OT - Mrazek Named Starter for Game 1 of the Playoffs
Just saw that Petr Mrazek is going to start game one on Thursday. Personally I'm thrilled. Thoughts?
http://www.wingingitinmotown.com/2015/4/13/8404499/nhl-playoffs-petr-mr…
pitched a shutout against TB the last time they played. I'm sold.
Where is the Big House 500th to bitch about Jimmy Howard?
My life won't be complete until this happens again.
Also I really think this is a great move by the wings.
He made another account, but you could tell it was him by the meltdowns. Then he got banned after a rather epic football tirade.
trust in Babcock
I think he made the right choice... Mrazek is just playing with more confidence right now
love the move. he is playing a lot better recently and he plays the puck so much better than howard. every single time jimmy leaves the net I think he is going to turn it over.
Good
Mrazek obviously gives us the best chance to win but need to be agressive everywhere. Like Olivia Newton John said, "let's get physical."
Marchenko-Dekeyser
Quincey-Zidlicky
1st to 3rd pair.
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I think I'd still give Kronner the edge because of the offensive production, skill and breakouts but yeah I want DeKeyser if we need somebody locked down.
Good. Howard has been too inconsistent over the past month or so. Either way, winning game one on the road in the NHL playoffs is almost impossible. I am fairly certain we will lose on Thursday.
I think you are forgetting "The Tampa Factor." There are tons of Detroit transplants in the area that hopefully show up in force to diminish the home town advantage.
I lived in Tampa for a few years and both hockey and baseball games often felt like the visiting team was the home team.
Also won game one against the Blackhawks in Chicago two years ago. Even Detroit's best teams found ways to drop game one of a series at home. 2002 we lost at home in Game 1s to Vancouver and Carolina.
If I know how to read (and I am pretty sure I do know how), I'm fairly certain I said "almost impossible."
I think he's saying he disagrees with the notion that it's "almost impossible". Frankly, I disagree too. It's unlikely, sure. But nowhere near impossible. "Almost impossible" to me should be reserved for things like "coming back from down 3-0 to win the series". Now THATS almost impossible.
they lost 4-1 then won games 2,3, and 4
It actually isn't.
With Mrazek and a young team he could get hot and make a nice run here.
Howard let in 3 bad goals in Montreal when the Wings needed 2 points to clinch (going in, clinched with 1 anyways). Petr nevers gets the goal support though so it'll be interesting to see how the forwards step up.
Any idea where to watch this game online?
Well, since they're national games, they should be on the NBC web site, but if not, use the First Row Sports Streaming site. They're not HD streams, but it's better than not watching or listening to the radio broadcast. If you have the right cables for your computer (whether it be a Mac or Windows piece of shit), you can plug it into your TV (assuming you have the correct input) and watch it that way.
Any idea how well the NBC Sports Live site works? Also, I think you have to have a cable login if they are broadcast on a cable network (like CNBC for Game 1), but I'm not 100% on that. I don't have cable, but I have a Verizon login from the in-laws. Firstrow or some other streaming option is the fallback plan but hockey is pretty tough to watch when the stream quality is bad... Like worse than the pre-HDTV days.
but I have found that stream2watch.com has really easy, high-quality streaming.
Explain?
Yeah...I don't get it either.
leaving Pulkkinen out of the lineup? I don't get that, and it cuts against the argument.
As full disclosure, I have thought Babs was on his way out for the last month. Nothing I see changes that.
I can name three that Pulkkinen can replace: Andersson, Weiss, or Miller. He wouldnt replace Marchenko (D) or Mrazek (G) at all, so I agree with that.
If it works out, you have Mrazek and Gustavsson going forward and you can trade Howard for picks. Would also free up some salary cap space. Only problem with Mrazek is his performance on the second leg of back to back nights. Hopefully with off days between games, this will not be a problem.
But I don't think anyone is going to trade for $6 mil/year goalie who underproduced.
Howard is still an above-average goalie going through a bad spot of play. There's a reason he got $6 mil a year in the first place. I think Mrazek is the better option for the Wings and if they think so too, it shouldn't be that difficult to move Howard. Ten teams in the league would love to have him, especially if the Wings retain some of his salary.
Which is strange because if there is anybody in the league who is more "we don't need an elite goaltender to win the Cup," it's Holland. Four Cups with three different goalies, and only one would be considered elite, and even he was on the downside of his career.
Difference this time around is we have no Lidstrom.
Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The voice of reason.
Howard and Mrazek have similar stats but people think one sucks and the other will lead us to the promised land.
It's not the goalie, it's the people in front of them!
His right what?
You couldn't be more wrong on your assesment of Jimmy Howard's trade value. You wouldn't know it if you talked with just 97.1 Wings fans out there, but Jimmy Howard is not a terrible goalie. In fact if you look at his numbers, he's a pretty solid goalie, not near elite, but solid. He has a solid career playoff save percentage (better than Bordeur, Rinne, Price, Ward, R. Miller) just to name a few), has made a couple of all-star games, and this year, he was second out of all goalies in even strength save percentage. Considering that, and other goalies, his contract isn't that bad, certainitly not untradeable. Considering the level of desperation some teams can have in finding a goalie, I can guarentee you somebody would have interest in Howard.
Mrazek starting is more of an idication of his talent and recent play rather than a knock on Howard's. (athough I don't think Howard is 100% right now).
All of your analysis on Howard's trade value is based off of PAST production. He's had an awful year, he's not getting younger, on the wrong side of 30 his deal has 4 full years left on it. Nobody is giving up anything of value for a 31 year old declining goaltender who just got beat out by a rookie who isn't exactly highly touted.
Giving a 29 year old goaltender who was never elite a 6 year extension was a ridiculous mistake and we will be paying for it until 2019.
Let me stop you there. No, he hasn't. He was playing lights out at the begining of the year. He also played well last year in the playoffs. His recent decline is very recent and related to his injury....he just hasn't been the same since he returned. There's no reason to think he can't make a full recovery from the injury and get back to his past production....but for whatever reason he doesn't have it all together right now.
I don't have a comment on the contract right now, but my first hunch is it is nowhere near as bad as you're making it out to be.
Well, ya know, Mrazek's GAA was 2.38 so he clearly must be better than Howard... hmmmm who had a 2.44 GAA.
Nevermind... Howard sucks.
There, I'm a Wings fan.
/s