TheUltimateWingsFan

I don't blame the loss on him, as there was plenty of blame to go around, but I do blame him for the goal that was the game-winner. But his sloppy defensive play has been on display for years. He thinks he's being tricky with the puck and can make these cute little plays, but too often the forechecker reads him like a book and it leads to a scoring chance.

What a pass he made to Thornton, who served up Marleau for the GAME-WINNNER!!!! I'm surprised he didn't join in the celebration, or at least be awarded an assist. Just an awful awful play.

Have you learned nothing from Paul Coffey? We need defensemen who, you know, can play defense. Rafalski's just a turnover machine in his own zone.

Get rid of Rafalski at all costs. Trade him for a bag of pucks or something. He's soft and makes terrible decisions with the puck.

Come on you sons of b!tches, score on this PP

Jeez, delay of game maybe?

But please let this be the last time we see Rafalski in a Red Wings uniform.

God I hate Rafalski

I've been saying it for years now. Rafalski is terrible. Sure, he can score some goals, but he's soft on D and makes terrible plays in his own zone.

I'd rather they missed the playoffs. All they did this time was waste our time and put us through the emotional roller coaster that is playoff disappointment. I swear there was a few moments there where I was convinced they were trying to lose. Lots of lackadaisical play, soft passes, and overall carelessness with the puck. I'll still be rooting for em in game 4, but part of me just wants to get it over with and put us out of our misery.

Damn!!! I really wanted Hossa to come back but knew it was a long shot with our limited cap space. I can't blame him for signing with the Hawks. He took less than market value to be a Wing, and can't be expected to settle for less money for the remainder of his career. He deserves to be paid what he's worth. If anything the Hawks got him at a pretty cheap price, but I think the main thing he wanted was a long year deal. Good luck Marian! But not too much luck, especially versus the Wings. Hope the Joe Louis crowd is smart and classy enough not to boo him.

That's what's so messed up about it. My brother and I have been hardcore Wings fans for 20 years now. And we talked about it before game 7 against Anaheim and agreed that no matter what happens, from an objective perspective, we've been spoiled compared to any other hockey fans over the last 15 years. We know that to be the truth. Yet every year we expect and demand our team win. Of course it's irrational and illogical to think they will win every year, but whether it's a loss in the first round or the finals, we are both angry and disappointed when it happens, and probably to an unhealthy degree. It's insane, and we know it's insane, but it doesn't make losing any easier to take.

Malkin was definitely the MVP of the Pens, and therefore probably the playoffs. I thought it was pretty much between Osgood and Malkin, and since the Pens won, Malkin got the nod. He was the most dangerous player on the ice for the Pens, and the Wings did well to limit his effectiveness, but man, that guy is scary to play against. Honorable mention goes to Crosby and Zetterberg, with a nice pat on the back for Franzen.

At times like these, I wonder if being a fan is worth it. I hate hockey right now. I was dreading game 7 for the past 2 days. Games 6 and 7 were like torture. I got absolutely no enjoyment out of watching either game. At the risk of sounding too hyperbolic or distraught, it was like watching your daughter trying to fend off being violated.....only to watch her fail and be violently raped twice.

He's a powerplay specialist. Without the powerplay he's a below-average player. And the refs didn't call many penalties all series. I'd still bring him back though.

I'm pissed!!!! When the Pens scored the 2nd goal, I threw my cell phone across the room while screaming "We lost!!" I'm now pathetically trying to piece it back together.....the LCD screen doesn't work, nor does the speakerphone, but I got it back to where I can still dial and receive calls. I just can't tell who's calling, and since I rely so heavily on the phone's contact list to call folks, I don't know anyone's actual number, making it pretty worthless.

Hossa's an easy target right now, but remember, signing him was just a bonus. It's not like we traded a bunch of players for him. He wanted to play here, and we got him at a bargain price. I definitely want to bring him back next year.

Osgood was phenomenal. Played better than anyone could have possibly imagined or asked for. If we won, he'd get the Conn Smythe easy. Too bad not everyone was as solid as him.

Man, f*ck that! We just lost game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals! Be upset! Be angry! If there ever was a time to burn the city to the ground, this is it.

My God this guy is so frustrating to watch. Turnover after turnover, followed by enough bad decisions to make me lose my hair. I know he's talented and usually good, but he's been awful these last two losses. At times in the defensive end he's looked disinterested like it wasn't his job to retrieve the puck. Maybe it's the frustration from today's loss talking, but man, give me Cheli or Meech, or really anyone else. As for Marian, I've been defending his play throughout the playoffs, but in today's game he had virtually no impact. He hangs on to the puck too long trying to make cute plays, and usually winds up turning it over. All he has to do is get it in deep and use his speed and size to go battle for it like Helm. When he does this he's usually successful, when he tries to tip-toe into the zone with the puck, he usually turns it over and play heads the other way. This game was terrible to watch. We got outplayed, and really put forth a terrible effort when you consider the Cup was there for the taking.

Yeah, but those Kronwall penalties were a joke. Can't blame him for bad calls. Anyone else catch Lebda getting pitch-forked body-slammed in front of Ozzie when the Wings were headed up ice? THAT was ridiculous.

The other thing I noticed was when the Pens dump the puck in to our zone, our D don't chase the puck well. Instead they slow down and go shoulder to shoulder with the Pens forward which gives the Pens player a better chance to battle for the puck (Rafalski does this, and so does Lebda). It's like they're playing scared.

At least Ericsson got his shots on net. And one led to a goal. Remember Rafalski trying to be sly on the power play and putting the puck wide hoping to get bounce off the boards? That was just terrible and unnecessary. He had time, there were guys open to work the puck around, and of course it backfired and play went the other way. That was just a typical play by Rafalski tonight. Like when we finally had sustained pressure in the offensive zone, and Rafalski tried to pass it to, I think it was Ericsson, who was wide open at the other point, of course his pass was off and the puck came out of the zone. He's a momentum killer. Holmstrom's been subpar, but he also needs a power play to be successful, and we didn't have many. But yeah there were many times when he couldn't handle a pass, or a puck coming off the boards. Hudler played better this game than he has all series, but then again, that ain't saying much since he's been pretty invisible through-out the Finals.

Your optimism scares me. It feels to me llike we just got kicked in the nads and there's no way we'll ever recover. I can't remember the last time I've been so frustrated watching the Wings (maybe the 95 finals). I'll be a nervous wreck until Friday rolls around. I'm dreading game 7.

Rafalski had probably the worst game, or at least the worst second period, of his career. He gave the puck away often, including one giveaway that led to a breakaway by Malkin, but fortunately Franzen bailed him out with incredible backchecking. What I really hated though was how he played Staal when he scored. I kept waiting for him to turn and skate to keep Staal to the outside, instead he kept backskating, and Staal walked right around him. It was obvious that Staal was coming with more speed than Rafalski could handle without turning. Rafalski's play frustrated me more than anything else. I didn't see anything wrong with Hossa's play though. The guy generated some scoring chances and had around 6 shots on net. He's playing somewhat injured, and doesn't have Datsyuk feeding him the puck, but is still a threat. I'd like to see some of those shots go in, but don't see much else to complain about. Hudler's been near invisible though. When he does get the puck, I kind of think to myself, "Oh yeah, that's right, Hudler plays for us." He hasn't done anything. Holmstrom's been ineffective as well. He thrives on the power play, but unfortunately we haven't been on the PP too often. The play seems a bit too quick for him. Pavel, we need you.