RedWingsFanatic

Well, I mean, is having Hossa for a playoff run better than holding on to the potential of Filppula or Hudler? I'm not sure I know the answer to that question, but I'm not about to cave in to a team's demands. If we can lock up "a guy like Hossa" for longer than a few months, then yes, I would probably be willing to trade away a guy like Jiri Hudler. But my whole "guy like Hossa" thing stems from the fact that I don't really see him being a player that will guide us to the Stanley Cup. I don't think there is really a player available in this year's crop that will dramatically increase a team's chances. Hossa is a fantastic player, but I have bad Todd Bertuzzi dreams when I think about adding a guy at the trade deadline just for the sake of adding somebody and shipping off years and years of potential.

Good point. Still, I don't think I'm willing to let go of Filppula, Hudler, Kronwall, etc. for a guy like Hossa. I just don't think there is a big enough name on the free agent or trade market to throw away all inhibitions.

The conference race is slowly becoming a little interesting. Dallas is still 12 points back, but with some points before our game with them on Sunday, it might add some intrigue to things.

I mean, he's talking about a specific instance. But, he's right. The entire team looked lazy and uninspired in that first period.

Alright, here's the thing. The Wings actually played pretty well the last 50 minutes of this game? The first 10 where abominable and awful, but they pressured Nashville the rest of the way. It's unfortunate Radulov scored that fourth goal, or else I think the rest of the game unfolds quite differently. So, I mean, this is certainly not worth getting completely panicked about. Is this a slump? Certainly. But it's really only because the Wings have lost the four games, not necessarily the way they have played. Against L.A., a god-awful third period was their downfall. In Toronto, they dominated the entire game but just weren't able to pull away. We all know the story against Anaheim on Sunday. And, again, tonight wasn't anything spectacular, but it wasn't as if there wasn't a considerable amount of effort. Yes, it's true that the Wings need to play a complete game. And, yes, it's true that performances like the ones recently won't win squat in the playoffs. But, like I said, it's a little bit of a slump. Nothing more, nothing less. No need to riot in the streets just yet. The big bright spot tonight was the play of Jimmy Howard. My goodness, he was fantastic. I feel much better about the future of the Wings after watching him this evening. If I'm Babcock, Howard gets the start on Friday against Columbus. I continue to wonder why Mikael Samuelsson has a permanent place on this roster. To me, he's as expendable a player as there is on the team. He makes terrible passes, takes ill-advised shots and skates around in circles for thirty seconds at a time when the team is on the power play. Completely useless. Bench him, please. Nick Lidstrom looked human tonight! He got beat on two early goals and looked a bit tired in the process. Still, he keeps the puck in at the point like nobody else. Ever. The absences of Cleary and Kronwall were really evident tonight. I think they miss Cleary, in particular. I don't understand putting Matt Ellis in his place instead of Aaron Downey. Downey has been great with the limited ice time he has been given. Why not let him show what he can do? Ellis hasn't really done anything ever before. At least Downey is fun to watch. So, yeah, losing is never fun, especially against Nasvhille and especially against the Central Division again. But, I'm not going to get worried yet. If we lose at home to Columbus on Friday, then maybe things are different. Until then, though, I will think of this as a good thing for us.

To turn this into a Red Wings goalie debate would be silly. With that being said, though, I think Hasek starts to see more of a regular rotation after tonight. I have refrained from posting in this thread becasue I didn't want to get involved in petty fights and, really, becasue my anger was too great to put into words. But, with the disgust subsiding a bit, I just think it's incredibly disappointing that the final minute of this game was on display for the country to see. The game is a complete joke. It really, really is. I do not endorse a sport where the rules are so up for interpretation and where a game can be completely thrown out the window like it was today. It is a complete and utter travesty. I am just grateful that we aren't in a heated divisional race and that these points, in essence, don't really mean much. But what if they did? What if we were to miss the playoffs by one point? What would happen then? All my true thoughts on the matter came out in a phone call with my father earlier, or else I would go on. Still, today's game was humiliating for the National Hockey League and for hockey fans.

That's good to hear.

Chris Osgood's last three starts: Tonight vs. Los Angeles - five goals allowed 2/2 vs. Boston - one goal allowed 1/30 vs. Phoenix - two goals allowed So, no. And, then if you look at the two starts previous to those, he gave up four to Atlanta and five to Minnesota. So, in his last five starts, he's giving up an average of 3.4 goals a game. Again, not trying to get down on Ozzie, but the numbers are there. Interpret them as you wish.

I agree with everything in this post. I'm just not quite sure what Matt Ellis is bringing to the team, either. I'm not sure what he would bring to any team, for that matter. Playing him over Drake and Downey on a consistent basis a big mistake, and I hope that doesn't continue to happen. And, yeah, I know Kirk Maltby doesn't really do anything anymore. And I know that he hasn't been productive in about a decade. But, screw it, I love the guy. I want him to play. In a perfect world, Darren McCarty comes back, gets paired up with Maltby and Draper, and they become the hottest, most beloved line in the NHL. I can dream, folks.

Well, I'm not sure where you are getting your stats from. He played very well against Boston, though the first goal was a bit questionable. He was equally up to the task against Phoenix. But, he gave up four goals in two periods against Atlanta and five, including losing in the shootout, to Minnesota in the two previous starts. You combine that with tonight's game, and it's four or more goals in three of his last five starts, and it might be time for Hasek to get some more starts. Again, I love Chris Osgood as much as anybody, but he hasn't been quite the same since signing his big contract and starting the All-Star Game. Hasek has been so hot lately, you almost are forced to go with him on a more regular basis.

What the hell just happened? I literally am sitting here attempting to figure how the Red Wings give up four straight goals to L.A., losing a two-goal lead in the third period. I would have bet my life that the Wings would have held on to this one after two periods. Really, really strange game. I think it's safe to say after tonight that Hasek will start to get more of a regular rotation. I'm not blaming Ozzie at all, but you can just sort of sense it coming. Osgood hasn't been stellar since before the All-Star break, and this provides a window for the Wings to assert Hasek as the starter. This one really bums me out, honestly. I was very excited heading into ths weekend, but now I'm just angry. Here's to a better effort on Saturday.

Well, that would explain it! Haha. Thanks for that.

I remember watching the Kings play the Ducks in those opening games in London, and LaBarbera really impressed me. The entire Kings team did, in fact. This is not the same goalie and not the same team. Sort of odd. Not the best period of hockey from the Wings, but they have the lead and that's really all I care about at this point. You look at games like this as being potentially dangerous, but as things stay as harmless as they have, we should be fine.

Well, to their credit, it had worked 22 straight times this season.

Woo, that was fun. It's almost more enjoyable when they steal a victory like that. Because, as everybody has said, they really didn't deserve two points tonight, but it says a lot about the team that they were able to get 'em. Without question, Hasek is the star of the game. He kept them in it and made some big saves, including a huge one in overtime. Good stuff. I keep falling more in love with this team. It's sort of silly. And, hey, good for Brett Lebda. He's been solid all year, and he deserves a big game winner like this. Nice job, boys.

Well, all things considered, I will take a 2-1 score at this point. That was an incredibly uninspired, lackluster second period from the Wings. The entire defensive corps just seemed very frazzled and out-of-position. Hasek and the posts played well again, thankfully, or else this one would be much worse. Backstrom has never lost when leading after two periods, so let's change that.

Holy crap. That call on Datsyuk for holding the stick is just atrocious. Good Lord.

Selanne is in tonight for Anaheim and already has an assist.

That was a very entertaining period of hockey. It's too bad the officials made that call on Meech. It clearly wasn't a penalty and it led directly to the Minnesota goal. A really nice play by Rolston, though. Not quite sure how he found the net on that one. All in all, a decent first period on the road against a very solid team. Hasek looked very steady and the Samuelsson/Kopecky/Franzen line really surprised me and provided some nice spark.

Some out-of-town scores: New York Rangers - 3 New Jersey Devils - 1 FINAL 1:30 SECOND PERIOD Anaheim Ducks - 0 St. Louis Blues - 0 1:16 THIRD PERIOD Buffalo Sabres - 4 Atlanta Thrashers - 3 2:25 OVERTIME Vancouver Canucks - 2 Florida Panthers - 2

No way! Whoever selects the music is a genius. Every song means something or relates to the game in some way. It's fun to figure it out, too. I remember at Opening Night against Anaheim at a stoppage with eight seconds left in overtime, they played the otherwise terrible song from The Fray, "How To Save A Life," with the lyric "...with eight seconds left in overtime." I was literally in awe.

Man, Kris Draper is clutch.

30 goals for Henrik Zetterberg. Outstanding.

I've never understood the the whole "I'm picking the Sharks until they win it" mentality. It makes absolutely no sense.