Post-Game Talk: Win

[SoupNazi]

2-1.

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[Ezekial]

Howard
Green
Mantha


Awesome game to watch, sucks to get the points but it was a good hard-fought win.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Had me worried when Howie let in that late goal. Was rooting for the shutout.

Mantha with a silky goal to win it. Love to watch him shine.

 

[RedWingzz]

What a beauty that was.

Incredible goal, easily a top 5 goal by a Red Wing this year. Maybe even #2...(AA against Pittsburgh)

 

[Z40]

I'm not mad at all with that Mantha goal.

 

[Mijatovic]

Incredible goal, easily a top 5 goal by a Red Wing this year. Maybe even #2...(AA against Pittsburgh)

I dont see it. It was relatively nice but I would personally think AA has at least 5 goals better than that this year on his own.

 

[Hadoop]

Filthy OT GWG from Mantha. Nice moment for him against his childhood club, though it probably won't top this from last year:

 

[Reddwit]

Wish I could've seen the game. Happy to see Mantha get his 15th though.

 

[HIFE]

Howard
Green
Mantha


Awesome game to watch, sucks to get the points but it was a good hard-fought win.

Agree with your 3 stars and description of the game. Something about Howard adds a professional persona to the team. Green was exceptional IMO. It's been two seasons but I'm still thankful Holland got him.

Unlike the victory against the Hawks where I said Chicago had an abysmal game this one we matched the Canadians and took it to them. OT was the perfect example- we had the edge in possession and were skating better. I don't think Montreal is going anywhere this PS, they don't have the guns. Their support guys Shaw, Lektonnen(?), Byron, with Plekanec severely aging, Gallagher fallen back to earth, Markov another year older. Galchenyuk hasn't taken the bigger steps that we see from key stars like Taresenko or Kreider and Paciorrety is...well Paciorrety. The Habs to me don't feel as dangerous as a few years ago.

 

[Detroit Swed Wings]

Too little too late.

 

[jkutswings]

If a team I'd like to see tank is gonna win, having Mantha score in OT, and the rest of the bottom feeders win as well, is about the perfect scenario. Hopefully the kid can build some consistency from this.

 

[joe89]

Since we were sellers at the deadline I'm not gonna be mad at the guys left winning hockey games. I want the management to think at the coming years, but not the players who in some cases are probably gonna be with this team for 5-10 years or more.

The players left should have their minds at making the playoffs next season, realistic or not, and some of that work starts by ending this season on a good note. With the boost of a new arena you just never know, there's certainly a world where a ~80 pt team becomes a 95 pt team even with the same players just playing better or developing(or better coaching). That's should be the players' POV, anyway.

 

[Hadoop]

If a team I'd like to see tank is gonna win, having Mantha score in OT, and the rest of the bottom feeders win as well, is about the perfect scenario. Hopefully the kid can build some consistency from this.

Exactly my thoughts as well.

 

[haulinbass]

Keep it up boys! Put together a little win streak and make sure we get the latest draft pick possible.

 

[obey86]

Since we were sellers at the deadline I'm not gonna be mad at the guys left winning hockey games. I want the management to think at the coming years, but not the players who in some cases are probably gonna be with this team for 5-10 years or more.

The players left should have their minds at making the playoffs next season, realistic or not, and some of that work starts by ending this season on a good note. With the boost of a new arena you just never know, there's certainly a world where a ~80 pt team becomes a 95 pt team even with the same players just playing better or developing(or better coaching). That's should be the players' POV, anyway.

No reason the Wings can't make the playoffs next year or finish bottom 3 in the league again. It's a tight league.

 

[Heaton]

No reason the Wings can't make the playoffs next year or finish bottom 3 in the league again. It's a tight league.

I can name a bunch of reasons.

1. Henrik Zetterberg is still far and away our best player on the team and no one else is even close.

2. Our goaltending is still suspect, Howard was garbage last year and great this year, which Howard will we get next year as he's turning 34?

3. Our defense.

4. Our lack of talent.

There's so many teams in the Atlantic and the East with way more talent than us who are going to miss the playoffs, we're not climbing over anyone.

 

[The Zermanator]

I can name a bunch of reasons.

1. Henrik Zetterberg is still far and away our best player on the team and no one else is even close.

Yep. He's had a tremendous bounce back season, a real warrior out there. But the odds of him elevating from here is almost nil. And at his age the odds of staying the same go down every year as well. in fact, the odds are best that we will see a heavy and final decline for him sometime in the next few years, sad as that is. So our best player is also a short term prospect.

2. Our goaltending is still suspect, Howard was garbage last year and great this year, which Howard will we get next year as he's turning 34?

And how many games will he miss to injury, likely groin? It's not like there hasn't been a pattern. And is Mrazek the goalie we once thought he was? It's not unheard of for elite goalies to have had a rough season. Bobrovsky comes to mind. But Mrazek hasn't done that yet so his future is a question mark.

3. Our defense.

Nothing to add, you've said it all.

4. Our lack of talent.

See above.

 

[LarKing]

I don't think our true tank can really start until Zetterberg retires. Dude is just too good, even at his old age, for us to really tank at the bottom.

 

[SpookyTsuki]

I don't think our true tank can really start until Zetterberg retires. Dude is just too good, even at his old age, for us to really tank at the bottom.

Even on a bad team someone scores a lot. Even if they're not good. Someone could get 60-65 points

 

[Ezekial]

Even on a bad team someone scores a lot. Even if they're not good. Someone could get 60-65 points

Just like last year, amirite?

 

[obey86]

I can name a bunch of reasons.

1. Henrik Zetterberg is still far and away our best player on the team and no one else is even close.

2. Our goaltending is still suspect, Howard was garbage last year and great this year, which Howard will we get next year as he's turning 34?

3. Our defense.

4. Our lack of talent.

There's so many teams in the Atlantic and the East with way more talent than us who are going to miss the playoffs, we're not climbing over anyone.

Yes, you gave me a bunch of reasons they could suck again. All realistic. There are also a bunch of reasons they could not be this bad again next year. Could go either way, whether you're willing to admit it or not. The wings have basically the same team they had last year when they made the playoffs, no reason they can't get improvements from young players, better goaltending, a little "luck" and make it again.

 

[Heaton]

Yes, you gave me a bunch of reasons they could suck again. All realistic. There are also a bunch of reasons they could not be this bad again next year. Could go either way, whether you're willing to admit it or not.

Which are?

The wings have basically the same team they had last year when they made the playoffs, no reason they can't get improvements from young players, better goaltending, a little "luck" and make it again.

Yeah... No. Last year we had Datsyuk, who was better than Zetterberg. Now we have Zetterberg and no one else even close. I'd give this team a 15% chance of making the playoffs next year and that means that teams ahead of us ALL got worse. That means Tampa, Florida, Islanders, Carolina, Philly, Buffalo all fail to improve, even thought they all have more talent than we do. I don't see it.

I means the Lions COULD win the Superbowl this season with a little luck! We've been saying that for 50+ years tho.

 

[HockeyinHD]

Which are?

It's a tight, capped league.
They got abnormally terrible goalie play this year.
They got abnormally terrible PP play this year.
They got zero hot seasons, or even significant streaks, from any skater on the roster besides Vanek.

All kinds of established players had abnormally bad seasons. People hate Abdelkader, but he's not a two ES goal guy. Helm's more than a 6 ES goal guy. Nyquist is more than a 10 goal guy. Nielsen's more than a 14 goal guy.

There's plenty of room for the younger players to give a little more, even avoiding OD'ing on mythical upside. Mantha, Larkin, AA... all of them have plenty of space to become more consistent, as players tend to do as they mature.

And there's always the offseason, this year especially. If Detroit can shift a significant contract either through trade or through the expansion draft, they can bring in a substantial piece.

Yeah... No. Last year we had Datsyuk, who was better than Zetterberg. Now we have Zetterberg and no one else even close. I'd give this team a 15% chance of making the playoffs next year and that means that teams ahead of us ALL got worse. That means Tampa, Florida, Islanders, Carolina, Philly, Buffalo all fail to improve, even thought they all have more talent than we do. I don't see it.

Enh. Nowadays teams' level vacillates so quickly it's impossible to say who'll be rising and falling out of the big glop of teams in the middle of the NHL. Columbus is already 25 points better than they were last year. Were there a lot of people picking that outcome before the season started? Florida is 33 points down, Dallas is 41 points down, Edmonton is 17 points up, and that's just the big movers. Lots of other teams are up or down 10+ points and there wasn't a lot to suggest it was going to happen.

Detroit's 24 points down with 10 games to go, so they'll probably finish ~14 back of last years point totals. Just getting league average goalie play and PP and they'd be right back in that 7/8 race again, easily.

 

[jkutswings]

They're not making the playoffs next year.

Relative to this year, Mrazek will likely improve, Zetterberg will likely regress, and most of the other players will likely not show major change in either direction. So unless a rookie somehow shatters expectations to a crazy degree, or a team that doesn't tend to make major splashes in free agency or trade suddenly acts extremely out of character (and, should it be via free agency, convinces an important player to come to this franchise), they'll likely be within 10 points of this year's totals. (They're currently on pace to finish 12 points out of the wild card, and I'd be surprised if the East is even further compressed next year.)

Now, if this offseason suddenly consists of landing a top 3 pick, replacing the coaching staff with significant improvements, and somehow making enough moves to land 1-2 stabilizing pieces, then sure, they'll be fighting for a playoff spot, and perhaps be more of a 6/7 seed than an 8/9 seed. But collecting a handful of 3rd rounders for expiring deals isn't exactly a neon sign to say that an entrenched track record of not rocking the boat is about to get turned on its ear...particularly in the last year of Holland's contract, and the first year of a new arena.

I'd expect next season to be one last episode of (barely) treading water, while 2018-2019 seems like a much more likely spot for shifting gears.

 

[SpookyTsuki]

Just like last year, amirite?

Datsyuk took some points away