clutchngrab

There is not a goalie in the league that will save the Wings the way they have played defensively lately.

Yeah, Ozzie time => higher draft pick I'm all for it. Seriously does anyone think Osgood is going to bail out the Wings while they play this way in front of the goalie? That there is crazy talk.

lol. Fans => fanatics are bipolar by definition.

The boys are tired. Lets give them a year off. I'm kinda hoping they stink out the joint, miss the playoffs and get some picks.

And Lebda and Meech were horrible the game before. When half of your defensive is horrible on a nightly basis - guess what? You lose.

I don't have too much trouble with this argument other than I believe he still has an upside as he is still fairly young. If we are talking bang for buck, I would look at the under-performing 13 million on the blue-line first. Especially the 6 mil for the #2 guy with a no trade.

I'm thinking more like May, but regardless - we'll just have to see. My money is on the Wings going with Howard - right or wrong.

lol. Not only do we disagree about goalies, we disagree about forwards. I acknowledge that 3M is a bit high, but Fil is a legit 2nd line playmaker who will continue to improve. It would be nice if he scored more goals, but right now he is on the same pace as Z. The problem with this team is that we have no pure goal scorers. Dats, Z and Flip are the same player, so to that extent I say yes, trade the 3 mil for a scorer. However, I do not diminish his value. He does alot out there when he is not scoring. I for one see a much better team sice he has been back.

I suspect Holland will be hands off this year for a number of reasons. 1. The team (Devellano) has publicly lowered expectations 2. They need to groom a new goalie 3. Osgoods mouthiness 4. Jimmies performance (his numbers are very visible)

Babs may not "get" goaltenders. It seems to me he expects consistent performance from all positions. Even as an Osgood fan, you must acknowledge the difficult position he places the coach due to his inconsistent play.

I just think at some point the coaches and management go with what they see on the ice as opposed to reputation or past history. Sorry. That's what you do when you are not a fan and have to make your career. It's not about what you or I think.

At this point I'm wondering, outside of of complete Jimmy meltdown, how Osgood gets a sniff.

Osgood slappies are desparate - pulling the Legace joker card.

Yup, give yourself a gold star. If a goalie plays well during the season, then it is not unreasonable to think said goalie can perform in the playoffs, This is what we call common sense. As it turns out, Legace was a head case and choked. Who knew? Need we say more about his career. Having said that, if we think this is the norm, we do no justice to the likes of Dryden, Roy, Ward who have won the cup as "hot" goaltenders as rookies or near rookies. I won't even begin to cite the recent performances of young goalies in the playoffs. As a matter of fact, this team feels alot more like a Mike's Anaheim team with a young Guguire, doesn't it?

Oz has at least 2 holes he needs to shut. The one he puts pie into and the one between his legs that pucks go through.

yeah, whatever - more excuses.... I word: points. We need them. Sit Oz for another month, please.

And that my friend summarizes the difference of goaltending.

Obviously Berts penalty was the real killer, and our PP's inability to put the puck in the net hurts. However I can't help but think 3 goals on 20 shots just doesn't cut it. It's speculative of course, but I suspect that Howard would have stopped at least one of those last 2 goals and maybe both. Hopefully Oz goes back to the pine. We need our best chance for points.

Caps 6 Wings 3 - Oz pulled after 4.

Even if this statement wasn't total bulls***, (I seem to remember a recent 50+ shot game when Howard was in net) then you might want to ask yourself why this is so. Maybe a little problem with confidence in said goaltender. My prediction is that Osgood will get lit tonight, and the apologists will do what they best as will the critics.

Oh Puhlease, This is no Babcock conspiracy against Osgood. The reason Osgood is starting is simple. Washington is in the Eastern Conference and not ahead of the wings in the standings.

At this stage of Rafalskis career it looks like his agent fleeced Holland pretty good.

Just guessing here, but it seems that Jimmie playing back-to-back this weekend and 12 in a row implies to me that Howard is the horse that Babcock will ride this playoff season unless the horse comes up lame.

Thats a great link.... Check the road attendance and how the Wings draw percentage wise of capacity: Highest in the league. Yet Bettman and his ass-clowns continually manage to f*** over Illitch. This is one of many reasons why this league is a joke.

It is what it is. I don't know what goes on in practice, but the reality is that points are on the line every night there is a shoot-out. If I am Mike Babcock, I coach around this reality such that I max my chance for points. It seems clear that shoot-outs are not a priority for the Wings based on performance - though I can't fault Howard on the defensive side too much. The point is, sitting in 9th, maybe it becomes a point of focus, eh?