Dabura

Maybe someone's poisoning their Gatorade or something.

Gustavsson is out with a sore groin? Are you serious? Is our training staff for real? Are our players for real?

On the difficulties of starting fresh with a new team for traded players [backhand Shelf] Makes you really appreciate what Legwand did last night. Guy's played his whole NHL career with one team, one coach, one system. He gets traded to a very different thing in the Red Wings and it takes him all of one game to figure s*** out and be a force. Also. Been sniffing around the Preds community. Seems a number of fans feel Trotz doesn't understand how to utilize high-end, top-six forwards. Like Legwand. Maybe instead of a 2C good for 40+ points, he's actually a 1C good for 50+ points.

What it proves is that Wings fans, like fans of any and every other team, value winning above all else. If we're losing, everyone and everything sucks. If we're winning, everyone and everything is awesome (except for Quincey). I will say, though: the Howard-never-makes-the-big-save argument is pretty weak. I feel like every game Howard plays there's at least one major stop that has everyone here saying, "Now that's the Howard we know!" There was definitely at least one of those in the Avs game. And then everyone turned right around and said, "He never makes the big stop!" Seriously? Doesn't matter, though. Winning matters, and, for whatever reasons, we win with Gustavsson in net. That's mostly down to us scoring more when he's in net, but, hey, when deciding which goalie you want to ride, every consideration should be fair game. Of course, that's not how it works. Howard is getting paid an ass-ton to be a top goalie in this league and carry us to a Cup, so he's gonna get every opportunity to get back on the horse and regain the form which has mostly eluded him this season.

Everyone and his mom has a good feeling about Callahan. I'm not seeing it. Glendening's no Datsyuk, but he's not supposed to be. His job is to shut down other players, kill penalties, agitate, win faceoffs, work hard, be physical. He's not the top-sixer Babcock is asking him to be.

I have no idea how we're only two points back of the Bolts, but I'll take it!

I'm starting to think he gets dealt to the Panthers in the summer.

Jarnkrok was arguably our best prospect. People all around the hockey world weren't praising him to make Red Wings fans feel good. He's an elite young talent, and it's a big blow to lose him. That and the fact that we needed Legwand don't have to be mutually exclusive. We don't have to act like Jarnkrok's an overrated scrub who ANYONE WITH EYES could see was never a high-end player and was never going to be one. That's lame. Along the same lines... it's easy to say now that we didn't in fact need Brunner at all and that OBVIOUSLY he was just a one-dimensional player who was gonna crash and burn blah blah blah. But, truth is, there's nothing to say he wouldn't have been a good player for us this season. Look at all the surprises we've had. I guess I'm being a wet blanket. Apologies. I just feel like if we're gonna play the HA! EVERYONE WAS CRYING ABOUT IT BUT THE TRULY WISE AMONG US KNEW BETTER game, well, how many of us knew Sheahan would be playing and producing like a legitimate second-line pivot this season? How many of us knew Gustavsson would be the better goalie?

The Great Fight-or-Flight Response of 2014.

Agreed. No but srsly...my point was, the kid line can get shut down and we might still be more than ok. Which is extremely comforting, or at least encouraging.

The really great thing about this win? The kid line combined for one point (an assist).

I really don't know why Monster brings out the best in our attack, but we need to roll with it. Keep starting him.

Not good, I'm afraid.

Bizarro world.

Eight minutes left. Plenty of time to blow this.

That was me. I am amazing.

Aw, that's not fair. Eaves is a fourth-liner.

It really is.

Legwand is pretty good.

Hold a two-goal lead for 15 minutes, professional hockey players. You can do it. I believe in you. All of you. (Except Quincey.)

"Red Light District."

Same thing.

Legwand has a strong point-per-game vibe going on right now. I feel like he's gonna be a steady producer.

I'll bring the ball gag, you bring the Kyle Quincey mask.

It's really kind of a shame about Franzen. When healthy, he's been lights-out. But he's only been healthy when everyone else has been injured. I'm all for drama if we come out on top, by a six-goal margin.