dicksmack

Datysuk has the best hands in the game and can read plays as well as he can set them up. He plays with grit and is relentless. Aside from the 5 on 3, I thought he was the best def. forward on the wings in the post season as well.

Good for Tony to have the guts to speak his mind on a controversial topic, and apparently, all of the people he bounced this off of prior to it's appearance in the newspaper agreed. In all of his many years of experience, he's never seen it so bad! Wow: That speaks volumes! He has nothing to gain by saying this, either; Tony just cares about the game of hockey (esp. the Vancouver Canucks!) The game should be called the same way for both teams start to finish. They certainly had no problem calling the Wings by the letter of the rule book in overtime, so why not call the Pens on the obvious ones with 20 seconds left? The answer, is of course, bias. I don't know their motivations, and I couldn't care less anymore. I just know that the crucial calls or non-calls clearly went the way of the Pens... and it's not just about the Wings, it's about the NHL's credibility in general... There will always be sore losers that blame the refs, but when the winners (ie Babcock) and outside observers make an outcry, the league better listen up...

Wings can overcome bad officiating again if they have to! These guys amazing! BTW, some people can't tell the difference between a conspiracy (so-called) and bias. Labelling something a "Conspiracy" is obviously a lame attempt to discredit a point of view with a loaded term. "Bias" requires no secret meetings. For example, a workplace could be dicriminatory (i.e. biased) against a certain group of people with no organized, officially sanctioned, secretly planned and systematic plan of doing so. I believe my own eyes... The bias could even be unconscious. There's big money at stake in extending a series and you have Canadian refs apparently favoring a team with more Canadians and (Sidney Crosby) and way less Euros. You know refs are passionate about hockey, since they made it their career. These passions, as we've seen, can get in the way of their ostensible objectivity.

What a game by Pavel, In a word: Dominant. Best player on the ice at both ends! He was making those slick passes for scoring chances, winning puck battles at will, hitting, and coming back to nullify scoring threats. Hank won the Conn Smythe and good for him but Pav was the man last night.

1) People who know squat about hockey so they basically only comment on other posters' comments and who feel obliged to keep us all in line with their "perspective". Nice job anti-homer police!

The officiating was a disgrace. Nice try, but the Wings are too good to be stopped by s***ty, biased officiating. It was the Men vs the Pens!

It seems to me that Babcock playing at home might have gone back to that line a few times when the time was opportune...

Damn straight, Helm played great...

Bad luck overall. We controlled most of the game but came up short. The Wings have made a habit of closing on the road all playoffs... The Wings are clearly the better team and will prevail... I must say, though that going to the net is playoff hockey and shouldn't be called, esp. when the goalie flops--they might have called them both at least once.

We're both right, depends how you look at it; though I misnumbered them above. If you're going to question bias, then you would factor out the coincidental calls and the automatic ones too, try to follow along next time.

No, it's right. The one call for delay of game doesn't count to me, since it's non-discretionary; and you counted the 5 on 3 as one pp whereas I didn't. I counted the # of calls against per team minus the and automatic DOG call. If you factor out the coincidentals, you get: 6 for the Wings, 2 for the Pens. With a quick cut/paste: PENALTY SUMMARY 1st Period 1) 02:11 Dallas Drake : Roughing - 2 min 2) 05:04 Pascal Dupuis : Cross checking - 2 min 2) 09:03 Brian Rafalski : Roughing - 2 min 3) 14:28 Kris Draper : Holding - 2 min 16:59 Maxime Talbot : Diving - 2 min 16:59 Brett Lebda : Cross checking - 2 min 17:55 Brooks Orpik : Roughing - 2 min 17:55 Johan Franzen : Elbowing - 2 min 2nd Period 2) 03:44 Jordan Staal : Interference - 2 min 4) 16:04 Brian Rafalski : Holding - 2 min 3rd Period 04:08 Marc-Andre Fleury served by Marian Hossa : Delay of game - 2 min 5) 09:36 Kirk Maltby : Hooking - 2 min 6) 10:10 Andreas Lilja : Interference - 2 min This proves nothing but suggests that the Pens had the calls going their way for this game. And they still lost haha... and I think they are done for... But I think the refs should give 5 on 3's in the finals with non-borderline calls...

As it was, 8 to 4 is one-sided... So it's nice to flip off the refs since we still won!

I'm very impressed with Hudler's game. Sure he got a weak goal but I noticed him backchecking and stealing pucks like he's a 13 or 40. He's come a long way from last year's playoffs where Babcock didn't seem to trust him much... He's earned it and I'm so glad for him to be the hero of game 4.

One of the nice things about overcoming questionable reffing and winning is that you can thumb your nose at them: "Nice try but we still won"...

Hudler can score... he makes the most of his opportunities around the net and can stay in the game mentally with limited ice time. His backhand is lethal and he has the sense to use it, rather than allow the goalie to get set. Now he's learned to battle defensively and I think he's been soaking up some leadership from Hank and Pav... He was thrown around by SJ last year in the post-season and looked out of place, nothing could be further from the truth now. I'm very glad to see it!

After hearing Cindy trying to downplay Hank's effort it just reminds me that he is a punk...

That WAS a sad display of trying to give Cindy every chance... but hey, if we didn't have the superior players that we do...we wouldn't have come out on top. It just shows that Hank and Pav are the two best forwards in the game. a lot of people would have been livid with a chinsy five on three and rightfully so.

Crosby was invisible in game one, couldn't even carry the puck into the zone,made some nice plays in game two that did not result in goals, but I wouldn't say he played great but then again, I'm not a Crosby lover. Datsyuk had another point stolen by the refs with the Lids goal called back. He made some beatiful passes for great chances in the last game that went off the post or the goalie made a great stop. The wings were dominant at home and the Pens hung on for dear life in game 3 and there's your difference. The wings have made a habit of getting a lead in a series and then letting up when the other team gets desperate. Usually the wings drop two before waking up and resuming the onslaught.

You don't have a clue...just like Andreas...

Cheli should be in for Lilja...

Why would he call them out cuz we did't win? Hank and Pavel were creating quality scoring chances and were dangerous most of the game... Pavel is hitting well and hard. Fleury had a good game and some luck. Sid the Skid had some goal mouth gimmes....So what?

Wings get raped by the refs but still win by 2

I'd take Cheli or a rookie over Lilja. Don't underestimate his ability to tank the Wings in a heartbeat. Had they scored on his gaffe, it would be 2-1 and that kind of an idiotic, pathetic goal against would have deflated the team. Pain Train is a trainwreck...again...bloody joke...

Crosby said "it was just a matter of execution." Pens got executed alright... The pens had nothing TO execute... They got absolutely nothin' again. What a punk.

C'mon Wings! Great D and secondary scoring all the way! Huds, Flip, Cleary, Homer and grinders Let's go! Wings win 4-3 in OT...