Post-Game Talk: I did, however, start Henrik Lundqvist (afternoon games suck)

[aar000n]

First the trap style of hockey makes to look like teams and the league looks bad.
Second 4 games in 6 nighs wings were gassesa the problem is they have to play tue meaning no rest so.

 

[Kakko]

"No way Stepan makes a pass"?

Well, that's silly

Stepan always makes the pass. Even if there's no one to pass to

 

[theYman]

And yet Quincey is a 0 this game. LOL! Top line was brutal today.

 

[Wingfan191]

I wanted to see how much goal support Howard and Gus get when they start, so I did a little math...

Detroit has scored 90 goals when Howard has started a game and he's started 38.

Detroit has scored 76 goals when Gus has started and he's started 22 games.

That means the Wings score 2.37 goals a game when Howard starts and a WHOPPING 3.45 goals a game when Gus starts. No wonder Gus has a better record. That is crazy.

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

Awful effort from the whole team. Can't be losing games like this right now.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

Games like today are reminders that Datsyuk and Zetterberg are out, and this team misses them. The team just couldn't generate a ton of offense, and it seemed like Franzen was just shut down. Howard kept the team in the game for two periods, but that third period was just bad on all accounts. Howard is frustrating, but today there was just nothing generated on offense. I don't know what people realistically expect from him on a game like today. Generate offense, score a couple goals, this game could have turned out much different.

True people want to blame Howard, But the bottom line is that the offense just plainly stunk today. You don't score you don't win that's how the game is the Rangers scored 3 goals and the Wings scored 0 goals. You cant win like that.

 

[PullHard]

Well, that's silly

Stepan always makes the pass. Even if there's no one to pass to

We have a few of those

 

[drw02]

I wanted to see how much goal support Howard and Gus get when they start, so I did a little math...

Detroit has scored 90 goals when Howard has started a game and he's started 38.

Detroit has scored 76 goals when Gus has started and he's started 22 games.

That means the Wings score 2.37 goals a game when Howard starts and a WHOPPING 3.45 goals a game when Gus starts. No wonder Gus has a better record. That is crazy.

To me part of the reason for that is Monster is better at playing the puck than Howard. When you have a good puck handling goalie it leads to better/easier breakouts and less time hemmed in your own zone. I can't even begin to count how many times Howard has made a bad read when playing the puck which lead to a great scoring chance for the other team.

 

[TatarTangle]

Well maybe we would have come back if Howard found a way to keep it at 1-0...when it gets to 3-0 it kinda sinks the team....Howard almost never finds a way to get it done...stop the puck at all costs...Lundquist routinely makes saves he has no business making....when does Howard ever carry the team on his back? He's sure paid like a guy who should occasionally do so...

Not sure if serious.

He did find a way to keep it 1-0 until Nyquist turns the puck over in their own zone resulting in the second goal that was tipped in which he had no chance of saving. King Henrik doesn't even make that save.

Trying to put any blame on Howard today when he bailed out Kronwall and co. several times is pretty silly and uninformed.

 

[XxTatar21SaucexX]

Lousy game. I hate watching the Rangers and that system though.

They must be one of the quickest teams in the league. Reminds me a bit of how we used to play.

 

[TheOtherOne]

With Monster in we won this 7-6.

 

[detredWINgs]

To me part of the reason for that is Monster is better at playing the puck than Howard. When you have a good puck handling goalie it leads to better/easier breakouts and less time hemmed in your own zone. I can't even begin to count how many times Howard has made a bad read when playing the puck which lead to a great scoring chance for the other team.

Howard is atrocious at playing the puck. I honestly don't understand how an NHL-level goaltender can be so bad at it. Isn't this something you can work on and improve? No one is asking him to be Brodeur but my god is he far from that. I just don't get it. To me, its the equivalent of a center being atrocious at faceoffs and not ever improving.

 

[drw02]

Not sure if serious.

He did find a way to keep it 1-0 until Nyquist turns the puck over in their own zone resulting in the second goal that was tipped in which he had no chance of saving. King Henrik doesn't even make that save.

Trying to put any blame on Howard today when he bailed out Kronwall and co. several times is pretty silly and uninformed.

dead serious

Sure it's easy to say Lundquist doesn't make that save but in reality we don't really know that. You act like Lundquist has never stopped a deflected shot before. Truthfully Lundquist probably would have stopped it because he would have seen the shot from the point and played it aggressively by coming out further to cut the angle on any deflection. Howie was just sitting back deep in his crease waiting for the puck to come to him instead of playing the situation proactively.

Even keeping it at 2-0 would have still given us a chance. That 3rd goal took all the life out of the team...at least whatever life was left...what's the excuse for the 3rd goal?

No team is ever going to play a perfect game. There will be turnovers and defensive breakdowns...it's the goalies job to bail his fellow teammates out. Howard doesn't do that....ever

 

[14ari13]

True people want to blame Howard, But the bottom line is that the offense just plainly stunk today. You don't score you don't win that's how the game is the Rangers scored 3 goals and the Wings scored 0 goals. You cant win like that.

Lundquist faced 30 shots, allowed no goals.
Howard faced 31 allowed 3 goals.

No matter what he keeps losing. We scored 3 goals ved NJD he lost.
Keep in mind, after the olympics we are 2-0 without Howard, 1-3 with Howard.

 

[The Zermanator]

Howard is atrocious at playing the puck. I honestly don't understand how an NHL-level goaltender can be so bad at it. Isn't this something you can work on and improve? No one is asking him to be Brodeur but my god is he far from that. I just don't get it. To me, its the equivalent of a center being atrocious at faceoffs and not ever improving.

To me part of the reason for that is Monster is better at playing the puck than Howard. When you have a good puck handling goalie it leads to better/easier breakouts and less time hemmed in your own zone. I can't even begin to count how many times Howard has made a bad read when playing the puck which lead to a great scoring chance for the other team.

How many breakouts is a goalie really involved in anyway? Maybe 5%? Usually it's the defensemen who start the breakout. When goalies play the puck they just leave it behind the net for the D most of the time.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Get shutout, and Howard gets the crux of the blame.

Not sure how you guys even get to that conclusion.

 

[The Zermanator]

Lundquist faced 30 shots, allowed no goals.
Howard faced 31 allowed 3 goals.

No matter what he keeps losing. We scored 3 goals ved NJD he lost.
Keep in mind, after the olympics we are 2-0 without Howard, 1-3 with Howard.

Lundquist is a much better goalie, not many will disagree there.

I just think it's a little silly that people are focusing on Howard in a game where 18 skaters failed to score a goal.

 

[ShanahanMan]

Get shutout, and Howard gets the crux of the blame.

Not sure how you guys even get to that conclusion.

Not to blame for the outcome, but the 3rd goal he let in, his positioning was laughably bad.

 

[drw02]

How many breakouts is a goalie really involved in anyway? Maybe 5%? Usually it's the defensemen who start the breakout. When goalies play the puck they just leave it behind the net for the D most of the time.

Howard makes bonehead decisions when he plays the puck. He'll come out and stop the puck behind the net and instead of leaving it or passing it to his D-man he'll do something stupid like throw it up the boards and turn it back over to the other team. Happens all the time with him...I really gotta start keeping a count on his stupid decisions with the puck. There are usually 2-3 a game at a minimum.

 

[detredWINgs]

Does anyone have the numbers on defense scoring? I'd love to see where the Wings rank.

 

[Konnan511]

I thought our defense played a good defensive game. Every other aspect was atrocious. On to the next game!

 

[Honest M]

That's pretty unrealistic. Even the best goaltenders in the league don't pitch shutouts with any regularity.

This pretty much summons this game up, Jimmy wasn’t lousy but beatable and last goal was week. Anyway we would probably not win this game with Gus in net cause he ait in that bold text group either.

 

[Wingfan191]

Does anyone have the numbers on defense scoring? I'd love to see where the Wings rank.

I actually had them added up just before the Olympics, but the scratch pad I wrote it all out on is at work. Needless to say, we were very bad. I think 28th in goals by D men and like 24th in pts by D men.

EDIT - Scratch that, I actually have the worksheet here... I was right, we were 28th in goals for by D-Men with 16 (Montreal had 15 and the Isles had 14) and were 24th in pts per player by a D-Man with 8.8. The only teams worse were Buffalo (6.2), Dallas (7.9), Edmonton (5.5), Florida (7.6), Isles (8.3), and the Rangers (8.4).

But don't forget, these were stats from like 4 weeks ago. I might do another go at it now to see if we've improved at all.

 

[Shoalzie]

Safe to say I don't want to see them in the playoffs...at least not without Pavel.

 

[14ari13]

Get shutout, and Howard gets the crux of the blame.

Not sure how you guys even get to that conclusion.

And how about Devils and Avs games?

This discussion about Howard's goaltending this season is beyond any reasonable discussion. We have no chance making playoffs with this goaltending.
We won 2 games after the break and both back to back when the team was tired, both games without Howard. Howard has 13 wins the whole season.