YoungGuns1340

For every injured Gelinas, theres an injured Maltby. For every injured Nichol, theres an injured Kopecky. Legwand can be their excuse, but we already paid our dues last playoffs. And made a damn good go of it in spite of huge injuries.

Hes faced fewer than half the shots Gerber has. Games only a little over halfway done and Martys already seen a games worth of shots. The Sens are the biggest chokers of all time it seems. This team has literally just rolled over. And I laugh in the face of all those that said Spezza was ever as good as Datsyuk. Edit: Clarity

Good point. But I disagree with that last part. Babcock is very much one of those coaches who DOES "get over" silly plays and moves on. And thats crucial. Any coach that allows his team to dwell on the past shouldnt be coaching. The best thing Trotz can do is not draw any drama towards the locker room and keep his boys focused on the next game. Dwelling on what happened isnt going to change the fact that his team lost. He should point his boys towards Saturday and he should be telling them they have the ability to beat the Wings, by any means necessary.

Its not like because the puck hit the linesman and stayed in then its automatically a goal. Somebody couldve still covered Zetterberg. Ellis still couldve made the save. What about all the times Tootoo left his fit for a hit and didnt get called for charging? Id say Wings fans have a legit concern there, especially considering Kronnic got called for the same kind of hit. Maybe if we had gotten a due powerplay there, we would've scored and put the game out of reach and this wouldnt even be a conversation. All calls even out in the end. We could say the same thing about the Ducks beating us in Game 5. If they hadnt gotten that bulls*** PP for the "penalty" on Datsyuk, maybe wed be the ones looking for a repeat. Nashville is going to get their fair share of calls going there way. In the end, every team gets favored, and every team gets screwed. Only thing you can do is break through the bulls*** and win in spite of it. Thats what winners do.

In the playoffs, its not about appreciation. Its about whos going to provide the best hockey. To me, I dont see much difference between Downey and Mac, other than that if Mac can get his NHL legs back, he could provide more in the way of an overall game than Downey. But regardless, Downey shouldnt earn a spot "in appreciation." Olaf Kolzig has done a ton for the Caps organization over the years, and if the playoffs were about appreciation, then hed sure as hell be starting. But this is a game where feelings are going to get hurt if you arent making the cut. Thats why youre gonna see Huet in net for the Caps. Not Olli.

Im not sure you understand sarcasm. Either that, or Im not sure you know how to pull it off, because not much in your post signaled sarcasm. Instead, you decide to attack the general users on this board. If you take a look around, youll see that the majority of the people on this board are VERY informed. Perhaps thats why youre finding so many people who are, as you put it, "sensitive." But you're right. Maybe that is the case. Maybe we are sensitive to ridiculous opinions as such. And why wouldn't we be? To say Downey hasn't won a fight all year is akin to me saying Zetterberg leeches off Datsyuk and wouldn't be able to pot 20 goals without him. That is an opinion, yes, but a ridiculous one. And it would likely incite a lot of commentary. I dont mean to be rude, but when you go around with "opinions" like those, that 98% of the hockey world wouldnt agree with, then yes you should be prepared for a rash of responses.

I agree with the Franzen comments. I think he might end up being our Pisani of 06.

I havent heard the Wings being called the Yankees of the NHL in a long time. And at any rate, whoever makes comments like this nowadays is as dumb as a brick. In a salary cap era, where almost every team has the ability to contend with one another in UFA offerings - assuming they manage their cap space well - then comments like this are grossly outdated. The Wings have made one substantial UFA addition in a few years - Brian Rafalski. No one saw them go out and replace Yzerman with Niedermayer or Shanahan with Drury.

Not good that hes injured, but thats good news for the Wings. Nichols is as scrappy a player as you can get, and those are great to have in the playoffs. IMO, the Wings should try and end this series as soon as they can. Legwand is a make or break player. Hell be huge if he comes into the lineup healthy.

This is what interests me. I dont think this is the performance we should expect out of the Ducks for the next several games....BUT... How many times did the Ducks play a team with a good PP last year?? To me, I think if a team can take advantage of their PP against the Ducks, then the Ducks really dont stand a chance. They are a VERY undisciplined team. And theyd have been watching the Wings hoist Stanleys Cup last season if our PP hadnt been god awful for pretty much the entire year.. One thing is for sure. Anaheim will keep on taking lots of penalties. IMO, this series goes to Dallas if they can take advantage of those opportunities against the Ducks.

The Preds only had 3 shots in the third period last night. Thats absolutely crucial in the home stretch of the game. Its even more impressive when you think about how the game was TIED at that point. Most teams would've panicked and busted the game wide open at that point and tried to get the go ahead goal. The Wings were able to do so while still playing top notch defense. Personally, I LOVE that we were able to get better progressively throughout the game. To me, I just think it was nerves. The first game in the playoffs Im sure always feels a whole lot different than any other time of the year. And I think its really telling that Rafalski was the one guy who really had a tough go of it last night. It makes sense, playing for a storied franchise that garners a ton of media attention, playing for the team that makes the playoffs year after year, in front of a sellout crowd with millions of fans watching at home, and being a marquee guy whos new to this team....I wouldnt be surprised if he felt like he was playing his first game in a Wings jersey all over again. I only expect him to get a lot better as the games go on...

No, you're not encountering sensitivity. You're encountering people with informed opinions. If you "call them as you see them" then you must not watch many games. Downey may not have won all his fights, but I can think of at least three distinct occasions - against McLaren, Parros, and Laperriere - where Downey was the distinct winner. I suggest you do some youtubing if you think a little 5 year old girl wouldnt be scared of a guy that can take down bona fide fighters like Lappy and Parros. In fact theres no doubt in my mind Downey would take down you, along with your little 5 year old..

And I guess you go up 2-0 when you lose your #1 defenseman?? Zubov to the Stars > Perry to the Ducks.

What the helll is going on with this team??

Actually this is nothing like Game 1 against Calgary last year. We came out and put that team on their heels. All we've done tonight is give Ellis a s***ton of confidence. Where have I seen this before. This isnt the same team that made Mikka Kiprusoff look like a little boy in juniors...

This is reminding me so much of Red Wings games of yore. Hell, Game 5 against Anaheim anyone? 1-0 lead for half the game? Go on to lose it? This always seems to be the story with the Wings when they stick to a 1-0 lead for long periods of time. They get scored on and then the other team has all the energy and goes on to win it.

This reminds me more of 2006 than 2007. What a disappointment so far.

This is the stupidest thread. EVER.

How much is it to park now??

These teams match up well. Great goaltenders lead by top forwards, questionable scoring depth, unknown defense outside of their respective big guns (Campbell, Phaneuf). This could get interesting...

Buenos Aires, Argentina reppin the southern hemisphere!!!! Go Wings in my first ever autumn stanley cup playoffs!!

If Brad Stuart is the difference between us being able to compete physically or not, then we've got bigger problems than Nashville just taking Game 1.

Hudler - Draper - Abdelkader I really like that as a third line. It doesn't waste Hudlers offensive abilities entirely, and it also isnt a line that is a defensive liability by any stretch of the imagination. I could actually see that line putting up some points here and there unexpectedly.

Take out Hasek and Chelios and I'd like to see what our average age is. Any volunteers?

I'd really like to see Abdelkader involved. One thing you can't take away from the guy is his mental toughness. Thats huge. The guy has come up big in big games before. Yes this is the NHL, but when you play great under pressure, you play great under pressure.