GDT: Round 2 of 7: Red Wings @ Lightning | 7:00 PM | Fight!

[TheRatPoisoner]

Common Wings! Steal an away game here tonight!

http://www.wingingitinmotown.com/20...etterberg-is-a-hill-the-red-wings-will-die-on

The over-usage of Henrik Zetterberg is a hill the Red Wings will die on

Obviousy it's impossible to know how things would be different if Blashill didn't rely so heavily on Dats or Z throughout the regular season. That said, I don't think it's a stretch to assume that they'd look a lot better right about now if they weren't rode like a couple of rented mules for most of the year.

Dats in particular looks like he re-injured himself somewhere along the lines. He had stretches around his 10 game mark where he looked like the old magic man, but now he's just skating on one leg.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Watching Z decline like this is like watching your favourite car rust out and decay. It served you so well and you truly love it but the new owner continues to thrash it in it's old age. And there's nothing you can do but weep as it putters along wanting to keep up like it used to but it can't because it is old and broken.

Only five more years of this to go Z

Seriously though if he reaches Cleary level of bad will he LTIRetire?

I think Z can have several good years if they just LIMIT HIS MINUTES. He was fine the first half of the season. And he showed glimpses up until the 50-60 game mark. But his tank ran out of gas as Blash increased his minutes.

He should be getting 15-17 minutes at most.

 

[Laser Rayzor]

I think Z can have several good years if they just LIMIT HIS MINUTES. He was fine the first half of the season. And he showed glimpses up until the 50-60 game mark. But his tank ran out of gas as Blash increased his minutes.

He should be getting 15-17 minutes at most.

He should but I have almost no faith that he will, Trashill will lean on him even more for the next few years with Dats gone.

 

[Ezekial]

Blashill logic, "We've lost 3 games in a row. Lets keep going with what hasn't been working!"

Those lines are still terrible. Wings will most likely lose tonight.

Those weren't the lines in the final 2 regular season games.

 

[Classicnamesup]

Jimmy has done such an admirable job the last few games

 

[Shoalzie]

The ideal lineup if they kept Mantha up:
Zetterberg-Larkin-Abdelkader
Nyquist-Datsyuk-Mantha
Richards-Sheahan-Tatar
Helm-Glendening-Athanasiou

3 balanced lines and an energy line. Get Hank out of the center spot and Helm should not be a top 9 forward.

 

[Squirrel in the Hole]

Blashill logic, "We've lost 3 games in a row. Lets keep going with what hasn't been working!"

Just like Babcock before him. There must be something in the water at the Joe.


You need Smith in there if for no other reason, we are getting our a**es kicked out there. Abby can only do so much on his own.

 

[jolly roger]

Without Abby and DeKeyser last game Larkin would still be in Tampa General Hospital.

 

[Shoalzie]

I think Smith needs to be in just for the toughness factor. Marchenko has been fine but they need to match their toughness because there's too many finesse players in this lineup.

The size advantage has been obvious going back to last year. The defense has crazy long reaches with sticks and the forecheck has been ferocious and creates turnovers. The Wings need to make faster decisions with the puck...defense needs to be able to make passes out of the zone while under pressure. The Lightning had a couple surges in the game where it looks like the Wings were hit by a tidal wave.

 

[Frk It]

wish we could go

Dekeyser-Green
Kronwall-Smith
Quincey-Marchenko

 

[Datsyukian Deke]

Blashill logic, "We've lost 3 games in a row. Lets keep going with what hasn't been working!"

Those lines are still terrible. Wings will most likely lose tonight.

So very sad, but so true...it's like listening to a Lions Head Coach Press Conference...you just can't help beating your head against the wall and being in amazement at the incompetence and delusion.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

If people don't want Blashill to overplay Pav and Z, why are they asking that he break up that line?

The lines will be fine. We played well for most of last game. Blash just needs to find a way to get that fourth line 6-7 shifts each period.

 

[Shaman464]

We played a good Game 1, no real changes needed. I would like the Nyquist-Sheahan-Tatar line to be broken up though. Switch Tatar and Zetterberg.

This is how Detroit played. They got more swings in, but doesn't matter when the other person is strong enough to hold you back the whole time.

 

[jolly roger]

Without Abby and DeKeyser last game Larkin would still be in Tampa General Hospital.

 

[Yemack]

The Wings need to make faster decisions with the puck...defense needs to be able to make passes out of the zone while under pressure. The Lightning had a couple surges in the game where it looks like the Wings were hit by tidal wave.

100% agree with you on those points I took out from your post but putting anybody back in there right now wont solve anything unless Lidstrom decides to race them up again.

If you remember it was me, who's always been saying Wings need more size/toughness in the backend. I think I've been saying that going back to.. probably my first couple posts here. However I did not think the size was the issue last game. Whether Lightning planned to do it or not, they found a hole and they exploited it, twice. The same play.

Watching the game, it was kinda telling me, it's not really the size that the Wings need right now (although Wings do need them, for regular season when they dont go fullout like they do right now) but Wings actually need more brains and skills while under pressure which Smith is not known for. At all. I like Smith for certain elements he provides. And he has come a quite a way from his ... clueless beginning. But a cool customer under pressure who makes smart decisions he is not. Though neither Ericsson is really.

Watch how TB neutralize pressure and forechecking and take care of dumped in pucks. Wings need more of that instead of false bravado and hot airs.

Anyways should watch out for Drouin and Kucherov. Especially Drouin. Let's shut him down and not let him feel good about his game. I think he kinda was the spark plug for TB in the 3rd. Kucherov for his one timer. Strangely I had feeling they would be thorn before the series started. Must be how they played against Wings during regular season that gave me that impression. Nevertheless they play well against Wings this season and played well last game.

 

[Pavels Dog]

This is how Detroit played. They got more swings in, but doesn't matter when the other person is strong enough to hold you back the whole time.

Eh, I don't think Tampa had things under that much control. Bishop made a couple of pretty huge saves. If this series looks like Game 1 all the time, it will go 7 and be decided by a coin-toss.

 

[jolly roger]

We need Larkin to take over this series.

1 2 3 let's have fun!

Larkin is tired and the bolts are intimidating him .

 

[Flowah]

Eh, I don't think Tampa had things under that much control. Bishop made a couple of pretty huge saves. If this series looks like Game 1 all the time, it will go 7 and be decided by a coin-toss.

They didn't. We had some glorious chances. Just lacked finish. And they had an offside goal and Helm decided to go full derp on 1-2 of theirs. It was much closer than people think.

That's why I'm frustrated. If we were playing the Caps and just getting manhandled, whatever. They're a better team. But Bolts are injured, missing KEY guys, and we put up one hell of a fight. But we're still gimping ourselves with a bad roster, bad lines, bad minute allocation.

That's the frustrating thing.

 

[WingedWheel1987]

Ericsson on the top pair?

Good night my sweet prince.

 

[obey86]

If people don't want Blashill to overplay Pav and Z, why are they asking that he break up that line?

The lines will be fine. We played well for most of last game. Blash just needs to find a way to get that fourth line 6-7 shifts each period.

I don't understand how Pav and Z playing together or not is related to them getting a lot of TOI. Pav and Z have been overplayed while on the same line or while on different lines.

 

[BinCookin]

Lines are just laugh out loud bad.

AA and Helm should be swapped. TSN line needs to be broken up.

Dekeyser with Ericsson.... Dear god, please tell me that is not our top pair.

Guys we have a dominant contending team here.

If Blashill would stop screwing up these lines so badly we would be going to the SCFinal right right?



(The lines don't matter all that much, our players have to play better)

 

[sarcastro]

Losing to a healthy team would have been fine since this team has been lousy the last three months. But losing to a team that's missing several top players and isn't playing particularly well is just embarrassing.

Helm-Richards-Larkin is a bad line. Dislike.

 

[minitrucker83]

Watching Z decline like this is like watching your favourite car rust out and decay. It served you so well and you truly love it but the new owner continues to thrash it in it's old age.

Car guy here! These are not good feelings.

 

[Ezekial]

You people are acting as if you expected us to sweep this team.

It's embarrassing that we lost to a team with this many injuries? They were favored coming into the series even with the injuries.
No team has ever come back to win a series after losing on the road game 1 by a goal.

 

[Ulysses31]

i never wanted to be hater/complainer type fan but Coach Bombay reduces wing's chances of winning with sub-par line combos