Fingercots

I didn't speak well for Hiller when the commentators were openly discussing how Hiller's pads were so tall that they blocked the five hole and that they would likely be made illegal by next season. It seems like a bit of a trend with good, young Anaheim goalies.

I do have the feeling that every time the Ducks and Wings meet in the playoffs over the next few years it's going to be a tough series. I would rather see the Ducks lose to another top team and have the Wings play the winner of that series.

I'm not really feeling too good about this matchup. The lack of trips to the west coast is a good thing but the Wings had better pick it up and play a lot better than they have recently or they'll get upset in 5 or 6 games.

I do wonder about how Parise will follow up this season. A few years back, Brian Gionta had a "break-out" year and hasn't been that impressive since that season. Will Parise continue to get better or will he never again match his perfomance from this season?

One great thing about Fedorov was that he was always amazing in the playoffs. I mean, Fedorov in his prime was great during the regular season but when the playoffs came, he stepped it up. Datsyuk is amazing and he has definitely gotten better in the playoffs the last couple of years but time will tell if he becomes a big time playoff performer over the rest of his career.

honestly, i think rolston is the best, most consistent, player on the wild. gaborik is a truly gifted and scary talented player but he is constantly getting injured, he never reaches the point totals he should. rolston plays in all situations (even strength, PP, PK) and he consistently produces. if kenny can get him on the wings, i would be ecstatic. trade sammy, hudler and a pick for this guy, i think we would still be getting the better end of that deal.

i dont know man, those new jerseys just look like they are 3 sizes too small. its taking time to get used to how they look, i cant imagine how they must feel.

the only way zherdev would work on the wings would be if he became pals with datsyuk and grigorenko and actually started to play with some passion. last season, when nash-fedorov-zherdev were together and healthy, they were a scary line. zherdev is extremely talented but he would have to work his butt off to stay on babcocks good side.

start the reactor quaid

i may be in the minority here, but unless the devils signed him to some outlandishly expensive contract, im pissed that holland didnt wrap this kid up.

edit- double post

i like the way ducks fans are so confident that selanne will return but if you look at the numbers, its becoming harder to believe. and now with the oilers and their offer sheet for penner, i think the ducks are going to be longing for the days when there was no salary cap and teams like the red wings, rangers and avalanche would just throw money at every problem and buy a stanley cup. ps- that last paragraph was mostly sarcastic, mocking the way that every crappy team would complain about any team that had money.

considering the fact that yashin is already getting money from his contract buyout, combined with the fact that he is an underachieving bum, i cannot imagine any team willing to pay him $4mil to play. that guy would be getting over $6mil and he would still be inconsistent as all hell. i know this is from tne complete other end of the spectrum but i really think holland should try to sign aaron asham for like $800k. hes young, gritty, more than willing to fight and he has some offensive ability.

after watching the game today, i had the exact same thought about 2002. i still remember thinking that the wings were screwed after game 5, having to win in colorado and then back home. the wings have done it before and they can do it again. win 2 in a row and carry that momentum into the finals!

from www.divealanche.com Why is Scott Parker nicknamed "The Sheriff"? a) Because he lays down the law when he's on the ice b) Because he keeps the other team's bad guys in line c) Because he commands respect whenever he appears in a game d) Because he skates as though he's wearing cowboy boots hahahahahahaha

i dont know what the wings problem is with the first period, its almost like they forgot who they were playing at the beginning of both games. if the wings continue to play the way they did in the second and third periods, they will win this series. they need to play aggressively and get shots on net and they will win, nabokov and toskala arent the best goalies out there.

well bryzgalov has been doing pretty well so far. i dont know if they would automatically put giguere in net since bryzgalov is winning. why is it that bryzgalov always plays well in the playoffs yet is hardly even decent during the season?

yeah, hull was dead wrong about datsyuk, im sure of a lot of us assumed datsyuk wouldnt stick around. what is far more important is whether datsyuk will actually start producing in the playoffs. hes making nearly $7mil per season now, if he doesnt become a big time playoff performer i dont think he will play all 7 years of his contract with the red wings.

i like todays trades because it really seems like (assuming everyone stays healthy) the wings can set up 4 solid lines that can play hard and put points on the board. granted, this team doesnt have hull, shanny, luc, yzerman, fedorov and it is not the 2002 team, but the fact that that team rolled 4 solid lines all day long was a big factor in why it excelled in the playoffs.

the day before the wings clinched the championship, a friend and i were discussing the conn smythe. i thought that lidstrom was going to win it. aside from the center ice goal that saved the playoffs for the wings, he played near perfect hockey for the entire playoffs. he was rock solid.

this is why i laugh when people try to tell me datsyuk is better than zetterberg. datsyuk can make prettier moves and might appear in more highlight reels than zetterberg but hank is clearly the better hockey player. Z for the next C

how the hell did this deal happen? what did holland NOT do to allow forsberg to go to the PREDS?! lets just hope that forsberg gets some sort of injury and then retires after this season.

eklund has been busy with the rumors and it seems detroit is involved in most of them. samsonov, bertuzzi, horton, i wonder what will happen.

i really, really dont see this happening. it would be nice to have forsberg on the wings, until he ends up getting injured again and missing the rest of the season. but if by way of some miracle, forsberg came to the wings and stayed healthy, he would certainly help the team.

i thought samsonov always did some preseason workouts with the wings, regardless of which team he has played for. am i wrong? i think hes been doing this for years.