Someone Needs to Slap Babcock

[LidsFan 68]

It does surprise me that Zetterberg is not better at shootouts. I do love Cleary but I wish they would pick someone else, because you know that he is not going to score.

[Echolalia 2,961]

Datsyuk and Bertuzzi are well established shootout personnel, and I wouldn't even mind them being 1 and 2. I would like to see Eaves get some more shootout opportunities until Williams gets back into the lineup. The kid used to be all about scoring until his career turned sour.

[Sgt. Angry 23]

OK, my wife finally let me back on the computer! If this was such a great game, why do I feel like the whole weekend has been a f#&^*$g waste? I NEVER consider Wings losses to be great games.

I knew when we wasted all of those OT chances, that we'd blow the shootout. As I see it, our guys had to conjure up all kinds of theatrical hipper-dipper just to get the puck in the net, while the Hawk players just cruised in and fired simple wrist shots that goalies on any other team in the league would routinely stop. If you don't believe me, how many times do you see the Wings score on similar wrist shots. Either our goalies suck at stopping routine crap, or our shooters somehow reveal to opposing goalies exactly where they're going to fire a wrister - probably both.

Anyway, watching any team lose is a wasted day.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

I'm not a stat expert, but I would imagine that when a team scores 2 shootout goals, they win 95% of the time.

I can only provide figures for the DRW, but...

2 goals scored in the shootout: 17G, 4L, 76.5%

2 or more goals scored in the shootout: 20G, 5L, 75%.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

1. Datsyuk

2. Bertuzzi

3. Zetterberg

4. Filpulla

Then play around all you want until Franzen gets back and gets in a rhythm. Then he needs to be near the top as well. This Cleary with the game on the line sh!t needs to stop PRONTO!

Hell, put Lidstrom in before Cleary. He's actually pretty good when he gets a breakaway. Also, they need to make breakaways part of the practice routine. Too many missed opportunities during games and they are amplified in the SO. And a goalie can never have enough practice stopping them.

Order in shootouts is fairly irrelevant if you have the same 3 people shooting all the time as it is slim/none that you won't win in just 2 attempts.

[brett 1,029]

shoulda had leino in tonight

yeah i said it!

he woulda been 4th in shootout and woulda scored.

[Guest Crymson]

Datsyuk and Bertuzzi are well established shootout personnel, and I wouldn't even mind them being 1 and 2. I would like to see Eaves get some more shootout opportunities until Williams gets back into the lineup. The kid used to be all about scoring until his career turned sour.

He had two seasons of scoring. He scored 34 goals between those two seasons.

[hooon 1,089]

That's what happens when you play both games in a back-to-back.

It's a shame Howard had to be ridden like this, otherwise he probably would have had a decent game and gave Detroit the win in regulation.

That's what upsets me most. That Babcock has so little faith in Osgood he can't put him in on a back-to-back and feels like he has to ride a rookie goaltender at every opportunity. Bad call on his part.

I love Osgood but... do you think we would have gotten a point today if he was in? Would we have gotten one yesterday? Babcock is smarter than all of us, which is why he is coach. Jimmy Howard is playing great, and Babs has made it abundantly clear that the hot goalie will play. Afterall these are "must win" games, as everyone has been saying, we really don't have the leeway to put Ozzie in and 'hope' that he has a rare good game and gets hot.

As per the the shootout order, everytime we get to SO it makes me cringe because i know we only have 2 to 2.5 good shooters. Now, if they rated each attempt on finesse and difficulty, we'd win every time.

[Doc Holliday 1,888]

I love Osgood but... do you think we would have gotten a point today if he was in? Would we have gotten one yesterday? Babcock is smarter than all of us, which is why he is coach. Jimmy Howard is playing great, and Babs has made it abundantly clear that the hot goalie will play. Afterall these are "must win" games, as everyone has been saying, we really don't have the leeway to put Ozzie in and 'hope' that he has a rare good game and gets hot.

As per the the shootout order, everytime we get to SO it makes me cringe because i know we only have 2 to 2.5 good shooters. Now, if they rated each attempt on finesse and difficulty, we'd win every time.

Well the issue is Babcock has dug his own hole and caused Osgood to be so rusty that the odds of him playing up to par with how he has played during segments of the season are almost nil.

He is tiring out Howard and keeping Osgood from getting any playing time which is going to hurt them both in performance. It is possible that Osgood could have gotten a point out of either of those games (especially considering Howard let in a huge softie right after the Wings had a great scoring chance) but he isn't getting any playing time so it doesn't matter.

Howard is a rookie and shouldn't be asked to start 60+ games for this team.

[XxGoWingsxX 0]

Would anyone be opposed to trying out helmer on a SO once? I know he's had some bad breakaways but i think his speed coming at the net could overwhelm a goalie. That, and He couldn't be worse than cleary on the SO

[ben_usmc 253]

Well then he should have played that game.

Well considering one soft goal by Osgood means he had a bad game, I don't see how Howard played well.

Ozzy hasn't just let in 1 soft goal per game so shut the f*** up, with the i told you so. You look foolish talking about this after the fact, because you wouldn't have said s*** if we won (even though now I'm sure you'll say something to the affect of "I would have stuck by it") going by past trends it's safe to say if we didn't play Howard in the last 2 nights we wouldn't have even gotten a point in either because Ozzy has played like s***.

I do agree we need to get him some starts, but ******* stop with your stupid I told you so.

[ben_usmc 253]

Would anyone be opposed to trying out helmer on a SO once? I know he's had some bad breakaways but i think his speed coming at the net could overwhelm a goalie. That, and He couldn't be worse than cleary on the SO

I would love for Babcock to switch it up in anyway. Datsyuk is sure and Bert probably should stay too. But I wouldn't mind the order switched or rotating the 3--- until we find someone who can actually finish because Z and cleary blow on the SO

[zettie85 106]

The first goal on Howard (the second I really have no idea what he was looking at) was weak and it showed that he was tired.

Babcock has even stated he has faith in Howard to win games so he plays him, and having him play two days straight shows he doesn't have much faith in the backup.

If Babs plays Ozzie and we drop most of the games he plays, LGW will be up in arms about that decision as well.

Wing's fans are hard to please unless there is a cup at the end of the rope.

[Doc Holliday 1,888]

Ozzy hasn't just let in 1 soft goal per game so shut the f*** up, with the i told you so. You look foolish talking about this after the fact, because you wouldn't have said s*** if we won (even though now I'm sure you'll say something to the affect of "I would have stuck by it") going by past trends it's safe to say if we didn't play Howard in the last 2 nights we wouldn't have even gotten a point in either because Ozzy has played like s***.

I do agree we need to get him some starts, but ******* stop with your stupid I told you so.

I'm not going with an I told you so. I don't think Howard's play tonight was up to how well he had played previously. Go ahead, try and give me phrases like "oh he kept them in the game" or "he made some good saves." If that doesn't work in Osgood's favor then it doesn't work in Howard's either. He did not stop a shot he should have and it hurt Detroit.

And you have no idea how Osgood would have played because HE HASN'T PLAYED A GAME IN ALMOST AN ENTIRE MONTH.

But hey, I guess Howard is always doing good and Osgood will suck every single game he plays in, right? I love LGW.

[ben_usmc 253]

I'm not going with an I told you so. I don't think Howard's play tonight was up to how well he had played previously. Go ahead, try and give me phrases like "oh he kept them in the game" or "he made some good saves." If that doesn't work in Osgood's favor then it doesn't work in Howard's either. He did not stop a shot he should have and it hurt Detroit.

And you have no idea how Osgood would have played because HE HASN'T PLAYED A GAME IN ALMOST AN ENTIRE MONTH.

But hey, I guess Howard is always doing good and Osgood will suck every single game he plays in, right? I love LGW.

never said he would and I never said Howard played great or anything, but I do know even when Ozzy came in and relieved Howard the other day he sucked. I have no problem giving him starts even if we do get some losses, but I am much more expecting to lose with a fresh Ozzy then I am from a tired Howard. So you make it sounds as if we played Ozzy we would have won and you are on here sounding like you are saying I told you so

[Doc Holliday 1,888]

never said he would and I never said Howard played great or anything, but I do know even when Ozzy came in and relieved Howard the other day he sucked. I have no problem giving him starts even if we do get some losses, but I am much more expecting to lose with a fresh Ozzy then I am from a tired Howard. So you make it sounds as if we played Ozzy we would have won and you are on here sounding like you are saying I told you so

I never said that.

[ben_usmc 253]

I never said that.

well you talk as if they should have rested Howard, so what are we going to call Larsson up or just have a fan lace them up and give it a try?

[Doc Holliday 1,888]

well you talk as if they should have rested Howard, so what are we going to call Larsson up or just have a fan lace them up and give it a try?

I'm saying they should have rested Howard because he looked much more tired than normal and not on his usual game.

That was what I believed before the game and that's what I believe after the game.

Could Osgood have won the game? Maybe. Could he have let in more goals than Howard and kept the Wings from getting a point? Absolutely.

Was the risk so substantial that Howard needed to play two games in a row? Not in my opinion.

[Paul MacLean's Mustache 44]

1. Datsyuk

2. Zetterberg

3. Meech

[HkyTwn 5]

1. Datsyuk

2. Zetterberg

3. Meech

:lol:

[ben_usmc 253]

I'm saying they should have rested Howard because he looked much more tired than normal and not on his usual game.

That was what I believed before the game and that's what I believe after the game.

Could Osgood have won the game? Maybe. Could he have let in more goals than Howard and kept the Wings from getting a point? Absolutely.

Was the risk so substantial that Howard needed to play two games in a row? Not in my opinion.

we got it the 1st time, you had went over it about 3x in each thread on every message board

[Doc Holliday 1,888]

we got it the 1st time, you had went over it about 3x in each thread on every message board

You obviously didn't since you misrepresented my position.