Detroit vs Minnesota

[sherbert1421]

Fuck this team. Giving up a 2 goal lead against one of the lowest scoring teams in the league. What a joke.

 

[IndyAndy]

Wild win; 3-2. Wings were threatening with 2 min to go, but couldn't pull even.

Two consecutive games where the Wild score more than 1 regulation goal: Hope that they can keep that up!

 

[detroit_schlegs]

Fuck this team. Giving up a 2 goal lead against one of the lowest scoring teams in the league. What a joke.

Holy smokes! How many passes did these guys miss making "to somebody donning a red jersey" and how many passes did they fail to keep on their sticks? I lost count, since there were so many. Passing behind you to nobody but a Wild player heading over your blue line. Are there any brains in this outfit; if so, why do they seem to be close to braindead so often in their decision-making?
This team right now in a word is shit. Why? I don't want to hear about injuries because there have been a lot of teams that have suffered much more than we are right now who have played far beyond the quality of some decent high school team, which is what the Wings looked like during many stretches of this game and the third period the other night. They better think of cleaning the cellar after this season with some of these guys that have lost their ability to play this game at a level that is demanded by what it takes to be successful in this league. Right now we are not very good, period. In a way, I feel for Kroner, since they have him in a position wher a number one should be, and he is not nearly one of those nor will he ever be one of those; and Kindl geanerally hasn't a clue what to do when he senses the pressure closing in on him.
One of their major issues, as I see it, is that they create their own issues by simply pausing too often. They wait too long to make passes; they wait too long to take a shot; they wait too long to get a jump on someone in order to get to open ice; and they wait too long to decide to get back on d. Their delays have put a defined damper on opportunities to have a game with any flow in management of puck possession. The entire 3rd period tonight was a perfect example of that.

 

[detroit_schlegs]

Another thing that makes me wonder about their preparation is that when I watch this power play management of ours, or, should I say a lack thereof, so often I see the d vacate our man down low. So, almost on every opportunity, we see someone shoot into traffic - often composed of 3, sometimes 4 opposing players covering the middle. Why? Getting the puck back to the man down low, forces a defender to move away from the middle - either to an area nearer to the dot between the man down low and the man at the point or in the direction of the man down low. But, we often keep the puck high by either holding the line or moving it across to the other point man, allowing one player to come out high, and another to move out to get better access to the other side, in case the puck moves back across again. But, keeping the puck moving down low tends to allow for better space to move the puck for more scoring opportunities than shooting into a mass of bodies. Then, when we pulled our goalie for an extra attacker, we moved the puck down below the goal line 3 times, but I'm pissing and moaning because on none of those plays did anyone think to stay down low to either get possession or to maintain it. And, the result was that the braindead were overwhelmed once again.