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LET'S GO RED WINGS!!!!

He will if the Wings keep firing shots at HIM, rather than at the net.

Huet's job would be a lot tougher if the Wings would quit taking one-and-done shots. LET'S GO RED WINGS!!!!

They're taking lots of shots, but they're not going to the net. They need to crash the net and get ugly. LET'S GO RED WINGS!!!!

I'm thinkin' Flu. Nick too. That would explain the rapid onset of both cases.

The mlive blog post simply stated that Osgood tweaked his knee in Game 4 of the WCQF's. I didn't perceive any link between the mention of that "injury" and him being taken out of this Game.

Phew..... Just saw/heard. Hopefully a quick recovery. With the RIGHT kind of fluids, thankyouverymuch.

All speculation right now. Apparently Oz talked to the trainer coming off the ice after the 2nd. Could be that Babs took Oz out for: a ) Precautionary reasons b ) Because he might not get a better chance, this Post Season, to get Conklin in there for qualifying purposes. At least..... I HOPE that's all it is. <knock on wood>

With all due respect..... Lids is the brick AND the mortar of that "building". This is not good. They are going to have to be 120%, at least, today. LET'S GO RED WINGS!!!!

There's adversity, and then there's a cataclysmic disaster. This exceeds both, in my humble opinion.

Gut check time..... Unbelievably bad luck. LET'S GO RED WINGS!!!!

Wonder if they're holding him out because of all the "retribution to their star players" talk from the hawks... LET'S GO RED WINGS!!!!

Yes, Drake. Really. Don't get me wrong. I'm not calling Lids out for poor play. I've no reason to. I'm just saying he looks tired. He still looks like Nick, but he DOES look tired. That's not something I'm accustomed to seeing. And it worries me a bit.

I was referring to Hossa, as was the Poster I quoted in my response.

Playing Devil's advocate is my favorite pasttime. Bar none.... I'm worried about Dats. I think his foot is actually broken and that even if he does return this Post Season, (certainly not a given), he'll be a fraction of what he was last PO's. I'm worried about Hank. I think he's hurting. He's been a warrior out there, but even at that, he hasn't been as good as he was when he won the Conn. I'm worried that the "twinge" I saw from Franzenstein in G7 against the duckies, and the further "twinge" I saw in the closing seconds of G1 against the Hawks means trouble. He hasn't been the same since R3:G1. Haven't you noticed? He's been practically invisible. I'm worried about Hossa. Hell.....I don't think anyone is NOT worried about Hossa. I'm worried about Nick. He looks tired. I'm worried that they ALL look tired. I know what they're capable of. I know that when they turn it on, there is NO TEAM better. And so it bugs the HELL out of me when they give less than 100%. I HATE to see them lose. Because on any given night......there's only ONE TEAM who can consistenly "beat" the Detroit Red Wings. And that Team is the Detroit Red Wings.

THERE YA GO, Cern! THAT'S what I want to hear!!!!

What Wings fans have proven is that they've grown accustomed to watching their Team succeed in the Play Offs since your Kidtain was in grade school, and your Team was in the CELLAR, and a laughingstock in this League. Congratulations on sucking SO BADLY, for SO LONG, that it netted you a halfway decent Team based on excellent draft positioning alone. What Wings fans have ALSO learned is that talk is cheap..... They have to Win it ON THE ICE, muffin. And until they do.... You're STILL a fan of the Team who watched the Wings skate the Cup on THEIR HOME ICE just last Season. They're STILL the Runner Up. Second best. Until THAT status changes..... Feel free to leave anytime, Princess. You wouldn't want to miss the exciting conclusion to the circle jerk, now would you? LET'S GO RED WINS!!!!

Keep talkin', Princess. The Pluguins haven't won anything just yet. The least you could do is have the common decency to keep your legs shut until they do. And kindly shower before you enter someone elses home. You've got the stench of them all over you, and it's nauseating. Gah! Someone open a window!

In Game 2? I'm looking at Crosby, Kunitz, Malkin and Talbot, with the EN being scored by Tyler freakin' Kennedy. In Game 1, it was Malkin, Boucher and Satan. In Game 7 against the Caps, it was Crosby, Adams, Guerin, Letang and Staal. In Game 6 against the Caps? Guerin, Letang, Eaton, and Crosby. Who do you think you're kidding? Whistling past the graveyard or plugging your ears and shouting "lalalalalalalala" isn't going to change facts. And the facts are THUS: Not only have the Pluguins gotten MONSTROUS contributions from their BEST Players, they've gotten contributions from everyone ELSE, too. The Wings have been getting by WITHOUT their TOP THREE offensive Players having contributed much, and all of their scoring coming from secondary and tertiary sources. It's not a pretty situation, but it IS accurate. That has to change. HAS TO.

Hmmmmm..... I'm counting Malkin, Crosby, Guerin, Fedotenko and Adams, (I think), with goals. Eight different Pluguins with points in today's game. Funny..... The Canes were in a "must win" game, at home....scored the first goal..... And the Pluguins SHUT THEM DOWN, and then proceeded to DISMANTLE them. Quickly, and efficiently. While the Wings allowed a Team full of ROOKIES to drop three on them before they decided to show up on the road. Funny, "Strange", that is. 'Cause it CERTAINLY isn't funny "haha". Again..... I hope they were watching..

Ya know..... I might not be so upset if I didn't see him, game after game, shift after shift, go skating after a loose puck and suddenly have that moment of: "Ah.....FRAK it......let it go." And then turn lackadaisically toward the bench for an immediate line change. I wonder if HE is watching today's Plugs/Canes game? Because his former Team is doing JUSSSSSST fine without him. While he's contributing precious little to his current Team. Shame. Damned shame.

Done. Season over for the 'Canes.

And what I'm saying is that they wouldn't necessarily have to. The Wings have done a fair job of ASSISTING their opponents in shredding them.

Ahhhhh.... And now we come to the crux of it, don't we? You know what I saw last night, both during that 5 minute kill AND the 3 goals the Wings scored in 4:23 to tie it up? I saw a Team that was P!SSED OFF after they were bent over by the League, and were in RAGE mode! Both for that Kill, AND the closing moments of the 2nd. They were working on pure emotion and adrenaline. How did they show BEFORE that 5 minute major? They DIDN'T. They allowed the Hawks to score on them, THREE TIMES, before they decided to wake up, and SHOW UP. And how did they respond AFTER they tied it up at 3?? They DIDN'T. They got off 6 shots against a goaltender who came in cold, and who hadn't seen any Game action in MONTHS. Now.... I'm willing to concede that they were undoubtedly exhausted, EXHAUSTED, after spending the first half of the 1st Period on the PK, AND that the only thing that allowed them to tie it up at 3-3 was a KILLING RAGE!, but there is no excuse for the way they failed to show up, AGAIN, at the drop of the puck, and allowed a ROOKIE TEAM to take it to them. They WILL be better next Game. But they're going to have to WAKE UP, and stop counting on their skill to bail them out, game after game.

That's what I'm counting on, Firehawk. This Team is the Class of the NHL. Period. It KILLS me when they underachieve. Oh.... And Oz HAS to be better in Game 4. No question about it.