WingNut722

@SpikeDDS Absolutely true. Still, I'm hugely impressed by how he played. 31 saves on 33 shots. Very impressive!!

Don't get excited, fellas. Unless I go to Penn Station in New York, I can't buy Timmy's here in "Joisey." I picked up a bunch of bags when I was in upstate New York a few months ago...nice and close to Canada!

As I sit at my desk drinking my Tim Horton's and putting off responsibility for a few more minutes, I'd like to share a few thoughts on last night's atrocious loss to the Capitals... First...Defensive breakdowns allowed three of the Capitals 5 goals last night. I was particularly stressed over Mike Knuble's goal, where we had two Grand Rapids Griffins playing the puck, not their man. Brendan Smith and Doug Janik both took their eyes off their own marks and followed the puck. This allowed Jason Chimera to slip a pass to Knuble who easily beat Howard. Had Brendan Smith not played the puck, the pass could have been blocked, stopped, or not made at all. Jimmy Howard was completely set on Chimera and would have made an easy stop. Second... Thomas Holmstrom is now becoming a burden to his team. You will always hear about Holmstrom being the "best player in front of the net". Perhaps he was. However, Holmstrom has not had a goal in 20-some games, and given dozens of power play opportunities, the most he comes up with is interference penalties and disallowed goals. I hate to bring this up again, but ever since Milan Lucic ran into Ryan Miller, the NHL has not been the same. The goalies are so protected now, they don't even need masks anymore. ANY contact in the crease whatsoever is grounds for a penalty. For 15 years with the Winged Wheel, Holmstrom has parked himself in front of goaltenders working the screen, and for 15 years, defending players have done everything they could to push, shove, slash, elbow, kick, scratch and claw to keep him off center. This gives Homer a real chippy attitude, which makes him shove a Capitals player (I forget which one) into the net, disallowing Cory Emmerton's goal and offering the Caps another PP opportunity which Ovechkin made the most of. He can't skate, he can't shoot, he can't pass, he can't play score, and he can't hold his emotions... I think it's time he stepped down. Third...SHOOT THE PUCK! The Wings had a huge power play opportunity at the end of the second period to come within one of the Caps. They didn't shoot. 20,000 people in the building calling for a shot and the Wings did nothing but pass the puck along the boards and blue line. Did you hear the Boo's coming from the crowd when the horn sounded? I'm as moved as anybody seeing a bullet from the blue line make it's way past a goaltender, but when you're down by three halfway through the game, you got to come up with goals anyway you can, and that includes dirty rebounds. But they're not going to come unless you fling that little black rubber thingie over to that square-looking box thingie. The Red Wings had 33 shots on goal last night. Which is okay for a game that's close or a game you're winning. But they were in a hole all night long. That number should have been 43... Rangers on Wednesday....oy....

I seriously doubt Lidstrom will miss the post-season. He'll play on a bum ankle. As humble as he is, he still recognizes that 50% of Lidstrom is better than 0% of Lidstrom I also agree with you, @SpikeDDS, but the man has such a love for the team that his decision to retrie will not be entirely based on the demands of his own body and his family.

I've had my suspicions that Lidstrom is taking these little breaks in an effort to gauge what the team will be like in his absense. He feels a strong sense of responsibility to the Red Wings and I think it will be very tough for him to retire without first confirming that they're in good hands.

@hf101 OK so...yeah spoke too soon. Alright, Red Wings Fans here's a glimpse into the 2013-2013 season. Preview of coming attractions!

As I say, this happens every season. Only this year, it's happening at the worst possible time. Datsyuk and Lidstrom expected to return tonight.

My thoughts exactly. Maybe not "dominate" per se, but defninitely do well. We'll probably end up in 4th, but with a full, healthy team, we should have no problem in the "dreaded 4-5 seed matchup"

Could be. Seems right. Goaltending isn't as good as it was, but they're not scoring either. Is there a catalyst behind all this or is it that nobody is stepping to the plate? i figure Thornton would be able to rally his troops a bit.

@yave1964 @SpikeDDS I must caution that once they get Lidstrom, Datsyuk, and Bertuzzi back, Babcock will likely sit Zetterberg. Rumor is he's been playing with a lower body injury, presumably his ankle. With the return of the rested forwards, Babs will only be too happy to rest Zetterberg (and possibly Cleary, with his Baker's Cyst) for the playoffs.

@SpikeDDS I don't think we should hit the panic button just yet. Teams have been playing a lot smarter against Detroit's power play all season. They've wised up against Homer and Mule in front of the net, sending two defenders back there to screen the shot and keep Homer off balance. I think it's time to adjust the power play strategy (for next seaason) to a more dynamic puck movement style, or at least have one or two guys down low to shovel in a rebound. The drop in production probably has a lot to do with the drop in personnel. I'm in wait-and-see mode right now. We may have to settle for a 4th seed, but only because St. Louis is so far ahead. We'll get some guys back this week, see how the California trip goes, then re-evaluate. At this point, all stats are at zero and the count starts Tuesday night in L.A.

@yave1964 If we can get through this trip through California with at least 4 points, we'll still have a decent shot at catching the Blues. By then we should have most everybody back and ready to rock. It si tough for these kids to get some checmistry going with the vets. They're doing incredibly well though. All the losses have been by one goal. In fact, they haven't lossed by more than one goal since Feb 6 against Phoenix. The rest of the season will be very exciting. At least they won't have to play hurried hockey and be tired for the Playoffs again. Cathing St. Louis will be tough, but they just need to maintain.

http://www.freep.com/article/20120312/SPORTS05/203120372/Jimmy-Howard-aboard-with-Red-Wings-for-California-trip Kenny Holland reports that Jimmy Howard has been cleared to play this road trip, which will send Jordan Pearce back to Grand Rapids. Joey MacDonald's play has been very respectable, the only problem was that if he was off his game, Pearce would have to step in, potentially unready for NHL-caliber hockey. Getting Howard back brings the Wings back up to two battle-hardened netminders. Holland also reports that Pavel Datsyuk and Niklas Lidstrom should all return to the line-up this week, as predicted. I understand Gustav Nyquist has also been sent back down, which may mean that Todd Bertuzzi is ready to come back, too, but I haven't heard anything confirmed. I doubt they'd exchange Nyquist for Chris Connor, as Nyquist's play against the Predators on Saturday was particularly potent. Hang on to your hats, folks! The Red Wings are comin' back!

Fantastic work, guys! Thinking about doing "Draft Wars" this summer?

I agree with @Miller Time. Setoguchi and Heatley should have stayed. Otherwise, they should have gotten more than Havlat and Burns for them. As of today, the Sharks hold the 9th spot, one point out of 8th with 2-3 games in hand on the rest of the league. If they do make the playoffs, it'll be in a low spot, and they'll be matched against the likes of St. Louis or Vancouver -- two teams who have dominated San jose all season long. I'd be willing to bet they won't make it past the Quarterfinals.

DetroitRedWings.com's Bill Roose reports that Kronwall will not be levied any fines or suspensions for his hit on Jakub Voracek. This post should probably go under the other pose "Gotta Love Kronwall" but I wanted the extra Pick 'Em tokens.... http://redwings.nhl.com/club/blog.htm?id=205

Hard to argue with that....

The Rangers and Connecticut Whale are done with Sean Avery for good. He's been asked not to report to games or practices anymore. http://www.nhl.com/ice/blogpost.htm?id=7194 Good Riddance.....

@Digityman Not to mention the following week featuring the Sharks, Caps, and Rangers. This stretch of games will essentially solidify Detroit's position in the standings, wherever it may be. Fortunately, we should be getting Lidstorm back soon and Datsyuk isn't far off. Howard is day-to-day but Babcock will not hesitate to put in McDonald just to be sure. Despite the shortened roster, I believe they can come with the stuff to make a decent run through these games. A larger cushion in the standings would be nice, but the Blues have just been too good lately. The Wings are good at stepping up despite injured and tired bodies. I'm not worried.

Well said @SpikeDDS. I don't think there's a better way to sum it up. I don't believe in jinxes so I will say that if JoeyMac goes down...guess who gets to play in net for Detroit....Ty Conklin!!!

Where did you hear that from? That is a horrible trade and I refuse to believe the Holland would make such a silly move. Of course, since he didn't, this is all purely academic. I'm excited that Smith is getting his ice time. Might be a bit of a learning curve with Quincy still new as well, but once these guys get their stride, look out...!

@Podein25 Oh well then by all means, play Howard!

@SpikeDDS Good points Spike. The best thing these kids need to remember is that this is NOT the preseason. They've already got the job, so it's time for them to play smart, not to impress the coaches. The time for taking silly chances in order to show courage and hustle are over, and stunts like that in the post-season can actually have the opposite effect.

@xganarchy Now that was a hit! I thought it was hilarious! Knocked him right out of his gloves...tt was just like a cartoon! Ericsson got clobbered but his gloves and stick kept going!

Looks like Howson is playing two-face right now. He turns to Nash and says sure, we'll accomodate you and trade you if possible. Then he turns to the rest of the league and asks for a whole team in return. Personally, I wouldn't trade Nash. Rebuild the club around him, since he's the face of the CBJ anyway. Give him a little more breathing room. Promise him you'll tade (for a decent offer) if they don't make the Playoffs in 3 years.