Echolalia

Have the Wings outshot anyone yet this year?

Kind of a s***ty snap, too. But man for the game to end like that after how tightly it was played for the other 59 minutes.

Synopsis so far? I missed the first because I was laughing too hard after MSU/UofM game to accurately change channel on remote

Hopefully the Wings are a little more responsible when breaking out of their own zone tonight. Turnovers at the blueline/neutral zone are going to happen, but its not acceptable when its our last guy back who loses the puck. Unfortunately that happened three or four times yesterday, all resulting in quality scoring chances against us, and at least one goal.

My little pony might be benched tonight.

Last man back lost the puck. Again.

He def got punched in the face by the goalie as he was getting up.

1. Wings have been turnover machines in the neutral zone on the breakout. Combine that with the fact that the puck carrier hasn't been supported defensively with a guy behind him and you get quality scoring chances, including the Canes' first goal. At least last year when we lost the puck on the breakout we had guys in position to limit scoring chances. 2. Wings are struggling to maintain offensive pressure. Our scoring chances all seem to be off rebounds from perimeter shots. We need more presence in the slot. 3. Still haven't noticed anyone not named Zetterberg, Abdelkader, or Larkin.

I don't have the benefit of replays but from where I'm looking it was pretty far in front of him. He did a good job diving out to prevent the icing.

I'm not sure why the Wings are suddenly trying to have the last man back skate out of the zone into or already under pressure. A couple turnovers already in the neutral zone with no one behind to support.

Just found out I'll be at the game!

Jurco on the second line, for all you slappies out there. If he can play strong in the corners and protect the puck well I wouldn't even care if he went pointless tonight. That's where his future in the NHL lies in my opinion, in being someone that utilizes his size and can be a difference maker in tight spaces.

The only reason why I would say fighting doesn't have as big a role in concussions as hits do is because fighting is generally down in the NHL, thus the opportunity to develop a concussion via a punch to the head is less frequet than it used to be (although I still think it would be interesting to look at the actual numbers). But any force to the head that results in a sudden acceleration/deceleration can result in a concussion regardless of the source, and because the whole theme of fighting is repeated punches to the head, its a very high risk activity for developing concussions. I'm not sure if you were implying something else, but I did want to comment regardless.

Yeah I'm not sold yet either. The second game (out of a total of 3) the Wings had absolutely no business winning. They were outplayed handidly in just about every aspect. They looked well against Toronto (who has yet to win a game), and I'd say they looked good against Tampa after that first period. But by "they" I mostly mean the Abdelkader, Zetterberg, Larkin trio, because they seem to be the only ones who have looked good. Everyone else on the team has been underwhelming, and if it wasn't for those three players the Wings could easily be 0-3 right now. Now that isn't to say I don't think the Wings are going to be a good team. I'm excited about a few things Blashill has adjusted and I think with time as the team continues to get oriented to his play style, and Blash gets oriented to the league as a head coach, the Wings will look more in synch with one another and we'll see a better result on the ice. In particular I like that the defensemen are activated in the offensive zone, and that includes everyone. I've seen Ericsson below the hashmarks a couple times this season already. I've seen Smith pinch low. I've seen Kindl skate deep. And none of those players have the offensive minds that Kronwall and Green do. As long as the weak side defender and forward cycle as necessary to cover I'm fine with defenders going as deep as behind the net if it keeps the play alive, or at worst impedes the time and space of a breakout against us. The second thing I've noticed that I like is on defensive zone faceoff wins, the forwards seem instructed to sprint to the neutral zone, and don't seem to be responsible for helping carry the puck out of our end, unlike in year's past. This has backed the opposing defenders off the blue line and given our defenders a little more breathing room in that 10 feet on either end of our blueline to get the puck out. It also leads to odd-man rushes if the other team doesn't identify it in time. And because our team has such speedsters as Larkin, Nyquist, Pulkkinen, Helm, etc, the other team's defense needs to recognize this immediately or they're gonna get burned. In fact, this may have lead to a goal or a solid scoring chance involving Larkin in the first or second game this year if I'm recalling correctly. So I guess to summarize my views on them so far is that overall I think they've been pretty sloppy, and Zetterber, Larkin, and Abdelkader have been a buffer against that. I expect that sloppiness to get cleaned up as we progress through the season, and there are some strategic differences that Blashill has implemented that I think will do this team well, especially considering the speed that our guys have. Edit: I forgot to mention that goaltending has also been a big part in our 3 wins so far. They deserve credit also.

Especially if instead of hitting Oduya he hit the crease. And by hit I mean stand adjacent to.

I agree. Zetterberg Larkin Abdelkader is the hottest line in the league. They don't need Datsyuk right now. But Tatar, Richards, Sheahan, Nyquist etc could use a Datsyuk type player on their line to balance the offense a bit.

I thought it looked half full

Does green understand what gap control is

Hahahahaha

What an awful call

Don't seem very organized so far

So fourth line of Jurco, Glendening, and Miller? As far as fourth lines go, that one has some offensive potential.

The only way you get good playing center is to play center. But I do agree he has some work to do. There have been some obvious moments where his inexperience got him in a pickle. Nothing I'm particularly worried about cuz he'll figure it out with time, but you can see how seasoning Grand Rapids can benefit a player in those situations.

They both look like red blurs on my screen

Sometimes only the heart knows what the body needs. And in this case the body needs an ace inhibitor