VM1138

Hey, I remember him from his Spirit days!

Way too early, but I can't see a better way for Nick to go out than with a Cup and a Norris.

Why is Smith a piece of s***?  The article says the hit was legal, it was probably just one of those bizarre twists of chance.  Horrible for Nylander but it's not as if Smith set out to do that.

Rafalski has just been a beast the last few months of hockey (stemming back to last season), I can't wait until he's back.  Things should get even better then.

Lidstrom-Stuart
Kronwall-Rafalski
Kindle-Salei
Ericsson

I don't get all the Salei hate.  Most of the goals against have come because they're paired with the third line that doesn't know how to play defense, correct?  I fail to see how those goals are therefore Salei's fault.  They haven't been caused by glaring mistakes by Salei.  I see nothing to blame him for.  Same goes for Kindl.

I'm a sap I guess, but Bertuzzi must feel really great here in Detroit.  He's spent the last few years being treated like trash or crapped on by fans, playing for mediocre teams and frustrated that his game seemed to be gone.  Now, he's found a solid place on a great team where he's relied on and appreciated by fans and his coach, that's gotta feel good.

one thing is for sure, at this point, that long term contract  of Zetterberg at 6+ million a year versus Franzens contract, aint looking like such a bargain

Yes it is.  Last time I checked (a game or so ago) he was tied with Datsyuk in points.  He's just not scoring as often as usual.  He's still the world class all around player.  Count in having a history of slow starts, I don't see the issue here.  Realistically we've got 3 or 4 more more years before he really starts to decline, if we compare to similar players.

Wings don't need a new goalie, we just have to get our defense healthy.

We need a new defensive coach to remind these players they are some of the best defensemen in the game and they need to play like it.

Madonna isn't in his prime anymore.  He's never been a shut down center, which is what 3rd line centers are predominantly used for.  It's not something he'll likely feel comfortable doing.  

And anything you say about Hudler is overly biased and wildly unrealistic.  He's nothing more than a skilled player that occasionaly plays well when he has the right linemates.  He's too streaky and not consistent enough to be relied upon game to game.

First off, coming up with lame insulting nicknames for athletes, politicians, etc. is REALLY stupid and annoying.  

Second, it's been four freaking games.  Players take time to gel.  And (Gasp!) if they don't work on the third line we can always shuffle the lines.

I wouldn't say he's better than Salei yet, but he definitely gives us hope for the future.  Ericsson still could develop into a decent D-man but it's looking pretty unlikely, though the season is still early.  Right now I'd put the depth chart at:

Lidstrom
Rafalski
Kronwall
Stuart
Salei
Kindl
Ericsson

I'll just say this: If Ozzie had let in that second and fourth goal last night, this thread would be twice as long. Those were bad goals. I thought the third was stoppable too considering Jimmy got beat on the short-side. I'm not clamoring already for Ozzie to start, but we need Jimmy to be stronger on nights when the team in front of him is clearly off their game.

I thought the whole team looked like garbage last night besides a handful of players. Colorado had the puck way too much outside of a few spurts from the Red Wings. We had no answer to their forecheck, got trapped in our zone for extended stretches and took penalties because of it. The Avalanche outworked the Red Wings plain and simple.

Even so, Osgood should get the next start.  I'd rather have two ready goalies than a repeat of last year's debacle.

If I was getting deported unless I found a job I'd probably sign with Anaheim too.  It's terrible for Lilja and all, but I'm sure he'll end up somewhere better next season.  Or maybe he'll request a trade later this year.

The real head-scratcher isn't why he signed with the Ducks, but why the Ducks were the only ones that wanted him.

Hopefully Ozzie gets to start more consistently so that he can build off of his performance tonight and let him regain the respect he deserves. Ideally I'd like to see him start as much as every other game, but it'll probably be every third or fourth game.

The thing that scares me is that there is no reason the Wings should lose this game.  They have the confidence, the skill, the experience and the momentum.  It all hinges on Osgood.  The rest of the team looked like they were really having fun last night.  The lines are clicking, they have confidence individually, and they're all healthy and they look 10x better on the ice than last season.  

Osgood is the unknown variable here.  A good game will do a lot to restore his reputation.  I think with the excitement and the motivation the team has right means they won't be inconsistent like last year.  We'll see a lot more winning streaks and less half-ass efforts.  Virtually everyone on the Wings has something to prove and we should see it.

I know you guys are pretty concerned about Datsyuk fighting because of the risk of injury, but I've got to say it was a really cool moment nonetheless.  Once in a while you have to stand up for yourself, superstar or no.  Plus, as in everything else he does, Datsyuk seemed pretty smart during the fight and got the better of it.  I don't want him seeking fights but when a douchebag like Perry comes calling you've got to put him in his place.

I don't think we'll see an Original 6 matchup in the finals for decades.  As for the Capitals...I'm not sure they have everything in place yet but it's certainly possible.  I'm betting some random team out of the East will make it.  THere are very few consistent teams there.