4/2 GDT: Red Wings 4 at Predators 3 (OT)

[Guest Crymson]

Either way, I know bashing him has become sport here, but the reality is that right now he's still better than Salei and Kindl.

I disagree. And while I'm happy whenever he has a good game, that seems to be rare.

[Nightfall 871]

I could go back and select at least 3-4 posts where you were just pretty much dumping. I didn't respond to to the first few but maybe I should have. And I'll clue you. I'm probably old enough to be your parent. We're both lucky I'm not.

And it is my usual habit to read the board after the game is over.

Welcome to LGW by the way.

The place where "true wings fans" dump on their team through the tough times and the non-cup winning years, and then take credit as true fans when they win. You sound surprised when you see this behavior. Hell, its commonplace around here.

[PredsFanTheBayouState 263]

Kings beat Dallas 3-1.

with 30 seconds left Ribiero headhunts Handzus as he's bent over trying to get the puck out of his equipment. Even though he literally has the puck hung up in his jersey when Ribiero cheapshots him, the refs somehow miss it.

no,i wanted the stars to win,preds back down the 6th place

[HankthaTank 1,100]

Either way, I know bashing him has become sport here, but the reality is that right now he's still better than Salei and Kindl.

Nope, not at all. I truly feel like he needs to sit and it isn't the blinders thing either. He took a few baby steps forward with some of his games of late and then he just gets back to the boneheaded, unnoticeable plays, and if they are noticed it's because it was a dumb turnover or pointless pass. We all know he has an awful lot of talent so it stands out more to us because of that simple fact. He just isn't playing for another contract and if it is I sure hope for 900,000 or below.

[Vladifan 680]

(Response to Syntax)

It would be helpful if you understood that anything you write on this board is subject to response. Especially if it's continuously negative.

I've never felt like I was any better or worse than the next guy/woman who is an avid fan of a team. But it honestly makes me sad and frustrated when I read about a fan's taking personally the iffy/bad play by their team. It's an egocentric thing and it gets really tiresome. And I WAS commenting on hockey. And OUR team. That was the whole damn point?! ...Your reaction to YOUR team's play.

I'm going to just work on ignoring your posts during an iffy game. That should help. Meanwhile, I will keep right on with the "hope" thing because I believe the Red Wings have it in them to win it all.

And I'm done with this and I won't be taking nuthin' to PM.

Welcome to LGW by the way.

The place where "true wings fans" dump on their team through the tough times and the non-cup winning years, and then take credit as true fans when they win. You sound surprised when you see this behavior. Hell, its commonplace around here.

See my response above.

Edited April 2, 2011 by Vladifan

[Rivalred 630]

Defense... ugh ugh... Defense...

[Guest Crymson]

Welcome to LGW by the way.

The place where "true wings fans" dump on their team through the tough times and the non-cup winning years, and then take credit as true fans when they win. You sound surprised when you see this behavior. Hell, its commonplace around here.

Sad but true. There are some bad apples around. Fortunately, there are a lot of good people here too.

[syntax 359]

(Response to Syntax)

It would be helpful if you understood that anything you write on this board is subject to response. Especially if it's continuously negative.

I've never felt like I was any better or worse than the next guy/woman who is an avid fan of a team. But it honestly makes me sad and frustrated when I read about a fan's taking personally the iffy/bad play by their team. It's an egocentric thing and it gets really tiresome. And I WAS commenting on hockey. And OUR team. That was the whole damn point?! ...Your reaction to YOUR team's play.

I'm going to just work on ignoring your posts during an iffy game. That should help. Meanwhile, I will keep right on with the "hope" thing because I believe the Red Wings have it in them to win it all.

And I'm done with this and I won't be taking nuthin' to PM.

See my response above.

By all means, please put me on ignore. If it reduces the amount of commenting on COMMENTS instead of on HOCKEY around here, I'm all for it. You sociology major wannabes around here are so much better of Red Wings fans than I am.

[VM1138 1,921]

It must've been a while since you've seen Lebda play. Probably because he's been a healthy scratch 25+ times this season.

For the Leafs.

"Lebad" as some Leafs fans call him (why didn't we think of that here?) is a name that should never be spoken here, for fear it will somehow conjure him back onto the Wings.

All I know is that he shies away from being physical most of the time, he turns over the puck in ridiculously bad situations, and it seems every time the other team scores on us Ericsson is on the ice. I did throw in the "almost" when comparing him to Lebda, remember, haha.

EDIT: And honestly, if Detroit wasn't so keen on giving him a chance to see what he'll bring, Ericsson should have sat for 25 games this season like Lebda did.

Edited April 2, 2011 by VM1138

[brett 1,029]

I would not be unhappy if they played that way during the playoffs. that was a great game. Abs was possessed. He went out there ready to rip someones head off and he needs to play like that every game. Bert was a game changer and did a great job. Jimmy made some huge game saving saves. LOVED the physical play

Edited April 2, 2011 by brett

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

And who would you have pick up the 23 minutes Ericsson played tonight? Right now, he's the #5 guy. With Kronwall out tonight he was #4. Salei played 14 minutes and Kindl 11.

According to Babcock, Ericsson > Kindl and Salei. Sitting E and giving his minutes to either one of those two players makes this team worse.

For someone who polices everyone here, you're being awfully negative. I'd rather hope that Kindl continues to develop and we have a fairly cheap, young, big bottom pairing with him and E. But that's just me. I'm an optimist.

Crymson is not an effective enforcer or a deterrent to anything.

[MidMichSteve 1,115]

1. Wings have their best comeback victory of the season.
   
2. They win against a team that has consistently beaten them this season.
   
3. They do it without Kronner and Dats in the lineup.
   
4. They do it on the road. (Apologies to John Lennon)
   
5. They do it immediatly after giving up 10 goals, in their previous game, to the last place team in their division.
   
6. Bert sends a message to one of Nashville's tough guys.
   
7. Justin Agikader has his best game yet as a Red Wing.
   
8. They play hard for a complete game.
   

Whats not to be happy about?

Edited April 3, 2011 by MidMichSteve

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

I disagree. And while I'm happy whenever he has a good game, that seems to be rare.

Nope, not at all. I truly feel like he needs to sit and it isn't the blinders thing either. He took a few baby steps forward with some of his games of late and then he just gets back to the boneheaded, unnoticeable plays, and if they are noticed it's because it was a dumb turnover or pointless pass. We all know he has an awful lot of talent so it stands out more to us because of that simple fact. He just isn't playing for another contract and if it is I sure hope for 900,000 or below.

Nope not at all what? He's not at all better than Salei or Kindl? Then why does Babcock continue to give Ericsson so many more minutes than either one of those guys? Why is it Kindl and Salei fighting for the bottom spot an not E? Tonight with Kronwall out, he moved Ericsson up to be the #4 d-man instead of Salei, a seasoned veteran who's logged 20+ minutes ATOI in his career.

Is Babcock an idiot?

Sure, Kindl looks pretty good for 13 minutes in a game. And Ericsson is going to have some gaffes when he plays 20 minutes.

At this point guys, I'm not even just stating my opinion that Ericsson is better than these guys (I think he is, but it's not like I'm crazy about his play or think it's by a wide margin). But Babcock clearly thinks he is.

If you took Ericsson out of the lineup, Kindl or Salei have to pick up a lot of those minutes. They're not going to look any better than Ericsson.

Salei made a strong case for sitting out a game tonight, but on the awful penalty he took at the end of the game, it started with a terrible turnover by Kindl, but no one seems to see those. Like I said earlier, hopefully E and Kindl will improve and the Wings will have two relatively young, big, cheap defenseman on the bottom pairing.

[wingfan1991 221]

WHAT A WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TheXym 2,606]

I only got to see the second due to being at the All-Eastern Chorus/Music Teachers In-Service and having to leave to do dinner with my student's parents. I checked the score when I got to the restaurant, and it was tied. I tactically excused myself to use the men's room after ordering and I'm sure my cheer was heard when I checked the score on my phone and saw the win.

Great comeback. I'm one of those who will call out poor play, but despite calling a spade a spade when things aren't right, I do constantly maintain hope in the comeback. Even during the 10-3 blowout, I kept the game on. As fans of an original six franchise, and one that has sustained a level of excellence for the last 20 years including 20 playoff runs, 4 cups, 2 other finals appearances, and I believe 13 division titles going on 14 and a heck of a streak of 100 point seasons, in all honesty, we're spoiled. We look at the Division Title as rightly ours based on how things have been in most seasons. Quite a few of the fans these days are too young to remember the Darkness under Harkness and the Dead Things era, and you know what? I'm fine with that. In general, the Wings fans I've dealt with in person and online tend to be much classier and knowledgeable than other team's fans. Yes, there is a lot of complaining during GDT's and in other threads, but I honestly feel that it's a byproduct of being used to the sustained level of excellence the Wings have displayed for so long. When there are stretches of mediocrity, Wings fans get upset because it's below the standard the franchise has set. I'd rather have to be complaining about sinking into mediocrity then suffer with a crappy on-ice product. I think fans who were around before the playoff streak began would agree completely.

When there was a stinker like the game against the Blues on Wed, it's such a shock because of how rarely it happens, and it's made even worse in the eyes of Wings fans since what we perceive as mediocrity on the ice would be considered a very good effort or even excellence by most other teams. 100 points in a season is pretty darn good, no matter how you slice it, and fans should be thrilled for their team to reach that plateau. Not in Hockeytown, where it's become so commonplace as to be almost expected. The team clinched a playoff birth, whoopdeedo. Most teams' fans would make a big deal. 20 years straight in Hockeytown. For many teams, making the playoffs is a successful season, second round is excellent, semifinal or finals is simply awesome. In Hockeytown, making the playoffs has been a given, and not making it past the second round is considered failure by a lot of fans, regardless of injuries or other factors. Excellence has become so commonplace, so ingrained in the fabric of the Wings organization that when things don't click on the ice like we all know the Wings are capable of doing, regardless of injuries, people will grouse about it. When I complain about something on the ice, or something affecting the game, I'm by no means bailing on the team, like some others seem to be. If a Wings fan is passionate, great, more power to them. Fans of other franchises WISH they could cheer for what we are able to cheer for. The Canucks are having a franchise season. It doesn't guarantee them a cup, but I can respect what they're doing this season, and even their fans who have a clue would have to admit that they've got a ways to go before they can be accurately compared to Detroit in terms of sustained excellence.

Today their comeback showed a lot of backbone. I think the conversation Babcock had during the timeout and making them stand on the ice had a good impact, and I'd love to know exactly what was said. The Todd and Abdelkader had awesome games, and that kind of intensity and passion and pride in the crest on the front of the jersey is what the team needs to show on every shift from here on out as they head down the stretch. The switch may not have been flipped, but I think we saw the flashes of what the Wings can bring when it counts. Once everyone is healthy and on that same page, they will be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time.

[dragonballgtz 273]

After thinking more about this game I am really disappointed with Flips play today along with Mules and a few others. Those two just stood out to me because of how important they are to the team in order for us to go far. Mule was a little bit physical but only a couple of times I remember him putting some power into his skating stride. Other than that he pretty much just coasted with a couple of decent shots off which is the only thing he is relying on.

Flip was skating but not physical. There was about 3 or 4 times today that he chased a puck down in the corners but did not put the body on the Preds defensmen and they were able to make a quick pass out of trouble. It just seemed like he could not pick up the level of his play today compared to how Helm, Abby, Draper, Eaves, even Hudler did.

Going back to Hudler even he was playing hard along the boards today. Getting physical, mucking it up, getting knocked down and going right back into the corners. He might not of gotten a point today but he had a good game in that he competed for the puck damn near every single time he was on the ice.

[nuts2u 22]

Nope not at all what? He's not at all better than Salei or Kindl? Then why does Babcock continue to give Ericsson so many more minutes than either one of those guys? Why is it Kindl and Salei fighting for the bottom spot an not E? Tonight with Kronwall out, he moved Ericsson up to be the #4 d-man instead of Salei, a seasoned veteran who's logged 20+ minutes ATOI in his career.

Is Babcock an idiot?

Sure, Kindl looks pretty good for 13 minutes in a game. And Ericsson is going to have some gaffes when he plays 20 minutes.

At this point guys, I'm not even just stating my opinion that Ericsson is better than these guys (I think he is, but it's not like I'm crazy about his play or think it's by a wide margin). But Babcock clearly thinks he is.

If you took Ericsson out of the lineup, Kindl or Salei have to pick up a lot of those minutes. They're not going to look any better than Ericsson.

Salei made a strong case for sitting out a game tonight, but on the awful penalty he took at the end of the game, it started with a terrible turnover by Kindl, but no one seems to see those. Like I said earlier, hopefully E and Kindl will improve and the Wings will have two relatively young, big, cheap defenseman on the bottom pairing.

Thank you. I get real tired of all the bashing of Ericssson. This kid never even played defense until he was 17 years old. And he is now PLAYING IN THE NHL, that to me is just freakin amazing. And it Kindl's FIRST YEAR IN THE NHL. These young guys are going to make mistakes. I remember all this same s*** being said about Jiri Fischer the first 3 or 4 years he was with the Wings.

[matt198913 932]

Ericsson plus 2 today cmon numbers don't lie... Franzen had a couple of chances Bert played PHYSICAL finally reminding me of his Vancouver days

[Guest Shoreline]

Great ******* game by the boys. Fortunately I caught most of this game but had to leave in the 3rd.. glad to see they capped the comeback with getting two points. I wanna see this kind of intensity in the postseason. Certainly the defense and goaltending need work, but hell, at least they are in a mood not to go down without a fight.

By all means, please put me on ignore. If it reduces the amount of commenting on COMMENTS instead of on HOCKEY around here, I'm all for it. You sociology major wannabes around here are so much better of Red Wings fans than I am.

Marvel at the thought of people who enjoy something, in this case, Red Wings hockey, it being a Red Wing forum and all, and the person(s) that constantly ruin it with negativity and s***ting all over it. Derp.. I just can't figure out why people might respond to your posts with hostility?

Edited April 3, 2011 by Shoreline

[Tman77 40]

Awesome comeback! Check out O'Briens comments on Abby on a Nashville news site:

“He probably felt a little bit tougher out there without Toots out there for sure,” O’Brien said. “Toots is one of the toughest guys in the league, pound-for-pound. I’m sure Abdelkader felt a little bit tougher tonight without Toots out there. We need Toots and we need him to be healthy, we need his style come playoff time big time.”

Link

[Bryguy 103]

Heh thats pretty funny, id be more afraid of weber as a player then stupid poopoo.

[ben_usmc 253]

Awesome comeback! Check out O'Briens comments on Abby on a Nashville news site:

Link

funny he says that considering him, Fransen, and Weber all felt pretty tough last game because we don't have a piece of s*** player like Tootoo.

Great comeback win considering we put ourselves in a pretty damn bad situation to start the game, I hope they finally woke up!

[DyingAlive 27]

Can someone please tell me what that Abdelkader boarding penalty was all about?

[Vladifan 680]

I want to make a public apology to Syntax and NvrFrgtRussian5. I was out of line when I criticized both of you for your posts about this game. Too often I make the mistake of letting my reaction build up from posts I don't agree with and then feel I have to react. I don't have to do nuthin'. You both have every right to say what you think. And even though I didn't think of it at the time, I did indeed have the advantage of knowing the positive results of the game when I responded to both of you. I hope you will accept my apology.

[syntax 359]

I want to make a public apology to Syntax and NvrFrgtRussian5. I was out of line when I criticized both of you for your posts about this game. Too often I make the mistake of letting my reaction build up from posts I don't agree with and then feel I have to react. I don't have to do nuthin'. You both have every right to say what you think. And even though I didn't think of it at the time, I did indeed have the advantage of knowing the positive results of the game when I responded to both of you. I hope you will accept my apology.

Apology absolutely accepted, though not necessary in my opinion. I value everyone's opinion on this board, whether or not they agree with me. In fact, I come here to read them.

The Wing just suck defensively right now, and that really bother me. A lot. If we hadn't started the season hot, we wouldn't have made the playoffs this year.

:beerbuddy: