Malik with a Pretty Intense Article

[gcom007 1,465]

There are plenty of positives in their play. It might not mean much to the fans if we're not winning, but the team played as well or better in the two games against Colorado and the game against Phoenix as they did in the wins against Chicago, Washington, and LA.

Whether or not anyone likes it, or believes it, the team is doing a lot of good things. The PK has allowed 2 goals in the last 17 chances after allowing 6 in their first 18. They are generating shots and scoring chances. Neither the defense nor the goaltending have been terrible, mostly just suffering from occasional breakdowns.

The offense is suffering from a lack of finishers. Willy, Leino, and Bert have looked good at times, and will likely get better as they fully integrate into the system. But they're not Hossa and Franzen. Pav and Hank have both had early injuries that, coupled with their traditional slow starts, have also hurt.

We don't need major changes. At least none that we could actually make. We don't have the tradable assets or cap room. The truth is that we do need to keep doing the things we've been doing the last few games. Keep the PK and PP strong. Keep putting up 30+ shots. Pav and Hank will start producing. Our secondary scorers will continue to produce or even improve. Then we'll start winning. Not likely 50 games, maybe not 100 points, or a division title, but enough to make the playoffs for sure.

Then, with a hopefully healthy roster that has had a season to gel, another good run or even a Cup is very possible.

Wow, thanks for thinking and not jumping off the cliff with the lemmings.

I agree completely, though I think the defense has been a bit closer to terrible than "suffering from occasional breakdowns" though I'm not worried about it long run.

I think Williams and Bertuzzi have been big positives thus far because they've looked pretty good and they're undoubtedly going to keep getting better and develop better chemistry with their teammates. Leino has looked good as well considering he's a rookie, but I don't think it's fair to expect too much out of him for that reason as well.

I think the reality's that's going to set in is that our middle of the lineup forwards like Cleary and Flip aren't going to suddenly start producing more just because it's needed and they have more of an opportunity. Cleary's certainly proven what he's capable of through the years and it's solid, but it was naive to expect him to add too much more to his stats. And Flip, he's just not that gifted offensively. Many are/will be surprised when he doesn't put up 60 points this year, but I certainly am not. It's not the end of the world though. If they can each add 10-15 goals, I won't be disappointed.

What will really send people over the edge though is when Holmstrom gets injured again and stops adding goals in his special way. But by then Williams and Bertuzzi should be getting more consistent and Zetterberg and Datsyuk will be putting up their typical numbers again. By the time we get Franzen back and strengthen the D a bit, we'll be scoring enough to win games. Leino's capable of getting hot at any point as well and while I don't doubt that he'll be streaky for a couple years, every little bit will help.

Anyways.........we'll be fine.

[Doc Holiday 0]

My name is Doc Holiday and I approve of Gcom's message.

[gcom007 1,465]

The line has been very good, probably our best in fact, but they haven't really been producing all that much. I think they need someone to play in front of the net. They seem almost unwilling to shoot at times. I would've never believed it before seeing it, but Leino looks more reluctant to shoot than even Flip.

Ideally, Leino will start firing more often, since I'd rather keep the line intact. But if they don't start getting some more goals, I think they need someone like Cleary or Homer in Willy's place.

I was getting ripped on in the off-season for suggesting that people had too high of expectations for Leino in his rookie year, but yeah, look at the situation now. It's one thing to come up from Grand Rapids out of nowhere in, hell, February or March, and get a streak going. It's another thing to go through the off-season knowing that you're now going to be an NHLer and then, bam, October hits and you're in Detroit wearing a Wings jersey and playing on the 3rd line every night.

He's a rookie.

He's got a lot of skill and I have high hopes for him long run, but like I said in the off-season, I'll be thrilled beyond measure if he scores 15 this year. That will be an outstanding success for him in his rookie year on this team. He's got to learn to be an NHLer now and it's not going to happen overnight. He'll get there though.

I don't think the 3rd line will necessarily last. It's a novelty right now because everyone really wants Flip to step up and score more and they want Leino to be a rookie sensation and they're going out there and they're playing really well, but the bottom line is that they're not putting many pucks in the net. Flip isn't a finisher and Leino's a rookie. I wouldn't be shocked to see Leino paired with Dats or Z soon enough. I wouldn't be surprised to see Williams take over Flip's "role" that's loosely been ascribed to him this year as he's simply a better offensive player and one of the few guys we have right now who legitimately has a shot at putting 60-70 points up. Flip's had plenty of ice time and he's got two solid line mates and despite that he's put up 4 points so far, all in 3 games.

And on top of all that, the line's got a lousy +/- rating. Flip and Leino are both -3 and Williams is a -5.

I mean, look at our checking line! They're scoring just as much despite limited ice time and Maltby's leading the team with a +3 and Draper's got his +1.

Now, does that mean the checking line is better offensively? No. But does it suggest that there's something to be said for the 3rd line not being near as hot as many make them out to be? Absolutely.

They work hard out there and I'm not saying for a second that they've been bad, but hustle only gets you so far if other pieces are missing.

[AtomicPunk 296]

I think the frustration with the fans and apparently, the writer of the article, is that they can't sense any urgency in this team. They seem to move at the same pace whether they are up a goal or down a goal.

Other less talented teams come in and outwork them, and there should really be no excuse for getting outworked any more. They don't have the depth or talent on every line to get by with that anymore. They also have to outwork and outhustle teams. Do the "little things" other teams HAVE to do to win.

[Buppy 1,720]

I was getting ripped on in the off-season for suggesting that people had too high of expectations for Leino in his rookie year, but yeah, look at the situation now. It's one thing to come up from Grand Rapids out of nowhere in, hell, February or March, and get a streak going. It's another thing to go through the off-season knowing that you're now going to be an NHLer and then, bam, October hits and you're in Detroit wearing a Wings jersey and playing on the 3rd line every night.

He's a rookie.

He's got a lot of skill and I have high hopes for him long run, but like I said in the off-season, I'll be thrilled beyond measure if he scores 15 this year. That will be an outstanding success for him in his rookie year on this team. He's got to learn to be an NHLer now and it's not going to happen overnight. He'll get there though.

I don't think the 3rd line will necessarily last. It's a novelty right now because everyone really wants Flip to step up and score more and they want Leino to be a rookie sensation and they're going out there and they're playing really well, but the bottom line is that they're not putting many pucks in the net. Flip isn't a finisher and Leino's a rookie. I wouldn't be shocked to see Leino paired with Dats or Z soon enough. I wouldn't be surprised to see Williams take over Flip's "role" that's loosely been ascribed to him this year as he's simply a better offensive player and one of the few guys we have right now who legitimately has a shot at putting 60-70 points up. Flip's had plenty of ice time and he's got two solid line mates and despite that he's put up 4 points so far, all in 3 games.

...

Well, I think you're being a little too pessimistic about the line. They're not scoring much because they're not shooting much. That isn't that hard of a problem to correct, though I think they could use a net presense. Despite that, both Flip and Leino are on pace to hit around 20 goals. I expect some cold streaks, and some hot streaks that will even them out. I wouldn't really be disappointed by 15 goals from each, but I wouldn't be thrilled either.