Echolalia

Tatar had a couple low-percentage shots like much of the rest of the team, a drive to the net from the outside with a defender breathing down his back that was impressive and resulted in a solid scoring chance, and several offensive zone turnovers, including a couple times when he was trying to deke a defender at the blueline, only to have the puck knocked off his stick. I don't think he played as well as he did against the Sharks, but I still think it was a better effort than his first game. But then again, the entire team played comically poor tonight. Babs has been alternating Tatar and Sammuelson after losses or poor performances. I don't know that Tatar played well enough (particularly defensively; note the turnovers) to ensure he's in the lineup on Saturday, but I also think that his tenacity was well on display tonight, which is was sorely lacking from the team as a whole. I hope to see him on the ice against the Rangers.

He has 33 points in 12 games, which leads the league by far. Second place league-wide in points are four guys with 22 points in 13-15 games.

A sore groin

Didn't this happen during, or just before training camp also?

I just want to see Helm centering Tatar and Nyqvist.

It's a bummer we couldn't see more goals for. Anyway, I think Tatar played well tonight; far better than his first game this season. I hope Babs decides to keep him in for the next game.

It's really effective, so why change it up? Also, it seems like if Datsyuk doesn't score it's because he missed the net. I can only think of a few instances where a save was actually made on him.

This is a good opportunity for Smith. He's going to be the "veteran" of that bottom-pairing. Sometimes an increase in responsibilities can lead to growth. Also Tatar is playing? I hope he capitalizes on his ice time, particularly on the defensive side of the puck. His first game was a disaster.

absolutely

I've been waiting for this moment for far too long. I cannot wait!

1) Where was this "coaching error" opinion when the Wings were up 2-0 late in the second period? Its easy to point the blame after you know the result, but for some reason these opinions never pop up before the game begins. 2) Why do you start Jimmy over a goalie who's been playing hot the past three games? First of all, as others have mentioned, because Gus played 3 games in 4 nights, and goalies shouldn't be run into the ground like that. Frankly if it was Jimmy who played 3 in 4, I would expect Gus to get the start for game 5. Secondly, the Wings play the Sharks tomorrow, and I don't know if you've looked at the standings recently but the Sharks are playing near-unstoppable hockey right now. You go with your number 1 goalie in that type of game and you don't do it as his first game back from injury. 3) Where is all the blame in the rest of the Wings team, who suddenly gave up with 21 minutes left in the game and allowed 5 goals unanswered in that time? Its a bit irresponsible to pin this all on Babcock for his decision to start Jimmy Howard. I would look first to why everyone stopped playing tenaciously after getting a 2 goal lead.

? Smith's first 14 games in the NHL he scored 7 points and was a +3, which lead all our defense in scoring besides Kronwall. He displayed incredible vision and patience with the puck, and when he pinched in, the results usually yielded excellent scoring opportunities, if not goals. Great minds think alike

Nobody is scared of anybody in the NHL

Because he's been in the Wings' system for several years, and has been playing in some capacity with the actual Detroit Red Wings team since 2011, its easy to forget that as of today, October 20, 2013, Smith has only 53 games of NHL experience under his belt (67 if you want to include playoffs). That isn't a whole lot of experience in the NHL, especially when its spread out over a call-up a few years back, a lock-out shortened season last year, and the first handful of game of this season. Ericsson was even more frustrating when he was starting his career off. In fact, he was the LGW whipping boy up until last year when things finally clicked for him. Kindl has been repeatedly thrown under the bus up until late last year as well, and he's been playing for the Wings either through call-ups or on a permanent roster spot since the 2009-2010 season. If 75-95% of LGW had their way, both of these players would have been shipped out years ago for a bag of pucks. Thankfully Holland held onto them and gave them time to properly develop and learn the details of the game. They are both crucial components of our D-core today. Defensemen generally take a few years to develop, and unlike Ericsson and Kindl, Smith doesn't have the benefit of having Lidstrom, Rafalski, and Stuart nearby to clean up his mistakes and console him. In fact, aside from Kronwall, our entire defense is pretty darn young. Smith needs time to mature and figure out how to incorporate his strengths into this game without being a liability. That is going to take more than 67 games in the NHL. In fact, based on the general trajectory of defensive development and the environment that Smith is in, don't count on it clicking for him for at least another year. For some of you who love complaining this should come as great news. But when it does finally click for Smith, I think he has the potential to be a top 3 offensive defensman and power-play specialist ala Rafalski. And just a side note; Smith was a first round draft pick, which by Red Wings' standards is quite rare and valuable. With the league as competitive as it is, and with a salary-cap firmly in place, it would behoove any team to do whatever they can and be as patient as possible to see that first round pick develop into their full potential; not to trade them away at the first sign of adversity. Fortunately it seems like the WIngs' front office is well aware of this. PS in the 67 games that Smith has played in, he's amassed 20 points and is -6. Those are not bad numbers.

Yes thanks for the updates indeed! It sounds like Helm had a good night. I imagine they would have sat him if he was experiencing any concerning unpleasantness related to his back. I suppose we'll see how it feels over the weekend, too.

I'm interested in hearing how this one turns out. If someone is watching the game or going to it, it would be cool to get a recap of how Helm looks, as well as the Wings' prospects playing in GR.

He definitely did put himself into a bad position. McLeod still had time to let up and avoid contact with the head, but turning against the grain on tight pressure like that, especially with your head low is just asking for trouble.

Tonight was not a good night for him, but I think much of the rest of this season has been better than what most on this forum will tell you (in fact, up until maybe two games ago, I thought he consistently played better than Alfredson). He has a good skill set and he is versatile. He just needs to get a little more comfortable in the Winged Wheel and develop some chemistry with a couple of guys.

Dude. She'll be at a show... she'll never know.

The news about Helm made my night. I hope it works out for him!

This thread is delivering

this thread needs more Hudler

I suspect that before long this debate won't be taking place exclusively in forums, but amongst the league itself. Commonplace fighting in the NHL, IMO, is on borrowed time.

I would hang onto Smith for at least a couple more years. Its not uncommon for D to take a few years to really get comfortable in the NHL (see: Kindl, Ericsson) Smith is a rookie, having played in only 52 regular season games up to this point. He's going to make rookie mistakes. But I think his potential down the road far outweighs what the Wings could get in return for him right now. Franzen is frustrating, because he could truly be an elite forward if he pushed himself every night, but it clearly doesn't happen. It becomes even more frustrating when we look back to see that the Wings ended up with Franzen instead of Hossa, who has something of a reputation for being a hard worker. Even still, Franzen's cap hit is under 4M and his production for that cost is a reasonable value. Ultimately, I don't know whether that money would be more effective is spent on another player. If we traded for him using Franzen's cap hit, this new player might give it his all every night, but it likely will still amount to about whatever half-ass Franzen puts up now. In short; stand pat.

What an unfortunate event. I hope the kid doesn't suffer from any long-lasting effects.