RedWingsFanatic

I agree that Kronwall adds a much needed physical presence to our defense. But his two big hits this series haven't necessarily been physical as much as they've been dirty. If somebody like Tootoo or Nichol had done what he's done, everybody would be up in arms. So, let's keep things in perspective.

Not only did it appear that he left his feet during the hit, he completely clocked the guy with his elbow. It's just not a dumb move.

I do. I care. Look, I'm one of the biggest fans of physical play around. But, when it's dirty and calloused like Kronwall's big two hits have been this series, I have a major problem with it. There are ways to accomplish what he wants to accomplish (i.e. establishing a physical tone) without jumping into the air and elbowing guys in the face. That style of play isn't tough or intimidating. It's s***ty and careless. So, yeah, let's knock some guys around and make them a little uneasy. But is it too much to ask that we also do it legally? I don't think so.

I didn't think the Predators were incredibly physical. If anything, I would say that we initiated the wealth of the big physicality. It did appear to me, however, that getting pushed around a little bit affected Zetterberg. He was fairly non-existent tonight. I'm tempted to write a long, detailed analysis of the game, but I think my time might be better spent thinking about something other than hockey for a while. I will say this, though: Andreas Lilja is a bum. His ineptitude on the Arnott goal was ridiculous. Blame Hasek for the Suter goal, but the winning goal was the result of vintage Lilja buffoonery. If I'm Babcock, either Lebda or Meech is in on Wednesday night. Oh, geez. Whatever. I'll rant for a bit. Rafalski looks out of sorts. I don't quite know what's going on, but it's not good. His passes aren't being completed, I can't remember the last time he had a decent scoring chance and he doesn't seem to be doing very much defensively. He better get it figured out. The only thing I can think of is that he has an injury, which would explain him not playing in the final regular season game. But, I don't know. He just needs to start playing better. Again, as one of Hasek's biggest critics, this certainly was not solely his fault. Sure, he could have maybe stopped one of 'em, but that doesn't excuse the rest of the team for falling apart in front of him. Hasek has been solid throughout the series, and he's the reason we still have a lead. Niklas Kronwall needs to be careful. He's playing dangerously and illegally and I don't like it. Ugh. Alright. That's enough. The wait until Wednesday won't be very much fun.

Oh boy. I sort of knew that the two-goal lead wasn't going to last, but I was hoping it wouldn't evaporate so quickly. Nashville, as they have proven all season and in this series, is a completely different team when they get some momentum. This will not be an easy game to win, that much is certain. Our top guys have been fairly invisible, which will obviously need to change. We need Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Franzen and Holmstrom to step up and play with some force. Hasek makes some big saves, we get a lucky bounce and this thing is 3-0.

That was a dandy period. We didn't let Nashville get much of anything going, and Hasek stopped them whenever they had somebothing resembling a chance. I still think the power play needs to be better if we ultimately want to succeed past the first round, but that can be worked on. Great for Kris Draper. It always makes me happy to see guys like him score big playoff goals, and this was no different. A great shot, a great play by Hudler. Good stuff. I would still like to see any extra shift or two a period for the McCarty/Drake/Hartigan line. They seem to create chances every time out on the ice. Perhaps replace Hartigan with Draper or Hudler for a bit and see what happens. Overall, though, very nice stuff. They were calm, controlled and steady. And, when you're playing a playoff road game, that's all you really need.

The Wings win tonight, and the series is essentially over. The Predators win tonight, and it's completely up for grabs. This is a huge game. We can't lose sight of that. A lot of people, both fans and professionals alike, have already written off Nashville, which is a terrible mistake to make. A story in the Free Press today about potential second-round opponents? No thanks. I fully expect the Predators to come out and play gritty, tough hockey tonight, and it's important the Wings are ready for it. If Hasek plays well again, though, I like our chances. Still, let's not get ahead of ourselves, folks. There is still a lot of series left.

Go back a few pages. I agree that the Jumbotron stuff was completely classless. I pride myself on being a Red Wings fan because we typically stay away from this s***. It's too bad that, on a pretty great day for our team, I feel the need to comment on something like this, but I just thought I'd add my voice to the crowd that didn't enjoy it. Stereotypes and judgments like that, however tongue-in-cheek, just aren't good news.

Yeah, I completely agree. We can't lose sight of the fact that Nashville really has had stuff to complain about. Their whining isn't unfounded, just not necessarily the best avenue to take out frustration. Anyway, a 2-0 series lead is very, very nice. Anybody who says Hasek wasn't sensational today needs their eyes checked, because he's probably the reason we won. That first period was magic, and he was extremely solid the rest of the way. I don't see how you can blame him on either one of the goals. Place your blame on the boards and Andreas Lilja. I think I've said it about 259 times already, but seeing Darren McCarty score a pivotal playoff goal for the Detroit Red Wings was miraculous. I was downright giddy and out of control. I really get the sense that this city, and this state, is rallying around this hockey team, and he's a major reason why. I really hope he can keep this up. Other than that, a lot of the same stuff we've been saying all year. Lidstrom, Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Franzen, Holmstrom...all great. Babcock coached this game very well, too. That's important to recognize. So it's on to Nashville for 3 and 4. It should be very fun.

I'm willing to give Pang the benefit of the doubt on that one. Either it was interpreted the wrong way or vocalized incorrectly. He's normally a very smart, respectable analyst.

What are we supposed to be looking at here?

That was one of the craziest periods in a long while. There's too much to talk about. Terrible penalty calls, weird goals, head shots, great chances, the worst analysis of a game I've ever heard, Hasek playing like a lunatic, etc. etc. The constant Detroit-bashing on the part of NBC is quite puzzling. I don't quite understand it. Maybe Pierre had a bad experience with an octopus in another life. Anyway, I'm expecting a frantic third period.

Pierre McGuire is just so. *******. annoying. Anyway, not a fantastic period by any means, but they have the lead. Seeing McCarty score was pure elation. I could not be happier for him. That was probably Dominik Hasek's best period of the entire season. He was stellar. The power play will need to be better, especially if we get out of the first round. It hasn't produced very much at all thus far this series. We'll probably need to be better the rest of the way if we want a win.

Awesome, awesome, awesome. That was the most excited I had gotten after a Wings goal in a long time. Just fantastic stuff.

It seems like a lot of the focus is on McCarty today, as the Free Press has two different pieces on him. I'm still waiting for him to score in these playoffs, and have the roof explode on Joe Louis Arena. I essentially live for afternoon playoff games, so this should be fun.

I don't understand this post.

I can certainly get behind that. Very cool.

Yeah, I thought McCarty looked fine. If anything, I'd sub in Downey for Hartigan, but I don't really see that happening. I'm not motivated to post my entire game thoughs right now, but here are a few: - The game being a sell-out is fantastic. I did not think that was going to happen. And the crowd was energized to boot. Very nice stuff. - I thought Datsyuk was pretty phenomenal out there. He made a couple of plays that were awe-inspiring. - After looking a bit shaky to start, Hasek really settled in. He played with confidence throughout the second and third periods. - The power play will need to better, for sure. Okay, that's about it. A nice win, though not the best this team can do. We'll probably need to be better in Nashville if we want to win. Blah blah blah. Wings up 1-0. I'm happy.

The only game I'll be getting is Pittsburgh/Ottawa, and I'm very excited. It's an interesting match-up, and I' m eager to see how each team comes out. I like Pittsburgh to win the series, but if Ottawa comes out with authority in the first period, the series might be longer and harder fought than a lot of people are thinking. Should be fun.

Well, if I'm being honest, I don't want The Joe to turn into Nashville or San Jose or wherever else. When you watch a game in Detroit, there's an appreciation for it. There isn't a need to entertain everybody with inane and obnoxious chants, and I like it that way. Could the place be a little bit louder and more enthusiastic? Sure. But give me a respectful, knowledgable crowd over a rambunctious, immature crowd any day. Just my two cents.

It's just sort of a weird conundrum to me. Playoff ticket prices aren't THAT much more expensive, yet there will have been more people at a random Thursday night game against Edmonton in January than there will be tomorrow night. It just doesn't quite make sense. I think people are under the assumption that ticket prices are through the roof, and they don't even check. I mean, there are $40 and $50 tickets that aren't drastically higher than regular-season prices and they still aren't selling. So, yeah, it's Nashville. It's the first round. It's a Thursday night. It doesn't really matter. We should be selling out these games.

Just for the record, I checked Ticketmaster a couple of minutes ago and was able to find two seats in the THIRD ROW (!!!) of the upper deck. Yikes. Prepare to see lots of empty seats tomorrow. Far more than last year.

It doesn't make any sense to me that Hartigan is playing, while McCarty is not. Mark Hartigan will NOT be in the post-season line-up. He just won't be. And Darren McCarty, a guy that is supposed to be auditioning for a spot, gets benched. It's puzzling, really.

Maybe not so much.

I remember Hasek had a little tiff with Roy back in the day. I wouldn't call it a full-out fight, but they got into it a bit, if I am remembering correctly. For the record, this could be complete bulls***.