Dabura

Here's what kills me: the Habs aren't an especially great team. With Drouin out, they don't have a legit top-six centerman in the lineup. Weber and Petry are good, but their D group really isn't anything more than average. Price, well, we haven't even tested him tonight. Is Julien just that much better than Blashill? Maybe. I dunno. To me, it seems the Habs just want these points more than the Wings do.

Same here.

Habs score. 6-0. Hat trick for Byron. U TALKIN BOUT POOP???

Yeah. I'm just speaking as a frustrated fan. I don't really expect anything to come of this. There won't be any changes, and maybe that's alright, because there really aren't any meaningful changes that we can make. The bed has been made and now we have to sleep in it. Habs score. 5-0.

Probably wishful thinking, but these two MTL games might be enough to force an unconventional (by Red Wings standards) change or two. Maybe someone gets waived. Maybe someone gets fired. Maybe we stop playing Zetterberg 40 minutes a night. There's no way to sugarcoat this. The team's been given a chance to assert control over their destiny and win two games that they needed to win. Instead, they rolled over and died, like chumps. The chumpiest of chumps. Disastrous homestand. Disastrous home-and-home tilt with divisional rival that's neck-and-neck with you in the standings. Gets us closer to Dahlin, but holy hell is this a bad look for the team and organization.

Safe to say he won't be back. Frees up $4M!

Habs score. 3-0. Byron again. Blowing by our defensemen again. PP Habs score, shorthanded. 4-0.

I'll drink to that!

First goal was a breakaway, second goal was awful D that left a Hab all alone in the slot. Can't really blame Mrazek for either of the goals. He looks iffy, though. Team as a whole is playing like crap.

I'm pretty tired of the superhero stuff as well, but I really like Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle. It's definitely on my to-watch list.

End of 1st. Habs lead 2-0.

Larkin has become a monster penalty killer. So we have that going for us.

I think we should keep trying to aimlessly cycle behind the Habs' goal line and never put any pucks on the Habs' net. I think this is a winning strategy.

Habs score. 1-0. Habs score. 2-0.

I DON'T WANNA WAIT FOR OUR LIVES 2 B OVER

Granted, a lot can change between now and postseason time. Maybe multiple Metro teams falter and the Atlantic surges and, consequently, getting in as a wild card becomes our only hope. Though, even then, I think there are a couple top Metro teams that we could hold our own against in a best-of-seven series.

I think he's savvy enough to let Nyquist's contract expire next season (possibly flipping him at the trade deadline) and not tie himself to a $45M Evander Kane deal and go all-in for Karlsson/Doughty/Ekman-Larsson. In a vacuum, replacing Nyquist with Kane probably makes us better. But I don't think it makes us better by all that much -- and we're not operating in a vacuum anyway. Money, term, age, cap flexibility, positions of need/priority -- these are all important considerations. If you're the Wings, throwing money at Kane this summer would not be wise, IMO.

If we make the playoffs, we're likely playing the Leafs in the first round. The Leafs are not an elite team. They have a thin defense; their leaders are young and green; they're built around one player; Marner and Nylander have struggled this season (relative to the expectations placed on them); know one knows if Frederik Andersen can get it done in the playoffs; know one knows how this young Leafs team would handle the pressure of being the favorite in a playoff series (the Toronto market is ruthless and ridiculous); and, as we all know, Babcock teams are not unbeatable.

I don't want Kane as a rental and I don't want him on a long-term, big-money deal. He's a good player, but not good enough. Save up for the 2019 UFA class. With some big contracts set to come off the books at the end of next season, we might have a shot at signing a gamechanger.

Keep in mind that the cap is expected to rise: https://www.spectorshockey.net/2017/11/nhl-salary-cap-could-significantly-increase-for-2018-19/ Also: Kronwall, Nyquist, Howard, Ouellet, Jensen, Witkowski will all be on expiring contracts next season.

HYPE! LGRW