royedwards

I've been reading the various threads about this or that player (Lang, Williams, our goaltenders suck) and this or that weakness (no goals, no grit). I think if you put it all together, though, you come up with this general picture: The Wings have reinvented themselves as a non-physical, defensive team. The idea is that if you put 40 shots on the other guys' net every night, two or three might go in, and the other guys are too busy trying to clear their own zone to get set up in ours. If they do break out, our veteran defensemen and goalies can stop them. The good news is that this actually works most of the time, and it drives other teams crazy. You could hear the Preds grinding their long fangs for most of last night's game. The bad news is that this strategy leaves almost no room for error. A soft goal here, a bad turnover there, and we've let the bad guys back in the game. It also means that any player (even Hasek) can be the goat on any given night. I don't think a trade, even a good one, is going to change this general picture. Let's go along for the ride and see if the Wings actually get somewhere with this approach. I'm enjoying it, although it's rough on my aging heart. Sorry if this is stating or restating the obvious...I'm just looking for the forest beyond the trees.

Glad I missed this one--I hate shootouts. It's good to have a point, though, especially with Nashville struggling. Tomorrow should be interesting.

Nashville is looking more vulnerable lately. They blew out SJ, but they lost to the Pens, the Yotes, and the Kings. Kinda reminds you of another team...

Good win against a good team. Zetterberg is amazing--can't wait to see the highlights.

The Stars are good, but not invincible--they are the OTHER team that the Blues shut out this month. Their D can be shaky, too. I have a feeling the Wings will pull this one off...

Agreed! The Wings will take care of their own business. But fans are entitled to speculate about the reasons for their success or lack of it, and I'm not buying the 'scheduling fatigue' theory.

I just checked the Preds' record in the second of B/B games this season. If I'm not mistaken, they are 11-1-1! Incredible. So no more excuses, guys. The Wings need to step it up.

I don't get this 'we're better off in second place' stuff. Being the top seed is fine, if getting there wasn't too easy.

No excuses--the Flyers should have been fatigued, too. They also spent half the game in the sin bin. Let's face it, the formula for beating the Wings this season is very simple, and it's the bottom feeders who have figured it out. Keep the game physical, and watch the Wings flail on the PP. Without Hasek to bail us out after give-aways in the other end, this strategy will work most of the time.

How popular is ice hockey in England? There was something on the tube recently showing how it is catching on in Northern Ireland. One reason is that hockey is a 'foreign' sport, and so the teams don't break down along the old sectarian lines.

This game could be really sloppy. Both teams played yesterday, we have our fourth-stringer in goal, and...it's the Flyers. Here's hoping for a not-so-ugly win.

You have to respect Flyers fans. Rooting for the Dead Wings was not much fun, either.

Never enough! Sure, but I don't think it's a good idea to let 'em shake your rookie goaltender's confidence, right when he's on the brink of winning his first game. Let him think he's invincible, at least for a night!

I'll take the win, but c'mon--Calgary's forwards were dead on their skates and we just about gave it back to them in the third. That's not the way to build Joey's confidence! Bad day for goaltenders, though--check out that game in Dallas.

I feel your pain. ...And now it's 3-0! C'mon Wings, don't tank now...

Interesting--Joey is starting again. The auspices look good for tonight. Calgary has been inconsistent lately. They should be tired after last night's OT loss (although they may also be mad, since they are 0-1-1 on this road trip). I expect the Wings to play hard out of the gate this time.

I'm wondering if Babcock's strategy (of resting Hasek in the second of B/B games) has a psychological effect on the team. I know it does on me--I half expect the Wings to lose because they are 1) tired and 2) depending on the second or third-string goaltender. The fact that Oz or Joey CAN be brilliant doesn't eliminate that sinking feeling.

The streak was getting on my nerves, too. There have been a lot of shutouts in the league this year. Until they give us those bigger nets, we shouldn't get upset about it.

The hockey gods had a hand in this one. Three freaking posts. As for losing to the Blues, has anyone noticed that they have beat us three times already this season? Their secret weapon: play hard the whole game through.

There is a good chance that the Wings will tank tonight. The Blues know how to beat us, and this game promises to be another war of attrition. The D will REALLY be on the spot, especially with Markov out.

Hard to guess which Coyotes will show up tonight--the ones that lost to the Pens, 7-2, or the ones that beat the Preds, 3-2. The Wings need to wear 'em out in the first two periods.