time to start worrying about how we're going to shut down Crosby and Malkin.

Why complain about the officials? All our best hockey this game seems to be on the PK. Maybe Babcock oughta send Sammy out there to hook someone so we can keep getting these great shorthanded chances.

Dallas has played the Wings pretty even so far, but look at their goals. One because our fourth line got stuck on the ice (much credit goes to the Stars of course for hanging on to the puck so long.) Still, probably the worst situation you can face at even strength. And the second - a fluke. If the Wings win this one, Dallas has to wonder how come their best effort just isn't good enough.

1, there are plenty of topics on this already. 2, please do not write the title of the thread as if you're reporting news when you're talking about nothing but an old rumor.

Just gotta say....it's so cute watching Stars fans cheer wildly every time one of their players carries the puck into the zone with no support against two defensemen.

Glad to see we will have a rematch against Finland. Let's see what happens when Finland isn't allowed to score through the wrong side of the net

Bad news. Might drive the market up for Franzen. Erat's a $2.5-3 million player, not $4+.

I wish I could find a picture of Flip flying through the air after being tripped by Turco. You want the single most dangerous play of the game? It didn't involve Ribeiro and Ozzie - how about hacking a guy's ankles who's skating backwards at full speed. Attention Stars fans: Stop being so damn hypocritical. The only goalie who deserves a fine is Turco for the shameful way he was playing. Hopefully the refs catch on tonight.

Very casual fan of college lacrosse here....I watch if I get the chance when UVA is on. I got no analysis to offer of the tournament....I did get to see some of our game against UMBC today though. UGLY. I blame the swampy field. We have Maryland next - split the season series with them.

No fair, you Finns can watch the game and we can't

As Stevie is Team Canada's GM, I suspect it was done with his approval anyway.

Quoted. For. Truth. I'm a Wings fan. Therefore my priorities, when I sit down to watch a Wings game, go like this: 1. Wings win. 2. Wings win. 3. Wings win. 4. Wings win. ... 20. Wings win. Get the picture? Boo-hoo, wah-wah, the game isn't physical enough. OK, sure. If given the choice between "Wings win 4-3 in an exciting, physical, hard-hitting game and make Steve Ott's face bloody in the process," and "Wings win 3-1 in a yawner where the Stars just don't seem to care," I'll take the physical game. But you know what? This needs to be emphasized: The Wings are on a 8-game win streak that dates back to an overtime Game 5 in the first round. And that's not good enough????? Are you seriously saying that if the Wings win the Cup this year, you're gonna look back on the 2008 playoffs and remember how bored you were? I'm sorry some of you take no joy in watching the incredible skill guys like Datsyuk and Z have, even when it doesn't result in a goal. Too bad you're missing out on the pure hustle that Flip uses to outrace guys to the puck and draw penalties (it led to a key power play goal in Game 1, remember?) What a shame you root for the finest hockey club in the world and you can't enjoy it when they use all three layers, from forward to defenseman to goalie, to so thoroughly suffocate the opposition's attack that they can't even muster 5 shots in goal in 20 minutes. I'm enjoying these playoffs immensely. There's so much to enjoy about this team. We have the absolute best hockey player in the world here. We have guys who sacrifice their health to stand in front of the net. We have old friends who came back out of pure loyalty to the city and the team playing a huge role. Hell it damn near brings a tear to my eye to know that Chris Osgood preferred being a backup in Detroit to a starting job anywhere else - and now he's got his shot, playing fantastic hockey and leading our charge toward Stanley. There's more to hockey than hits. (Which the Wings deliver a fair share of too.) There's storylines, hustle, the way your eyes rivet to the screen when the Wings are protecting a one-goal lead in the final 10 minutes....if all of this is not good enough, then maybe the LNAH is more your style.

I think the Stars have managed to convince themselves that Ozzie deserved to be slashed like that, so I wouldn't be too surprised if one of them tries to start something. They don't have as much to lose.

Franzen will miss both games in Dallas, per the Freep: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...ORTS05/80510056

There must be something wrong with my TV. Whenever Turco says anything, the only thing that I hear is "0-9-2."

I'm not the world's greatest lip reader, so when I can figure something out it's usually pretty obvious. Vs. cut into DMac mid-sentence as he was hollering at the Stars' bench, but I'm almost positive he finished it with "....you for that." I mean, sure, it could have been, "Thanks for lending me the five bucks the other day, I owe you for that." But probably not.

Now that is a fact. If Ozzie earned a game by poking Ribeiro (which he didn't) then Turco earned three for tripping a backing Flip, slew-footing Homer, repeatedly punching Homer in the back of the head.... Goalies get away with that stuff all the time and it's understandable that the refs allow them a little leeway here and there. But if the Stars and their fans want to get worked up about Ozzie's tiny little gate-drop, Turco's stickwork ought to get a little scrutiny too.

Smart move to sit Chauncey. Even if the Pistons had lost, they've still held serve, and it's better to be 2-2 with a healthier Chauncey than 3-1 with Chauncey on the bench because he reaggravated his hammy. Now it's 3-1 anyway, Billups gets three more days of treatment with our miracle worker Arnie Kander, and he should be all set and healthy for hopefully a clinching Game 5. And if they do clinch, more rest is on the way.

OK, here is my TiVo-informed opinion, after watching the replay in slo-slo-mo. 1. I don't believe Ozzie hit Ribeiro intentionally. He straightened up out of his goalie's crouch as the clock ran out, and the stick went nowhere except where it would normally go when you stand up. I can't get inside his head, so maybe he did intend to give Ribeiro a poke. But there's nothing there for the league to look at and and say, yup, intentional. Which is pretty much the main thing. 2. Ribeiro hit Ozzie somewhere in that chesty-shoulderish area in front of the armpit. No vitals were hit. It would hardly have sufficed to knock over a domino. Ozzie's dive would shame even the Incredible Floppa, Peter Forsberg. A very dramatic performance. 3. Regardless of the above, the fact remains: Ribeiro took a two-handed slash with the stick at Osgood. Not only after the play was over, but after the game was over. Gone. Suspension. I don't care what the outcome is or what precipitated it or who did or didn't get hurt, you do not take lumberjack chops at an opposing player. Two-handed slash, end of story: Ribeiro sits at least a game.

Whatever Ozzie did to Ribeiro won't factor into what Ribeiro gets. (I'm not even convinced Ozzie did it on purpose, but I'm biased on that.) The league has made noises about cracking down on using the stick as a weapon. If they're serious, then retaliation won't soften the blow. Might even make it worse - escalating skirmishes with the business end of your stick is what the league purportedly wants to stop for good. Ribeiro will sit a game at least. It would make for a VERY interesting two games in Dallas if Ribeiro gets off scot-free, but the league probably didn't miss Vs. showing McCarty talking at the Dallas bench....given their apparent determination never to let a Wings-Avs style rivalry to ever appear again, betcha they don't give Mac the chance to follow through on whatever bad intentions he sent over there.

What on earth?

No score predictions from me as usual, I think they're a waste of time. But I fully expect a Wings victory. At home, on a roll with the opponent starting to wear out.....Cup-winning teams do NOT lose games like this one.

Funny how every goalie this playoff season that's been hailed as having a great postseason falters when they face a superior offense.

Of the 8 teams in the Eastern Conference, the Penguins are the only one that would scare me in a Finals matchup. Scary talent on that team. If the Wings were out I'd be pulling hard for the Pens - long been my second-favorite team in the league - but there's a better-than-even chance the Wings will end up in the Finals and so I really, really don't want to see Pittsburgh there too. Edit: That said, a Wings-Penguins matchup would be a dream come true for the NHL, and it would be all kinds of fun to win that kind of a contest.

That's where the picture was taken from