WingNut722

I'm just glad they didn't drag out the decision. Hurts for Ty, but that's the nature of the game. This should also give Jimmy Howard a bit more confidence too, knowing he's got a capable backup. Hopefully Mike Babcock will start to change them out a little more regularly and keep them both fresh for the springtime.

The Detroit Red Wings have put backup goalie Ty Conklin on waivers today, confirming what many believed that Joey MacDonalod is deserving of the Number 2 position in the Red Wings netminders. Joey Mac's incredible play of late only solidified him for the positon, and Mike Babcock's confidence was well-placed in granting him starting duties yesterday vs. San Jose and not rushing Jimmy Howard's return. In his current eight geam record, JoeMac has posted 1.66 goals against and 0.934 save percentage. That's almost worthy of a starter's numbers, much less a back-up. The story here from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. http://www.freep.com/article/20120220/SPORTS05/120220036/Red-Wings-place-goaltender-Ty-Conklin-on-waivers

I don't think their peaking too early. Matter fact, I think they're hitting their stride for the season. They've had a number of big wins in the past, but the caliber of the players has never been as high as it is right now. Even Jonathan Ericsson, who is a favorite whipping boy of mine, if playing at a much higher level. The most important part is they're doing it all AS A TEAM, which makes them that much tougher to top.

There's no better time to evict the phantoms of the road woes than now. Let home be home. Figure out the solution to the road games, and they'll be fresh for the playoffs. A dangerous number 4 seed is right, maybe 5, but I'd be willing to bet they'll advance to the second round no matter what. Unless the whole thing collapses and they end up in seventh of eights. By the way, yave, you stay up WAY too late..............

I wouldn't mess with the chemistry either, but I wouldn't adding another "chemical" to the mix to bring it all together. The Wings are clicking again. They have plenty of prospects to deal, and yes, I think Tatar should be among them, along with Nyquist. I don't know what you were saying about Abdelkader....I've been a big fan of his for a while. He's been a fantastic all around player for several years now and the future looks bright. I don't think we need Suter, but a decent second or third line defender would go a long way, especially to replace Brad Stuart. As was offered in the Trade Wars blog, Johnny Oduya would fit nicely. I would wait until the post-season to add a top scorer (I mean TOP). Ken Holland should still be looking for a depth forward though for that third line, which would (should) bump Homer down to the fourth and allow him to stay sharp on the power play. Erik Christensen would fit well.

@OzFlyer Given all the UFA's this summer, the Wings have around $21 million to play with.

@yave1964 @hf101 Good points from both. That's the biggest reason why the standings are so tight is that there really is no parity, given the extra point awarded to team which forces overtime. Perhaps if they eliminated the extra point, we would have what we have in the Southeast, where you ahve to win the Division, just to make the playoffs.

The whole thing is baloney... The Hawks need a better goaltender and the Sabres need another scorer....it just fits. But there is no way either team will part with their respective stars. It's way too simple and way to high-line to be true, particularly since both haven't had great seasons. It just doesn't make any sense at all, except in the mind of Eklund... Of course, now that I've mentioned his name, I owe him a cuppla' bucks...

Now you're really just trying to turn CBJ into the Delta House of the NHL. TOGA! TOGA! TOGA!

@hf101 No problem at all. Just one man's humble and uneducated opinion!

@SpikeDDS @MDFlyerFan @hf101 Personally, I like the shoot-out. I know, I know, hold down the yelling and let me explain. Yes I realize it's not a "team's" way of deciding the game, but you do have to admit, it's fun and exciting to see one-on-one breakaways and trickery. For those of you who do not like the shootout, can you honestly tell me you never watched one and been amazed by some of the moves these guys put on? It's entertaining. And most of the crowd loves it. You all agree that this game is not getting the public attention that it deserves, yes? The shoot-out has been a great way to get people watching hockey. It's a hook. Once the fans are interested (by shootout, or anything else), then us purists can get our claws into them and really drill home the finer points of the game. But first, we need to get them to buy tickets and merchandise ("Where the REAL money from the mvie is made!"). I say keep the shootout, but make the preceding overtime period 10 minutes.

@Podein25 Sounds like one of those movies my mother wouldn't let me watch....

@Podein25 @JackStraw Does that mean Lidstrom is a long snapper? And how did you get his phone number? All he gave me was a fake number for a sheet metal plant in Grosse Pointe...

@yave1964 I don't agree so much that the Hawks made all poor decisions in the offseason. I agree they shouldn't have bothered with Carcillo. If you needed grit, you got too much with him. The Hawks, as a team, are just not producing. Crawford is having an off year. I won't even mention Pat Kane. The injry bug has swept through and taken out their top players on both ends of the ice. The Hawks can pull it together. I don't think they have the stuff to win it all this year, but they didn't last year either. But this team, as it is constructed, can make a dent in the playoffs, once they start clicking.

This would be a fantastic series to watch (and attend!). I think the Rangers have the edge though. They seem to be a more well-rounded team, and most importantly, play well on the road. If there is some road voodoo curse the Wings are under, it'll be resolved on its own, not anything the players can do. Home ice advantage would definitely help, but I'd hate to see the Wings go all 7 games in 4 different series just because they can't win in the other barn.

Good selection on the Detroit/Winnipeg trade. I like Oduya and he should work out pretty well on a second line pairing. If he makes a splash this season, he could be our replacement for Brad Stuart if (when) he heads west. I think the Wings would only be too happy to watch two very capable backup goalies battle it out for the number 2 position.

True enough. The Cup is still the goal. But it's silly to say that they haven't paid much attention to the win streak record and are not really concerned with it. The two points ARE what counts, but this is two points you'll remember for the rest of your life. These two points are all the more special now because of what they carry. You'd be foolish not to want these two points a little bit more than you'd want the two points in whatever game three weeks ago.

Glad we could help Podein. I made up what I lost in that game against the Habs :-)

@OzFlyer An asterisk? Is that to include the shoot-out wins? The one thing I realized is that the last few weeks when folks were talking about this record, the players downplayed it by saying they really didn't think about it much. But when they hit the ice last night, looking at the way they played, every guy on that team and the coaches wanted that record more than anything that night. This was not just another win, and those guys are thrilled beyond believe to be a part of this.

I could be biased, but Kronwall throws pretty clean hits for the most part. There have been a few which have been questionable, and he's been called for them. Kronner's hit on Briere looked clean to me. He left his feet on impact, not before. He's managed to figure out how to throw the hardest body checks around and still be within the rules. It is a thin line he's walking, because fortunately, he's never inflicted any serious injuries. Once he does though, I'm sure he'll get a phone call from Shanahan, and be scrutinized a little more.

Wow do I need to jump into these conversations earlier! There's nothing left to say except that was one of the best games I've watched in a while. It seems that the Red Wings really show up to play when their pushed by a good, solid, team, like the Flyers, or St. Louis, or Boston. Here's hoping they can keep it going on Tuesday!

@yave1964 You're right Yave, I think they should stay with Joey Mac. I think by virtue of him starting th last two games, and those games being winners, he's earned the backup job. I wouldn't want to rush Jimmy Howard's return though. If it's not healed completley, you can make a broken finger a lot worse if you dmaage it again. He'll be back soon enough, but I don't think it will be Sunday. If the Wings expect to win against the Flyers, they're going to need to show up and truly play 60 minutes, unlike the last 3 or 4 games they've played. You rest on the notion that the Flyers have goaltending issues....so does Detroit! They've got to come out hard and strong from the first face-off. Philly is still a powerful scoring team, and they could make life hell at the Joe.

@jammer2 That's a hell of a history! I grew up in the western suburb of Dearborn into a passionate Tiger family, third generation though. My parents were the type to skip school to go to opening day. Every TV in the house has the Tiger game on so they could move around and not miss anything. My mother is still is upset that I moved out here to "Yankee Country." We started getting into the Red Wings (like everyone else) in the 90s when they began to be successful again. Like you, we also rooted for the Bad Boys, but then history became legend, legend, became myth, until finally they won it all again in 2004. And the cycle begins anew....

For what it's worth, I would decline the Jets/Red Wings offer (in the shoes of Ken Holland). Justin Abdelkader is a home-grown kid which has been Detroit's M.O. for years and he's been able to balance the right mix of skill and grit to make him an excellent winger on the third or fourth line. He also excels in the playoffs, for one reason or another; always managing to turn it on. I wouldn't mind having Wheeler though, but I think our priorities now are in backup goaltender and a depth defender. If the Jets are looking for forwards, they can have Ferraro, and also Patrick Eaves and/or Fabian Brunnstrom for the likes of Zach Bogosian. Throw in Chris Mason and we could even part with Jiri Hudler.

Funny...exact same thing can be said for Buffalo.... Sister cities, I guess!