Pre-Game Talk: Wings @ Canucks, Wednesday at 10:30 (Franzen out with injury, Glendening Recalled)

[InjuredChoker]

Honestly, do we even have the roster to play an offensive type game? I don't see it. He kinda has a point.

do we have the roster to grind 2-1 games?

 

[Heaton]

do we have the roster to grind 2-1 games?

Yes, I think we do. I think we saw that ability against San Jose. I think if Holland were doing his job and we had Nyquist up we wouldn't have to worry about this stuff, though. Not that he'd solve these issues, but he'd be a big step in the right direction.

 

[detredWINgs]

"When I look at our team play, if I came from the outside and watched our team play I'd say they didn't have a coach, and that hurts my feelings," Babcock said after practice Monday at Joe Louis Arena. "But, it's the fact and I told the guys that today. We're not organized. We're not efficient.

"Face-off plays -- during a stoppage it's like football. You should be able to execute off a stoppage. You have to know what you're doing. So, we asked again, do we know what we're doing? Yeah, we know what we're doing. Well then, we better darn well do it."

Babcock went on and on about other areas of the game, asking players, "Do you know what you're doing?" The players' reply, "Yes, we do."

"Let's work harder, let's work smarter, let's be more efficient, let's get more prepared and let's pay a price to win," Babcock said. "And, we don't score any goals, at least as far as I have seen. So let's not give up 40 shots, let's give up 20 shots, let's win 2-1.

"You can't continue to give up 40 shots a night and hope you're going to win. I said it earlier when we were winning with (Jonas) Gustavsson in the net there: It was fool's gold, and that's exactly what it is. There's a right way to play and a wrong way to play and we're cheating the system and we're paying for it."

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20131028/SPORTS0103/310280099#ixzz2j34KvSip

I wonder if his players are as numb to his comments as I am.

At any rate, I don't see how on earth this team is equipped to be winning games 2-1. We're going to end up collapsing so much in our own zone that our forwards have little assistance in getting the puck up the ice. And we all know how easy it is for our cadre of forwards to gain the zone with the collective blistering speed that they possess.

 

[Heaton]

I wonder if his players are as numb to his comments as I am.

At any rate, I don't see how on earth this team is equipped to be winning games 2-1. We're going to end up collapsing so much in our own zone that our forwards have little assistance in getting the puck up the ice. And we all know how easy it is for our cadre of forwards to gain the zone with the collective blistering speed that they possess.

Honestly, in what way is the team equipped to win at all? Can't score goals no matter what, we have no defesemen outside of Kronwall able to generate offense. Since they can't score, might as well not be as terrible on the defensive side and give up 40 shots a game.

 

[detredWINgs]

Yes, I think we do. I think we saw that ability against San Jose. I think if Holland were doing his job and we had Nyquist up we wouldn't have to worry about this stuff, though. Not that he'd solve these issues, but he'd be a big step in the right direction.

I disagree. Sure, we have the ability to keep the opposition to 20 shots and 1 goal against. But I don't see the ability to score 2 goals while our defense is turtling all night.

 

[Hammettf2b]

Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Tatar
Nyquist-Weiss-Alfredsson
Eaves-Helm-Abdelkader
Miller-Glendening-Tootoo

Kronwall-Ericsson
Dekeyser-Kindl
Smith-Ouellet
Lashoff

Just a thought

i know the Mule has struggled, but to keep him out of the line up all together???

 

[Syckle78]

They are both at fault for the way the roster is constructed. Babcock has his guys and you know dang well he has plenty of input. This is the style he is comfoable and wants to play. Using the San Jose game as proof we are capable of that style is silly. Its one game. Let's look back to the playoffs and see how well we do playing a shut down game when it matters. How many leads did we blow? And if we are only averaging 2 goals a game right now with healthy Datsyuk and Zetterberg where we going to be when one misses time or hits a cold patch. This roster is a **** storm and both are culpable.

 

[detredWINgs]

Honestly, in what way is the team equipped to win at all? Can't score goals no matter what, we have no defesemen outside of Kronwall able to generate offense. Since they can't score, might as well not be as terrible on the defensive side and give up 40 shots a game.

That's another thing that worries me. 40 shots...20 shots...whatever. The bigger problem is the scoring chances against. We don't just give up shots - we give up beautiful scoring opportunities courtesy of the epic turnovers we like to feature on the backend.

 

[Syckle78]

i know the Mule has struggled, but to keep him out of the line up all together???

He's injured.

 

[Bench]

Yes, I think we do. I think we saw that ability against San Jose. I think if Holland were doing his job and we had Nyquist up we wouldn't have to worry about this stuff, though. Not that he'd solve these issues, but he'd be a big step in the right direction.

Saw the same thing in the playoffs last year, too. Neutralized the Ducks and Hawks big scorers, almost won both series.

Not pretty or reliable, but you get the sense Babcock feels it's his only chance,

 

[Hammettf2b]

He's injured.

My bad, I thought he meant on a regular basis

 

[Frk It]

I think if Holland were doing his job and we had Nyquist up we wouldn't have to worry about this stuff, though.

Let's not forget that holland bringing back Babcocks favorite player, after speaking with Babcock, was the final move that sealed nyquists fate.

So they are both to blame.

 

[Heaton]

Let's not forget that holland bringing back Babcocks favorite player, after speaking with Babcock, was the final move that sealed nyquists fate.

So they are both to blame.

Kinda, but if Holland bought out Tootoo or did any number of other things, both players could be up.

 

[Frk It]

Saw the same thing in the playoffs last year, too. Neutralized the Ducks and Hawks big scorers, almost won both series.

Not pretty or reliable, but you get the sense Babcock feels it's his only chance,

Top lines cancelled out and then are 3rd line had mismatches.

Now we have no 3rd scoring line and no scorning depth.

The team as it's constructed now can't grind down or out score teams. Need Nyquist and Tatar up and to balance out 3 scoring lines. Let's all just pray for injuries so we can get a good team again.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

Babcock went on and on about other areas of the game, asking players, "Do you know what you're doing?" The players' reply, "Yes, we do."

"Let's work harder, let's work smarter, let's be more efficient, let's get more prepared and let's pay a price to win," Babcock said. "And, we don't score any goals, at least as far as I have seen. So let's not give up 40 shots, let's give up 20 shots, let's win 2-1.

This is the damning part of the quote. He hasn't looked at footage and found the cause of everything. He isn't coaching something new into their heads.

He's just telling them they need to work harder. That sounds to me like a coach who's getting tuned out. He's to the point of just being a motivator.

 

[Frk It]

Kinda, but if Holland bought out Tootoo or did any number of other things, both players could be up.

I have a hard time decisions which of those two I like less nowadays

 

[PureDust]

He's injured.

i know the Mule has struggled, but to keep him out of the line up all together???

He is injured for one but also maybe a little press box time may be the spark he needs to get going... A mule going 100% replacing Eaves on that line up could be pretty scary

 

[Heaton]

This is the damning part of the quote. He hasn't looked at footage and found the cause of everything. He isn't coaching something new into their heads.

He's just telling them they need to work harder. That sounds to me like a coach who's getting tuned out. He's to the point of just being a motivator.

Tuned out by who though? It's not like this is the same roster he's had for his entire tenure. The good players are playing well, the fringe players aren't. It's obviously a Babcock issue since he the blame falls on him, but it's also a Holland issue since this is what he's constructed.

 

[Frk It]

On a positive note...

Tatar is playing on a line with Datsyuk. That's pretty badass.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

On a positive note...

Tatar is playing on a line with Datsyuk. That's pretty badass.

But they're playing shorthanded since 71 is on the other wing. So it's really not that badass. I'm hoping it works out but I just don't see it. Hopefully Datsyuk can spring Tatar on a few rushes since Datsyuk will likely be playing even deeper than usual, thus his offensive zone time will likely be limited.

 

[Frk It]

But they're playing shorthanded since 71 is on the other wing. So it's really not that badass. I'm hoping it works out but I just don't see it. Hopefully Datsyuk can spring Tatar on a few rushes since Datsyuk will likely be playing even deeper than usual, thus his offensive zone time will likely be limited.

Well.... I tried lol

Cleary as the 3rd wheel to datsyuk and filppula was brutal last year. He was so far behind the play it was ridiculous.

 

[SoupNazi]

I think you misunderstood me, I think they let those guys hang on for too long, too.

Yep, you're right. I misunderstood.

 

[sully6one]

And signing guys like Sammy to 2 year 6 million dollar deals and then Cleary right before traing camp for 1.75 is the definition of managing a sports team?

The Sammy signing was not all that bad when you think of what he could of brought. He was supposed to be a 40-45 point guy, play on try PP and do alright. I'm sure management didn't expect him to get injured all year last year and then suck. Cleary signing isn't really that bad. Brings leadership which we lack, some grit, and is actually improved from last year. You can't role a line up with a bunch of 20-24 year olds, you do that you end up like Edmonton. It doesn't work. You guys need to stop be subjective and look at it from many point of views. Ask yourself what are the pros and cons of certain situations. Then be true to yourself in evaluating the importance of each pro and con.

 

[KJoe88]

I don't know what to think of this organization anymore.

Maybe it's better if we just did horrible this year. Suck to the worse kind of suckness. Maybe then things will change...

 

[silkyjohnson50]

You can't role a line up with a bunch of 20-24 year olds, you do that you end up like Edmonton. It doesn't work. You guys need to stop be subjective and look at it from many point of views.

Totally.

Brunner-Andersson-Nyquist didn't work at all at the end of last regular season and it especially didn't work in the playoffs.

Comparing this to Edmomton is majorly flawed. Edmonton uses those type of players as 1st and 2nd liners. Thus they're playing against top defensive units. A Tatar-Andersson-Nyquist unit as many of us proposed before the season started would be playing against 3rd and 4th lines, aka sheltered/easy minutes. That's how young players can succeed and that's exactly how Detroit got secondary scoring from the bottom 6 to conclude last season.