Inultus

To be honest, I don't really care if Lilja comes back. I feel really bad about him getting hurt but he has such a propensity for making dumb decisions in his own zone that I'm not really missing him. I agree with the OP on the pairings though.

Franzen seems like he is getting ready for another playoff run like last year. Anyone have video of the huge hit just short of halfway through the game? I don't know who laid it on, but there was maybe 10:39 left in the 2nd. It was total creamage.

My roommate can play good D and he's the same age as Cheli, but nowhere near as big, so I doubt he could play physical like Cheli.

Tomas Holmstrom. The guy who taught me to play told me to use my size to my advantage (6' 220lbs.) and so because I'm not a great skater or puckhandler I crash the net, look for rebounds and deflections. Must be working because I score fairly regularly. Even the guys on the last team said I was the Holmstrom of the team even though I'd never told them that is who I emulate. I shoot right though, even though I'm left-handed, so that is one instance where we are different.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure you were. My guess would be NJ/Philly. Anyway, did anyone else notice that at least 4 players from each team fell down on the left side of the ice? Dats himself fell down 3 times. What the hell? Also, I agree with the others, the reffing was just terrible. I was thinking that halfway through the game, glad to see others saw it as well. I usually don't complain about reffing, but when we really needed a power play (especially after a "intent to blow" no-goal), when there's an obvious trip, CALL IT! Intent to blow, no you refs really do blow. Lastly, after the game Babcock said "We don't need him to be first star, we just need him to be regular and he's very capable of doing that." Although I agree with him, Ozzy needs to prove very soon that he is still capable of doing that. He says that games before the playoffs don't matter but anyone who has ever played sports knows that you want to go into the playoffs on a hot streak.

I went 6 laps as a passenger in NASCAR and let me tell you, even though I wasn't driving I was ready to get out just after those 6 laps. It is hot and loud as hell in that car and it was scary hitting those corners and we weren't even going full speed, more like 175. All of this coming from a guy who takes his 06 Mustang GT up to 150 on the highway, and takes his V-max motorcycle to 140! NASCAR drivers have some crazy skills and stamina.

Yeah, that's the whole problem is a lot of the remaining games are against teams in the central, so unless teams that are way up in the points (basically Detroit, and to a lesser extent Chicago) drop a lot of their games, it's not gonna happen. So, looking at it that way I don't want all of the central to make it, although it would be cool.

By that logic Hossa and Zetterberg should retire also.

I got 92.1 to work for me one time, but they definitely don't air all the games.

It's interesting to me how a lot of enforcers are actually pretty intelligent guys. Downey definitely seems to be one of them.

I would hardly say the Blues outplayed them. The one thing they did better on was the PK. SOG and saves were almost the same. The first goal was a San Jose giveaway, and the second one they were helped out by the fact that one of San Jose's players fell down running into the ref. The 3rd was an empty netter for those who haven't seen it. So, it was essentially a 1 goal game, without Nabokov in net. With him in net I honestly see it being a tie after regulation. Now I'm not dogging the Blues, I actually do follow them as a friend on my hockey team is from St. Louis. But, keep it realistic man, they didn't outplay the Sharks, although I'm glad that they beat San Jose regardless.

Wow, how did I miss that hit, that was awesome! Maybe I'm just saying that because I hate Phaneuf, lol. Anyway, to answer the poster's question about what is normal around here... Normal is something like this: Way to go Wings getting a 4-1 lead on a competitive rival team. Many thought that Jokinen was a joke and he proved last night that he is not. Wings, don't get comfortable when you are up, you still need to play tight D. And for goodness sake, don't let it go to a shootout cuz you guys suck in the shootout. Oh wait, playoffs don't go to a shootout, so scratch that last thought. I honestly don't think the Wings want a #1 seed.

I read an article about that game. The title was "Fans give Billups a standing ovation in his return to Detroit" and then the sub-title said something about Iverson being gone. Immediately I thought somehow the Pistons had traded Iverson back for Billups, but when I read the article I was thoroughly disappointed to find that we don't have him back.

Grr, why is State playing during the day tomorrow?!?

Doesn't allowing a TV timeout after an icing nullify the recently passed rule about not letting the offending team get a fresh line on the ice?

Dunno about Hossa, but why is Holmstrom on the 3rd line?

I don't think we played like crap all year, I would say there are maybe 10 games where I'd say that. Now I do agree that we have only played to our potential in just as many games, but most games were somewhere in the middle.

It was a TKO. Good win Belak.

Speaking of pissing off, I gotta love the bar where I work.

Obviously someone (me) does care or I wouldn't have brought it up in the first place. Whatever nationality you are, how would you like it if someone said that no one cares about the meaning behind your people's traditions? Piss off dude.

Holy crap some of you are whiners. So far in this thread I've read that the game was boring, Rafalski needs a kick in the balls, the Wings are lazy and Osgood sucks. 43 SOG is not boring Rafalski scored 43 SOG is not lazy, they played good defense as well, the deflection was a great one Osgood didn't play Seriously, we came away with a win so if you don't have anything good to say about the team, shut the hell up.

I'd rather be the joke around here than in my locker room. Whateva, I'm just saying that men wearing beads is ridiculous and has nothing to do with Mardi Gras. For that matter, women wearing beads seems (most of the time) to center around sex and that is ridiculous too. If you disagree that's fine.

As I've already posted Babcock said flat out that whoever earns the start will get it.

How does having the height of your blade shorter help you out?

They also got Leopold who could turn out to be there best D-man. I'm watching out for Calgary, but I also rely on the fact that Kippy always sucks it up when it counts. Hopefully Ozzy won't do the same.