Dabura

Not to take anything away from him, because he is playing well -- but the Wings just aren't making smart decisions. Shooting for the sake of shooting, holding when they should shoot, etc.

Still 20 mins left. And even if Dalls wins, they still need two straight. No worries.

I hear it in my nightmares. True story.

Sammy's going to be the death of me. I swear to God.

Seriously, What the hell is going on with Chelly?

This is kind of why I wanted Kenny to deal for an impact player at the deadline.

Hullie's put on some pounds.

Alcohol!

I'm sure the lack of Canadian representation also has something to do with it. Fine by me. Milbury's great in this role. Less Pierre = More Mike = More goodness.

My family uses his name as a verb now. As in, "He just got Kronwalled."

McStache is reffing, thankfully. Pretty well-called so far. Wings started out horrendously, but the momentum's all theirs now.

I heart Huddles. Always have.

This is just painful. Bench the fourth line.

The NBC HD feed is out of sync. As usual.

Hey. Don't knock the singing vegetables pre-game ritual.

Pound-for-pound, Turco probably is the better goalie right now. But you know what? Osgood's won a Cup, Osgood's owning the league this year, and Osgood isn't Dallas's ***** ala Turco-Wings. And Osgood isn't a whiny little *****. See ya on the green, Marty!

Domination plz.

Just to be clear: I'm not surprised that Bettman's backing his officials, and I can't say I really blame him. However, I do think there's something wrong with the situation. I also think it's a bit provincial to say it will have no real impact on the sport (granted, I'm thinking more along the lines of a compounding effect -- as in, further degrading Bettman's public image and, by extension, that of the league). As I and others have said, there's nothing to say he can't praise the work of the NHL's officials on a general level ("We have the finest officiating blah blah blah....") while still acknowledging the nuances of this particular call, all while staying "within the bounds" of his role as commissioner. Instead, he took the ivory tower approach. Just my opinion, but I think the league could use less of that.

I've always liked the idea of a challenge system. At the very least, a coach should be able to use one a game, like a time-out. Then maybe assess his team a minor penalty if the call isn't in his favor.

Did I mention Sammy is amazing?

Injured hand, lefty shot, Sammy is Jesus, etc.

You're missing the point. As Frozen-Man said, nothing positive can come from Bettman saying the call was the right one -- because it absolutely, unequivocally, 100% was not. The officials themselves said as much when they didn't challenge the Stars' first goal, which, in light of the call against Homer, absolutely, unequivocally, 100% should have been called off, as it was a textbook example of what the officials were claiming Homer was doing in that particular instance (i.e. being in the crease, interfering with the goaltender). This is about more than the Wings and Game 4. This is about a precedent that, in the long run, will only serve to deepen the hole the NHL has dug for itself in terms of marketability, respectability, and overall viability relative to the other professional sports leagues and their respective markets. The precedent is that a wholly erroneous call is, apparently, wholly correct. At worst, this sets the stage for a world of s***. At the very least, this is another bruise on the face of the NHL -- and in a broader sense, hockey in general. Bad stuff. Just really, really bad stuff.

Better yet, had Mule not been sidelined with headaches, this guy would probably be writing an article about how the Wings' secondary scoring is their greatest asset, or what have you. And really, that's the bottom line -- the Wings are missing a key forward. It's as simple as that. Yes, the other secondary scorers need to step up in his absence. But again, winning isn't just about scoring; as the saying goes, "Defense wins championships." And the Wings D -- and overall team D -- is about as tight as I've ever seen it. Stupid article.

I doubt he needed to. Let's put it this way: Dats looked pissed when his goal was waived off. Dats never looks pissed. This is a game they shouldn't be playing. They were looking forward to a nice weekend of rest and relaxation -- many of them hoping to spend some time with their families, I'm sure. Tomorrow = Ass-kicking. imo