GDT: WCSF Game 6 | Chicago @ Detroit | 5/27 | 8:00 PM EST | CBC / NBCSN

[19 for president]

This team drives me nuts... I don't know if I can stand watching another of their games this season. My heart might not be able to take it.

With that said... I'd like to see

Abby-Dats-Nyquist
Franzen-Z-Brunner
Eaves-Andersson-Miller
Cleary-Flip-TooToo

Our kids have been the only consistently dangerous group in regards to our forwards. Eaves and Miller have been pretty good too since returning. Its time to sink or swim with them. Our top two lines aren't doing anything because they are slow. We get zero odd man attacks because they are slow. Switching out Flip and Cleary won't make the top lines any worse defensively really because both have been pretty blah. Dats+ Nyquist might get us a breakaway or two and Franzen always looks better with Z than he does with Dats. Tootoo will at least give us some physical energy and that is needed. When the Wings were hammering the hawks we were winning battles and getting the puck. He's also really underrated when it comes to tipping pucks. Plus Emmerton is just completely blah atm.

As for Smith I dunno what to do with him. He should be benched but at this point White hasn't played in ages. Plus it might destroy the little confidence he has left. Although potentially losing this series for the Wings with two horrendous coverage jobs, might have already done that. Not even Babs can gloss over those two plays.

Chicago is a good team they deserved the win with their play in the 3rd. Time for Dats, Z, Kronwall, Franzen, Howard to step up. Its win or go home Wednesday.

 

[vladdy16]

I thought the problem was a certain slowness of mind, a failure to recognize situations quickly and do the right thing in response.

I think we've been real gun-shy these last two games. Guys aren't thinking ahead/trying to make things happen. Just generally bewildered by the situation/unexpected series lead. Our best play tonight came when the scoreboard/situation was least nervous.

 

[alcoraces]

Refs screwed us BAD in the 3rd!!!
-Right before the 1st goal high stick on Smith (righ in front of the ********ng ref) NO CALL!
-Second goal Chicago was OFFISIDES
-Third goal iffy penalty shot call.

The most powerful people on the ice aren't the stars like Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Toews,or Kane. Its the guys with the whistles!!! We got screwed. Remove any of these goals and we went into OT tonight.

Maybe a high stick on goal #1, but the second goal was not offsides.....nor was it offside. Detroit brought the puck back into the zone themselves, this negates the offside. I agree with you on the penalty shot though, that "slash" hit nothing but stick.

But Chicago was the better team tonight. Good luck in Game 7.

 

[aar000n]

Refs screwed us BAD in the 3rd!!!
-Right before the 1st goal high stick on Smith (righ in front of the ********ng ref) NO CALL!
-Second goal Chicago was OFFISIDES
-Third goal iffy penalty shot call.

The most powerful people on the ice aren't the stars like Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Toews,or Kane. Its the guys with the whistles!!! We got screwed. Remove any of these goals and we went into OT tonight.

This in the end the refs are the most powerful people on the ice.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

he may get to be

unlike a defenceman number 2 who was responsible for 2 goals tonight

DeKeyser made a turnover and got outmuscled by Getzlaf, right before making two turnovers then breaking his thumb on a goal in one of our other epic collapses. I know you guys like to think he was invincible, but he had a rough couple of opening games against Anahiem with one beautiful stretch pass. The DeKeyser train needs to slow down, the expectations on him are more out of whack than they need to be.

He would be having some interesting issues if asked to check the likes of Toews and Kane. It is always easy to say some guy that isn't out there is going to make all these plays and leave out the fact they make mistakes too. DeKeyser seems safer with the puck, but it was a short stint and teams will have a better idea of what to do with him after some time in the league. The Ducks looked to have figured him out in a much bigger way in Game 2 right before his injury, exposing him a little too.

 

[Yemack]

DeKeyser made a turnover and got outmuscled by Getzlaf, right before making two turnovers then breaking his thumb on a goal in one of our other epic collapses. I know you guys like to think he was invincible, but he had a rough couple of opening games against Anahiem with one beautiful stretch pass. The DeKeyser train needs to slow down, the expectations on him are more out of whack than they need to be.

He would be having some interesting issues if asked to check the likes of Toews and Kane. It is always easy to say some guy that isn't out there is going to make all these plays and leave out the fact they make mistakes too. DeKeyser seems safer with the puck, but it was a short stint and teams will have a better idea of what to do with him after some time in the league. The Ducks looked to have figured him out in a much bigger way in Game 2 right before his injury, exposing him a little too.

well I wasn't really serious when I made the comment

I agree DD wasn't very good in his playoff debut. I actually wrote that in round 1 report card. think I gave him C- or D or something

 

[silkyjohnson50]

Datsyuk was terrible tonight, Smith also played a bad game.

When your star player plays that poorly though you are likely to lose in a big game. Defend him all you want, credit his assist, but this team needs more from him, he has been bad and tonight was awful.

I would love to hear an honest explanation as to how Zetterberg was better than Datsyuk tonight...

 

[TKB]

Maybe a high stick on goal #1, but the second goal was not offsides.....nor was it offside. Detroit brought the puck back into the zone themselves, this negates the offside. I agree with you on the penalty shot though, that "slash" hit nothing but stick.

But Chicago was the better team tonight. Good luck in Game 7.

FYI the penalty shote, I just watched the play frame by frame, and it really looks to me like he hit him directly on the hands, and Frolik lost the puck.

As pissed as I was at the time, I think that was the right call. The official is right there in good position as well.

 

[Fugu]

So here we were with a real chance to make the WCF but ultimately brought down by the lack of quality on the roster.

We need more from guys like Franzen and Filppula. Dats and Z can't do everything, and Cleary and Abby are the other top six forwards. That's your problem.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

The thing that leaves me proper smarting is that I allowed myself to get sucked in. Until game #4 I was more or less apathetic/resigned to the Wings sucking and going out, then we won game #4 and this thing called "hope" came into my mind. I knew game #5 would be a tall order but I was confident for game #6. I allowed myself a tiny bit of optimism that had grown to a nearly reckless moderate optimism after two periods tonight.

And then it all comes crashing down and now I am really pissed off and angry when really it's all what I expected from the start anyway.

I guess what we learned tonight is that pessimism and acceptance ought to be the approach for the time being, at least as long as Cleary and Abdelkader are out there expected to contribute offense and Smith is expected to play important playoff minutes.

 

[Vladdy84]

I would love to hear an honest explanation as to how Zetterberg was better than Datsyuk tonight...

Z was on the ice in the 3rd?

Datsyuk faded late.

But our big 3 faded.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I would love to hear an honest explanation as to how Zetterberg was better than Datsyuk tonight...

They both weren't great, I thought Zetterberg was slightly better. Datsyuk is getting the matchup between those two to be more successful and he is not delivering. I liked Z's compete level a little more and thought while he could be a lot better, he played a little better game. Both need to be much much better if we are going to do anything in Game 7.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

Time to put 13 and 40 together again. Franzen was absolutely terrible, Filppula does nothing but stay on the perimeter, and Cleary and Abdelkader have the skill/offensive sense of a 4th liner - which they are.

They need help against a team as strong as Chicago when they're playing hard. Just put them together and whatever happens happens.

 

[Frk It]

FYI the penalty shote, I just watched the play frame by frame, and it really looks to me like he hit him directly on the hands, and Frolik lost the puck.

As pissed as I was at the time, I think that was the right call. The official is right there in good position as well.

Still think that's a very soft call even if that is the case, especially for playoff hockey.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

They both weren't great, I thought Zetterberg was slightly better. Datsyuk is getting the matchup between those two to be more successful and he is not delivering.

CBC had Toews' shift chart, which showed that Datsyuk actually played against him more throughout the game.

Datsyuk also was apart of probably 3 or 4 of our 5 best chances throughout the game. Granted he's got to finish when he gets a chance such as the breakaway in the 3rd, but it also doesn't help when he's throws lasers on Franzen's stick in the slot only for him to bobble it.

 

[Vladdy84]

Time to put 13 and 40 together again. Franzen was absolutely terrible, Filppula does nothing but stay on the perimeter, and Cleary and Abdelkader have the skill/offensive sense of a 4th liner - which they are.

They need help against a team as strong as Chicago when they're playing hard. Just put them together and whatever happens happens.

No, If the Wings are to win a Game 7, it's on players like Flip and Mule to take it. Putting Dats and Z together is a death sentence. Joel Q would love that.

 

[alcoraces]

FYI the penalty shote, I just watched the play frame by frame, and it really looks to me like he hit him directly on the hands, and Frolik lost the puck.

As pissed as I was at the time, I think that was the right call. The official is right there in good position as well.

I didn't watch it frame by frame. You are probably right then.

 

[GoAwayDanCleary]

CBC had Toews' shift chart, which showed that Datsyuk actually played against him throughout the game.

Datsyuk also was apart of probably 3 or 4 of our 5 best chances throughout the game. Granted he's got to finish when he gets a chance such as the breakaway in the 3rd, but it also doesn't help when he's throws lasers on Franzen's stick in the slot only for him to bobble it.

He didn't create much at all for his standards.

 

[YostisHome]

Watching that Andersson goal again... that was a weird shot all the way around. Knucklepuck? LOL

 

[Vladdy84]

Still think Andersson is mediocre despite that fluke goal. Come back Helm!

 

[ArGarBarGar]

This series right now for me:

I can't even get mad. Team went way above what we all expected, even if they do choke game 7 away.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

No, If the Wings are to win a Game 7, it's on players like Flip and Mule to take it. Putting Dats and Z together is a death sentence. Joel Q would love that.

Franzen just played one of his worsts games of the season... and he was terrible outside of the last few weeks of the regular season. When did he actually play good? When he was at center. Detroit made the playoffs down the stretch and won round 1 against Anaheim with 13 and 40 together 99% off the time.

 

[Nut Upstrom]

What do you expect Datsyuk to do, exactly? Walk through every Hawk on the ice like they're the freaking Predators?

Have you seen the congestion out there? Have you seen our lack of quality chances and bad offensive zone positioning? We played possession around the perimeter and only got shots off of bad rebounds and fractured plays/scrambles. Datsyuk cannot force people to play a smarter game and open themselves up so that he can feed them.

Our defense cannot move the puck through the neutral zone to save their lives, and they are the ones driving the plays. We dumped the puck in all night tonight and I don't think we actually retrieved it once.

ok, well if it's as bad as you say and Chicago is that good then I guess I expect him to do nothing. Honestly though, I expect him to stop turning the puck over, I expect him to cancel out their stars at the very least, I expect him not to take stupid penalties when his team is in a hole, and when the chips are down I expect him to do something to rise above the fruckus and make something happen. Maybe I am unreasonable, but I expect that.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Franzen just played one of his worsts games of the season... and he was terrible outside of the last few weeks of the regular season. When did he actually play good? When he was at center. Detroit made the playoffs down the stretch and won round 1 against Anaheim with 13 and 40 together 99% off the time.

No he wasn't. He started off well, had to recover from an injury, and started to play much more consistently.

He hasn't had a great playoff year. Has anyone on the team other than Zetterberg?

 

[Yemack]

I agree that when the other team is flying out there, it's hard to even play to your average level. However, most Wings players who played below their average tonight didnt cost us 2 goals.

really, is the experience and growth worth missing a chance to clinch the series? Smith should be happy White is MIA for some weird reason that occured during the season. No way in hell he should be playing right now otherwise. Actually Smith and their parents should thank whoever broke the Dekeyser's thumb