Hockey Needs Challenges

As introduced in NFL the NHL needs to have a "Challenge" system. Clearly Holmstrom was no where near the goalie and he was outside the blue. The referee made a HORRIBLE
call and revoked the goal by the Redwings in the 2nd Period. Again hit on unfair advantages due to horrible referees. The play could not be reviewed because it didn't meet the criteria, so the coaches need to be able to have 1 play reviewed per game. Not sure what the penalty would be, but only allowing one review per game would be a good way to control the abuse of the reviews. The referee actions in this game should not be continued nor be allowed. These are outright bullsh** calls and both sides know it. Even the announcers said it was a horrible call by the referee.

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Wednesday Game @ Dallas

Okay...let's be honest. For those of us that watched the game on Wednesday night against Dallas in Dallas, the penalty calls were ridiculous andit was obvious there was an unfair advantage. Already with 3 penalties in the first and no penalty for the Stars that tripped a Wings player shooting shows an obvious unfair advantage. What happened to having fair called game? This game is obviously a crap called game and if you are going to be anal about penalties against one team you need to do it to both teams. Just call a fair game, that's all I ask.

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4 straight losses

With the Red Wings having lost the last 4 games, you have to wonder what is going on. One of the greatest teams this season is losing 4 straight games, but according to players they are not ready to panic. They say you can't win every game, but it is substantial to lose 4 straight games. The Red Wings are going to get a chance to redeem themselves at home tonight against the Blue Jackets.

Despite the four losses in a week, the Red Wings haven’t reached the panic mode.

"Adversity can be good or bad," veteran defenseman Chris Chelios said. "But with the veterans that we have in here, we’re obviously not going to panic. But in the same token, there should be some sense of urgency after four games of losing. Having a Friday night game at home here is a good opportunity for us to get back on the right foot."

We will see tonight at 7:30 at JLA if the Red Wings can redeem themselves and get out of this losing slump. The game will be televised on FSN-D at 7:30 also.

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Los Angeles Kings stop Red Wings

Thursday nights game at JLA against the Los Angeles Kings proved to more than difficult for the Red Wings. In the third period the Kings threw a beat down and showed the Red Wings that if you get too cocky you won't win the game. The Red Wings came into the game thinking it would be just another day to figure skate and play swing a couple sticks to get some points. Red Wings did not have their exceptional performance last night and it showed when the Kings scored four unanswered goals in the third period. Osgood stopped 20 of the 25 shots, but it wasn't enough to keep the Red Wings in the lead or even in the game. Osgood didn't have his A game last night and I almost wonder if he is trying to not embarass Hasek. :) Anyway ... last nights game was an embarassment to the Red Wings and an embarassment to Red Wings fans. Two of the four third period goals came as two seperate penalty play goals. So again the penalties for the Red Wings are getting out of control and costing then Red Wings to lose games. While the Red Wings are still 41W - 11L, they still need to press on and not settle for what they have already accomplished. The Red Wings has extreme potential to break a few team,personal,and nhl records this season.

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Red Wings host Kings

Thursday night February 7th, 2008 the Red Wings host Los Angeles Kings at JLA. The Red Wings are currently on a 8 game winning streak. Will the Red Wings be able to tie their season record of 9 game winning streak tonight at JLA? Detroit Red Wings are only four points shy of 90 season goals after their miraculous comeback against the Wild on Tuesday. Dominik Hasek yet again is being over glorified. This is a quote straight from the Red Wings site.

Dominik Hasek made 24 saves Tuesday and is 5-0-0 with a 1.57 goals-against average during the Detroit's streak.

While this might be true, if he would have made 26 saves the Red Wings wouldn't have to pull out a miracle to take the victory. While the Red Wings offense might not have been the best, Hasek definately wasn't the best, but that's normal and we all are already used to him " sucking it up ".

Anyway ... Tonight should be a good game against Los Angeles as they have been pretty strong lately with a 6-3 record. They might be in last place in their division ... but the Red Wings have to play with all they have or the Kings will increase their streak to 7-3 and the Red Wings will go home astonished and amazed at how cocky they are becoming.

Watch the game tonight on FSN-D at 7:30 as tonight will be a spectacular game.

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Red Wings 3 - Wild 2

Red Wings faced off against the Minnesota Wild February 5, 2008 and for the first two periods of gameplay the Redwings skated with no talent or skill. Babcock said he didn't even recognize the team on the ice. Going into the 3rd and final period the Redwings knew they had to step their game up and they needed to start playing hockey instead of figure skating for the olympics. Dan Cleary tied the game at 2 with 1:30 left in regulation. This last minute goal from Cleary allowed the Red Wings a chance to actually win this game. The game went into OT and 1:37 into overtime Brett Lebda scored the winning goal. So while the Red Wings have gone 8 straight games with victories, they almost blew their streak last night against the Wild. I believe the Red Wings need a gut check and realize that while they are now 41W - 10L they can't go into a game thinking they have it won just because they have 44 wins already this season and are leading the league for wins and also lead the league for fewest goals allowed. Mind you ... that's not thanks to Hasek as he has a higher GAA but thanks to Osgood. It's time to give up on Hasek and realize he just isn't as good anymore ... as a matter of fact less " beating around the bush " ... Hasek just plain out-right s-u-c-k-s. That's right ... I said it ... Hasek sucks. Guess who started last night and had the Red Wings down going into the 3rd period ... that's right boys and girls ... Hasek started last night and he sucked it up like he's good at. There needs to be a new award given weekly for players ... the " I Sucked All Week " ... Hasek would actually win something ... heck he would win nearly every week.

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Datsyuk's earns week's top star

For his seven-point effort in the last three games, Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk has earned recognition as the NHL's First Star of the Week between Jan. 28-Feb. 3. His seven points led the league last week.

His game-winning goal at Boston last Saturday snapped a nine-game scoreless streak that began Jan. 10 against Minnesota. Saturday's goal – a rebound from the lower left circle -- helped the Red Wings to a 3-1 win over the Bruins.

Datsyuk is tied with linemate Henrik Zetterberg for the team scoring lead with 65 points (18 goals, 47 assists) in 54 games. He ranks second in the NHL with a plus-37 rating, trailing teammate Nicklas Lidstrom (+46).

Datsyuk has registered at least a single point in the last six games, including two assists in the Wings' 2-0 win over Colorado on Feb. 1, and a season-high three assists in Detroit's 3-2 victory over Phoenix on Jan. 30. It was the fourth time this season that he has had three assists in a game.

Datsyuk was the league's second star for the month of December, compiling seven goals and 15 assists with a plus-11 in 15 games. For his December efforts, he was also recognized as the Carhartt 'Hardest Working' Red Wings' player for the month, an award selected by the team's coaches and front office officials.

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Osgood vs. Hasek

Redwings have two good goalies, but only one outstanding goalie. Unlike all the other articles that will contradict me from the public news and like media, Hasek is NOT the outstanding goalie he is painted to be. Stat comparison even proves this with Osgood GAA being 1.84 and Hasek being 2.04, Osgood has 22W-3L and Hasek has 18W-7L. The next argument would be that the offense has let Hasek down too often. Hah…this is not the case. The problem with Hasek not being up to the standard that the media has painted for him to be is simply because he is too old, his skills lack, he is over glorified and he is far overpaid. It’s past time for Hasek to retire and go back to his home land. He was good in the past, but his time has expired in the NHL and it’s time to stop wasting money on a goalie who can’t keep the puck from getting into the net. Just give it up Hasek and go home, we don’t need you anymore. No more monthly hardest working player of the month awards, since you don’t even do you single job of stopping the puck very well. He might be better than a good percentage of the other goalies in the league, but he also gets paid better than most of the other goalies in the league. His pay to skill ratio is about 20:1. Time to retire like Michael Jordan, only please don’t come back.

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Detroit 3 - Boston 1

Detroit has stepped up their game. Boston was going to be one of the harder games to win, and Detroit has done what they are known for ... winning. With Detroit being 40-10 will this be one of the best seasons for Detroit? With 27 games left for Detroit ... would they go 60-17 or even 67-10? Detroit has a remarkable chance to break their own record set in the 95-96 season of 62 wins. Will they be able to keep their composure and not get too cocky enough to break their own record? Their are plenty of games left this season for Detroit to blow away the previous win record, and they are sure to have a shot at the Stanley Cup this year if they keep their level of gameplay at it's current status. With Osgood being able to step up to the plate and play as good if not better than Hasek, their is a definite chance for Detroit to take another Stanley Cup victory. Redwings are on fire right now and no one seems to be able to put them out. They can only contain them long enough for the fire to revamp and start raging on.

Wings and Kings

Detroit Red Wings face the LA Kings tonight at 10:30 and the game will be aired on FSN-D. Red Wings are now 35 and 10 for the season and are looking for their third straight win tonight in LA. Red Wings have to victories over the Kings already this season. Detroit has come out of their 3 game losing streak and our now back on track for a long winning streak. When comparing stats from both teams side by side Red Wings out score the King 74 to 40. Red Wings our win the Kings by 35 to 19. Red Wings have a 90% chance to win when leading after 1 and the Kings have a 28% chance to win when trailing after 1. Red Wings power play is ranked #3 and Kings are ranked #4 so penalties could play a huge part in the game tonight. Red Wings need to stay disciplined and not get caught with stupid and unnecessary penalties. Hasek has won 6 straight starts against Los Angeles. The king have won four of five, including two consecutive wins at home. Will tonight be a blowout just as the Shark were on the 19th? Will the Kings have what it takes to hand the Red Wings their 11th loss of the season or will Red Wings be able to continue their winning streak and make it 3 in a row. Watch tonight at 10:30 PM EST on FSN-D. Tonight should be a good game between Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings.

Detroit Red Wings at Los Angeles Kings - 10:30 PM EST - TV:FSN-D

Detroit Takes It In Shoot Out

Detroit was leading 2-1 and on the power play after just giving up a goal to the Vancouver Canucks. Rafalski had the knockout punch within reach. Goaltender Roberto Luongo lay flat on his back, with no one between the puck, Rafalski and the open Vancouver net.

Rafalski’s shot clipped the crossbar.

"He had at least half of the net open," Red Wings goaltender Dominik Hasek said. "Almost I had to laugh on the other side how it could happen."

But Rafalski was even less lucky on the subsequent shift. On a Canucks' rush down ice, Henrik Sedin slid a backhand pass to Markus Naslund, who spun around Kirk Maltby and threw a shot toward the Red Wings’ net. Instead of going wide, the puck banked off Rafalski’s skate behind Hasek to tie the game.

"When we didn’t score on our second power play — we hit the post, we had so many chances," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "Luongo was good. I thought we tightened up for a little bit and I thought they got better, and they got the lucky goal when they threw it to the net.

"And then the game was on."

It stayed 2-2 for the rest of regulation. In overtime, Luongo stopped Pavel Datsyuk’s scoring attempt, but batted the puck into the crowd, eliciting a delay-of-game penalty. Vancouver killed off the advantage to force a shootout.

But Vancouver’s lucky breaks ended there. Henrik Zetterberg scored on Detroit’s second shootout attempt, deking once before slipping the puck five-hole on Luongo. Hasek only needed to stop Trevor Lindon, as both other Canucks' shots sailed over the net.

With the 3-2 victory, Detroit broke a three-game winless streak, which tied its longest of the season.

"It’s a good thing to happen," Babcock said. "You have to go through some tough times in your season to know how to respond to a little adversity, otherwise it comes to playoff time and you’re not prepared for it. It’s a battle every night."

Henrik Sedin, the lone Vancouver All-Star representative next weekend in Atlanta, factored in the Canucks’ first goal, too. Defenseman Sami Salo’s point shot hit a Red Wing in front, ricocheting right to Sedin parked in front of the net. He easily swiped the puck into the empty side at 15:21 of the second period.

Dan Cleary had built the 2-0 lead for the Red Wings. Cleary deflected Andreas Lilja’s point shot between Luongo's arm and pad with just 1:44 left in the first. The Wings hadn’t scored the first goal of any game since Dec. 27 against the Colorado Avalanche — 10 games ago.

On the second tally, Valtteri Filppula wrestled the puck free along the boards before finding Cleary alone in front. The Red Wings' second-leading goal scorer awkwardly knifed a backhand by Luongo.

"He should have four (goals)," Babcock said. "He was unbelievable. He had two point blank chances and Roberto Luongo made huge saves to keep the game even."

Cleary’s second goal gave Detroit a seemingly commanding 2-0 lead 1:51 into the second. The Canucks had mustered just five shots on Hasek.

But slowly the Canucks got back in the game as the period wore on. Vancouver responded with 12 shots, two that beat Hasek.

----

Comments:
"He had at least half of the net open," Red Wings goaltender Dominik Hasek said. "Almost I had to laugh on the other side how it could happen."

Well Hasek ... how bout all the times you flop on the ground because you don't know how to goaltend. I do believe your nickname is "The Flopper". Might have been an open net ... but remember that next time you flop like a dying fish ... THE NET IS OPEN! Great comments to the media ... way to belittle and make your teammate feel stupid. I hope next time he is on the defense with your goaltending he accidently lets one come through while your flopping just to put you in your place. You are the most overpaid, overglorified, over everything goalie in the NHL. You are a true disgrace to the NHL. Just retire and let the ones with skill play the game.

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Atlanta 5 - Detroit 1 :(

It hasn’t happened all season.

He had an off night.

Named to the All-Star game last week, Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood had a less-than-stellar outing against the Atlanta Thrashers, yielding four goals on 17 shots. The Joe Louis Arena crowd cheered as Osgood made the lonely skate to the Red Wings' bench in favor of Dominik Hasek.

Even Hasek didn’t seem to believe it.

"I went to him after three (goals), wasn’t ready, and he had ample warning and time to get ready," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "I gave him the opportunity to get ready, get stretched — it wasn’t like a sudden thing."

Said Hasek: "It’s been a long time since I jumped into the game in the second or third period."

Babcock has only pulled a netminder (Hasek) once all season, a 4-3 loss to St. Louis on November 13.

"Obviously, I wasn’t happy," Babcock said. "He (Osgood) would have finished the game if I was happy."

Atlanta’s Marian Hossa wrecked havoc on Osgood, completing his seventh-career hat trick before the game was half old. The Thrashers went on to win 5-1, leaping from outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture into first place in the Southeast Division.

Seven minutes into the game, Hossa wrestled the puck out of the corner on the power play and skated untouched past defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom en route to the net. Hossa outwaited Osgood, who dropped and allowed Hossa’s snapshot goal.

On his second, Hossa caught Brett Lebda fumbling the puck at the Wings' blueline. Hossa’s wrister from the left faceoff circle eluded Osgood’s catching glove for the 2-0 lead at 14:22 of the first.

Hossa completed the magic just over a minute into the second period. With six seconds left in an Atlanta power play, Hossa -- locked between four Red Wings -- found the top shelf.

Atlanta center Eric Perrin stretched the lead to 4-0, poking a loose puck past Osgood on a power play at 7:14 of the second. That was the end for Osgood.

But as unusual as the Osgood off night was the Red Wings’ offensive goose egg. Detroit had only been shut out one other time this season, a 2-0 blanking on New Year’s Eve against St. Louis.

After Hasek relieved Osgood, the Wings held the Thrashers shot-less for the remainder of the second period, while peppering goalie Kari Lehtonen with 19 shots of their own. Lehtonen didn’t flinch, and the score remained 4-0 through two periods.

Even leading-scorer Henrik Zetterberg couldn’t corral the puck while staring at an empty net midway through the third. Lehtonen stopped Zetterberg on a spectacular left pad save with just over six minutes left before Niklas Kronwall broke the shutout. Lehtonen stopped 46 shots.

Former Red Wings' forward Slava Kozlov tipped a shot past Hasek — a player he was once traded for — to settle the score at 5-1 with a minute left in the game.

"The key is to make sure we don’t elongate this thing," Osgood said. "We don’t want start thinking about the bad bounces and think that they’ll happen."

GAME NOTES: It was the Red Wings’ second straight loss to an Eastern Conference foe after losing 3-2 to Ottawa on Saturday … Detroit is now winless in three for only the second time this season, dating back to mid-November ... Detroit’s penalty kill, ranked fifth in the NHL, allowed three power play goals for only the second time this season.

Oz going to Atlanta

The Red Wings already had four spots reserved for the All-Star Game, which will be played at Atlanta's Philips Arena on Jan. 27.

Now add a fifth.

Goalie Chris Osgood, who signed a three-year contract extension on Wednesday, learned that he won't be headed to Disneyland with his family over the six-day All-Star break. Instead, he'll be a part of the Western Conference squad along with teammates Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsuyk, and coach Mike Babcock.

"At this stage of my career, this is pretty cool," Osgood said.

Vancouver's Roberto Luongo, who was announced as the West's starter on Tuesday, has declined the offer to participate in the game to spend time with his pregnant wife.
WINGS CORNER
Osgood signs three-year contract extension

It's possible that he can start the game. Babcock indicated that he's not sure of how the situation will work. St. Louis's Manny Legace and San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov were also named Western Conference reserves on Thursday.

This is Osgood's third selection to an all-star team. He played in the 1996 game, but sat-out in '98 with an injury.