Icesurfer 75 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 Babcock is making a montrous mistake by not playing Howie against Nashville if he is ready to play. First of all, if Howie can't be thrown into the fire and be expected to perform then he is not a number one playoff goalie. Secondly, there are 4 games left after Friday.... with one of them a back-to-back. Third, players are known to hit that "proverbial wall" about 3 - 6 games after returning from an injury.... Detroit has too many in that category at the start of the playoffs. Fourth, Conklin will lose to the Predators giving the Predators a great chance to finish fourth. Fifth, the defense needs to wake up... they were absolutely horrible in the last Columbus game and all were a MINUS except for Ericsson.... maybe if the defense knows they have to put up a wall in front of Howie that just may wake them up. Sixth, Howie needs to get as many games as possible against a skilled team.... expecially one he will be facing in the playoffs.... correct the mistakes now. Otherwise, everything is pointing to a first round exit by the Wings if Conklin is in goal on Friday and the Wings lose. What kind of message are you sending to the team when you are afraid of your number one goalie facing a competitor, even if he is not in top game condition? It is a team game and if the team is playing like a team they will give Howie all the protection he needs. Showing fear is a recipe for failure. 1 Z Winged Dangler reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cali-Wing-Nut 102 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 Im not happy either but do you want Howie cold and hurting himself for a third time??? Look at the end game. We havent lost against the Preds on Friday, we have more games to play with Howie in net and we need a healthy goalie going into the playoffs. To risk Howie for the Preds game and lose him to injury for the playoffs is asinine. We are in the show, set yourself up for the best chance to go the distance. If we were in the bottom seeds where someone is going to be on vacation next week then you play Howard. Since we arent you win the games you can and deal with the losses. This is PRE PLAYOFF HOCKEY!!!! You make every concession necessary to be healthy for the second season. Im amazed by the people here that cant absorb the fact that we are in, we need to stay healthy to progress and acting like we are on the bumb is a bit premature. 4 Jedi, 13dangledangle, DatZetterfanfromSC and 1 other reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Icesurfer 75 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 That is why I stated "if healthy" and "if ready to play". But what Babcock said is that even if he is healthy he will not play against Nashville. NEWS FLASH..... ANY player at ANY time can get hurt. You don't have to be playing a good team to get injured. In fact, players get injured in practice.... players get injured even when they are not on the ice. Not playing a player because you are afraid they will get hurt in asinine. There is that "fear" again. If you are afraid then pack your bags and go golfing because you won't be playing hockey in May. The playoffs ARE a war of attrition. It is usually the healthiest team hoisting the cup at the end... not necessarily the best. A team can be the healthiest team going into the playoffs and all it takes is facing a team like San Jose or St. Louis at this point and they can hit and punish you into oblivion and there is no way you make it to the finals. IMHO, it is mostly luck.... the luck of having the "easiest road". And right now the easiest road starts by having home ice advantage over Nashville.... so you have to do whatever it takes right now to achieve that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cali-Wing-Nut 102 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 (edited) Hes cold.... Obviously you missed that and your 1 million pnt font sig proves that you are not the one to comment on why our #1 goalie isn't playing on Friday. Babs doesnt want Howie in if he didnt have a warm up game prior. I dont blame him in the least. Yes any guy can get hurt, are you just gonna throw in your only starting goalie and risk him when we already are gonna go to the playoffs? I read half of the first sentence of your reply before realizing you are completely clueless... Point being WE NEED A GOALTENDER TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP. I spared everyone the half screen font. Edited March 29, 2012 by Cali-Wing-Nut 2 IrishWing19 and Jedi reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
b.shanafan14 733 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 Don't know which side to take here. I agree with both arguments. On one hand, it seems strange to continue to leave out your #1 goaltender if he is apparently healthy with so few games left before playoffs. And shielding him specifically from the team he'll more than likely face in the first round seems a bit odd, too. That being said, if Howard is on the fence about whether he is prepared or not, and coming back early means having an unprepared, cold goaltender in a crucial head-to-head with major playoff implications, I side with Babcock on this one. This team playing as sloppy and inconsistent as they are, it really is going to depend completely on which skaters show up to play, less so on which mediocre or cold goaltender you have between the pipes. Leave Howard out another 3 days, make SURE he is healthy, get him more practices under his belt, and prevent any possible confidence buster that might come with playing cold behind this Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde team against your first round opponent. Nashville is a defense first hockey club, and the Red Wings are going to win or lose Friday depending on what they do in the trenches to improve their play and score goals. While a fluky Conklin goal may still be the difference, a soft goal with a cold Howard is probably equally as likely, with more downside. 1 LidsFan reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Echolalia 2,961 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 I wonder if Babs is shielding Nashville from Howard, so they don't have an in-game refresher on his strengths and weaknesses so close to playoffs. You also don't want to let your potential 1st round opponent get confident against your goalie because they lit him up one game removed from injury. Hell, Babs might be worried about them taking runs at Howard trying to reaggrivate whatever was bugging him. Who knows. 5 Frozen-Man, 13dangledangle, edicius and 1 other reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Z Winged Dangler 2,082 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 Fact of the matter is the Wings suck balls on the road and need home ice advantage to at least make it out of the 1st ******* round. Howie should play the Preds for sure to try and beat them in A 4 POINT GAME! and then put Conklin's useless ass back in the game following. For such a smart guy (Babcock) he's really suckin' farts right now with his decision making. Play Howie against the Preds and put Nyquist in the top 6. Make Franzenfloat grind it out with Emmerton and Homer. Last night was a joke. 1 Rick D reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dimaline312000 51 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 I want Jimmy back as soon as possible but I don't want him coming back too soon. We're in the playoffs and anything can happen yes we need a healty team going into the playoffs and I'm sure that if Howie is ready come Friday he will play. Looking at this team, and how it's played this season it doesn't look like a Stanley Cup Championship Team at least IMO. Babsy is a very smart and very wise coach and know's how to coach this team. He'll play his players if they are ready, yes 4th place would be better than 5th but in the playoffs anything can happen either way a series Vs the Preds will NOT be easy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Esquire 324 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 (edited) I wonder if Babs is shielding Nashville from Howard, so they don't have an in-game refresher on his strengths and weaknesses so close to playoffs. You also don't want to let your potential 1st round opponent get confident against your goalie because they lit him up one game removed from injury. Hell, Babs might be worried about them taking runs at Howard trying to reaggrivate whatever was bugging him. Who knows. Your common sense is refreshing and has absolutely no place in this thread. EDIT: You're -> your. My bad. Edited March 30, 2012 by Esquire 5 13dangledangle, MidMichSteve, LidsFan and 2 others reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
13dangledangle 968 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 I think being a game against the preds and having Howard ready and not playing just says hes really not ready. How often do they come with the truth on these things anyway. I think they rushed him back the first time so they're not doing that this time round. I also agree that Franzen needs to be demoted for Nyquist, even if its just to get the mule skating again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingslogo19 281 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 With the playoffs so close, it's a smart move to let Howard rest and feel 100% better. 2 DatZetterfanfromSC and LidsFan reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CrimsonFlame 424 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 Putting Howard in is not going to make our defense all of a sudden play well again. He would have gotten lit up too last night the way the Wings were playing. 1 LidsFan reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tim Cheveldae's Ghost 9 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 Sitting Howie is the right thing to do. If the Wings play their game like we know they can, it shouldn't matter who is in net. I could even play! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HockeytownRules19 902 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 You never know he might play tomorrow??? Helene St. James @freepwings Howard and Conklin in nets for practice, Pearce back with GR Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jedi 1,865 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 You might just get your wish... https://twitter.com/#!/AnsarKhanMLive/status/185416196307419136 Babcock having second thoughts about starting Conklin tomm. will talk to goalie coach Jim Bedard and decide tomm between Howard/Conklin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Doc Holliday 1,888 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 You might just get your wish... https://twitter.com/#!/AnsarKhanMLive/status/185416196307419136 I'm glad I'm not the only one to think the OP wasn't off his rocker. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jedi 1,865 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 I'm glad I'm not the only one to think the OP wasn't off his rocker. I'm actually indifferent to Babs' decision. On the one hand, it'd be good for Jimmy to get back against a team that's not going to go soft on him. But on the other hand since they aren't going to go soft on him, there's always a chance they might try to take a run on him and further aggrivate the injury, especially since there's a good chance that Nashville will be our 1st round opponent. In the end, Jimmy will probably give us our best chance at getting 2 points. But the risk of long-term damage to the team if Jimmy gets hurt (as opposed to Conkblock, if he played) is greater too. I'll defer to Babcock's judgement on this one, though. After all, the man's won a Stanley Cup, and about the best I've done is win a Guitar Hero tournament at work... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rrasco 1,312 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 I saw the headlines earlier and just assumed Babcock saw your thread and is giving it a second thought. 1 LidsFan reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hockeymom1960 5,107 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 What pisses me off the most is that all those Wings fans that came to see them were given a raw deal. For crying out loud, they deserved a much better show than what the Wings gave them. These overpaid players obviously don't give a crap about the fans that come watch them. 1 LidsFan reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rrasco 1,312 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 What pisses me off the most is that all those Wings fans that came to see them were given a raw deal. For crying out loud, they deserved a much better show than what the Wings gave them. These overpaid players obviously don't give a crap about the fans that come watch them. By any chance were you at the game? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dabura 12,232 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 I saw the headlines earlier and just assumed Babcock saw your thread and is giving it a second thought. Wisdom of the crowd FTW? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jroc86 90 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 Tough call here ... theres the fear of reinjury but also the fear of throwing in a goalie whos timing is off and having him get lit up by a playoff foe barely over a week before the post-season begins. I hope Jimmys healthy. I dont care of they have to get Barry Bonds old trainer to shoot some local growth factors into his adductor - I just hope that sucker is ready to stay in one piece and let Howie play his game without being gunshy of certain movements. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Icesurfer 75 Report post Posted March 30, 2012 In case anyone has not been paying attention, since Hitch has taken over for the Blues, the team defense has built a veritable wall in front of their goaltenders!!! How is it that TWO goaltenders on the same team have absolutely incredible numbers and between them have FIFTEEN SHUTOUTS (9 + 6)? They have tied a NHL post-expansion record for shutouts and may break it when they play the Wings... If any fans should know how important team defense is and what defense can do for a goalie it should be Detroit fans. Lidstrom and company have taken an average goalie and made him a possible hall of famer..... and yes I am referring to Ozzie. It is up to Detroit's DEFENSE to make Howie look good on Friday.... whether he is on top of his game or not. Nashville is not exactly a high scoring team. And if Detroit loses it will be the whole team's fault not just Howie. This team and Howie need to restore their confidence and winning Friday is an OPPORTUNITY for the team to do so. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jedi 1,865 Report post Posted March 30, 2012 https://twitter.com/#!/DetroitRedWings/status/185744126615093248 NEWS: Jimmy Howard will get the start tonight vs. Nashville. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
b.shanafan14 733 Report post Posted March 30, 2012 https://twitter.com/#!/DetroitRedWings/status/185744126615093248 And there it is. Nothing changes, the skaters need to show up and the defense needs to insulate the goaltender, whoever it is. GO WINGS! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
