Jimmy Howard: Professional Thief!

[SpikeDDS]

Jimmy Howard stole this game! Swagger was back this game. He was REALLY tracking the puck well, anticipating caroms off the boards, the glass, and skates extremely well.

 

The Red Wings were outplayed, outbattled, and outshot 40-31, but Jimmy Howard was a wall, and once again, the Heart Attack Horde wins another game in either the 3rd or OT--this one in OT.

 

Congratulations to Zidlicky on his GW goal, his first as a Red Wing in his first game.

 

But what an ugly game for the Wings as a whole! This was one of DDK's off games. He's had a few of these in the last few games. He coughed up the puck a bunch, but he wasn't the only one. Not even close. I have no idea how many turnovers we had, but it was pretty ridiculous.

 

And I wonder how many odd-man rushes we ended up giving up this game? If you guessed WAY too many, you guessed right! Poor support from our forwards/centers tonight. We were fortunate Howard limited their scoring to 1.

 

Obviously, this was our first home game after a long road trip, and that is often a weak game. (I don't know why that is, but it really is true.) Babs is gonna have to make some adjustments

 

Pav and Z were the stars of this game for the skaters. Howard was #1 star for sure. I thought Junco played better than he had been playing also.

 

Talbot played a very good game for the Rangers. No shame for him in this loss. He did his job in net. Rangers in general played a pretty disciplined game. The Wings didn't have their first PP until the 3rd.

 

Nike did a good job selling that last holding penalty in the last minute of regulation, although we got screwed on the previous call, and on a no-call high stick on Quincey, so it was justice.

 

2 points is 2 points. I'll take ANOTHER ugly victory over a pretty loss. Make a few adjustments and get ready for Calgary.

 

BTW, for DRW fans, defibrillators are 10% off this week at local Detroit medical supply houses! Get 'em while they're hot! ;-)

[Old School Hockey]

To be considered great he needs to be consistent!

[yave1964]

Howard did a great job last night, seems to be rounding into form.

Zidlicky with his game winner has found his sea legs. He fired a shot from the point in the first that made me sit up and saw wow! Nice to have someone in the point with that type of cannon. Been a looooooooooong time, with apologies to Lidstrom and Kronner and Rafalski, all of them are finesse players and seeing that type of shot from Zidlicky was great

Gotta love the team like Babcock said, you could tell it was their first game back after a long road trip, Howie stole us two points and the Wings should settle in for some home cooking.

[Old School Hockey]

Howard did a great job last night, seems to be rounding into form.Zidlicky with his game winner has found his sea legs. He fired a shot from the point in the first that made me sit up and saw wow! Nice to have someone in the point with that type of cannon. Been a looooooooooong time, with apologies to Lidstrom and Kronner and Rafalski, all of them are finesse players and seeing that type of shot from Zidlicky was greatGotta love the team like Babcock said, you could tell it was their first game back after a long road trip, Howie stole us two points and the Wings should settle in for some home cooking.

I agree Howard stole 2 points. I'm HOPING he's now going to gain the much needed consistency.

The post game interview with Cole was like watching a kid. He's so happy to be in Detroit.

[WingNut722]

It was indeed an ugly game, but 2 points is 2 points.  Eddie Olczyk made some anecdotal comment late in the third period about a weak first game after a long road trip...I missed it though.  I suppose you're just dog tired after the trip, settle in at home for a day or two off and then you just don't want to get off the couch (at least that's what I go through).  Whichever, I don't think Babcock needs to do anything.  They'll ramp up for the next one, the best thing is that Erik and Marek had a chance to play on their new lines and begin to warm up to DRW style.  Friday we get the struggling Flames so it'll be another chance to pick up another big two points.

[WingNut722]

 

 I thought Junco played better than he had been playing also.

 

I understand Teemu Pulkkinen had a hat trick last night in Grand Rapids.  Personally, I would have rather seen Pulk instead of Jurco.   

[SpikeDDS]

I understand Teemu Pulkkinen had a hat trick last night in Grand Rapids.  Personally, I would have rather seen Pulk instead of Jurco.   

Wouldn't we have to send Junco through waivers though?

[SpikeDDS]

Zidlicky with his game winner has found his sea legs. He fired a shot from the point in the first that made me sit up and saw wow! Nice to have someone in the point with that type of cannon. Been a looooooooooong time, with apologies to Lidstrom and Kronner and Rafalski, all of them are finesse players and seeing that type of shot from Zidlicky was great

Pulkinnen? Dude's got a cannon too!

[yave1964]

Wouldn't we have to send Junco through waivers though?

Yep, we would absolutely lose Jurco. I am writing this season off for him as a sophomore jinx, a lot of players hit the wall like this. He is a very talented player, part of the problem is the Wings are just so incredibly deep and the roles that he fills, right now we have players who do a better job.

Andersson, as a for instance, I know he is not one of yours or even one of my favorite players, not by a long shot. But what he does offer is 4th line checking and damn good Penalty killing, along with Helm, Glendening and Miller, they allow the big boys to play 5 on 5 and on the power play.

Jurco is not a penalty killer, at least not a quality one. Putting Jurco in instead of Andersson forces us to change the special teams around. Pass.

Weiss, Helm, no way am I taking either out of the lineup for Jurco. Helm is having a great year, Weiss plays on the second power play (at least before we got Cole) Jurco, at least this years version is simply not good enough to on a nightly basis to crack the lineup, but he is too good to send down and lose him to Boston for nothing.

Next year we will have Pulkinnen in the lineup every day, Cole may be retained. And Andreas Athanasiou will be forcing himself into the lineup. And lets not rule out Mantha making the team. So that makes Jurco, in all likelihood the odd man out unless he finds another gear. I see him as a third liner for a five year career with top end potential of 20 goals.

[Old School Hockey]

Tonight is a PRIME example of the inconsistency I've been talking about. A .750 save pct.

[yave1964]

Tonight is a PRIME example of the inconsistency I've been talking about. A .750 save pct.

Ugly game for Howie tonight Old School. Definitely gotta be better for us to go anywhere.

[Old School Hockey]

Ugly game for Howie tonight Old School. Definitely gotta be better for us to go anywhere.

Unfortunately this has been the Howard roller coaster of his career.

[SpikeDDS]

Didn't get to see the game yet, but the stats don't lie. Ick!

 

The good news is that we have a few games to figure out who deserves to play in between the pipes before we need to start the definite upswing for the playoffs. We've got 3 goaltenders to choose from, and I suggest--like Chuck Daly used to do with the Pistons back in the day--that we "give the ball to the hot hand." It doesn't matter to me whose hand that might be. If it's Mrazek, then it's Mrazek. If Monster can do it, let him.

 

But without someone playing at least consistently solid goalie between the pipes, no way we are gonna be able to make a serious run.

 

Boy, I don't know whether the poor production from our lower lines should be more attested to the shuffling of the lines after the arrival of Cole or the absence of Darren Helm, but I think it is the latter, personally. One more game--at most--with the lines the way they are, and if they still aren't working, I'd be putting Junco on the 3rd line and Nike on Pav's line with Tats. Last night, the only line that was apparently going was Z's. If we can't have 3 lines going without Helmer in there, at least get 2 going. Even with the addition of Cole, we are just not the same team without Darren Helm in the lineup. He is a very critical cog in the Winged Wheel.

 

Get well soon, Helmer!

[Old School Hockey]

Didn't get to see the game yet, but the stats don't lie. Ick!

 

The good news is that we have a few games to figure out who deserves to play in between the pipes before we need to start the definite upswing for the playoffs. We've got 3 goaltenders to choose from, and I suggest--like Chuck Daly used to do with the Pistons back in the day--that we "give the ball to the hot hand." It doesn't matter to me whose hand that might be. If it's Mrazek, then it's Mrazek. If Monster can do it, let him.

 

But without someone playing at least consistently solid goalie between the pipes, no way we are gonna be able to make a serious run.

 

Boy, I don't know whether the poor production from our lower lines should be more attested to the shuffling of the lines after the arrival of Cole or the absence of Darren Helm, but I think it is the latter, personally. One more game--at most--with the lines the way they are, and if they still aren't working, I'd be putting Junco on the 3rd line and Nike on Pav's line with Tats. Last night, the only line that was apparently going was Z's. If we can't have 3 lines going without Helmer in there, at least get 2 going. Even with the addition of Cole, we are just not the same team without Darren Helm in the lineup. He is a very critical cog in the Winged Wheel.

 

Get well soon, Helmer!

I'm so tired of hearing about Howard's GAA. Yes he has a good GAA. But that's why it's an average. He give up 1 goal and then 6 and 1 and then 4.

I'd like to have a goalie that gives up a gaa by routinely give up only his average.

Mark this down!!!!! The Detroit Red Wings will NOT win a Stanley Cup with Howard in net. His long term contract is right up there with signing Franzen over Hossa!

[Old School Hockey]

And now last night he played great. What does Thursday vs Columbus look like????

[yave1964]

4 games in since the team made the moves. I think we are still very much out of sync, Cole has been a marvelous addition, Zidlicky is fine and Pulkinnen is staking his claim to a top nine role going forward, but as a team, we are out of sorts.

What we had going for us earlier in the year was assigned roles with everyone knowing what was expected of them, injuries have kind of messed that up, Helm may be the lynchpin of the team this year, not the MVP but the player whose role defines others and he may be the player we need in the lineup the most.

I think we will be fine. When the team has been a top tier club and adds pieces that immediately start producing it is difficult to understand why the team gets out of sorts, the Boston fiasco was the low point of the year, and the game before against Calgary up 2-0 and then Happy Hudler and Monahan killed us.

Once the team gets it together we will be better than before.

[SpikeDDS]

4 games in since the team made the moves. I think we are still very much out of sync, Cole has been a marvelous addition, Zidlicky is fine and Pulkinnen is staking his claim to a top nine role going forward, but as a team, we are out of sorts.What we had going for us earlier in the year was assigned roles with everyone knowing what was expected of them, injuries have kind of messed that up, Helm may be the lynchpin of the team this year, not the MVP but the player whose role defines others and he may be the player we need in the lineup the most.I think we will be fine. When the team has been a top tier club and adds pieces that immediately start producing it is difficult to understand why the team gets out of sorts, the Boston fiasco was the low point of the year, and the game before against Calgary up 2-0 and then Happy Hudler and Monahan killed us.Once the team gets it together we will be better than before.

It's certainly been easier to see Zidlicky's contributions (both positive and negative) than Cole's to this point. Cole's dropper to Kronwall was nice, but I'm really hoping for more scoring from him. If he's able to set up Z for more scores, no problem, but I see Z's strength is puck possession while being checked, enabling his playmaking. He needs a player who can be ready for either a pass or a rebound who can then score. Abby's been doing more net work, and pretty well, so it seems Cole's role should be getting where he can shoot the puck and letting Z feed him.

Can't agree with you more on how Helm affects the team around him. My hope is that when he returns, there won't be a major adjustment because of how the other players' roles might have to change, again. You would THINK that play would improve automatically, but the play subsequent to the deadline additions shows that's not a guarantee. I think it will be fine, though, because the player that benefits most from Helm is actually Pav. He is a great player without Helm, but beforeHelmwent down, he was playing SUPERB hockey, like having Helm gives him the green light to go to that offensive level. And if he goes there again, it will benfit Z's line. Helm forces defenses to have to choose who NOT to defend as much. Either that, or they are forced to overplay key players, and then our 3rd period gets even better.

I don't know that Boston was the low point of the year, but it certainly was the low point of the 2nd half of the season, and really, with the adjustments to new players excuse being somewhat valid, it was low because of goaltending. Lost some confidence in our goaltending situation there, even though we had horrendous play from special teams that game. I'm wondering if Gustavson's "injury" is his confidence after that one. I'd like Mrazek to get another crack at it here, to be honest. If nothing else, to light a freaking fire under the big boys' butts!

I'm not worried yet. I'm rightly concerned. There's a difference. Knowing Helm is coming helps make that difference a lot.

[Old School Hockey]

And yet another sub .900 save pct for Howard.

[Old School Hockey]

The only thing Jimmy Howard is stealing is money!