RedWingsFanatic

With the weather here in Michigan, tonight's game really feels very playoff-ish. I have a sinking feeling that Nashville will walk away with two points tonight, however. Like I say every time the Wings play the Predators, especially in Nashville, getting off a great start is key. The highly medicated, immature fans will surely be at it from the drop of the puck, and silencing them would be huge. Still, though, I think Nashville is too much for us tonight. Should be fun regardless.

Predators take 3 points, they five points up with one more game played. Wings take 3 points, they go one point up with one game in hand. Who knows what happens in that other game? You can't say the Wings will win as a certain fact. They go into Vancouver and Calgary for the next two, and I don't see them winning both. So, there's the game in hand. I stick with it.

Not so sure about that. If the Wings take both games in regulation, they are still only one point up with a game in hand. Not a done deal by any means.

It's true, though?

If the Predators take three or more points away from this series, they take the division.

Yeah, I thought the exact same thing as BlueMonk after reading what Holland said. As much as maybe I like this deal, it can't be the only deal. Adding Kyle Calder will not get the Red Wings over the hump by any means. It's a nice addition, I suppose, but there better be something else coming, especially with guys like Guerin and Bertuzzi sitting around the night before deadline day.

Maybe my favorite post ever.

Oh, come on, it would be sort of humorous. After all the the whining and complaining about him around here, it would be awfully funny if he scored. Maybe? No? Alright.

Yeah, tomorrow night. I sort of hope it happens, actually.

Motownsports.com is a great spot to talk Tigers. It's a board for all Michigan sports, but it's really Tiger-dominted.

It's almost impossible for these two teams to play in the first-round.

Well, I think that San Jose will break from their elongated slump and finish the season strong, which will probably put them at #5. The Red Wings do not want to face the Sharks in the first-round, obviously. They just won't beat them. I think they have a better shot at Calgary, but that's scary, too. At this point, I think we have to hope that either Dallas stays strong and Nashville wins the division, or we win the division and Minnesota ends up #8.

I don't know that I would say the Wings played a "great game." They certainly had their moments, particuarly in the first half of the second period when they were physical and efficient with their passing. But there were plenty of moments when they looked tired, which I realize is to be expected after playing last night. You can't, however, use that circumstance to prove your point. They played well, they weren't "great." I also know that Zetterberg and Datsyuk picked it up after the first period, but they still need to prove to me that they can step up in the big games. At times, they looked really nervous. They certainly didn't play bad tonight, but in order for us to succeed in the playoffs, they are going to need to be more than 'not bad.' They need to be great when it counts the absolute most. Yeah, so would I.

I think I heard someplace that tonight's game has been sold out for weeks.

Excuse me? Did I mention anything about their play prior to tonight? No, I didn't. I said that Zetterberg and Datsyuk need to show up in games of this magnitude. Scoring goals against Chicago is great, but you have to be able to make some plays on the road in a raucous building in a game with huge implications. They were close to invisible in the first period, much like they have been in the playoffs, especially Datsyuk. They won't be considered a couple of the best players in the league until they do so.

Datsyuk and Zetterberg need to start showing up in these big games. I didn't see very much of either one of them. And I know it's cliche and far too easy, but the Predators fans are just so ridiculous. I hate to even bring it up, but it's as if all the elementary schools in the Nashville area went to a hockey game on a field trip.

The pre-game show really isn't all that exciting. I still hate the way that John Keating talks, and it's really funny how he likes to throw in pop culture references just so we know that he's on top of things.

This one really scares me. The Wings must come out and play a strong first period, because the Predators and their fans will be excited for this one, and combatting that excitement will be key. I'm also interested to see what Babcock does with the lines, after tinkering with them a bit last night. If the Wings score first, I think they win. But if they let Nashville get some momentum, which I'm afraid of, this one might not be pretty. This just seems like such a typical game in which the Wings will stink it up. A big game on a Saturday night on the road after playing the night before. Let's hope they prove me wrong.

I think the most frustrating thing for me about tonight is the fact that Edmonton gets 6 out of 8 points against us this season. We better hope they don't have another late season surge to grab that eighth spot, because we do not need to see them again.

Well, tonight's the kind of night that you hate the shootout. Not sure why the Wings haven't found much success so far this year, as they drop to 1-4 in 'em. And, with this win, the Oilers take 3 of 4 from us this season. And, of course, the 13-game home winning streak is over. Quite depressing for a game that really started out quite promising.

I really think that Hasek just gets bored back there and decides to add some excitement into his life. Honestly.

Why? Becuase he stands up for his teammates? I'm not saying I like the guy, but there is no harm is being physical when guys like Kirk Maltby are taking little ***** shots after the whistle. Anyway, Babcock needs to seriously consider giving the fourth-line lots and lots of more ice time. In the last 15 games, they have been far superior to the Lang/Cleary/Williams line. At some point you have to reward them.

All five Wings on the ice for the second Edmonton goal were just too lackluster. The Lang/Williams/Cleary line absolutely MUST get going for the Red Wings to be successful in the playoffs, but they've been pretty awful again tonight.

They called Kronwall for interference anyway, so whether it was a charge or not doesn't technically matter. And, yeah, I think Zetterberg should have been called for diving. It wasn't really so much of a cross-check as it was good defense.

I just wonder at what point we have to stop calling this hockey. We may need to change the sport's name to "skating" or something. Almost all of the calls in that first period were embarrassing. I still fail to understand who these new rules benefit and who enjoys them.