haroldsnepsts

Pick one. Should he play clean or dirty?

Agreed.  Redmond even commented on how he had Weber in a vulnerable position and correctly let up.

I want someone to beat the snot out of him, but not that way.

Guess Eaves isn't tough because he doesn't throw punches right?

Your trolling has gotten so old.  It's all Crosby and enforcer baiting.

We're also controlling the special teams battle while Nashville continuously runs out of position trying to "send a message".

I'd much rather be at the top of the conference without "toughness" then out of the playoffs but play "tough hockey".

Those aren't mutually exclusive.  

There was a time when the Wings could do both.

no mule tonight

no mule

Apparently he misplaced his scoring touch and is taking some personal time to go look for it.

Honestly I'd take more satisfaction from the Hawks not even making the playoffs, though it seems unlikely.

If we meet them in the first round, so be it.  Unless this Wings team can flip the switch, honestly I see them struggling in the first round.  I'm hoping they can survive that first series and work themselves into true playoff mode.  I just don't know if anything short of a first round scare is really going to register with this team and wake them up.

Remember when they actually used to say what the injury was?  "Lower body injury" and other vague descriptions were only really used in the playoffs.  

Nowadays it's practically like "Datsyuk injury?  Who's Datsyuk? I don't know anyone by that name, and if I did I would have no information on his injury."

Wow that's another weak one.  That play happens all game, it just doesn't always break the guy's stick.

yes, yes it is. when was the last time any of them were really physical or dropped the mitts?

I guess it comes down to how you define soft.  Cleary is out there hitting guys and not afraid to stick his nose anywhere.  Bert couuld be more physical, given his size.  Zetterberg's not afraid to go to the high traffic areas either.

Honestly none of those guys should be dropping the mitts unless it's absolutely called for.

Why is Ericsson near the point?

He was moving out and up ice to give Z someone to outlet too.  Then Z threw it off the glass and turned it over, and Ericsson got caught out there and played essentially as a forward.

s***.  I can only cover 1 billion of that.  Can someone spot me 300 mil?

Let me see what I've got on me.

*checking my wallet.*


Wait, does that share of the Leafs include waffles?

Franzen should watch some game tape on Helm.

Skate hard.  Go to the net.  Shoot the puck.

I am not one for hyperbolic statements but he just sucks really. It's tough because we saw his potential in '09 and man, I was excited. He has regressed big time since and is just not worth much out there. I'm seeing it for what it is and not what it could be.

If were talking about last season, I agree.  He was awful.  He took a major step backward last season, and now some steps forward, but is not where I had hoped.  

He kills penalties, plays a lot of minutes with mostly solid defense.  It's just then he makes this incredibly stupid decision, like the backhand pass, that overshadows his good play.  And as I mentioned, he seems to do it more as the game wears on.  So I worry about his focus and hockey IQ.

Right now I think he's an acceptable bottom pairing guy.  He doesn't look much different than Salei out there, who is a 13 year veteran and an okay bottom pairing d-man.  Actually   Ericsson reminds me of Lilja when he first got to Detroit.  Decent on the PK, but not physical enough, and can ruin a solid performance with an unbelievably stupid play.  

Much like Lilja, I don't know what Babs needs to get it through his skull, but Ericsson plays better when he plays simple.  Lidstrom  didn't win 6 Norris trophies by being flashy.  He just makes the right, simple play almost every time.  I'd love for Ericsson to use his size and start punishing guys, but even if he can just consistently play a simple game, he can be a solid 4-6 Dman.

Where's the Big Rig from the '09 playoffs?

I remember him being surprisingly solid then too.  But now I have to wonder if some of that was colored by my expectation at the time, and the company he kept.

He hadn't even played a full season, and the other bottom guy was Lebda (and to a lesser extent Meech and a very slow Cheli).

I still hold out hope he can be a solid bottom pairing guy and maybe even be a #4 Dman one day.

Get him off the ice. Just looks awful anymore.....

With Lebda gone and hudler turning his game around, we're back to the scapegoat that was predicted at the beginning of the season.  

Last night's game was a shaky defensive showing by just about any Dman not named Lidstrom.  Ericsson, Kindl, and Kronwall all had brutal turnovers.  Kindl got lost around his own net several times.  And no one clears the crease but Stuart.

It's not that I even think Ericsson is particularly good.  He's just not as awful as people make him out to be.  For how you feel about people focusing on every Jimmy Howard rebound, that's exactly what you're doing with Ericsson.

My main complaints with him (as always) are he's not physical enough for his size.  He doesn't know how to pin a guy to the boards properly.  And he seems to lose focus as the game wears on, at least lately.  He'll start strong but then make a boneheaded play.  Like a no-look backhand pass to no one behind his own net.

I'm happy he's not as awful as he was last season, but his development seems to have slowed.


His upside is when he's playing confident he's got a great first pass, can jump into the play and be effective, and has a pretty good stick.

Do you plan, then, to stop watching? Or have you simply given up hope so you won't be disappointed?

Why do you want to know?  So you can get a head start on writing a condescending, judgmental post about what we should be saying here?

yeah my team was scored on by that goal I would be pretty upset. however it's not like refs and toronto make right decisions every time on waving goals. I thought it was an arguable goal.

Agreed.  I think they ultimately made a good call.  I just wish they made it that way when it happened to the Wings.  But that requires consistency in officiating, which apparently is an impossibility in the NHL.