lordstanley

McGoniGONE!

Through 5 by Skubal: 0 runs, 0 hits, 62 pitches

I'm very reluctant to re-post Jeff Moss of all people but, this one time, he makes a reasonable point.

The current Central standings are easy to remember.

Apart from Larkin, Kenny had two #15 picks in 25 years! Yzerman has had seven #15 picks already. The year before Holland picked Larkin he picked Mantha at #20 - Mantha was handed to Yzerman in 2019 as a 24 year old coming off a 25G 48Pts in 67 games. Holland also picked Tyler Bertuzzi late in the 2nd round in the same draft as Mantha and Bertuzzi was handed to Yzerman in 2019 as a 24 year old coming off a 21 G 47 Pts season. Hronek, drafted late in the 2nd round in 2016, was handed to Yzerman as a 21 year old. Holland missed on two top 10s - Zadina and Rasmussen - but let's see how much better than those two Kasper and Danielson turn out to be. That's not defending Holland, just saying that apart from his three top 6 overall picks Yzerman's drafting hasn't yielded much ...yet. A 91 point season with 2 games to go, on the playoff bubble, isn't much different than what I expected last September. We'd feel differently about 91 points if: a) the points hadn't been frontended in the first 2/3 of the season followed by a 1/3 of the season collapse; and b) youth like Kasper, Danielson, ASP and Cossa had contributed to those 91 points.

The Leafs traded their 2026 #1 last year at the deadline but it's top 5 protected. The Leafs finally fell into the NHL bottom 5 tonight. If the Leafs win the lottery and get to pick Gavin McKenna ...

I’m giving up on hockey. Still want to cheer for a team in red though. Go Red WaterWings Go!

/thread

Go Tigers, go Pistons, go Habs.

5-3. 59 seconds to go. Here come the boos!

At least the 2024 team had late game dramatics in an exciting final week.

When does the booing start? Final buzzer or before then?

Somehow the Wings give up a 2 on 1, the Devils score, and the Wings are 3:30 from official elimination.

Dennis Cholowski probably will score a goal late in regulation to knock out the Wings.

Justified! 3 times the Wings have taken the lead, 3 times the Devils have come back. 3-3 with 7:30 to go.

3-2 with 13 minutes left in the 3rd. Finnie!

Ottawa is now ahead of Boston on the regulation wins tiebreaker. If Boston wins one of its final two games the Wings can’t catch them. If the Bruins only pick up 1 point total in their final 2 games, the Wings would pass the Bruins by going 3-0 as long as least one Wings win is in regulation.

Good chance the Wings won't mathematically survive past this weekend, perhaps not even past today. The Wings have the 9th best record in the East but passing 8th Philadelphia doesn't get them in. Because they need to finish in the Atlantic's top 5, passing either Boston or Ottawa. The Wings' tragic number with Boston is 2 points, with each team having 3 games left to play. So even if the Wings were to win out to get to 97 points, the Bruins' 96 points currently means they'd just need 2 points to reach 98 and eliminate the Wings. The Wings will win the tiebreaker with Boston if they both finish at 97, provided at least one of the Wings' wins in their 3-0 finish is in regulation. Boston's early game today hosting Tampa should be over by the time the Wings take the ice at 5pm hosting New Jersey, so if Boston beats the Bolts they'll already be out of the picture for the Wings. After today, Boston finishes at Columbus on Sunday and hosting New Jersey Tuesday. The Wings' tragic number with Ottawa is 3 points, with each team having 3 games left to play. So even if the Wings were to win out to get to 97 points, the Sens' 96 points currently means they'd just need 3 points to reach 97 and eliminate the Wings. The Sens will win any tiebreaker over Detroit. Ottawa's early game today at NYI should be over by the time the Wings take the ice at 5pm hosting New Jersey, so if Ottawa wins today in regulation the Wings would be eliminated with a loss. After today, Ottawa finishes at New Jersey on Sunday and hosting Toronto on Wednesday. The only way the Wings are still alive going into Game 81 in Tampa on Monday is if the Wings beat New Jersey today and either Boston picks up no more than 1 point in its 2 games this weekend or Ottawa picks up no more than 2 points in its 2 games this weekend.

Neat! I went back on clicked on all the past Hobey Baker winners. Like I said, I recognized about half. And that's about the proportion that had meaningful NHL careers. Now and then I'd come across a winner who played a few partial seasons in the NHL but whose name didn't really ring a bell. Fine. But then ...Tony Hrkac. I swear I've never heard this name in my life. Did he grow up in the same town as Kent Hrbek? So I click on his name and, hang on, 758 NHL GP in 17 NHL seasons between 1987-2003, for 9 different NHL teams! Even played in the NHL playoffs for 4 different teams. And I've never heard of him?! How is that possible, lol.

Max Plante has won the Hobey Baker. Have the Wings ever had a prospect win this? None from the list of winners jumps out me as Red Wings, but I only recognize half the names. https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/awards/awarddetail.php?award_id=126

I had the same thought. Makes no sense to me.

Much needed W!

Junior hockey player killed in a campus shooting in my hometown last night. I have friends with kids who played with him on his former team, Mooretown. https://nationalpost.com/news/local-news/one-man-dead-in-early-morning-shooting-at-lambton-college-sarnia-police/wcm/f542a641-d897-492d-9a33-ae25f8eb904e

Jealous of Habs fans. Hard to believe that just 3 weeks ago today I was making a 9 hour drive from Sarnia to Montreal with the Wings and Habs tied in the standings. It was the morning after I had been at LCA watching the Wings beat the Habs on a late winner. Now Montreal is 13 pts ahead of the Wings and in a 3-way battle for 1st in the Atlantic.