Somebody want to tell me what was up with Hasek on Sunday? CBJ had 10 shots on goal, and he let 4 of them through before Osgood replaced him.
I was at the game, so didn't hear what kind of excuse he had. If it's his back again, he should have come out earlier or not gone in at all.
It was too early for him to come back, I think that was obvious right from the start. Hasek is a very competitive player and he wanted to play, and Babcock put him in even though he wanted Hasek to take another game or two off. Babs says he isn't going to make that mistake again, and is going to give our current players some extra time to heal. I have a feeling we won't see Homer until the last couple games of the season, but I think Draps should be back soonish.
Well, Detroit in the last 10 games has gone 8-2-0. The reason? The return of a healthy defense and a dominating surge by Johan Franzen. A player that looked like he was poised for another ho-hum 12 goal season stepped up and put together and offensive flourish to rival some of the best forwards in the league.
Now the Wings get Draper back, they get Cleary back tonight, and the pieces are rounding into shape. If we get to see a playoff roster like this:
The Wings win again in Cleary's return to the lineup against St. Louis. They are now 9-2 in March, with two win streaks of 4 and 5 games separated by a hiccup mid-month of two losses in a row.
This team is back. The evidence? In February the powerful Wings offense that led the league in as many categories as you can shake a stick at puttered along notching more than 3 goals only 1 times, a 4-0 win against Colorado. That was in the middle of a horrendous losing streak during which they scored 3 goals only 2 other times, a 3-5 loss to LA and a 3-4 shootout loss to EDM.
Since March began, the Wings have scored 3 goals or more 9 out of 11 contests. 6 out of 11 matches have been wins with more than 3 goals scored.
What does it all mean? The offense is back. Despite injuries to Holmstrom, Filppula, Cleary, Draper, and so on, the offense is back. Why? The blue line is healthy. Keep the Dmen on the ice and this team has a real chance at winning some playoff games. If the forwards get healthy, the Wings will be in great shape to matchup with the opposition or absorb and injury if they have to.
The Wings win again in Cleary's return to the lineup against St. Louis. They are now 9-2 in March, with two win streaks of 4 and 5 games separated by a hiccup mid-month of two losses in a row.
This team is back. The evidence? In February the powerful Wings offense that led the league in as many categories as you can shake a stick at puttered along notching more than 3 goals only 1 times, a 4-0 win against Colorado. That was in the middle of a horrendous losing streak during which they scored 3 goals only 2 other times, a 3-5 loss to LA and a 3-4 shootout loss to EDM.
Since March began, the Wings have scored 3 goals or more 9 out of 11 contests. 6 out of 11 matches have been wins with more than 3 goals scored.
What does it all mean? The offense is back. Despite injuries to Holmstrom, Filppula, Cleary, Draper, and so on, the offense is back. Why? The blue line is healthy. Keep the Dmen on the ice and this team has a real chance at winning some playoff games. If the forwards get healthy, the Wings will be in great shape to matchup with the opposition or absorb and injury if they have to.
It's definitely great that they are getting the goal scoring up again, but what worries me is that they have some very bad mental lapses while on the PK. I realize that they are top 10 in the league on the PK, but it's just one area that worries me.
Another thing that worries me is that players keep going out with injury. Are the Wings resting people, or are the players in bad condition and therefore more prone to injuries such as the spree of groin problems we've seen.
Also, looks like Homer might not be back for the beginning of the post season. I really hope that he isn't out for too many playoff games, because the guy can be a gamebreaker in close games.
I can't prove it, but I think the Wings are resting people.
I think some of these Injuries (like Holmstrom's) are the type that keep you out of regular games. I think some of these injuries (like Samuelsson, probably Filppula) are the type that you play through when the standings are tight.
Honestly, I think everyone plays right now if we were looking at a serious playoff game. Groins are convenient in that you can pull them whenever you want and make them as serious as you need to.
And the Wins Roll Back In...
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