Detroit Red Wings & the NHL

[Optimus Prime]

San Jose wins 2-1, forces G7 with LA!

Halifax beat Portland 6-4 in the Memorial CUp Final, first CHL championship ever for the Mooseheads. Tournament MVP Nathan MacKinnon score 4 points including another Hat Trick in the Final.

There are 30 GM's dying to get this guy. Colorado has 1st pick and need Defensemen badly, hence a Seth Jones selection that would mean MacKinnon going 2nd to Florida which would be a mistake, this kid is pure offensive MONEY, take him 1st overall or end up regretting it.

[Optimus Prime]

Wings crumble again. G7 back in Chicago, not good.

[madootra]

Not good at all. They carried the play for half the 1st, all of the 2nd, and came out completely flat in the 3rd. Horrible Penalty Shot didn't help....but that isn't why they lost. It's not impossible.....but not very likely they win in Chicago. But I sure wouldn't gamble money either way.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Disappointing but not unexpected. I don't think anyone here would disagree that the Wing's defense sucks. That weakness was nicely covered by some aggressive play inside the opponent's blue line. That didn't work in games 5/6.

Still the Wings, by the numbers and historically, have a 92% chance of winning game 7. Only 20 teams have overcome a 3-1 disadvantage in the play-offs (8%) to come back and win it.

Seems to me, the Blackhawks have the momentum, have figured out Babcock's method and will become team 21.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=31154

[madootra]

I wouldn't say they suck........Young, and prone to errors. there's no Lidstrom on this team no doubt......but there's also no Randy Ladaceour either. :-D

[WingsFan]

Wings crumble again. G7 back in Chicago, not good.

Nope, even with a nice softy goal to take the lead, they were awful in that 3rd.

Seems to me, the Blackhawks have the momentum, have figured out Babcock's method and will become team 21.

Yep and their bad luck seems to have gone away also - hitting the post 5 times in those 2 loses. Game 7 could get ugly, im not looking for a close game.

[Hannibal]

I wouldn't say they suck........Young, and prone to errors. there's no Lidstrom on this team no doubt......but there's also no Randy Ladaceour either. :-D

The problem is, the talent is old. Everyone who matters is either in his prime or past prime. That includes Howard. Maybe Kindl and Brunner (aka "Mikael Samuelsson v2.0") have some upside, but probably not much. Smith (aka "The Human Turnover") has to make major improvements to reach "mediocre". You look at the top two forward lines, and there are no up-and-comers. I don't see anything out of Nyquist and Andersson that I think separates them from about fifty different third and fourth line forwards that have come and gone through Detroit over the past 20 years. Maybe they are Filppula caliber guys. Eh.

[Optimus Prime]

Was really hoping to avoid more of that dreadful "Chelsea Dagger" crap in Chicago.

Wings failed to closeout Chicago in G5 & now G6 because frankly their guns are not firing, 17 million tied up Zetterberg, Franzen & Datsyuk, no goals over the last 2 games. Paul managed an assist in dying seconds of G6, not good enough, they represent a decade of playoff experience gone cold.

Conversely, Toews, Hossa, Kane, Sharp, Keith & Seabrook have performed very well while staving off elimination, handling the pressure and finally got some bounces.

The real Blackhawks have finally emerged in this series, late but at home in G7 they will be pumped and ready to advance IMO.

[Hannibal]

Zetterberg hasn't been the same player since he started hosing that Swedish supermodel.

[Rocky Bleier]

I work with two people from Chicago. They were wringing their hands when they were down 1-3. I told them not to worry, the Wings would give it away. Turn off the light, the party's over.

[lineygoblue]

Agreed.

They really needed to finish it in Chicago in Game 5. When that failed, it was pretty much all the blackhawks needed.

I feel a rout coming in game 7

[Optimus Prime]

Zetterberg hasn't been the same player since he started hosing that Swedish supermodel.

She looks a little fat, especially in breast region.

[Optimus Prime]

That being said, Brandon Prust of the Montreal Canadiens is luckier than any single man alive because he gets to call Marie-Pier Morin his girl.



I'm tellin' ya, the hottest women in North America reside in Quebec.

[WingsFan]

I have really stuck up for Smith as I like him, I think hes got the talent, just can't stop getting caught out of position all the time. In a close game in the 3rd with the lead ? - I dunno - he's rolling the dice every time his skates hit the ice. Babcock really shows confidence in him - giving him plenty of ice time, well, it backfired in the 3rd last night.

Jimmy Howard was frustrated with him after his second blunder in the 3rd, Smiths stick was caught between Howards pads as he was late again (not taking out his man). Howard threw his (Smith) stick in the corner instead of giving it to him. I think other Wings were biting their tongues after the gamne as well be asking about his play.

[Optimus Prime]

With Danny DeKeyser's broken thumb the Wings have little choice.

The Wings need their big guns to generate offense and score it is that simple. Howard and the D in general have held.