• Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

Sign in to follow this  
LeonardSankar

Is A First Round Exit Imminent?

Rate this topic

Recommended Posts

So with the poor play in all phases of play and losing games all the time is it evident that this team is a first round ouster regardless of who they play b/c they don't match up well with any of the Eastern playoff teams with the exception of Ottawa but that's still no gimme of a series but they aren't getting the top seed so no chance to play Sens.

This team has issues on both ends and that fact that they have 5 20+ goal scorers is just a moot point as this team is no offensive juggernaut by a long shot. This offseason they must decide if they want to revert to being Cup contenders once again and make the necessary changes as this team is a far cry from 2008 or even the 2009 team for that matter.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Too late to tank it now.

Don't lose faith, there's always next year. Keep that dream alive.

In response to the OP. IF this team can get healthy and IF the kids get a boost from some playoff adrenaline and IF, say Mrazek plays like Halak did for Montreal in 2010 and IF Babcock starts making better decisions and IF they get some puck luck, then maybe they can squirm their way out of the first round. But obviously that's a lot of IFs.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It's hard to be overly optimistic right now because of the Wings struggles in March, but I guess I still have some hope they can turn it around. We have seen glimpses and even extended stretches this season where the Red Wings can play with anyone in the league. I think they are fully capable of giving most teams a run in a playoff series, though they clearly need to figure it out quickly for that to occur.

I never thought the Wings were going to be a cup contender this season anyways, but they are a much better team than what they have shown in March too.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The only thing that concerns me is goaltending. I've been one of the biggest Jimmy Howard supporters out there. Even as recent as a few weeks ago. But as of now I have very little faith in him. And with Mrazek still being relatively inexperienced, I have a bad feeling that we might not make a deep run.

Despite some of the defensive miscues by our defense and offense, if our goaltending can be reliable and solid, there's no doubt in my mind this team could make a pretty impressive run at Lord Stanley.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If the Wings continue to play like this they have no chance. If they play like they did most of the year they have a good chance.

this

age, confidence, maturity might be hampering us right now. maybe that is why holland brought in cole and zidlicky. maybe he saw it hoping for something??

should we make it to the playoffs i have to wonder if the guys we rely on can hack it. i guess we'll find out.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

this

age, confidence, maturity might be hampering us right now. maybe that is why holland brought in cole and zidlicky. maybe he saw it hoping for something??

should we make it to the playoffs i have to wonder if the guys we rely on can hack it. i guess we'll find out.

I agree. Basically, guys like Tatar, Nyquist, Sheahan and DeKeyser are no longer supplementary players helping out the core. They've been given a big share of the pie and for the first 3/4 of the season they were eating it. But now, they've slipped, and the team is suffering likewise.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So with the poor play in all phases of play and losing games all the time is it evident that this team is a first round ouster regardless of who they play b/c they don't match up well with any of the Eastern playoff teams with the exception of Ottawa but that's still no gimme of a series but they aren't getting the top seed so no chance to play Sens.

This team has issues on both ends and that fact that they have 5 20+ goal scorers is just a moot point as this team is no offensive juggernaut by a long shot. This offseason they must decide if they want to revert to being Cup contenders once again and make the necessary changes as this team is a far cry from 2008 or even the 2009 team for that matter.

I almost passed out reading that first part. The sky is not falling, people. The clouds are definitely hanging low, but it's temporary. I'm aware of the irony of responding in this thread, but the point of the original post is completely ridiculous. The Wings, as well as any other team, could have a specf***ingtacular year, then tank in the first round. Consequently, I seem to recall the term "Dark Horse", where an unlikely contender makes a strong run in the playoffs. Two or three weeks of uncharacteristically crappy games hardly predicts a short visit to the playoffs. The only thing that will determine our ouster in the first round is if the other team wins four games before we do.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Don't lose faith, there's always next year. Keep that dream alive.

In response to the OP. IF this team can get healthy and IF the kids get a boost from some playoff adrenaline and IF, say Mrazek plays like Halak did for Montreal in 2010 and IF Babcock starts making better decisions and IF they get some puck luck, then maybe they can squirm their way out of the first round. But obviously that's a lot of IFs.

Asking for Babcock to start making better decisions is bit unrealistic. IF Lidstrom comes out of retirement might happen before that.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes. Said this months ago. Wings aren't a good team.

Then how do you explain the position of strength we find ourselves in now? Dominating some of the better teams in the league at times? Every team has their ups and downs, and the fact is, if we slumped like this in say December, it wouldn't look nearly half as bad as it does now. The reason everyone is freaking out is because there's 9 games left, it couldn't have come at a worse time, and Ottawa have been on fire.

Look at the other teams in this league that have been near the top or are right now. Nashville hit a rough patch earlier this month. And the Rangers? No one was calling them the best team in the NHL in January, but they are now. It happens. While it's tough to watch, I'm still confident the Wings will buckle down here and we'll be fine.

The playoffs are a completely different animal, so I'm not going to suggest what happens when we get in.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Does anyone remember both in the 2008 and 2009 seasons when we went through absolutely terrible stretches towards the end of the season? Especially 2009 when the Ozzie/Conklin tandem was just awful? How about last year when the kids carried our team into the playoffs and disappeared after?

All I'm saying is that the last stretch isn't as big of an indicator as we think.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Does anyone remember both in the 2008 and 2009 seasons when we went through absolutely terrible stretches towards the end of the season? Especially 2009 when the Ozzie/Conklin tandem was just awful? How about last year when the kids carried our team into the playoffs and disappeared after?

All I'm saying is that the last stretch isn't as big of an indicator as we think.

All I've got to say about that is that I said again and again and again that season that Osgood would be great when it matters most, and was he ever. I really feel like we got robbed of a Cup that year; we just had too much going against us with injuries to overcome some of the Penguins incredibly timely calls. I don't like to blame the refs, but with all we had going against us with injuries, those terrible calls ended up playing too big of a role.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

All I've got to say about that is that I said again and again and again that season that Osgood would be great when it matters most, and was he ever. I really feel like we got robbed of a Cup that year; we just had too much going against us with injuries to overcome some of the Penguins incredibly timely calls. I don't like to blame the refs, but with all we had going against us with injuries, those terrible calls ended up playing too big of a role.

I feel ya. I actually forgot to mention that Ozzie would've won the Conn Smythe that year despite an awful regular season. End stretch is a poor indicator. Again, good players tend to pick it up for the playoffs.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this