This is mildly interesting:

Lebda:-1, 12:37 TOI
Meech: even, 13:28 TOI

Posted by mudshark from Denver, CO on 02/12/08 at 10:34 PM ET

Oh, and your boy Jimmy looked good tonite, eh?

He looked pretty good for a guy who had no idea he was going to play. He got burned on the breakaway (something you’d like your top goalie to avoid), but, all in all, he did a good job.

On the other hand, Lidstrom, Datsyuk and Zetterberg looked like guys that couldn’t land a job on a bottom-feeding AHL team right now. For the second time in four games, Lidstrom was a minus 3. Hank was a minus 3. And Pavel was a minus 1. All of this while the Wings outshot Bubba 42-23 and won 65% of the faceoffs.

Right now, the Wings look like a bunch of guys who really don’t want to be playing hockey. They look like they’d just as soon sit out the next 22 games and then see who they get in the first round of the playoffs. That very well may work for them, but it sure as hell doesn’t work fore me. And I’m guessing that doesn’t work for most of you either.

I found it oddly amusing that when the Wings went down 3-0 in the 1st period one of my channel-switching options was “The Biggest Loser”.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 02/12/08 at 11:17 PM ET

I wish the Canucks had the Wing’s problems any day.

Posted by Laker from Dapuddle on 02/13/08 at 12:43 AM ET

Wow, you predicted Osgood would end up playing like he’s Chris Osgood. Amazing.

You need to get your own infomercial.

Posted by Thomas on 02/13/08 at 03:34 AM ET

Hey...excellent. Welcome back Thhom.  Haven’t seen that in depth power point on the 2003 draft you kept promising.  Remember, we’ve got room for it any time you want to send it along.

Posted by IwoCPO from Washington, DC on 02/13/08 at 03:44 AM ET

Osgood didn’t do anything wrong, he was pulled to shake up the team a bit.  Osgood got hung out to dry on those goals.  It is strange to see the Wings play so lethargically, though; we’re really missing Kronwall on the back end.

Posted by PDXWing from Portland, OR on 02/13/08 at 03:54 AM ET

So the best players on the Red Wings are tired after 60 games…
Isn’t Brian Burke a genius for resting Neidermayer and Selanne for 9 months?
Watch for the Ducks to take the Wings in 5 games this year.
I don’t like it, I’m just saying......

Posted by w2j2 on 02/13/08 at 08:20 AM ET

Right now, the Wings look like a bunch of guys who really don’t want to be playing hockey. They look like they’d just as soon sit out the next 22 games and then see who they get in the first round of the playoffs. That very well may work for them, but it sure as hell doesn’t work fore me. And I’m guessing that doesn’t work for most of you either.

Ditto OTC!

This makes 5 straight games (including the OT win against Minny, which the Wings were badly outplayed and should have lost) where it appears that the Wings are totally disinterested in showing up for 6o mins.

Last night pregame Lidstrom was spot on syaing the Wings have not played 60 mins, playing well only sporadically.

Uncle Mike:  “We spent the whole night battling back and working hard and doing all that stuff for naught because we weren’t ready to go at the start,” Babcock said. “We take a lot of pride as a coaching staff and as a team in being prepared and tonight we didn’t get the job done because we weren’t very good.”

No Coach, you weren’t very good at all, and haven’t been very good these past five games.

OTC, I turned on “Dirty Jobs”—akin to crappy play as well.

Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Hockey Netherworld on 02/13/08 at 08:51 AM ET

The Wings D weren’t enough to stop a hot streakin Nashville team.  They left Ozzy to play all by himself.  Jimmy comes in, “to shake things up” or whatever, and stops 17 of 18 or so. 

This is what pisses me off… The Wings could have won if that frickin little Jiri and company would shoot the damn puck.  Shoot the damn puck Jiri or go home ya little bastard!  Wipe that smirk off your face there Filppula!  How many offensive tallies do you have in the last ten games? 

My proposal: Samuelsson, Hudler for Nik Antropov. 

Thanks for letting me rant.

Posted by cementslinger from Midland MI on 02/13/08 at 09:04 AM ET

Wings outshot Bubba 42-23

The Wings could have won if that frickin little Jiri and company would shoot the damn puck.

Granted, Huds only had 2 SOG, but you don’t realistically think he has a more quality shot than the rest of the team, do you?

Posted by Wolfe from Indy on 02/13/08 at 10:23 AM ET

It’s the dog days of the season, and the boys are definitely doggin’ it. Instead of just keeping it simple and driving straight to the net (which you’d think would be easier), they seem to be lapsing into the same type of overpassing game we’ve seen from time to time in previous seasons. This time, though, instead of just moving the puck too much in search of the perfect shot, we’re also seeing the added wrinkle of soft, lazy passes to the “trailer”—making easy pickings for NHL defenses that clog the neutral zone and front of the net.

We all know they’ll eventually snap out of it. When? Who knows? But with a 5-game extended western road trip (Dallas-Colorado-Calgary-Vancouver-Edmonton) coming up after Friday’s game vs. Columbus, now would be a good time. This thing needs to be turned around before it snowballs even more.

Maybe Uncle Mike should start rotating his healthy scratches through the entire lineup. Maybe he should throw all of the lines into a blender, so guys have to focus more. Maybe he should divide the rest of the season into several “7-game series,” to try and get them into a playoff state of mind. All I know is, he needs to get them back on track sooner rather than later. Like Babcock said last night, everyone they’re playing is desparate, but they’re not. If they don’t find a way to match and build that type of desparation down the stretch, we can kiss our Cup hopes goodbye.

Posted by YzermanZetterberg on 02/13/08 at 10:47 AM ET

I bet the phone line is humming 24/7 between Babs and Scotty right now.

Posted by w2j2 on 02/13/08 at 11:00 AM ET

My proposal: Samuelsson, Hudler for Nik Antropov.

I’m all for Antropov (or Prospal), but not at the cost of Happy. Sammy and a pick, or Sammy and Ellis/Meech or whoever, but not Happy. He’s only 24 and he’s got way too much potential to let go of right now.

As for Ozzy, I agree they left him all by himself there in the first, but he hasn’t been all that good since his contract extension. Beginning the very next day, he’s gone 3-5 and was by far the worst goalie at the All Star Game.

I think we’d all be feeling better today if Jimmy just hadn’t given up that breakaway goal. Hope for the future and of that.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 02/13/08 at 11:02 AM ET

Ack, I missed the game last night due to a bday celebration.  I guess I am glad I did.  I’m going to put out a missing persons bulletin on the team.....  Please, please start playing better, especially against Dallas and Colorado.  I’ll be at the Colorado game and I would like another win.

Posted by hockeychic from Denver, CO on 02/13/08 at 12:31 PM ET

As the one man said, other teams wish they had the Wings’ problems right now.

I’m in the dog days of Winter as well and can empathize with the team. We will snap out of it by simplifying, and there is nothing better than going on the road to simplify one’s game. So everybody grab a beer, a joint or whatever and calm the f--- down.

Brian Burke, for the record, is a genius but also a monstrous d-bag. They have to fix that loophole or we’ll seal up all our stars in a hyperberic chamber for a few months, as will Ottawa and any other team that regularly makes the playoffs. Idiots.

Posted by Osrt on 02/13/08 at 04:35 PM ET

but you don’t realistically think he has a more quality shot than the rest of the team, do you?

Oh, Hell no!  But it seemed that he had the puck alot last night just to pass and give it up rather than puttin it on net.

Sammy and a pick, or Sammy and Ellis/Meech or whoever, but not Happy.

Happy is more streaky than Sammy this year.  An’ I’m all for tradin off Sammy first except that Sammy has the size and weight over Happy that the Wings need.  They’ve been gettin pounded by the bigger teams, lately. JMHO.

Posted by cementslinger from a snowbank in Midland on 02/13/08 at 06:36 PM ET