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Some other pretty key games tonight as well. lumbus vs. lanche calgary vs. minny san jose vs. phoenix All could have an effect on our standings EDIT: some more immediate affects than others.

The man wants to play, man. Let the man play!

Agreed. The Rangers draft well, they are just prone to impatience and readily blow up their team for the piece that they think will get them over. See: The Rick Nash trade

PLAYOFFS!! Chances for that pick are indeed slim. The likelihood of each team gaining the right to the first pick is as follows: Team 1 25.0% Team 2 18.8% Team 3 14.2% Team 4 10.7% Team 5 8.1% Team 6 6.2% Team 7 4.7% Team 8 3.6% Team 9 2.7% Team 10 2.1% Team 11 1.5% Team 12 1.1% Team 13 0.8% Team 14 0.5% Additionally, no club will move down more than one position as a result of the Draft Lottery. The remaining first round drafting positions are determined by the results of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. So, I'll take the playoffs and what could end up being a 15th or 16th pick at the very best, if we are bouned quickly. Which Holland will probably trade for additional picks, if the piece that he really wants in the first round is already gone.

I'm sorry... my last post was really jerky when you think about it that way.

...or we could be Nashville and be shutout NINE times this year. You tell me who's worse offensively.

So Nashville isn't the biggest offensive threat, but Jimmy had a great first period with thirteen saves in that first period. We bear down and make a good game of it. Z shows what he's made of... so does Howard. Damn fine result in a game we needed to win.

Nice! Holy shnikies. The lazy floater has a spark after all.

Nice!

Attendance? Worthiness of winning? What are you even bickering about? It comes down to the team that's winning and losing games... who has the best team and who is playing beyond their roster's expectations? Wins equals points which means playoff games... or playing golf in two weeks time. Other than that. Who gives a flying ****? Oh, I'm sorry. Did I step on your opinion of what makes a good hockey franchise?

Oh! The joys of being "right" and "wrong" on internet discussion boards! Whether we have a numerical advantage once all the games are played to hold on to that last and final eighth seed spot is not what is going to kill me in the next two weeks. It's the fact that we will, in all likelihood, be counting points until the final day and praying that the numerical advantages fall our way.

The thing that kills me is that if we trade Franzen and don't re-sign Fil... they'll probably both go on point and scoring streaks and we'd all be moaning and groaning about how Holland traded them away. "Fresh air" works both ways. This team just needs some new pieces. Not a NYR or Philly styled blow up, but some key replacement cogs and grease for the Big Red Machine.

...after the last two games we've lost a bit of that "control" you spoke of. Fifth through 11th place are now separated by all of six points. This is going to be a nailbiter and very soon (if you're not already) we're going to be rooting for some of our least favorite teams to be beating some of our other least favorite teams on a nightly basis.

Fixed. I've never been more high on trading this guy as I have been since just before the trade deadline. We constantly toss around things like: Value. Worth. Contract Impossibilities. Giving up our only big bodied scorer. OH NOEZ!! I don't care. Trade the guy. Make it happen. I promise I won't turn into LeftWinger with the Franzen bashing but, for chrissakes... Franzen is just getting worse and worse and there is no punishment for his sorry and lazy style of play. Never benched. Always in the top six. I know this team was once built on team/player loyalty for a number of years, but it's not working anymore. Work hard and you will be rewarded. Now it just seems like we're rewarding guys because, "hey, this guy has done it before... he can do it again." Well, WHEN? If not NOW! WHEN? If you're not working hard when your team needs you the most... GTFO.

I feel like this is the first time I'm looking at the remaining schedule for the Detroit Red Wings and trying to predict points we can/should/have to have... and also looking at the teams right behind us in the standings and actively wanting certain teams to win or lose. Frustrating. I want our playoff streak to continue. I won't lose my s*** if it doesn't, but it would be a nice consolation prize for this transitionary season. That being said: We need to BEAT Chicago tonight. No well fought game into OT or ANOTHER shootout. A goddamned WIN. Nashville needs to get a least a point from Dallas tonight. Calgary, c'mon Calgary! Have some pride, find some fight... beat Phoenix tonight!

fuuuuudddgggeeee.

C'mon Smitty. I know there wasn't much you could do but PUH-LEEzE.

Thataway!

I guess it's apropos... but did you really just quote Deathcab? Anyway, if you're talking about RIGHT NOW your list really should just be: Brunner, Datsyuk, Franzen, Nyquist, Tatar, and Zetterberg... it's even shorter if we're looking towards the off season. Like you mentioned, the other names are still on the horizon, but they could see some time next year and Fil and Brunner could be re-signed. I'm not saying trade them all for a big bodied, top-six ready forward in the off season, but really... what are we waiting for?

I'll say with 100% certainty that no one on this board has the faintest idea what Datsyuk will do when his contract is up. (That includes me.) A Datsyuk jersery will NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER be a fail. Thinking a Datsyuk jersey could be a fail, that is the fail itself. Agreed. ...and why not pick the best player on our team to represent that game for you?

Would that be SOOO bad? I mean, for christsakes, we're fighting for a playoff spot and you're shrugging off our last chance at a Western Conference Final appearance... So, sorry that your team will disappoint unless we win the friggin' Cup. Oh, right... we have absolutely no chance of making the WCF.

I do not understand the playing of Cleary over Tatar or Tootoo... it truly doesn't make any sense. Youth and skill. Tenacity and Grit. vs. Broken and Falling Down. I loved me some Danny Cleary a few years back, but the guy should be finished in this league.

Agreed, ten fold. I think some of you just need to stop watching hockey or something. It's like you don't even enjoy it.

Look at that tough-guy Franzen. Too little too late, sir. Disappointed with the outcome, but not with the game. We just needed some finish today. Everything else was spot on.

I refuse to live in the past.