WCF GAME 4 GDT: Red Wings 2 at Penguins 4

[cupcrazy19 0]

the announcers think that the short handed goal by the pens will be the series turn around. the wings are way too experienced to let something like that get to them, they know what they have to do, they just need to get out there and do it. i think they are gonna win game 5, and 6. Lets not get too frustrated people. wings in 6!!!

[savaking72 0]

Draper was useless. Put back in Abdelkader.

I couldn't agree more.

[Outsider 42]

Why would this be a must win for the wings when it is a 2-2 series and we have home ice advantage?

Because this is the Stanley Cup Finals, and they are the Defending Stanley Cup Champions, and they had EVERY opportunity to take a 3-1 lead and close this ***** out at HOME, in front of their fans.

This WAS a "must-Win" Game.

They failed to show up. No two ways about it.

THEY

FAILED

TO

SHOW

UP

Just like the R1 against the Kings in 2001, where they took a 2-0 and got ***** SLAPPED in losing the next 4 straight.

Eerily similar feel to this Series.

[Firehawk 305]

How can we be confident that the wings will recover enough to play hard for 60 minutes in game 5, when that's a 5th game in 8 nights? They don't get any rest at all until games 6 and 7 with the 2 days in between game days...

[Stevie Y Datsyuk 2]

lets see: sit homer/maltby add:abby/datsyuk. Tell Kronwall/Raffy shoot with your ******* head up. Tell Hossa in Detroit we play as a team, which includes passing the puck.

Couldn't agree with you more!

I'm confident the Wings will rebound.

[gcom007 1,465]

I've got a ******* headache from this game.

All I've got to say is they better ******* show up to play Saturday night.

If they play half as bad as tonight and Pittsburgh plays half as well as they did, they'll win Game 5.

So Saturday, show up.

That includes Datsyuk...

[LeftWinger 4,953]

Hossa sucks against his old team. How many shots on net did he have? 1 or 2? Come on Hossa. Holmstrom is worthless, and so is Kronwall. Neither of these guys can make or take a pass. Does Filppula have a problem going to the front of the net? What the hell guys? We fought back got the lead, and then we give Stall a gift wrapped goal. Way blow it guys, and then give them ALL the momentum. Now ALL of their guys are scoring. Man, the way you guys have played the last 2 games is so disheartning. I bet Bettman paid off the Wings, so the Pens could finally win Crosby a cup.

Oh crap, isn't that the sky that's falling?

Yeah, he promised them he'd raise the Cap by about $8 million if they let Cindy win...

...bottm line, we sucked tonight, Pit played good, but it wasn't all their doing, if we had played well, well.... that debate can go on forever.... We sucked, they didn't, we lose. Two out of three, home ice still...

[BuckeyeWingsfan80 209]

and please stop saying there is no way the Pens can win 4 out of 5 from the Wings anymore.

They absolutely CAN.

Hopefully they won't, but they definitely CAN win 4 out of 5 given efforts like tonight.

[soonboomer 31]

Oh well, I guess this being the 6th cup the wings have been in since '95, you'd figure at least one of them would be competitive. It's becoming more and more apparent how much Dats means to this team. Got to give the Pens credit. They played well.

[Firehawk 305]

I'm probably gonna get hammered for saying this, but let's all breathe and take a step back from this for a minute, and look at what we have:

We have the best team in the NHL, despite what happens in this series. We won a cup last year. We are 2 wins from back to back cups. Even if we don't lose guys, we took it as far as we could and ALMOST repeated.

That being said, I think things will change in Detroit. This series is probably going 7 at this point...

[Yak19 303]

the announcers think that the short handed goal by the pens will be the series turn around. the wings are way too experienced to let something like that get to them, they know what they have to do, they just need to get out there and do it. i think they are gonna win game 5, and 6. Lets not get too frustrated people. wings in 6!!!

It turned tonight's game for sure but the series..... the versus crew is biased we have known this for some time now, they are a joke and have to pump up the pens. The Red Wings thrive on competition and a challenge and that is exactly what we are going to get.

Surprisingly this is the most calm i have been all series.

GO WINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited June 5, 2009 by Yak19

[BuckeyeWingsfan80 209]

I'm probably gonna get hammered for saying this, but let's all breathe and take a step back from this for a minute, and look at what we have:

We have the best team in the NHL, despite what happens in this series. We won a cup last year. We are 2 wins from back to back cups. Even if we don't lose guys, we took it as far as we could and ALMOST repeated.

That being said, I think things will change in Detroit. This series is probably going 7 at this point...

The Wings don't have the best team in the NHL.

If the Pens win the Cup, they have the best team in the playoffs and the Sharks were the best regular season team.

And things won't change. Let's hope Babs doesn't do his "it's a veteran team, let them play through it" s***. Now is NOT the time.

[AtomicPunk 296]

I'm just infuriated at the play tonight. Tired and slow.

What Red Wing forward is going to drive to the net with the puck?

I am so tired of watching them skate in along the boards and curl and look to make a pass.

I just saw no spark in this team tonight and they better take their vitamins, get lots of rest, and eat their Wheaties for Saturday night.

Oh yeah, and I am on the verge of calling Hossa a playoff choker.

[Firehawk 305]

It turned tonight's game for sure but the series..... the versus crew is biased we have known this for some time now, they are a joke and have to pump up the pens. The Red Wings thrive on competition and a challenge and that is exactly what we are going to get.

Surprisingly this is the most calm i have been all series.

GO WINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Boy I really hope we get Datsyuk back in. It's like the equivalent of them playing without Crosby or Malkin...we need our 'malkin' back in the lineup...

[soonboomer 31]

I don't really feel like wasting energy on this one, but we're obviously going to need to be better the rest of the way if we want to win this series. I was really hoping for a win tonight to give us a chance to win it at home on Saturday. Oh well. This certainly makes things more intriguing.

In short, we just need people to start showing up. Marian Hossa? I mean, come on. If you can't show what you're made of in a series like this, I have no use for you. And, seriously, what's holding up Pavel? I'm no doctor and I don't know the specifics of the situation, but it certainly seems like he should be able to take the pain and play.

Draper was useless. Put back in Abdelkader.

A pretty discouraging, frustrating game that gives Saturday an entirely new look. I was fully expecting the Wings to take at least one in Pittsburgh. All the pressure is on us now. Make it happen.

Yea, its clearly obvious that it's all Hossa's fault that we lost. No way he should have allowed Stall to manhandle Raffi on that shorty.

[Firehawk 305]

The Wings don't have the best team in the NHL.

If the Pens win the Cup, they have the best team in the playoffs and the Sharks were the best regular season team.

And things won't change. Let's hope Babs doesn't do his "it's a veteran team, let them play through it" s***. Now is NOT the time.

The best team doesn't always win. I think we still do have the best team, regardless.

[Wings_Rule_1010 4]

I would love to know what is really wrong with pavel. I feel like he has been day-to-day for two weeks. I mean I guess I shouldnt criticize because I don't know the extent of the injury, but if he is taking the pregame skate, he sure as hell better be out there for such an important game. He is so important to the Wings, 100% healthy or not.

[HudlerFanatic 4]

LMFAO!

If you have nothing better to do than ***** at me b/c my favorite player SUCKED then you obviously don't care about what the rest of the team did.......I see one to two things that he did good and you see 5 million things he did wrong. Im not a negative person and well.......deal with it.......I will NOT argue anymore about this!

So, on that note.....

Hulder....destroy the f*** outta the laces in your skates.....put some new Good Luck laces in and show these hocley fans your heart that you have for the game. I got your back.......goal or no goal.....big hit or little hit (you're just a wee lil guy) steal or no steal.....you play for the Wings for a reason....as the rest of the team........so you go Huds!

HAHA!

Game's over seried tied 2-2...taking it back to Detroit!

I got cleaning to do family coming from Kansas...........

Try to have a good night y'all and if you truely are a fan of you're player.....you'll stick up for 'em too........

I could take my time and read alll the posts and re watch the game and lay it on everyone of those damn players. but I have better things to do.......so nighty night.....well......it's only 7:05pm here, so I still have the whole night ahead of me..

and....................... I WEAR MY #26 JERSEY PROUD!

[VM1138 1,921]

The Wings don't have the best team in the NHL.

If the Pens win the Cup, they have the best team in the playoffs and the Sharks were the best regular season team.

And things won't change. Let's hope Babs doesn't do his "it's a veteran team, let them play through it" s***. Now is NOT the time.

I still have faith in Babcock. Whatever he does I trust in this case.

SOme of you have bolstered my confidence though. If the Wings show up for Game 5, they still can win this. I doubt they'll give up a chance to close out the Pens in a Game 6. I wish they could win it at home, though, but I don't want a Game 7 unless we need it to win.

[I Red Wings I 40]

Rafalski!!! What was that? Holy hell

[RedWingsFanatic 4]

I mean, if Hossa was going to have a breakout game, it was going to be tonight. It was a Game 4 after all!

He just hasn't been consistent or very good at all. Three great games does not a clutch performer make. He's had a great chance to step up in the absence of Datsyuk, but it's just made his lack of production and intensity apparent even more.

[cupcrazy19 0]

It turned tonight's game for sure but the series..... the versus crew is biased we have known this for some time now, they are a joke and have to pump up the pens. The Red Wings thrive on competition and a challenge and that is exactly what we are going to get.

Surprisingly this is the most calm i have been all series.

GO WINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yeah i never liked vs. they are very biased. i wish fsn would play all the games in the playoffs.

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

I still have faith in Babcock. Whatever he does I trust in this case.

SOme of you have bolstered my confidence though. If the Wings show up for Game 5, they still can win this. I doubt they'll give up a chance to close out the Pens in a Game 6. I wish they could win it at home, though, but I don't want a Game 7 unless we need it to win.

Some of the posters here make it sound like we won the game.

[Firehawk 305]

If it's true that our players were chirping at each other, then we're falling apart. Not looking good...

[Stiffy 0]

The most positive thing I can draw form this game is almost all that needs to be changed is on our own end, almost all in the passing department, Wings sharpen that up and the Pens score maybe one goal tonight. TOs single handedly destroyed the Red Wings tonight as we gave them odd man rushes in barrages during the second and their timing was obviously there, not too mention the puck look magnetized to their sticks tonight.

You are absolutely right and it has been creeping up on us in all 4 games (IMO). Serious question, how do you change this? How do you tell players to make better passes and outlet passes? I got as far as high school hockey and no coach I had ever had an answer, but there must be some adjustment, some shift in how we play that keeps things like this from happening. For example, if we lock them down at the blue line like we did before, they will dump and we have to be committed to getting back for any dump. Also, it seemed we tried to throw in our D more on the PP and other plays and THAT is when all the awful TO's happened. That was an awful move. Seems a more patient strategy would have been better to stick with.