YoungGuns1340

Hes been doing better lately. Im starting to think he excels in a more defensive system....either that or he may finally be getting back to where he was before the knee injury. It took Fischer two entire seasons before he started showing his rookie form.

*piss poor

Nice shift by the grind line. Cleary makes every line hes on a little bit better.

Did anybody else see that giveaway by Markov?? ..Some Pred knew Markov's nickname and Markov fell for it.

Man, you could make a sick drinking game with this phrase: "Lilja...intercepted" Nah, hes been pretty good the past few games.

I'M a big fan of his cannon....wait...that didn't sound right.

DATSYUK IS A PLAYOFF PLAYER

I feel the same way....

Why the hell would you put a hook on Chelios right in front of the ref? Its Chelios. You KNOW hes going to sell it.

Yeah thats what Im thinking though. He hasnt been very good, and since Malts is a vet, he may think he wont be considered for the 13th guy. Itd be good for Babs to show him he expects more out of Malts by benching him for game 1.

Anybody else think Maltby might get the bench after his display tonight?? Im guessing its doubtful, considering Maltby is a hardworker, PKer, and a vet, but I wouldnt be surprised to see him sit for the first game in order to knock some sense into him.

Crap. That ruins my "only cheerleaders in crappy markets" theory.

Pretty sick. Follow it up with Calder/Flip-Hank-Homer.

Oh come on, guys. Dont rag on him too much. Nobody wants to see players hurt, but if they're hurt just enough to see them out of the lineup, you know you don't mind.

The fact that they have Cheerleaders prove they know little about hockey. Whos the other team to recently have cheerleaders?? Oh yeah. Carolina.

Yes, and it was worthy of it too. It was a nice pass.

Was he the one that got smashed by Franzen??

Lilja: HOLD ON TO YOUR STICK

I think he beats people one on one because they take one look that ugly mug and have to shut their eyes.

BERTUZZI WITH HIS FIRST POINT!!!!!!!!

Well THAT was playoff hockey....three Red Wings standing around the net with the other team on the PP.

You're right, It wouldve been done by now. Even if Detroit was waiting around to see what Datsyuk does in the playoff, that contract would is a very tradeable one should Datsyuk continue to stink it up in the playoffs. I dont buy this for a second. Im figuring this is more like HOLLAND's starting point than Datsyuk and his agent's. You think Datsyuk will stick around for a lousy 4.5M a season?? You need to give your head a shake if you dont think there are at least 5 teams out there who would offer Datsyuk 6M per season and chalk his playoff lack of success up to him not having top-tier linemates. After Ovechkin talking to the media about how the Caps need to sign some good players, Id be willing to be bet the Caps would thrown down that money quickly and sign him to a long term contract. Atlanta might see a center like Datsyuk as their final step to greatness as well, playing alongside Kovalchuk. LAs in the hunt for a first line center too and Frolov needs one badly. Holland will not insult Datsyuk with 4.5M a season. Not to mention, an Eastern team - in a conference that is known for its wide open offesnse and media attention - would easily grab one of the most exciting players who could put up 100 regular season points on a yearly basis easy.

Lions are not number 4. If the Lions did so much as have a .500 season, it would become Lions city. If the Lions even got a sniff at the playoffs, the town would be painted Blue and Silver. Im willing to bet more Michiganders sit around and watch the Lions lose every Sunday than watch the Wings put on a show 3-4 times a week. And before anybody jumps down Detroits throat for this, this is how any city is when there are other Major League Sports around. People like to talk about how big hockey is in Calgary, Edmonton, Buffalo, etc. But how many NBA, NFL, and MLB teams do they have to compete with?? (I use these leagues for Canadian teams as well b/c Toronto has the same problems with the Raptors and the Blue Jays). Let alone an MLB and an NBA team that are just as successful as the NHL team.

Even Pierre Maguire said the other night: "Niedermayer has not been as good defensively without Pronger in the lineup" Lidstroms got it.

Im kind of hoping we land the 4th seed and face Dallas, so I wouldnt mind if we split the series one W, one L Great post, and I gotta agree with every bit of it. Overall the last few weeks, both goaltenders have been rolling, so theres no reason not to keep it that way. And you are right on about being playoff-built. Grit vs skill is now 50/50 on the top lines Lang/Dats/Hank vs Calder/Bert/Homer, and both Datsyuk and Hank have learned to be both relentless on the puck and nearly as hard to knock off of it as anyone. The biggest thing I have worries about right now, though, is the lack of chemistry among our forwards. Key injuries couldnt have come at a worse time, but I think we're starting to get the ball rolling.