RedWingsFanatic

I'm not watching this because I'm traveling, but the fact that the Wings are losing to what is essentially a glorified minor league team is unfathomable. The Stars have so many injuries and are in so much trouble that there isn't ANY excuse for the Wings not to get two points tonight. I think I'm happy I'm not watching.

I think it's tough to really analyze things, especially who should be playing together, when Franzen and Holmstrom have both been out for stretches with injuries. If we can get everybody healthy, I think a certain rhythm will develop, much like it did once Hossa/Datsyuk/Holmstrom played together for an extended period of time. I think Zetterberg and Franzen need somebody other than Samuelsson playing with them (i.e. Hudler).

Well, you just said that the effort hadn't been there. I took that to mean a lack of trying. I agree with what you're saying, though. Our top guys need to be our top guys, and it would be nice if Hossa was more consistent. Still, he, Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Franzen have been really good. Having Holmstrom out certainly messes up some things. Having Franzen out with an injury didn't make things any easier. So, yeah, they can be better. But they still deserve a lot of credit.

Though, yes, our record is technically 14-3-4, it's also 14-7, which looks a lot less impressive. The whole overtime loss column tends to make records look a hell of a lot better than they are. And, yes, the Franzen goal was great. I don't think anybody will disagree with you there.

Oh, come on. I think it's ludicrous to call out guys like Hossa, Zetterberg and Datsyuk. It's one thing to say that they are performing below standards, but an entirely different thing to say that they aren't trying. I'm willing to say that I expect more from them (especially Dats and Z) but you just can't expect them to have multi-point games every time out. If those are the standards, I'm not sure who you would deem "impressive" league-wide.

Yeah, I agree with all of this again. Initially, it was fun to joke about Lilja playing so well. You know, he gets a couple of assists and you get to dump some praise on him. But, objectively, he's been one of our most consistent players. I don't cringe when he has the puck anymore, I don't yell "get off the ice" at the end of every one of his shifts and I don't shake my head when he's out there in important situations. He's been very impressive and I hope he can keep it up. The visor might be a bigger issue than we all think. It's a huge change to make, and even a player like Lidstrom must struggle with it. There still isn't a player I put more trust in than him, but I'm still waiting to see if this is the season we finally come to the conclusion that he has past his prime. I'm still not willing to concede that yet.

Oh okay, I'm sorry.

Um, what? You have to have some ridiculous standards if you don't think Hossa, Zetterberg, Datsyuk or Conklin has been impressive this season.

Right. In order for the Wings to be as successful as they were last season, they need Nick Lidstrom to be Nick Lidstrom. The defense has just been too shaky so far for him to be anything but on the top of his game. I'm certainly willing to give him a few off nights, but a quarter of the way into the season, he's been an average defenseman. I think Brad Stuart has been far better.

I hate to bring it up, because he's still great and legendary and all of that, but Nick Lidstrom has been far from spectacular so far this season and that last goal just magnifies it. He's looks slow and he's been caught standing around quite a bit. I still think he's one of the best players in the league, but it does seem that his play has fallen off a bit this season. This game clearly shows that Darren McCarty is our MVP.

I hate to bring it up, because he's still great and legendary and all of that, but Nick Lidstrom has been far from spectacular so far this season and that last goal just magnifies it. He's looks slow and he's been caught standing around quite a bit. I still think he's one of the best players in the league, but it does seem that his play has fallen off a bit this season. This game clearly shows that Darren McCarty is our MVP.

That is EMBARRASSING. What an absolutely disgusting defensive performance on that goal. Oh my.

I really hope not. He shouldn't be near that top line, despite his nice performance in Edmonton. And when I say nice performance, I mean he made his linemates do all the work. I would score playing with Hossa and Datsyuk. Put Hudler there. Put Filppula there. Put goddamn Darren Helm there. Kopecky just annoys me.

Another thing to note is that we're developing a bit of a reliance on our power play. It's fantastic to be so great with the man advantage, but we have to improve at even strength. In a game like tonight's, we can't just wait around for the next power play to strike. We have to instill a different sort of mindset. I fear that we're a pretty average team 5-on-5 right now. Also, it's hard to notice the goaltending in a game like tonight, but Conklin has been really solid again. This could be much worse if it isn't for him.

Yeah, and they're blocking a lot of shots, which isn't really a strategy but I think we get really frustrated when our shots don't hit the net. It makes us do silly things. SWEET goal by Franzen. It would have been nice had that been, say, ten minutes ago.

I mean, Montreal has essentially given up any sort of offensive pressure and we still can't put the puck on net. It's just seemed like there's been an extra Canadien out there all night. They've done an excellent job at neutralizing us. Teams should look at what they're doing tonight because it's exactly what every other team should do if they want to beat us.

Their line has been the best one out there.

I'm not going to have much of an appetite tomorrow.

In my opinion, Helm should be playing ahead of Samuelsson, Draper, Maltby and Kopecky. Maybe even Cleary. But, of course, he'll be out of here after tonight and probably won't come back for months. Good Lord, let's score on this power play.

It's really quite surreal when you expect (and then receive) a sub-par performance from the Wings at home. This has been brutal. Tonight is the first time I've really noticed the absence of Holmstrom. Kopecky and Franzen are doing their best to fill his skates, and are doing a serviceable job, but nobody can replace him. The Datsyuk/Hossa combination is missing him badly. A quick PP goal here would be nice. Without it, this one is over. Not a nice start to this holiday weekend, Wings.

In absolute shock. That's all I want to say. Well, one other thing. Why the HELL do our defensemen not feel they need to cover the front of the net? Christ. This one stings.

Tell me about it. You have to feel bad for the guy. He does nothing but compete and produce, yet still can't crack through that Samuelsson ceiling. It's really quite bizarre. I also thought it was strange how Babs broke up Hudler/Draper/Cleary after they were playing so well together. I was looking forward to watching those three develop chemistry over the course of a few games.

Well, the first two periods were fantastic. The third period was shaky, but Ozzie played very well and we hung in there. It was a different sort of win tonight for the Wings, one that I think will help them a great deal. The Wings finish the very tough road trip 3-1-1, bringing their record to 8-2-2. I'd wager to say that's pretty darn good. I really think we're going to see a much improved team in November and beyond. Still some things to figure out, but tonight was a step in the right direction. Enjoy (not really) the week without any games, everybody. See you back here on Saturday for the Devils.

Outstanding penalty kill. Some huge saves from Ozzie, as well. I think this might be his best performance.

I'd have to see it again, but I think it looked like it hit a bit too high off the boards in order for it to be a pass. Oh my f***. Not this s*** again.