YoungGuns1340

AWESOME PP, Babs. SO GLAD you didn't change the lines at all.

f*** you, Samuelsson.

This thread is baddddd karma. If we lose tonight, I'm blaming the loss on this thread.

Last I heard, he was still a pansy. Joke!

Man, I hope we're up like 4-2 with 2 minutes to go, and Carlyle decides to pull Hiller, and Osgood lifts one over center ice and sends it right down into the empty net.

After Kunitz clocks him, Varlamov is noticeably shaken and drops his stick. The goal was scored, and can't be reviewed, but its not like it was a slash on the pads. It was a crosscheck to the throat. Thats going to disorient a guy even if for a few seconds, which is more than enough time to lose track of the puck near the crease. Thank god it wasn't a tying/winning goal, because it was CLEAR goaltender interference, and the worst kind at that. No penalty, no game misconduct (not that there was much of a game left), and no suspension. I'm shocked. With the Penguins down 2-0 in a series? Heh. Right.

Huh? Hes been a playoff beast out there? Taking the body, making plays. Hes been awesome. If the Wings really have to cut cap space, and hes willing to waive that NTC, I wouldn't be surprised to see San Jose come calling. Hes exactly what they need in the playoffs.

And since its a Crosby thread, you have to come in to his rescue per usual. I like how you talk about a hypothetical role reversal, as if its par for the course for Ovechkin to whine about inane events. Who got voted biggest whiner in the NHL by NHL players? Maybe you should be criticizing those guys too.

Every time you want to give the guy props for something - like scoring all the goals for his team in a playoff game - he comes out and says something like this. SHUT YOUR MOUTH, Crosby, and more people would like you. This guy is doing a TERRIBLE job of following in the footsteps of class acts like Yzerman and Sakic. You've been in the league, what, 3 years now? Learn to keep your mouth shut and stop whining. No wonder he was voted the biggest whiner by his peers.

I have nightmares about the last playoff game I went to, so no. Mothers day, 2007. The Ducks beat the Wings at home, Round 2.

One thing that I'm not sure has been mentioned yet in this thread, as to why people are "freaking out" about this loss: 2007 -Without 2 key Dmen -Special teams that are struggling -their defense somewhat shutting down our offense -a split at home to start off the series -a narrow win to start off the series -a 4-3 OT loss in game 2 - A Wings team that isn't playing with the same intensity they played with against the Flames. 2009 -Without 2 key Dmen -Special teams that are struggling -their defense somewhat shutting down our offense -a split at home to start off the series -a narrow win to start off the series -a 4-3 OT loss in game 2 - A Wings team that isn't playing with the same intensity they played with against the BJs. To me, I have confidence. But I'm also pissing my pants in fear. Of the Ducks? No. Of the eerie way that this series has panned out almost identically to the heartbreaking series against the Ducks in 07 so far? Yes.

Huh?

Stuart's been on the ice for FOUR PPGs? Thats insane. I agree with what everyone else in this thread has said. And I'll continue to say it over and over again - there comes a point when skill trumps a right-handed shot. Reminds me of the brutal J-Willy days. Also, I've noticed that getting PP time has made Stuart a more confident player. Hes played his best hockey all year in this series, in my opinion. I remember him saying something about he doesn't get any PP time here in Detroit like he had for the other teams hes played for, and he sounded like he was lamenting that fact.

Ugly cross-check TO THE HEAD of Varlamov from Kunitz. ******* monkey. I hate that guy.

If you mean, "just call penalties like you call them in OT" then yeah, I agree with you. Call legit penalties, and you don't have to worry about it taking 4 OT periods of hockey just because you refuse to call a trip when a player is on a breakaway into the oppositions offensive zone.

No offense, but Naslund really lost his killer instinct. If he ever had one. Not to bash the guy or anything, but he really never seemed to have the drive of a champion. Maybe personal issues. Or just a natural, strange disposition. I remember when Ziggy Palffy retired at age 33 or 34, and Mathieu Schneider, who played with him on LA, called him "a strange bird." Naslund could be similar.

Man, worse news of the day. I'm so sick of Anaheim getting bragging rights because they play with a healthy roster, and we're constantly down a pair of regular Dmen.

To Whoever is concerned about winning at Anaheim, keep in mind that the SHARKS were capable of beating Anaheim on their own ice. It can be done. In fact, I could easily see us going back to Detroit up 3 games to 1.

True, but timing is an issue too in terms of not being played.

The Carter injury was a big deal, after watching the replay, but IIRC, the Malone hit was clean. Malone had broken his nose previously that same playoff run, so it wasn't necessarily going to need a monstrous hit to break it open again.

They probably don't get called because A) He doesn't really do it enough to have a reputation and B) He doesn't aim for the head. He's not a big guy, so I think he's probably made a habit out of lifting himself into the opposing player to make the hit. In all reality, the whole "leaving your feet to make a hit" is a rule because it guards against hitting guys in the head. Kronwall doesn't make a habit of hitting guys in the head, so thats probably why he isn't called. Against "the rules"? Yes. Dirty? Nah. And if they are dirty, its probably more of an accident on Kronner's part than anything else. For the life of me, I can't recall Kronwall handing out some nasty backhand slashes, head-butts, hits from behind, etc on a regular basis. Because of that, I dont see him as a nasty player by trade, so much as a guy who gets in over his head when he hits.

At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter who outplayed who, as that doesn't necessarily determine the score. The issue is that the Wings are simply not playing the way they can. Its even more pressing since this team took off essentially the entire regular season in anticipation of the playoffs. They owe it to themselves - and the fans - to actually play like they can after coasting through the regular season. This is time to lay it all out on the line. After this game ended, no matter how close it was, if you ask yourself "Did the Wings play nearly as good as they could have?" And the answer is a resounding no. And, because I know someone will say it, no you can't expect them to play 100% all the time. But to ask for maybe a 90% effort in a playoff home game against a tough team wouldn't be too much to ask. Instead, we got maybe a 70% effort, and little of that was even seen in regulation time.

Yeah, I posited that in the GDT. Hank had it just a few days before the series started. There are some sluggish looking guys out there, and the flu in closed quarters can be rampant.

So are we, and Hank's line gets the most ice time. . Awfully big discrepancy in +/- for the time difference.

And the problem with that is....? Looks to me like you create 3 dangerous lines that AT SOME POINT are going to be severely outmatching the opposition. Datsyuk works best when he leads. Hossa works best when he leads. And Hank works best when hes shutting down the opposition, or so it seems. If you ask me, it causes the Ducks to really pick their poison, just as much at home when they have the last change. If they use their top D pairing against Datsyuk's line, then in a simple rotation, Hossa is going to see some time against their third D pairing.