Post-Game Talk: Wings get Babcock'd, shutout at home by the worst team in the league

[TheRatPoisoner]

Not giving up on them or anything - they always somehow pull it off at the end - but need to win 9 or 10 of the remaining 13 games and just don't see it happening right now. Gonna need major help from either Pitt or Philly, since we're not catching the top 3 anymore.

Jesus, I hope not, because that ain't happening.

This is my prediction, based on absolutely nothing, but I'd say 92 points, give or take a point, will be good enough.

A bit of help from Flyers and Pittsburgh would be nice, yeah, but doesn't look like it'll be forthcoming.

 

[TNigs]

You need guys who go to the dirty areas and retrieve pucks for more skilled players. Babcock understands that Blashill doesn't. This team is soft as butter and that's why Babcock left.
Leo Komarov has zero skill, but he'll end up a 20/20 guy, Holmstrom had zero skill but these type of guys create space for the skilled players and make a line click. Wings only have Abby and one line cannot score all your goals. We need net front presence on every line.

 

[dragonballgtz]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, someone needs to get Brett Hull angry and go off in the locker room. The leadership needs to speak up and get people straighten out

 

[Reddwit]

I don't think missing the playoffs would force Kenny to step up his game, but missing the playoffs just a year before the new arena is supposed to open might.

 

[Reddwit]

No Darren Helm and it showed imo. He may not have the best hands on the team but he has the biggest heart. Just a real lack of hustle tonight. Babcock knows how to beat Detroit. Pressure the D and it's game over.

Major eye roll. This team has looked just as bad as this about 20 times this season, and most of those game have featured Darren Helm.

 

[jolly roger]

We're about to get mauled in Philly. That won't be pretty. Who's going to stand up to them? AA had the last fight, and he's hardly a fighter. Abby can't do it all. Soft is bad enough. Playing the same guys game after game on the pp is another. Having no pp is the ultimate.

 

[Dotter]

The national (Leafs?) announcer said Red Wings are suffering from a locker room flu right now. Not sure how true it is.

If so, that would explain the lackluster play the past while.

 

[Reddwit]

The national (Leafs?) announcer said Red Wings are suffering from a locker room flu right now. Not sure how true it is.

If so, that would explain the lackluster play the past while.

Not surprised. Usually its not just one guy with the flu. Helm just probably has the worst of it right now.

 

[TheRatPoisoner]

You need guys who go to the dirty areas and retrieve pucks for more skilled players. Babcock understands that Blashill doesn't. This team is soft as butter and that's why Babcock left.
Leo Komarov has zero skill, but he'll end up a 20/20 guy, Holmstrom had zero skill but these type of guys create space for the skilled players and make a line click. Wings only have Abby and one line cannot score all your goals. We need net front presence on every line.

I mean, I agree, I think the long and the short of it (no pun intended) is though that you just can't just have a pile of small skilled wingers that get knocked off the puck easily. You can be a guy with skill and still be willing to grind it out. Size is the key for me. It's why having Mantha, Svech, and AA develop into good NHLers is so important to this team's future.

The national (Leafs?) announcer said Red Wings are suffering from a locker room flu right now. Not sure how true it is.

If so, that would explain the lackluster play the past while.

That would make a pile of sense: Datsyuk sick the other night, and lookin' a lot better tonight; Larkin just starting to look like Larkin again after a long stretch of meh performances; Helm not playing tonight after his best game of the season yesterday.

Bad time for it to happen if so. Hopefully they'll battle through it.

 

[theYman]

Can't beat the Maple Laffs while everyone else can? Wtf were they doing tonight? They got 38 shots.

 

[Flowah]

The team just looks discombobulated lately. No one's in the right place, no one can make a pass, no one can execute a play without taking a second or two to think about it.

I don't understand how our power play can be so bad.

It's been that way since our 5th game of the season. Started out looking okay. Since then good passes are a rarity as is good positioning.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

I figured it out.

They don't play hard against teams they should beat, almost like they feel entitled.

When the Wings turn it on, they can beat anyone in the league.

When they are "off", usually against someone they can beat, they don't show up.

---

I'm calling out leadership.

Lead. Be assertive.

Way too many players going through the motions.

It has been this way since 2009 really.

 

[GoAwayDanCleary]

What a mess. Nyquist, Tatar, Richards, Pulkkinen, Sheahan... giving the big guns absolutely zero support.

The defense is so incredibly bad. DK has been terrible for a while now.

The only time anything remotely interesting happens are when Dats, AA or Larkin are on the ice. Nobody else on the team can carry the puck under any type of pressure.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

I'm so tired of Tatar.

Amen. Guy is an absolute moron when it comes to his hockey sense.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

How do you not score a goal against THAT team!? I was a supporter of Blashill for most of the season, but it's clearly not a coincidence that every single player on the team is regressing offensively (except rookies). It's getting downright pathetic and I can't believe a team with Datsyuk, Z, Tatar, Nyquist and Larkin likely won't have a player get 50pts this season.

Blash is not the reason scoring is down....

The reason is (due to age) dats and z have taken a step down from elite level. Nyquist and Tatar are not the players everyone ( including the organization thought they would be). Nyquist amd Tatar were getting points feeding off of dats and zetterberg and now the fact that dats and z have takin a step back it has really affected Nyq and Tatar stats. Nyq and Tatar are depth players

 

[Nut Upstrom]

Just got home. Haven't watched the game but I checked the box score.
What the hell? I'm thinking just what you all are writing - How do we not manage a single goal against those bottom-dwellers?

either Bernier was insane or this team is full of sad-sack *******.

 

[LeighDx59]

The national (Leafs?) announcer said Red Wings are suffering from a locker room flu right now. Not sure how true it is.

If so, that would explain the lackluster play the past while.

If that's true, added with their third game in four nights, I knew this game wasnt gonna be pretty. Both teams were pretty bad, Babcock just pulled out the "score first and defend a 1-0 lead" that everyone hated last season when he was here. Luckily for him it worked.

That being said, we need to be better. 3 in 4 aside this should've been an easy win. I'm not expecting much tuesday, but somehow pulling off a win in Philly for the first time since 1997 would do wonders.

 

[SpookyTsuki]

Should have gotten at least a point

 

[HIFE]

That was an emotional game. Frustration, anger, disbelief. But then there's the realization that TOR played excellent. We got Babcock'd! Truly this is the 1st moment I have even a shred of respect for the Maple Leafs this season. A few of their new prospects I watched in the OHL, Carrick and Carrado(?) are skilled guys. I guess the Leafs are finally taking Cherry's advice to build from the OHL.

Gotta admit Grabner's goal was amazing and well deserved.

As much as I've derided them Toronto within one season has had a master plan to rebuild quickly. Taking on junk contracts of washed up vets to start the season they've cycled through 45 some players and kept what pieces they like. It was all about the trade deadline. I'm humbled the group of prospects they've gathered are the real deal. In the same way as amassing picks you increase the chance of finding a piece that fits.

What about some of our young depth? Glendening, Jurco, Pulkkinen, Sheahan remind me a lot of Emmerton, Murzak, Andersson, Kindl, Lashoff... players the Wings held on to far too long not sensing the inevitable. Wings fans want answers but may be the right questions aren't being asked. As much as I have to read the opinion of how far Datsyuk (by far still our best player) has regressed I must say it's too bad some of our younger cats can't muster up 1/2 the will of D or Z to take these games over like we need them to. Kind of crazy the fans unload on Abdelkader and Kronwall while we wait an entire season rotating Jurco and Pulkkinen and debating their progress. Strange what different things we choose to criticize.

 

[SpookyTsuki]

That was an emotional game. Frustration, anger, disbelief. But then there's the realization that TOR played excellent. We got Babcock'd! Truly this is the 1st moment I have even a shred of respect for the Maple Leafs this season. A few of their new prospects I watched in the OHL, Carrick and Carrado(?) are skilled guys. I guess the Leafs are finally taking Cherry's advice to build from the OHL.

Gotta admit Grabner's goal was amazing and well deserved.

As much as I've derided them Toronto within one season has had a master plan to rebuild quickly. Taking on junk contracts of washed up vets to start the season they've cycled through 45 some players and kept what pieces they like. It was all about the trade deadline. I'm humbled the group of prospects they've gathered are the real deal. In the same way as amassing picks you increase the chance of finding a piece that fits.

What about some of our young depth? Glendening, Jurco, Pulkkinen, Sheahan remind me a lot of Emmerton, Murzak, Andersson, Kindl, Lashoff... players the Wings held on to far too long not sensing the inevitable. Wings fans want answers but may be the right questions aren't being asked. As much as I have to read the opinion of how far Datsyuk (by far still our best player) has regressed I must say it's too bad some of our younger cats can't muster up 1/2 the will of D or Z to take these games over like we need them to. Kind of crazy the fans unload on Abdelkader and Kronwall while we wait an entire season rotating Jurco and Pulkkinen and debating their progress. Strange what different things we choose to criticize.

Glendenning is the perfect 4th line center until the other problems on this team are fixed. Heck he's probably the best. Jurco needs a new team. Wish he used his shot more and he was paired with players who can put the puck in the net. Nyquist. Tatar can't do it this year. And the 4th line never wil. Pulk can't. Sheahan is having trouble (Tatar and nyquist thanks).

Still have faith that Sheahan is a low end 2c and a good 3c. The players you mentioned are way worse then the likes of jurco and such though

 

[8snake]

Glendenning is the perfect 4th line center until the other problems on this team are fixed. Heck he's probably the best. Jurco needs a new team. Wish he used his shot more and he was paired with players who can put the puck in the net. Nyquist. Tatar can't do it this year. And the 4th line never wil. Pulk can't. Sheahan is having trouble (Tatar and nyquist thanks).

Still have faith that Sheahan is a low end 2c and a good 3c. The players you mentioned are way worse then the likes of jurco and such though

What has Sheahan shown over the past few years to suggest that? He had a surprising run initially, an awful series against Boston and since then he's been a complete non-factor almost every night....and if you're blaming Tatar and Gus for Sheahan's struggles those two have nothing to do with him completely lacking a willingness or ability to create room with his "size" or be an effective forechecker. He hasn't gotten any stronger since he's been in the league...he's a tall, lanky guy that bounces off the few checks he tries to throw and can't move defenders off the puck or physically challenge d-men in front of the net. So, over the last two years what can you definitively say Riley Sheahan does well? What are his strengths? I don't see any.

 

[Sentinel]

You need guys who go to the dirty areas and retrieve pucks for more skilled players. Babcock understands that Blashill doesn't. This team is soft as butter and that's why Babcock left.
Leo Komarov has zero skill, but he'll end up a 20/20 guy, Holmstrom had zero skill but these type of guys create space for the skilled players and make a line click. Wings only have Abby and one line cannot score all your goals. We need net front presence on every line.

Holmstrom had great skills: superb hands, good hockey IQ (especially once he learned to stay out of crease), and used his body well. What are you talking about?

 

[SpookyTsuki]

What has Sheahan shown over the past few years to suggest that? He had a surprising run initially, an awful series against Boston and since then he's been a complete non-factor almost every night....and if you're blaming Tatar and Gus for Sheahan's struggles those two have nothing to do with him completely lacking a willingness or ability to create room with his "size" or be an effective forechecker. He hasn't gotten any stronger since he's been in the league...he's a tall, lanky guy that bounces off the few checks he tries to throw and can't move defenders off the puck or physically challenge d-men in front of the net. So, over the last two years what can you definitively say Riley Sheahan does well? What are his strengths? I don't see any.

The only decent linemates Sheahan has had are nyquist and Tatar. And they can only score goals really. Which they haven't. Sheahan has 30 points if his linemates are better. And this is a bad year. 10 goals -30 to 40 points is a good 3rd line center. He can obviously score 30-40 points. He's done it before

I doubt it's a fluke since he was at .5 or a bit under when Babcock was here. 2 years. On an average team where the forwards can really only do anything.

He doesn't really have any "strengths". Cause he pretty much does everything all around

 

[Sentinel]

As I said in another topic: the whole team, each and every player, can't regress together all of a sudden. It has to be on the coach.

Look at our PP, FFS. That's 100% on the staff.

 

[Shaman464]

The only decent linemates Sheahan has had are nyquist and Tatar. And they can only score goals really. Which they haven't. Sheahan has 30 points if his linemates are better. And this is a bad year. 10 goals -30 to 40 points is a good 3rd line center. He can obviously score 30-40 points. He's done it before

I doubt it's a fluke since he was at .5 or a bit under when Babcock was here. 2 years. On an average team where the forwards can really only do anything.

He doesn't really have any "strengths". Cause he pretty much does everything all around

Except every year there are literally dozens of players who have fluke years and score well above their ability. Sheahan has never shown scoring ability outside of one season in the NHL. He's a bottom 6 center, it's time to just accept that for what it is.