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RedWingsRox

Concerned - we might not make it in to the playoffs

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Glad to see them all coming to get a taste. Pro North American hockey is ery very different than Europe. Most will need 2- years to be ready, so the sooner we can get the clock going, the better.



Glad to see them all coming to get a taste. Pro North American hockey is ery very different than Europe. Most will need 2- years to be ready, so the sooner we can get the clock going, the better.

LOL not sure how this ended up here.........

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Geesh, Columbus is beating up on San Jose pretty bad right now. That's not good.

Not necessarily bad, either. If San Jose loses tonight, they will be even in games with Detroit, and only 4 points ahead of us.

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Not necessarily bad, either. If San Jose loses tonight, they will be even in games with Detroit, and only 4 points ahead of us.

True but it would put Columbus within two points of us, and we've got back to back tough games against San Jose and Chicago while they've got St. Louis and Minnesota. That's an easier couple of games for them and they're playing much better than we are lately. I'm not worried about the teams above, I'm worried about the ones below.

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Babcock is switching up lines for San Jose;

“San Jose’s spread their group out,'' Babcock said. “We need to generate, we don’t want to give up any more chances against and we want to be solid defensively and continue that way, but we’d like to generate more offense.

“By doing this we can generate more offense. We feel Fil, Brunns, Clears that’s a pretty good line. Fil’s been a good centerman for us. We like what Mule (Johan Franzen) has been doing here (centering second line) and we’re just going to spread our lineup out and go a little bit deeper.''

Henrik Zetterberg-Pavel Datsyuk-Justin Abdelkader

Gustav Nyquist-Johan Franzen-Drew Miller

Daniel Cleary-Valtteri Filppula-Damien Brunner

Cory Emmerton-Joakim Andersson-Jordin Tootoo/Patrick Eaves

I could see Brunner and Miller alternating between the 2nd and 3rd line.

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Hmm, Dallas and Columbus are the main threats, while Minnesota doesn't seem to want to get into the playoffs anymore. They're dropping like a rock, and hopefully open up another spot.

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A glimmer of hope also ...DRW has a game in hand over the Jackets and even with Dallas and Phoenix as far as games played.

No excuses either they want to make the playoffs or not.

Been through the Dead Wings era and if the playoff streak ends it ends but been a da*n fun ride. I am watching, rooting and hoping but win/lose or draw still love this team.

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Columbus is basically one more good d-man and a decent forward away from being a very good team this year. They are going to make some noise in the East next year I think. I was at the Columbus game last night against San Jose and they kicked the dogpiss out of the Sharks from the first puck drop.

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We have Abdelkader on our top line. I'm sorry, but I'm not searching for answers as to why we can't score. Abdelkader is a 3rd line player at best.

You do realize who's role he is playing right? Bertuzzi's. Tell me another player that can play that role on this line-up. Keep complaining but at the end of the day, Pavel wants Abby on his line because he provides the support Bertuzzi did. When Bertuzzi comes back, or we get another person who can fill in that role, it's going to Abdelkader. I doubt anyone would continue the ways of that line if it wasn't for injuries. It's not that hard to understand, really.

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Guest The Axe

You do realize who's role he is playing right? Bertuzzi's. Tell me another player that can play that role on this line-up. Keep complaining but at the end of the day, Pavel wants Abby on his line because he provides the support Bertuzzi did. When Bertuzzi comes back, or we get another person who can fill in that role, it's going to Abdelkader. I doubt anyone would continue the ways of that line if it wasn't for injuries. It's not that hard to understand, really.

See. Here's the problem. The "role" you are speaking of should NOT exist. 15 goal/35 point top line winger is NOT what all of us want. Some of us want a top line winger who can actually SCORE. 40 goals/80 pts is what we should be asking Holland to find. Todd Bertuzzi 12 years ago, but not the one we have now.

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See. Here's the problem. The "role" you are speaking of should NOT exist. 15 goal/35 point top line winger is NOT what all of us want. Some of us want a top line winger who can actually SCORE. 40 goals/80 pts is what we should be asking Holland to find. Todd Bertuzzi 12 years ago, but not the one we have now.

He's playing Bertuzzi's role which is to not score mad goals and provide insanely high points. While that is great, and Bertuzzi does his share of producing, that's not his main cause as he's not the scorer on that line. Pavel is normally the playmaker, Bertuzzi on the other hand is the net front presence and space creator. His job is to carry the puck around and allow for his teammates to space out the defense. His job is to retrieve the puck at the corners and to delay the play on the boards. Give time for someone to support him. If he's not doing those things he's moving around the slot and using his bigger frame. Right now Hank is playing the role you want, so go tell him to start potting them at the cyclic rate. Otherwise it was Franzen, so go yell at him but you'll most likely have to join at the back of the line.

In other news, Babcock says the Wings "aren't going away"

"I don't know if it's optimistic; I think it's realistic," Babcock told NHL.com. "Optimism, I think, is a totally different thing than a realistic approach of what we've got going on. I think we're a team that does a lot of good things. I'm a big believer that we're just going to get it done, but I think like that all the time."

"We're not going away," Babcock said.

"I think we've been letting in too many easy goals," Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall told NHL.com. "It feels like we're fighting, doing everything we can to score, and we let in easy goals. There have been too many of those. That's something we can correct."

"At the start of the year when we dropped the puck with them [the Blues], they beat us 6-0 and everyone was talking in the first 10 or 12 games that they're going to win the Stanley Cup," Babcock said. "Since that time they've gone out and added [Jordan] Leopold and [Jay] Bouwmeester. You watched the game [sunday], don't tell me there is much between these teams. That's the way I look at it.

"It's amazing what you can do if you keep focusing on the process."

That process, according to Babcock, will lead to the Red Wings extending their streak to 22 straight seasons in the playoffs.

He's sure of it.

"The great thing about our process is we're in control of it," Babcock said.

"Are we a team that should have the amount of points that some of the other teams at the top have? No. Should we be in the mud puddle that we're in with everyone else? Absolutely. We earned the right to be in it. Now let's keep swimming and let's make sure we're in the little party at the end." -- Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock on where his team is in the standings

Also, when asked about if he knows who will be the 6 defensemen against San Jose:

“No,” Babcock said. “That’s the great thing about having three days off, gives you guys three days to speculate.”

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Babcock about changes and the franchise:

"You know, everybody in here is involved in business," coach Mike Babcock said. "And businesses change. All of you have to get better and have to find a new way. And that's the process we're in. We just don't want to fall off the face of the earth like some of the other franchises have done. We're not interested in that. We want to make the playoffs. We want to remain competitive, and we want to change and grow at the same time."

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Holland:

"We control our own fate with the last nine games," Holland said. "I was up until 1 o'clock last night watching lots of games and then running numbers in my head until 2:30 or 3. We control our own fate. It's one game at a time. I think all in all it's been a great season, but a season that will ultimately be judged by whether we make the playoffs."

and finally Holland on Helmer:

“I think everybody’s frustrated,” Detroit general manager Ken Holland said. “I think the doctors are frustrated, I think the training staff is frustrated, I think Helm is frustrated, the coach and manager are frustrated. We all want him in the lineup. He’s a really important guy for us. He needs to play some hockey. I don’t have a time frame. We thought he was going to be back 10 days ago. We don’t know.”

I should be done now, enjoy your morning quotes.

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Ideally, Justin Abdelkader is not on your first line, flanking Pavel Datsyuk. Nor is Todd Bertuzzi, or Daniel Cleary, or Mikael Samuelsson, or even Johan Franzen (most nights). We could try to, y'know, get a guy who really deserves to be there. A young, high-end power-forward. A guy like Wayne Simmonds. But, to be fair to Holland, every team wants one of those - even the teams that already have at least one of them! Which shows how important they are (or, at least, are perceived to be). And which is why we'll never part with Franzen, for better or for worse.

All of which makes me less than stoked re: our top six situation. I know, I know - we've got Nyquist, Tatar, Jurco, Jarnkrok, Pulkkinen on the horizon. But not one of them is even close to being a power-forward. (Maybe Andersson.) Here, just look at this:

Top-6 Guys

Brunner

Datsyuk

Filppula

Franzen

Jarnkrok

Jurco

Nyquist

Pulkkinen

Tatar

Zetterberg

It's no wonder Datsyuk wants Abdelkader on his line (if in fact he truly does). At this point, he'll take any size and muscle he can get - even if it's a blue-collar grinderbanger with very little offensive upside.

Bah-bahhh, bah-bahhh

This is the sound of settling

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Guest Playmaker

You do realize who's role he is playing right? Bertuzzi's. Tell me another player that can play that role on this line-up. Keep complaining but at the end of the day, Pavel wants Abby on his line because he provides the support Bertuzzi did. When Bertuzzi comes back, or we get another person who can fill in that role, it's going to Abdelkader. I doubt anyone would continue the ways of that line if it wasn't for injuries. It's not that hard to understand, really.

Bertuzzi has more size, can handle the puck better, shoot the puck better and has a long history as a goal scorer. Obviously age and injuries have taken their toll on Bert, but to compare the two is silly. Abdelkader had never been a scorer, never been a consistent physical player and hasn't added anything to playing with Datsyuk. Outside of the one hattrick game, he's provided nothing of substance to the top line.

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Bertuzzi has more size, can handle the puck better, shoot the puck better and has a long history as a goal scorer. Obviously age and injuries have taken their toll on Bert, but to compare the two is silly. Abdelkader had never been a scorer, never been a consistent physical player and hasn't added anything to playing with Datsyuk. Outside of the one hattrick game, he's provided nothing of substance to the top line.

Bertuzzi is a top 6 player, while Abdelkader is not. He simply needs to play that role. You're asking a 3rd line player at best to go ahead and play on a top 6 line going against harder pairings and more skilled fowards, ofcourse he's not going to resemble Bertuzzi. What I was saying is that Abby can play a similar role to Bertuzzi, given the right opponents. He can hold on to the puck, and he's decent at boardplay; he simply buys Pavel more time within the zone. That's what Pavel needs, and wants. Pavel jokes around saying that there are people who play the piano, and there are people who push the piano. Abby pushes the piano. He's right, he's alittle workhorse and that's what Pasha needs. Pavel would love to have Bertuzzi back, hell, I think they seriously got one of those weird friendship things going on.

Also, I think that Abby can be a consistent physical player given that he continues to play wing. When he was slotted to center, we saw that style go away from him, but when he's winging, he has more leeway to go dish and finish checks deeper in the zone.

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I love the idea on paper. But, damn, we need more goals. It's what did us in last year against the Predators, and we've done all of nothing to make sure it won't happen again. I guess that's one reason why I might actually prefer Abdelkader to Bertuzzi in the playoffs - the whole us-being-reluctant-to-break-through-the-defensive-boxing-in-the-offensive-zone thing. If Babs tells Abdelkader to kill, I'm pretty sure he will relish it. Bert, on the other hand, I can't help but think he's going to be even less of a factor in the physical contests than he was before the back (and leg?) (seriously???) injuries this season - and that's if he makes it back (no pun intended) at all, which my gut says is unlikely. And my gut is never wrong.

Edited by Dabura

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I love the idea on paper. But, damn, we need more goals. It's what did us in last year against the Predators, and we've done all of nothing to make sure it won't happen again. I guess that's one reason why i might actually prefer Abdelkader to Bertuzzi in the playoffs - the whole us-being-reluctant-to-break-through-the-defensive-boxing-in-the-offensive-zone thing. If Babs tells Abdelkader to kill, I'm pretty sure he will relish it. Bert, on the other hand, I can't help but think he's going to be even less of a factor in the physical contests than he was before the back (and leg?) (seriously???) injuries this season - and that's if he makes it back (no pun intended) at all, which my gut says is unlikely. And my gut is never wrong.

Straight from the gut...

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