Wings_Toledo

I agree with the original assessment for the most part, except putting Homer on the fourth line. I think the combination of Eaves/Helm/Miller (or Mursak, etc.) is far more effective than just throwing Holmstrom in there with them. Keep him on the 2nd/3rd lines and try to go out and get one more top six forward in the offseason via some sort of trade. Bertuzzi has shown he can be an effective enforcer-type when motivated, but he has been somewhat disappointing as far as a scorer. Let Abdelkader take his role and plug Bertuzzi into games to give other guys a rest.

Am I the only one in favor of bringing back Miller? Sure, he doesn't score much, but I like his defensive game. I still like him as our 13th forward, which would give Mursak and whoever else more playing time.

Jimmy deserves a lot of credit. He played great in this year's playoffs and kept the Wings in the game most nights against San Jose. In the end, it was the D not being able to match the speed of SJ's forwards that lost them the series. With the teams that are left, I'm pretty much done watching hockey for the rest of the playoffs. I'll root for Tampa because I like their roster and because of Yzerman, but that's about it.

I hope he plays 1 more year. If for nothing else, so that Lidstrom can mentor Smith on playing the point on the PP. I really think that Smith will be our next great PP quarterback, but it's going to take a few years for him to get there.

Tampa or Vancouver. I really, honestly, do not have a problem with any of the teams left in the playoffs so I won't be livid if it ends up being another team that wins the Cup.

I think other teams should be scared to play the Red Wings. They did sweep a team that finished the regular season with a better record than L.A. and Chicago - two teams still playing.

Cleary has a pretty beastly beard.

Haha, I'm glad I'm not the only one who caught that.

If Detroit does get to host the WC in 2012 they should definitely be scheduled to play Toronto. If the NHL has to have two American teams in the game then I would like to see a team that hasn't been in one of the games yet. Detroit vs. New York Rangers would be a good matchup.

No interference call there when Datsyuk tried to get to the puck? What's up, refs?

I don't expect to see him at all in this series, but hopefully he can make his appearance in the 2nd round. Is Modano ever going to play in the playoffs this year?

The consistency of reffing in this league is atrocious. Especially when you compare this game to the Vancouver game last night.

Billy Dee Williams on play-by-play and a resurrected Robert Goulet on color. Smooooooth..

Please.. please.. PLEASE no O'Halloran... at least not in series-deciding games...

I'm not quite sure what the other poster means either... With the current system, only the worst four teams really have a shot at the first pick, but if you made it so that the worst 14 all had a shot at the number 1 pick, wouldn't that make it less likely for teams to purposely tank? I mean, at least to the point of being the worst in the league. You might see more fringe playoff teams "take it easy" at the end of the season if they don't feel they'll make the playoffs, but they'd still only have a 1/14 chance of getting that high pick. Them ain't good odds.

"Too many Canucks trying to win" will be the most popular call this year, but only because Chicago actually made the playoffs.

I'm actually expecting Filppula to step up and try to play Zetterberg's role until he comes back. Granted, they're not the same caliber of player, but I think he will do a good enough job until Z gets back. I have no doubt that Datsyuk will step up. It's going to come down to the defense and goaltending in this series.

Regardless of whether or not the kick was directed at the net, you CANNOT score a goal by hitting the puck with a distinct kicking motion. If Toronto had access to the overhead view (which they did) then there is no reason the ruling on the ice shouldn't have been overturned. This was about as clear-cut of a non-goal as you can get.

I have to agree. He makes his best passes to his brother (obviously) and some of the plays they make are just mind-boggling. The fact that he did it last year with Daniel being injured for a good period of time just backs up his case.

I know I'll catch heat for this, but Ilya Kovalchuk. He has one of the most wicked shots in the league, is a big guy and plays a little dirty when he gets pissed. Yeah, he can't really play D but I guess you have to outweigh that with his offensive skill. I was disappointed with the contract debacle at the beginning of the season, would have loved to see him end up in L.A.

Man, I really wish we had Datsyuk right now...

Looking at the slower version of the replay, it looks like the puck does hit something on Quick (whether it's the stick, part of his equipment, etc) and then hits the ice at an angle that causes it to go wide. The overhead view makes it appear that the puck is at the same height the whole way through, but it's clearly not.

To me he is pretty much "the voice of the Red Wings," so it's weird hearing him call a game for other teams (I believe he did a Flyers vs. Rangers game a few weeks ago as well). Any time I don't have to listen to Doc Emerick on Versus is a win, in my book.

Despite all of the stars on this team, Helm is my favorite player for the reasons mentioned: he works hard every shift, is great defensively and has awesome speed. He might not be the most skilled guy but you can't help but get excited every time he's out there.

How is signing a goaltender to a long-term deal a bad idea? I mean Rick DiPietro signed that 15-year deal with the Islanders and that's working out fi...ah wait, nevermind.