GDT: WCQ Game #1 | Detroit Red Wings @ Anaheim Ducks | 10:30 PM EST | FS-D / NBCSN / TSN

[Yemack]

banter seems a bit more vicious this year

maybe all the losing during the season took the toll on some on you.

 

[Vladdy84]

banter seems a bit more vicious this year

maybe all the losing during the season took the toll on some on you.

I've actually tried to tone it down a bit for the playoffs. I'm sure it will be jolted back up if and when the Wings get eliminated.

Oh and I'm not the biggest Jimmy fan. But, teams like the Leafs or Islanders would easily offer 5.5-6M a year for Jimmy had he hit the open market.

 

[CloneHakanPlease*]

Wing's lost the game opposed to the Ducks winning it. That's no slight to the ducks, just the way I see it. Detroit's A game can beat what we saw last night, though it may not have been the Duck's "A" game either.

 

[RedWingsNow*]

There's a few folks who have very consistently beat the drum that Howard can't get it done in the playoffs, and subsequently, does not deserve to be signed long term.

How you view that situation depends entirely if you think the Wings have done anything to help him at all.

I'm of the opinion he's not a Lundqvist, but hey, he's good enough if the team can actually score more than 1 goal.

Look, I ain't saying Howard CAN'T get it done.

I'm saying he needs to PROVE IT.
Because right now, his playoff performances have been really, really uninspiring.

That's fine when you're making $2.5M a year. He's a big boy now.

It's kind of weird, because this time last year... a lot of people were still on the fence, like me, about Howard.

But now, if you're on the fence, you're considered a "hater."

Goalies put up good regular season stats all the time. James Reimer had a nice year in Toronto.

But good goalies stand out in the playoffs.

 

[HTT3*]

Howard is one of the best goalies in the NHL.

 

[Bench]

That's fine when you're making $2.5M a year. He's a big boy now.

Technically, he's still under the old deal so you should feel like you're getting a value.

 

[RedWingsNow*]

Technically, he's still under the old deal so you should feel like you're getting a value.

Good point.
But...it isn't working.

Let's see Howard outplay the other goalie and the Wings win a series.

 

[Bench]

Your objections are noted. Only this playoffs + 6 more years to go. I'll put it on a sticky note so we don't have to repeat ourselves every year.

I lost my sticky note about Franzen, though. What was everybody's opinion on his contract again?

 

[Syckle78]

I disagree, a large majority didn't think they would even make the playoffs. Go look through some of the older threads. With your we can play better statement I'm sure Ducks fans are saying the same thing. Effort wasn't the issue it was bad decisions, in my opinion. But if you haven't noticed by now it because an argument of semantics.

I'm calling ********. Please point out where a large majority, hell ill settle for a slight majority, of posters said the Wings would miss the playoffs.

 

[HIFE]

Another problem is our bottom-six has no identity. Look at Anaheim with the speed and scoring (3rd line being their shutdown line) or LA with the big in-your-face grinders. Our bottom-six is really underwhelming. They don't provide much physicality, speed or scoring. They don't do much at all to change the outcome of the game.

Come to think of it, our entire team doesn't have an identity. Mostly just a bunch of misused spare parts.

Ouch it does sting to read these words.

All you need to do is look at our record during April to see we are not a good hockey team. We beat ONE playoff team in April: the LA Kings on April 24th.

We only had 3 wins against playoff teams in March.

All told 10 of our 24 wins came against playoff-caliber teams. We had our worst home record since the Dead Wings era.

The roster just isn't where it needs to be in order to compete with the best teams in the league. We will need Jimmy to stand on his head to have any shot at being competitive in this series.

Double Ouch.

 

[14ari13]

Ok folks, you say the team did not score enough. 1 goal is not enough. Let's see then how about other teams and their goalis.
The mgihty Hawks scored how many? Right, just 1 PP goal. (OT winner)
Wild scored 1 goal.
Blues scored 1 goal
Kings scored 1 goal (practically 0 as they pulled the goalie to score the tying goal)
Canucks scored 1 goal
Wings scored 1 PP goal
Ducks scored 2 PP goals (1EN)
Sharks scored 3 goals.
So it is not like other goalies in the West are getting 3+ goals from their teams.
So just 2 out of 8 teams scored more than 1 goal in regulation. What does it tell you then? Obviously the games will be tight, the teams will play very defensive minded hockey. In those kind of games, your goalie has to be perfect and then make 2-3 unbelieveable saves.
Howard was not excellent, he was solid. But the series will be played in that manner that he will have to step up and play excellent and make some incredibe saves. He will also have to steal a game, maybe even 2.
Howard was the hottest goalie going into playoffs. The Ducks knew this and they scored 2 perfect goals.
On the ohter hand, Hiller made one huge save on Filppula.
Note that 6 out of 10 goals scored in regulation in the West were scored with the man advantage.

 

[Bench]

The mgihty Hawks scored how many? Right, just 1 PP goal. (OT winner)
Wild scored 1 goal. Lost
Blues scored 1 goal
Kings scored 1 goal Lost
Canucks scored 1 goal Lost
Wings scored 1 PP goal Lost
Ducks scored 2 PP goals (1EN)
Sharks scored 3 goals.

All the teams that lost scored 1 goal. Add Toronto and the shutout Islanders to that list.

 

[Redwingsfan]

New game tonight. Time to move on