b.shanafan14

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Everything posted by b.shanafan14

  1. b.shanafan14

    Nyquist needs to stay here

    7 games in the recent call up, 6 points while creating numerous chances for his linemates and himself. Soon has he gets the killer instinct (which granted, took Filppula about 5 seasons to learn), he'll really be sparking offense. I'd personally like him to continue to play with Bert and Datsyuk, but I have no doubt F(loat)zen be back on that line come Wednesday. I also like the idea of resting Cleary the remaining games if possible. He hasn't been bad the last few games, but if he is bothered that much by injury it'd be better he bow-out for a few.
  2. b.shanafan14

    Z The Beast

    Feb 4 to March 26 24 games, 12 goals, 19 assists, 31 points, +12 Really heating up at the right time.
  3. b.shanafan14

    Needs to be said

    Don't look now, but San Jose is in 3rd, likely to stay. Yes they've had an off season, but they've still had the Wings number. I'd no longer consider the 6th seed argument for a weaker opponent valid, and that's the only legs it was standing on. Now its the difference between getting hot, having home ice, having less travel or the opposite of those three.
  4. b.shanafan14

    3/26 GDT : Blue Jackets 2 at Red Wings 7

    ^ This is amazing! Great job, Esquire! If you manage to find one, let us know. We'll send an EdibleArrangement I had no doubts Z would come around. The real best part: remove his first month-and-a-half of the season slump (18 games, 7 points), and his play is that of an 84-point player. Better yet, if you look at his pace just the past two months (24 games, 33 points), Zetterberg is entering the playoffs playing like a 113-point player. FUN WITH MATH! For a while some of us were forgetting the days when Z and Pavel were neck and neck for best player on the team, and both in conversation for the tops in the league. THIS is what it looked like!
  5. b.shanafan14

    3/26 GDT : Blue Jackets 2 at Red Wings 7

    Great game, boys! Detroit 7 - 2 Columbus Hank and Fil combine for 6 points Datsyuk with 2 points. PP with two goals in the first two tries. I like being off in that sorta way
  6. b.shanafan14

    3/26 GDT : Blue Jackets 2 at Red Wings 7

    Start playing consistently. Keep the pressure on and attack like last game. Eliminate mistakes and bury the Jackets when you get the opportunity. With each game, Pav and Nick will get better, and if nothing else, take enough pressure off of Fil and Hank so that they can continue to dominate. Detroit 5 - 2 Columbus Hank and Fil combine for 5 points. Datsyuk with 2 points. PP with at least one goal.
  7. b.shanafan14

    Needs to be said

    Screw this mentality. If the Wings thought like this, they would already be doomed. Win them all, I say. Get hot and it doesn't matter who they are playing or where, but even so, the who would be a less physical, less offensively scary Nashville team, and the where would be starting a series with home ice. Are the prospects of continuing to play mediocre while starting a series on the road against either Dallas or San Jose really better than winning out and starting with home ice against either Chicago or Nashville?
  8. b.shanafan14

    Filppula is "too nice".

    He has been playing out of his mind. To me, he has been the single most consistent player on this team all year. He's had slumps like anyone else, but there was little drop on the ice, just on the scoresheet. He is playing with a lot of swagger and seems to have a real feel for things in the offensive zone. Last night he was setting the table left, right, and center. He skates hard to back off the D before stopping, circling and creating time and space to make the play. Even when he wasn't lugging the puck and putting it on his linemates' tape, he was causing chaos, backchecking, forechecking, stripping pucks, intercepting outlet passes, or simple giving the puck a good chop to dangerous places. There was a sequence in the 3rd period when he kept the play alive in the offensive zone pretty much single-handedly, while creating numerous chances for linemates by simply chipping the puck away from the opponent to dirty areas. Keep up the good work, FIL! On pace for 67 points, but I know you'll hit 70 and break 25 goals!
  9. b.shanafan14

    3/24 GDT : Hurricanes 4 at Red Wings 5

    "Wahhh! I got negged! I know more about hockey/Red Wings than ANYONE! You're all stupid!" Seriously, what a bitchfest. Are we really caring about the little red/green numbers on our posts enough to actually include them in discussion? Do you think there is some appeal process? The Wings have played pretty awful as of late, there is no denying that. Some believe it was all injuries, others thought it was the sorry play on the part of the healthy bodies, others still thought it was all bad bounces/awful luck/vindictive refs. Last night was nothing like the previous weeks' play. NOTHING. The Wings carried play the almost the entire game. Some of the goals against were bad bounces, others were a bit harder to swallow. However, the fact remains that the Wings showed up for 60 minutes and dominated play 5-on-5. I have bagged on the Wings play for weeks, mostly because they looked lazy and disinterested. Last night, the only doubt I really had was when they gave up that fourth goal, and that doubt was basically "we're carrying play, but no guarantee we get 3 more goals on Ward". The Wings DESERVED to win last night, which is something they haven't in a couple weeks, and better yet, did so despite bad bounces and a substantial deficit. Full value for the win.
  10. b.shanafan14

    Needs to be said

    There is no way of knowing who will win the Pacific at this point. I would honestly put my money on San Jose, since they are only a point back of Dallas with two head-to-head games between the two teams left and Dallas playing more games on the road. The only known quantity I see is the likelihood of playing either Nashville or Chicago if we maintain either 4th or 5th seed, with each equating to less travel than any of the possible opponents from the Pacific. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. Seeing what the team is capable of when healthy, 4th seed and home ice should be ours to lose. With St. Louis only 6 points ahead for division lead and top seed, it is well within the realm of possibility for the Wings to catch them in the remaining games. If Phoenix wins tonight, its a 4 point separation with the Wings having a game in hand. St.Louis has a harder schedule and an additional road game compared to the Wings remaining schedule. I would prefer above anything to have home ice advantage, which could be the difference between starting ahead by a game or two, OR starting behind and chasing the series. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. However, more important than either who wins the Pacific, how much travel, or whether the Wings have home-ice, the Wings MUST get into a rhythm of playing tough, smart hockey and winning again. The Wings need to being playing at the top of their game come puck drop of Round 1 Game 1. If the Wings can play like they did last night, while improving the PK/PP, and getting injured players (Datsyuk, Lidstrom, Howard, Franzen) back up to game speed, the rest will take care of itself. Best case scenario: Wings win all/most of the remaining games, possibly catching St Louis, possibly holding 4th seed and home ice against an opponent requiring less travel. Worst case scenario: Doing what the OP suggests, dragging ass into the playoffs, losing games and continuing bad habits, most likely drawing San Jose, while losing home ice with way more travel.
  11. b.shanafan14

    Cleary, Bertuzzi, Hudler and Franzen

    I was referring to per game stats, not total stats. More games are bound to equal more points, but would you really say that we should be expecting one-dimensional play with so-so stats from a guy we have signed for 11 years? As I said, he is bringing less and less beyond his scoring, and his scoring is not to par. The thought in 2009 when they signed him for 11 years was that he was trending up, not down. Based on his per game stats, everyone rightfully expected 40 goals and 68 points through 82 games. Compare this season and last to his contract year, its a pretty sharp decline statistically, which is the basis for most folks defense of him. Add in that he floats incessantly and works less every night while climbing on the back of Datsyuk to do all the heavy lifting. He is a passenger and hasn't stepped up jack with his team down. And no, I wouldn't expect a franchise goal-scorer to be paid $4mil/season, I would expect him to be signed to a franchised-contract of say, 11 years, and I'd expect him to be getting paid around $5.25mil/season on top of such ludicrous job security, which he is. Folks need to quit looking at the cap-hit as a wash right now, because he is already nearing the edge of his usefulness at that price, and I can't imagine he'll be able sustain this little plateau for much longer given the his continual decline since signing his contract. Lets say he is playing to his cap-hit. Right now he is getting paid $5.25mil/season now and playing like a $4mil/season. The fun part? 4 years from now when his play has continued to decline, same story $5mil/season and a $4mil/season cap-hit. And in 6 years when his pay finally starts to dip, still a $4mil/season cap-hit. The guy getting worse doesn't bode well. His statistics are not up to par with a player granted the contract he was, and yet they are the only defensible position for most. Watch the games and its an entirely different story, moving from decently mediocre to abysmal. And above all else, his attitude is s*** when he can't be bothered to get up for games when his team is down and dropping quickly in the standings.
  12. b.shanafan14

    Cleary, Bertuzzi, Hudler and Franzen

    And yet, his goals-per-game and points-per-game continue to drop season after season, peaking (shock) in the last contract year he'll ever see. He also no longer plays even halfway physical or does much fore/backchecking. He's a one-note song, and its losing tempo. His career arc is looking like "utility player breaks through as a scorer before losing his utility and failing to score".
  13. b.shanafan14

    Cleary, Bertuzzi, Hudler and Franzen

    I thought he was the Wings' franchise goal-scorer? I must have read that contract he signed a few years ago wrong... Its OK, he is still leading the team in goals. And White has the best plus-minus, or at least he did... Johan Franzen: Perennial 25-30 goal-scorer. Who wouldn't want that for 11 years?
  14. b.shanafan14

    3/14 GDT : Red Wings 0 at Ducks 4

    I feel for you, that definitely blows. Imagine how Hank and Fil must feel, like "really, just us then? ok..." So to recap: the regulars are playing like s*** but its because of injuries, the powerplay has been the worst in the league in the past 41 games but its because of injuries, they are continuing to plummet below .500 on the road but its because of injuries, in the meantime, near losing home ice in the playoffs, but again, because of injuries. But its OK that Franzen phones it in every game because he is just so super-duper clutch that it is beneath him to get up for these "lesser" games, it just bores him. I mean he is leading the team in goals, so he doesn't really need to do much beyond pot a gimme here and there, ala Hudler. Statistics are really all that matter, because who has the time to watch the games, especially the late ones like tonight? Can't wait until Datsyuk comes back so we can have 3 players in the top 6 who skate instead of just 2, that and we can pad Mules stats some more. And when Lidstrom comes back eventually from his ill-progressing bone bruise, White will become a player again, instead of a pylon. And when Eaves returns from his concussion we can have a fourth line with three skaters, instead of a slow skater, a fast skater, and an empty #48 sweater. And when Ericsson and Kindl heal up they can sit more comfortably in the press box, which will be a nice change of pace. Don't worry, help is on the way and it will be ALLLLL better. Post-game Mike Babcock: "I hope the people in Michigan were already sleeping." http://twitter.com/#!/freepwings/status/180156189173219328
  15. b.shanafan14

    3/14 GDT : Red Wings 0 at Ducks 4

    LETS GO WINGS! Win... WIN... WINNN!! That is all. Word. Not to mention these damn late games are bad enough without having to endure such pants s***ting.
  16. b.shanafan14

    Call the team out

    There is an injury bug every season, around this same time, to a similar degree. Its strange, almost like clockwork you get to late February and players start dropping like flies. Babcock can only play Fil and Z 20 minutes or so a night, less on back-to-backs, so the team sorely needs Hudler to improve or be replaces and Franzen to play like he is capable of. Neither of these are happening. Cleary is either injured and should grab a seat, or healthy and should grab a seat. White should be playing better and the Wings PP should shoot the puck more, things that can happen with the current lineup. The most frustrating thing about Injury Season 2012 isn't the players who are out or up, its the players who continue to slack and waste the efforts of the few players we have going. I'd rather see any of Miller, Abdelkader, or Nyquist up with Val and Hank, over someone like Hudler, at least then they would all be skating hard. It might be time to put all of our eggs in two baskets, so to speak. Let the 4th line continue to suck; there's no helping them. Leave the energy line intact and give them second line minutes. Let the third line become the float line, Hudler-Franzen-Cleary. And give Filppula and Zetterberg young skilled help in Nyquist. Passengers no longer benefit from while hindering the workers, improving the top lines and hopefully forcing the floaters to do less floating.
  17. b.shanafan14

    Call the team out

    Agree. The media route doesn't work at all, and its far from Babcock's style. We don't know what goes on in the room, and they may very well be getting a new orifice every night. However, the concern remains that the same players who are not motivated are not getting motivated, and when the coach refrains from even sitting a player for several shifts, or giving them a decent chew on the bench, the perception is that he isn't doing jack. I believe in Babcock, and I still like the way he composes himself. I am just losing faith in a lot of the players who we should reasonably expect to shoulder some of the load.
  18. b.shanafan14

    Call the team out

    Datsyuk and Lidstrom are top-tier. Bertuzzi has his flashes of brilliance, but like Mule, floats 85% of the time, a beneficiary of Datsyuk. Kindl and Ericsson have since been replaced by better players in Quincey and Smith, while Janik has been unnoticeable, in a good way. Eaves is the only one outside of Datsyuk and Lidstrom who we should really miss, beyond Bertuzzi being a reasonable improvement over Cleary in the top 6. The bold part perplexes me: exactly which players have stepped up as we needed to? Franzen, who it seems is impossible to interest sufficiently to get him to put in much effort, to the point where he is being pushed around from young legs to young legs, continuing to waste other players enthusiasm? Hudler, who he far greater hindrance than help on a line with two players who are playing stellar despite him? White, who in the absence of Lidstrom has seen a sharp decline? Now if you're referring to Filppula and Zetterberg, I'd say they were stepped up prior and never a problem. If you're talking about our two AHL call-ups in Smith and Nyquist that have been great, I would agree, despite the fact that they should be called on only to stop the bleeding, not shoulder significant load (for instance, Janik as been pretty good). The problem with most injuries is both the lack of the players you lose and the assumed ineptitude of the players at the low end of the depth chart. Unfortunately, the majority of said ineptitude exists in the players who had a roster spot prior to the injury bug, the ones on the higher end of the pay scale. On paper this team should be mediocre, but performing. It isn't either. Half the team isn't skating on any given night, with the ones who are supposed to be part of the solution (Franzen, Hudler, etc.) instead being the heart of the problem. And as for mediocre: 6-4 is mediocre. 5-5 is mediocre. 3-6-1 is bad. The 3: Kings, Wild, Bluejackets (10th, 13th, and 15th, respectively)
  19. b.shanafan14

    Call the team out

    Not to be negative, but this and this. According to FSD's stats department, the Wings powerplay has been dead last in the NHL over the last 40 games. Injuries are part of the problem, but look at the players making the majority of the costly mistakes and breaking the flow; it ain't the call-ups, its the regulars. I have never seen so many shorthanded goals against, and 4 in 6 games!? That's absurd. Used to be getting a powerplay was an advantage. I'm sure things are different in the locker room, and Babcock is not the type of coach to call out players in the media, but the perception is zero-accountability for players who are slacking. "One line playing" is an understatement, since that line is all Filppula and Zetterberg, with Hudler ruining 10 times as many good plays as the ones he finally pots like he did last night. Franzen, who is supposed to be Mr. Clutch, Mr. "He'll play when the chips are down". Well the chips are down with a team among the worst on the road on the verge of losing home ice. He has been a floating pansy before and during the absence of Datsyuk, so much so that Babcock finally reunited Helm-Abdelkader-Miller, finding it better to have your energy line intact instead of relocating hustle to pick up one lazy Mule. If you can't get up for these games when your team needs you, you are an empty sweater. 4 short-handed goals in 6 games? That HAS to be a Wings record. Tear some ass, Babcock.
  20. b.shanafan14

    Brendan Smith watch thread

    I love the way Smith plays. Usually with these call-up defense prospects being noticeable is a bad thing, but not with this kid. He plays with remarkable intelligence, skill, and confidence for a young call-up. He has been making some smart pinches to keep the offense going and is really quick on his skates. Really, he has exceeded pretty high expectations given the situation, adding to the offense whenever he is on the ice and playing pretty responsible in his own zone. Physical, offensively inclined, and defensively savvy. Honestly, come playoffs, both Ericsson and Kindl should be on the outside looking in. I know it probably wouldn't happen, but since White has been playing with Quincey, and has not been his best since Nick went down, and Smith has been pretty phenomenal despite having Janik on the opposite side, I'd love to see Smith given minutes with Lidstrom when he returns (though I'm not sure which side he is used to playing): Lidstrom-Smith Stuart-Kronwall White-Quincey That is a pretty ridiculous Top 6 when healthy.
  21. b.shanafan14

    3/13 GDT : Red Wings 2 at Kings 5

    Can we stop chalking it all up to injuries now? Obviously we are missing bodies, but the play of the regulars still in the lineup is horrendous. I love how White has played WITH Lidstrom, but without him, jeeze. And the powerplay lacking punch because its without Pav and Lidas is one thing, but the short-handed goals are completely product of stupid and/or nervous plays at the blueline, again, by regulars. I hate staying up til the wee hours to watch the Wings phone it in. Leave a message
  22. b.shanafan14

    Alex Radulov returning nhl playoffs?

    Talk about a "me first", "grass is greener" type of guy. He bolted for the bucks, leaving Nashville with their pants down, and now flips the script when its most convenient to him. I can understand the Predator's argument, that he is their contracted player who bolted on his own, but the league is rewarding a snake in Radulov. Gets to burn his peanuts contract and then rejoin things as a UFA this summer, getting overpaid ala Ville Leino. All I gotta say is: these folks coming over from KHL are a bit complacent. Ice gets small real fast. Watch yourself coming up the right-wing boards, Alex. That last step, she's a doozy
  23. b.shanafan14

    Who are the biggest threats in playoffs?

    Word. Nashville won because of a confused PK and an impotent offense, which still managed nearly 40 shots on goal. Add one of either Datsyuk, Lidstrom OR subtract one of either Hudler, Franzen, and this team is plenty Rinne is formidable, and the Wings have been beat by hot goaltenders before, but Nashville is far from the most potent threat.
  24. b.shanafan14

    3/10 GDT : Red Wings 2 at Predators 3

    The number of gift-wrapped opportunities he blew tonight were innumerable. Great play by Flip and Z only to get to that nincompoop. Its an uphill battle with him on that line every night, but tonight we really needed him to get the hell out of the way.
  25. b.shanafan14

    3/10 GDT : Red Wings 2 at Predators 3

    The Wings' defense functions like some kind of hive mind; without proximity to the collective intelligence (Lidstrom) everyone gets dumber and less organized.