Pre-Game Talk: 10/25/16 | Hurricanes vs Red Wings | 7:30 PM | FS-D, FS-CR

[Yemack]

Hope Wings come out play fast, heads up hockey. If we are going to win the Cup this season, we need to get better.

 

[Flowah]

If we are going to win the Cup this season

I would start believing in god again if we managed to win the Cup with this roster. That is a bonafide miracle.

 

[KJoe88]

I would start believing in god again if we managed to win the Cup with this roster. That is a bonafide miracle.

So far we've shown a little promise.

 

[Mijatovic]

So far we've shown a little promise.

Emphasis on little. Getting smashed across 3 games (should have lost NYR) and doing well in 3 is not really cup-worthy material

 

[KJoe88]

Emphasis on little. Getting smashed across 3 games (should have lost NYR) and doing well in 3 is not really cup-worthy material

Yet beating two very good teams and blowing a lead against a good team in which we should have won is irrelevant I see.

Stealing games is a part of being a good team too.

 

[TheMule93]

Yet beating two very good teams and blowing a lead against a good team in which we should have won is irrelevant I see.

Stealing games is a part of being a good team too.

I assume you're talking about the Tampa game when you say we blew a lead and we should have won

That's not true. We showed up for the first 10 min and got crushed the remaining 50min of that game. We have played 3 really bad games and 3 good games. That averages out to being... Average, which is what we are.

 

[The Zermanator]

Yet beating two very good teams and blowing a lead against a good team in which we should have won is irrelevant I see.

Stealing games is a part of being a good team too.

Nothing wrong being optimistic, but you have to be realistic too. Regular season just determines which 16 teams make the playoffs. To win the Cup, you need to beat the best. How do you see this team faring in a 7 game series against Washington/Pittsburgh/St Louis/Chicago/Tampa (we've seen this one play out a couple times recently...)/etc?

 

[SpookyTsuki]

I assume you're talking about the Tampa game when you say we blew a lead and we should have won

That's not true. We showed up for the first 10 min and got crushed the remaining 50min of that game. We have played 3 really bad games and 3 good games. That averages out to being... Average, which is what we are.

Playing like a top 5 team right now. It'll average out though

 

[KJoe88]

Nothing wrong being optimistic, but you have to be realistic too. Regular season just determines which 16 teams make the playoffs. To win the Cup, you need to beat the best. How do you see this team faring in a 7 game series against Washington/Pittsburgh/St Louis/Chicago/Tampa (we've seen this one play out a couple times recently...)/etc?

The game's against TB have always been closer than the standard sentiments state - in which consist of TB blowing us out. That's not true.

I know it's been a few years, but we did take Chicago to seven games. That wasn't easy. I understand we don't have a Datysuk anymore, but this team has shown heart and tenacity so far. I've always said this team isn't too far off being a really good one. My perception is that the current Red Wings team has un- tapped potential.

Washington doesn't scare me - they've always been underwhelming. St Louis always seem to collapse. The only teams that imo really are truly top notch are Chicago and Pittsburgh. Boston is a team that we tend to struggle against too, however they're a shell of their former selves. I'm not blindy saying we're cup contenders - no, of course not, but I believe we would give those teams fits IF we continue playing well.

I like being the minority on this board. I always have to defend my optimism.

It REALLY disgusts me when the above poster who originally quoted me (per usual) ONLY resonates the two bad games we've had compared to the majority of the season actually being a POSITIVE one so far, in which he avoided. Just to make a useless statement.

If the Wings miss the playoffs, I'll eat crow. For now, I'm going to enjoy positive vibes and decent Wings team.

 

[Wood Stick]

Chicago doesn't look scary. Their forward core really isn't anything special. Toews is looking more and more like a 50 point centre. Kane absolutely carries that team offensively and can be shut down.

 

[ap3x]

Yeah, not scaring me this season at all. Their time is slowly running out.

 

[Claypool]

Ericsson has been playing with a hip impingement, a condition in which there is abnormal and wearing contact between the ball and socket of the hip joint, for about four years. But he said it's not a big issue.

"The only thing I could do to try to help it out as much as possible was during the off-season and I did whatever I could," Ericsson said. "I improved a lot over the off-season with that, so mobility-wise and strength-wise, just trying to prepare myself. It is what it is. It's always going to be there, but it's not a big issue."

Yikes.

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index..._jonathan_ericsson_mo.html#incart_river_index

 

[theYman]

I bet you Carolina puts Frk in the lineup and he scores his first NHL goal.

That would be our luck. But seems to me they put him in the minors. That's 2 of ours Carolina has gotten off waivers.

 

[DanZ]

I assume you're talking about the Tampa game when you say we blew a lead and we should have won

That's not true. We showed up for the first 10 min and got crushed the remaining 50min of that game. We have played 3 really bad games and 3 good games. That averages out to being... Average, which is what we are.

Well it's fair to point out that the first two bad games were the first two games of the season against two of the best teams in the league on the road. Rough way to start the year with some different faces in the lineup. What's important is that the team is trending in the right direction (3 good games out of the last 4) right now so I'm OK with being optimistic until we see something different. No I don't think we're a contender but I think if a couple players (Tatar, Larkin) can start producing and if we can add a top 4 defenseman throughout the season that we can make some noise.

 

[ap3x]

Am I really the only one that didn't consider all of the Tampa Game bad/awful? Good first and decent second.
It's the classical choke in the disappointing third that bothers me the most.

 

[KJoe88]

Am I really the only one that didn't consider all of the Tampa Game bad/awful? Good first and decent second.
It's the classical choke in the disappointing third that bothers me the most.

I concur.

 

[jolly roger]

How long will Larkin continue to get big minutes without scoring?

Blashill couldn't buy him a goal for 2 minutes on an empty net last start.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Nothing wrong being optimistic, but you have to be realistic too. Regular season just determines which 16 teams make the playoffs. To win the Cup, you need to beat the best. How do you see this team faring in a 7 game series against Washington/Pittsburgh/St Louis/Chicago/Tampa (we've seen this one play out a couple times recently...)/etc?

It's been 6 games, no reason to even think about how we could do in the playoffs. If this team continues to play like they have the last 4 games they will do well. If they look strong perhaps we see the mythical trade for Fowler/Trouba. Lots can happen during the year. For now we still need to see more from this team to know what we have. Is Sproul for real? That could very much change our outlook on defense. Will both Howard and Mrazek keep playing like #1 goalies? That would be a significant strength for us. Let's see. Last season we sometimes put together 2-3 good games in a row but it was always followed by as many bad games.

How long will Larkin continue to get big minutes without scoring?

Blashill couldn't buy him a goal for 2 minutes on an empty net last start.

As long as we're winning at least. Maybe longer. He needs the experience.

 

[izlez]

Am I really the only one that didn't consider all of the Tampa Game bad/awful? Good first and decent second.
It's the classical choke in the disappointing third that bothers me the most.

And those first two games weren't just against good teams on the road, they were against good teams playing in their home openers.

I haven't dug into the numbers since all teams have completed their home openers, but early on the home team was winning the vast majority of them.

Still, as always, fans are way too high after a win and way too low after a loss. It's still early and we need to see much more to see how it plays out

 

[Frk It]

How long will Larkin continue to get big minutes without scoring?

Blashill couldn't buy him a goal for 2 minutes on an empty net last start.

He's not getting big minutes.

Last 4 games he has played: 15:36, 15:20, 14:02, 13:54

 

[theYman]

Mrazek just seems off this year. I mean he's not bad. He's made the saves when we needed him. But having a 3+ GAA isn't really helping his cause. Schneider is on a worse team year in year out and always manages to keep his numbers low. I'd take him over Mrazek right now. But I hope he can straighten out. I'm cautiously optimisitc when he's in net now.

 

[DanZ]

Mrazek just seems off this year. I mean he's not bad. He's made the saves when we needed him. But having a 3+ GAA isn't really helping his cause. Schneider is on a worse team year in year out and always manages to keep his numbers low. I'd take him over Mrazek right now. But I hope he can straighten out. I'm cautiously optimisitc when he's in net now.

Schneider was a Vezina candidate. Mrazek has great career numbers and is only in his second full season. Give him more than 4 games.

 

[Frk It]

Mrazek just seems off this year. I mean he's not bad. He's made the saves when we needed him. But having a 3+ GAA isn't really helping his cause. Schneider is on a worse team year in year out and always manages to keep his numbers low. I'd take him over Mrazek right now. But I hope he can straighten out. I'm cautiously optimisitc when he's in net now.

If you remove the first game, his numbers are good. The defense was terrible in front of him in that first game.

.857 SV % in the first game, then .919%, .969%, and .909 % since.

Doesn't help that he faces 34-35 shots a game, and some good looks. We've played better in front of Jimmy so far, for some reason. That's not to say that Jimmy hasn't been great on top of that, because he has been IMO.

 

[CanadaIsIrrelevant]

 

[CanadaIsIrrelevant]