Majsheppard

I'd agree with you if I thought that Vancouver/whoever they would play was any better than us... St Louis could be our second round draw. Something tells me they aren't going to be exprienced enough to make it far. We could beat them. I don't know... I just think that if we are sixth, the WCF would be us and Nashville. I think we aren't going to be ready for them in round one... but if they play Chicago and Vancouver... we might be able to take them.

I disagree. I think you can gain momentum and turn it around. I just don't think they can do it against a hungry team, with that good of a defense that Nashville has. I think the Wings can beat Chicago, Dallas, and Phoenix... They MIGHT be able to beat SJ and LA, but I would rather take LA over SJ... Even though Quick could prob beat this team by himself.

Good thing there is a thread for that!

I never read them say anything anymore but just stating facts.

Seriously, wtf was his choice for the final few shifts?!?!?

I have a feeling the league would accuse us of cheating and take a draft pick away from us or something stupid like that. I would just limit their ice time. Maybe play that killer fourth line more and get Gustav some ice.

I am going to go out on a limb with a really crazy idea. That the team you face, the way systems and players match up... means more than road/home. I actually don't mind the idea of starting on the road, because it is far more likely that the first two games are split historically than the home team takes both. With that it isn't that big of a deal. I really think it just helps for games five and seven. The thread is about us being able to actually beat Nashville. I don't think we can do it right now. I think in the third round, if they are still in it... we would do better.

I swear to you, sixth is better. If it ends up being SJ, then we let them in by handing them a win, and it will be no better than fifth. There is no way we go into Nashville and beat them in the first round. Maybe in the third round when there are injuries as an xfactor.

Yeah, but you should see how much crap I got when I started a thread on that... Oh well. Except we will because as little as one win can get us the fifth, depending on how Chicago does. The last game of the season against Chicago... I would have the best pregame speech for that one... Okay listen up boys. Remember all the hard work you put in. Remember all the games you played. Remember all the games you have won. Remember all the golf you have played. Now do you want to win games or play golf??? Then get out there and play like you played against Nashville and get a loss!!! We need sixth or we will have to play them again!!! lol. I swear to you, sixth is better. If it ends up being SJ, then we let them in by handing them a win, and it will be no better than fifth. There is no way we go into Nashville and beat them in the first round. Maybe in the third round when there are injuries as an xfactor.

hmmm the two best home ice teams in the league are Nashville and Detroit... this game will more than likely decide home ice. This is a playoff game. They beat the living s*** out of us. Tell me how these Wings, beat those Preds in seven games with no home ice???? I think we will be lucky to win one game against them.

Fans should be booing, I wish they would boo the rest of the game, and boo the players as they leave the arena, and boo them until they look like a real team. I would be pissed off if I spent money to see that game tonight.

Again, Babcock just sits there with no clue. DO SOMETHING!!! I'd bench Howard right now, not because it is his fault, because it might wake the team up. Send a message, mix the lines, do something. Just do not call a time out and stand there like a mute moron.

Alright, after this ******* game tonight. I have to believe more people want them to tank now. Nashville looks like they are ready to beat us silly if we draw them in the first round.

Seems like someone is out to neg everyone who realizes we just lost the first game of the playoffs tonight.

Yep, sixth place or bust.

I think that goal might be our season. It just doesn't seem like we want to win as bad as them. I don't think we win tonight, and I don't think we beat them in seven. We better tank for sixth.

Yeah, they are clearly the better team so far.

This would be nice, however I doubt he would come here. The Wings would offer him the chance to earn a shot. Other teams will offer him a roster spot instantly. When you are a Hobby-Baker finalist and as speculated THE THIRD BEST FA THIS SUMMER>?!?!? (per McKenzie) I wonder how receptive he would be to maybe making the team. If they added him and Suter without losing anyone but Stuart... They would have Lids, White, Suter, Kronner, Ericsson, Smith, Kindl, Schultz, and Quincey That is at least two extra... I sure am glad we traded a first for Quincey!!! That one article suggests he would be RFA... Would the Wings want to do that?

All I have to say is what happened to Babs record without Lidstrom? If that is the definition of lunacy, then fine lock me up. There are many coaches getting their teams into the playoffs this year with rosters weaker than the Wings. They usually do it by finding those players that gel and riding them. I said it before that Babcock deserves coach of the year, and then when he finally had a chance to prove it by having his roster fall apart and coaching up the inexperienced B squad to win some games, he sees his team free fall. I think you can add Nyqvist getting no playing time, and his I am not going to say anything this game tantrum, as additional exhibits to the case against him. Again, you thread folks never read it all. There are plenty of good things about Babcock. However, I said this when Holland let him pick his coaching staff this offseason, "Bad idea." He doesn't have a good mind for the game, lines, or anything like that. He really only has skill being a hard nose, stubborn, and fair blue collar leader. This is good for many reasons, but putting lines together or making a new strategy on the fly are not amongst those. To me it feels like as soon as he lost quality coaches, that have gone elsewhere and thrived, his defense fell apart and his offense fell apart. To be clear that was Defense under McCrimmon and offense (PP) under WMU's genius. Babs talks about it himself as problems that need to get fixed, and his solution is always to just look at his assistants and say "what do we do?" If that fails, he sometimes goes to Lidstrom and says, "What do we do?" These problems have been here their whole respective year without any solution created. You can blame whomever you want, from the players to Holland. I choose to blame Babcock. I feel he should be doing something to change the systems and fix the problems, and if he has to turn to his staff to do so it is fine. JUST DON'T LET HIM PICK THE STAFF THEN!!! I swear, it is like a yes man culture he is installing. I love how he does put faith in players and I love how much he puts the ice-time tied to results. Then he screws both of those things up by putting faith in the wrong players and giving some players passes on the work=Ice time system. It is a dance and we all should understand that, so I don't get upset with anyone over a few misteps. He just seems to be off too consistently.

He is injured. I will give him that, which is exactly why they should just consider him a spare right now. He is playing at 65% in my opinion, and I feel like Mursak at 90% is better than Cleary at 65%. I feel like Emmerton at 100% is better than Cleary at 65%. I believe that Gustav with no experience at 85% is better than Cleary at 65%. Even worse is there are nights where Cleary is at 40%. He can't be on any line in this shape. I would tell him to go get checked out, have any surgeries that are needed and if they have to wait, he can wait on the bench and get better as a spare. I am starting to think Jokiam and Tatar are a better call then Cleary right now. As for Cleary in the future? I would say he can make the team the same way he did before. Small contract, fight for the time. I would rather not give up on kids for Cleary when I know how he plays when he slows down.

If the Wings lose in the first or second round of the playoffs this year. I would fire Babcock. I have seen many coaches do more with less. I think the assistant coaches he hired are a joke, and I really feel as if he has no idea how to do lines. I might say he has a bunch of huge positives, but it seems at this point maybe those negatives outweigh the positives.

I am with everyone on this. He was not used well at all, and Babcock really showed sometimes he is not the best coach in the world. Instead of throwing a tantrum and going stoic, maybe he should have put Gustav up and let the tired bodies of Cleary, Franzen, and Homer take a fourth line role. Also wtf is Mursak doing on the bench with Emmerton and Cleary out there?!? IMO he has done more than those two have in hustle and effort. Cleary should not be playing at his current state which is way under 100%. It looks to me that he is 65% at best of his full capacity. I would rather he just sit if that is the case. You already proven how tough you are, and how much heart you have. Save that for the playoffs, if you heal enough to be in them.

Case in point, tonight. Just don't jump guns.

He was thrown to the ice four times in one shift. That wasn't very impressive.

WOW, Jarnkrok just worked his ass off to get the puck and fight into the zone with an empty net, cycled it by himself in the corner than watched his pass go to the point and shot into a dman in front where the rebound was put in to put the game away. Then he was put in the Penalty box for some reason... Who knows why. Goal counted though. It was hard to figure out who was Jarnkrok on this s***ty internet feed, but when I saw him he looked good.