No way Stuart will ever play as well as Lidstrom.

Seriously, I feel like the only Wings fan in the country who notices his mistakes. He has the defensive awareness of a rock, skates like a rock, and would probably hit the net more if he threw rocks from the blue line. The only positive thing I can say about him is he hits like he’s made of rock.

Posted by Tyler from Arizona on 12/06/08 at 10:38 PM ET

I feel like the only Wings fan in the country who notices his mistakes.

There’s a reason for that. If all of that sun in Arizona hadn’t baked your brain, you’d realize what that reason is.

And, for the record, I never said Stuart was Lidstrom’s equal. What I said was, “...he’s playing nearly as well as St. Nick so far this year.” There are lots of Wings to throw “rocks” at this year. But Stuart is NOT one of them.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 12/06/08 at 11:21 PM ET

I’m just gonna let this go. I don’t make a habit of getting into arguments with fans of my team.

But you all watch…you’ll see what I mean…

Posted by Tyler from Arizona on 12/06/08 at 11:45 PM ET

Sharks lose to Edmonton, at home, in OT.

Despite the suck, we pick up a point on #1 this evening.

Posted by mudshark from Divetown, Colorado on 12/07/08 at 12:30 AM ET

Just finished watching the DVRed game after Christmas party tonight.  Maybe it was all of the mead I downed at the pub, but I have a feeling that it’s not why I feel sick to my stomach. 

This game sucked differently than other games in which we’ve won and I’ve been unhappy with the team’s play.  Really, the four straight Chicago goals were depressing, but they didn’t get to me like in other games.  I had a feeling we’d tie it up.  I was hoping this would be a character game for us in which we fought back from the defecit and left the Hawks to go home empty handed, but we couldn’t finish ‘em off before the end of regulation.  Really, that’s what pisses me off about the whole night; it’s that Chicago got a point.  Sure, the Hawks earned that point with their play, but there are fewer things more satisfying than watching the Wings put the skate down on the neck of a team as if to say “Are you *#$%@& serious?  You don’t belong on our ice” even after being outplayed.

Such is the lot of a Wings addict such as myself.  In the beginning, wins were good enough to get that rush… now, I’ve built up such a tolerance that I really can’t be happy unless I know fans of the other team are walking away from the game despairing for having wasted their lives rooting for a team that shouldn’t be in the same league as Detroit.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 12/07/08 at 02:12 AM ET

We played good for the first five minutes in the first.  Then we allowed them to take over.  They out-skated us, and they won all the little battles.  We couldn’t match their intensity.  then the third rolled around and we started skating, buzzing and out played them.  Our leadership took over and the team played much better as a whole.  usually we blow it in the third, so I am rather happy we came back instead of melting down in the third. Take out little victories and march on. Everyone on that team knows we have been lucky and not as good as we can and should be.

Posted by hankyspanky40 from Michigan on 12/07/08 at 09:27 AM ET

I am going to church to pray for us sinners, ( me first and foremost lol ) and I will ask the big guy upstairs to help get out boyz together so we don’t stress so much.

Posted by hankyspanky40 from Michigan on 12/07/08 at 09:30 AM ET

Theory proffered by a few of you: This team doesn’t yet believe that their defense lapses are that important, because they know they can score goals to bail themselves out.

Proof

Via George, via NHL.com:

“There was a lot of confidence that we could win that game between the second and third,” Conklin said. “Maybe in some other locker rooms, you don’t know if you can do that. We know we can score goals. I know I feel that regardless of what the situation is that we can win any game.”

Not. Cool.

Posted by Osrt on 12/07/08 at 10:10 AM ET

so much for specified italics

Posted by Osrt on 12/07/08 at 10:13 AM ET

it’s a real problem. I’m 62 years old and I cant take this crap game after game. The way they’re playing right now, they’re going to kill me before we get to the playoffs.

Oh, it gets even better as you get older….
I can’t believe the A2Y19 trying to see the sunny side of last nights game.  Wings get 2 charity goals to start the game and immediately start the downhill slide.  Before the 1st period ended, I stopped caring and started looking forward to the EDM/SJS game.

I really don’t think the problem is the Wings defense as much as the part time, misdirected backchecking.  The players that are coming back are not taking the open man, they are interfering with and confusing their own defense.  Conk and Ozzie have the best view of what is going on, from the crease, and watching it rush after rush is destroying their confidence.  Ozzie taking himself out on the first shot just was not happening last season and this year he has regressed to the younger OZ,
The Fox replay of the 4th CHI goal clearly shows 2 wing forwards dogging it, with only one forward coming back….the late guy (4th rusher) scores.  Fans should be treated to more replays from the camera high behind the goalie, that show the entire ice surface.  Those loafing forwards were not tired, and not heading to the bencb or waving for a player change.  Not an unusual occurence, just unusual that we got to see it on replay.

With Drake and Cheli missing, the team is short of hockey savvy and attitude.  If Cleary had
not dressed for last night game the Wings may have gone down 7-2.

Posted by HockeyTownTodd on 12/07/08 at 12:41 PM ET

Not. Cool.

not cool at all.

it seems like basic common sense to me to think it this way:  “yeah, we know we can outscore any other team, but if we ALSO played solid defense then we’d be able to BLOW OUT most teams.”

seems like a no-brainer to me.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 12/07/08 at 12:42 PM ET

Not.  Cool.

+1.  The last time we had that attitude was in the 1995 SCFs against the Devils.  I still have bad memories.

Damn…Wings can play so much better defensively.  They really can.

Posted by SYF from a "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" on 12/07/08 at 01:06 PM ET

And this is why I said it might be best for the team if they had lost to the Ducks, lost to the Canucks, and even lost last night. Because a streak like that getting waxed by three good teams would’ve been enough to make Conks and the boys realize that they can’t count on being able to score goals whenever they want. As long as they keep getting wins, the quality of the play will not change… or it’ll be a season long work in progress—which is fine if they get it to where it needs to be by March.

Posted by Nathan on 12/07/08 at 01:08 PM ET

The last time we had that attitude was in the 1995 SCFs against the Devils.  I still have bad memories.

FU&K.

I didn’t even think about that bad bad time. Stevie Y chasing Scott Stevens on the cover of NHL96 for a whole effin year.

We need another a$$ whopping. Someone get the belt.

Posted by Osrt on 12/07/08 at 04:19 PM ET

I will throw not Ozzie Or Conks under the bus. HockeyTownTodd makes some very good points. He’s right. The whole team is playing very lazy hockey right now. I can’t wait for Father Time er uh Cheli to get back . No, I do not think he is the savior, but he does demand accountability from everyone on the bench including himself. He provides leadership and shows up every night. He is sorely missed and it shows every game.

Lets Go Red Wings!!!!!

Posted by Kate from Pa.-made in Detroit on 12/07/08 at 04:38 PM ET

My buddy and I were texting last night during the game and his response when it ended he texted me, “Two points we really didn’t deserve.”  I thought during the first five minutes they we were going to dominate.  Huet was so shaky.  But this is not the Wings of last year and this is not the Hawks of last year.  Wings with a 2-0 lead last year?  Case closed.  This year, it is anyone’s game.  Sigh.

Just one question, where is the Kronwall that was throwing serious checks during last year’s SCF?

Of course I wanted to show my boyfriend how much San Jose dominates and then they lost to the Oilers.  I was very amused.

Posted by hockeychic from Denver, CO on 12/07/08 at 09:01 PM ET

Wings with a 2-0 lead last year?  Case closed.  This year, it is anyone’s game.  Sigh.

Or 3 or 4 goal lead. Puke, never mind sigh.
Every time we piss away a lead, all I can think of is that we look identical to the team Babs n the Quacks ousted… or the team that The Flames sent packing…. or the team the Cans ran off the ice…. or….
Ugh. Never mind a sigh.

Posted by MOWingsfan19 on 12/08/08 at 11:39 AM ET