March 2024 Game Thread

[Motor City Sonics]

That's pretty much the season right there. 

 

No playoffs = Failure.    No more excuses.   Half this league makes the playoffs and this team hasn't done it since 2016.   Seats need to start getting warm.  

[lordstanley]

With this loss, the Wings desperately need the Flyers to lose in OT.

[lordstanley]

Flyers do indeed lose in OT so don't gain ground on the Wings. They are 3 pts up, the Wings have a game in hand. Philly's schedule is getting easier though.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

We needed a win that we didn't get. I can't believe this time last month we had 9 points in hand and were set to make the playoffs. Now, we let a win slip away and the end of our season grows nearer. This really sucks to watch. 

[gehringer_2]

they are just not there yet. Two centers and 2 Dmen  - maybe one of the later if Edvinsson sticks.

[lordstanley]

37 minutes ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

We needed a win that we didn't get. I can't believe this time last month we had 9 points in hand and were set to make the playoffs. Now, we let a win slip away and the end of our season grows nearer. This really sucks to watch. 

Yeah, 9th place will be a failure, IMO. Maybe that matches or is even a bit higher than most pre-season predictions, but have to look at where the Wings were at the All-Star Break and what they had shown they could do the first 2/3 of the season.

[Jason_R]

9 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

they are just not there yet. Two centers and 2 Dmen  - maybe one of the later if Edvinsson sticks.

Yeah, before the season everyone thought they would be on the playoff bubble and they are. They fell apart without Larkin. Seems like a fragile team. 

[gehringer_2]

My marker is when the team is good enough that Veleno and Petry can't make the roster.

[Shinzaki]

Veleno is fine as a 4th line C...he just doesn't have the skill to play top six...which he has to do when Larkin is hurt.  Petry....no.  Would rather see Tuomisto than Petry or Holl playing that RHD spot on the 2nd or 3rd pair.

 

[slothfacekilla]

I've been both encouraged and disappointed with Veleno's season.  It looks like he's taken some steps and makes some good plays and shows some creativity.  Then he has games like last night where he's mostly invisible except when running around in his own zone or giving the puck away.  Overall it has been a let down I think, he's faded as the season went on and they have had to use Czarnik as the fourth line center and stick him on the wing.  Hopefully he's able to take a few more steps forward to be more consistent as a NHL player.

Even though I think Petry becomes a bit of a whipping boy, I still am ready for him to go.  I am guessing a lot of it stems from his age and not being able to make plays quick enough that he's used to making, but he really loves putting himself out of position at the weirdest times.  He makes some baffling challenges, it is probably a net "positive" in that it works more often than not to challenge puck carriers like he does, but when it doesn't work he's way out of position at the worst times so...not great.  Theoretically he should be a great partner for Edvinsson right now who seems to have brain farts in his own zone from time to time (guessing this is why Ed has been in GR to figure it out) but something happens and Petry is in the corner or something random doing god knows what. 

[gehringer_2]

48 minutes ago, slothfacekilla said:

've been both encouraged and disappointed with Veleno's season.  It looks like he's taken some steps and makes some good plays and shows some creativity.  Then he has games like last night where he's mostly invisible except when running around in his own zone or giving the puck away. 

He seems to be OK athletically but it's like he just doesn't see/think the game very well.

You are spot on - Petry doesn't have the speed to recover when he takes does take a chance so can get badly out of position. So most of the time he plays soft, which is a problem in itself across the Wings D. They do not pressure the puck nearly hard enough as a team. So he plays back, and is sound, in the sense of doing the right conservative thing, but then he doesn't win enough battles at the boards or net. I'm not sure how much good it does to be in the right place if you don't change the outcome.

Edited March 27, 2024 by gehringer_2

[slothfacekilla]

4 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

He seems to be OK athletically but it's like he just doesn't see/think the game very well.

You are spot on - Petry doesn't have the speed to recover when he takes does take a chance so can get badly out of position. So most of the time he plays soft, which is a problem in itself across the Wings D. They do not pressure the puck nearly hard enough as a team. So he plays back, and is sound, in the sense of doing the right conservative thing, but then he doesn't win enough battles at the boards or net. I'm not sure how much good it does to be in the right place if you don't change the outcome.

I think you're right on both counts.  Petry backing away out of the zone killed a few plays the last few games where the Wings were starting to get some offensive zone pressure going.  He plays like me in beer league, which is never what you want. 

[buddha]

i didnt see the wings' games when berggren was up, but it doesnt seem like he made much of a difference and he was promptly sent back down.

is he anything more than trade bait at this point?  isnt his contract up?  they may just not re-sign him.  

[Shinzaki]

Berggren is...I think...an RFA. Would not be surprised to see him go back to Sweden next year.  

[1984Echoes]

2 hours ago, buddha said:

i didnt see the wings' games when berggren was up, but ...

I think he made several defensive mistakes IIRC... so Lalonde stuck him back on the bench.

Middling offense and multi-defensive mistakes is not a recipe to be re-signed methinks.

Shinzaki may be right... back to Sweden is probably looking enticing to someone Berggren's age unable to break into/ stick in the NHL...

Unless he can find a pathway somewhere else... with another NHL team.

But I don't think his future is in Detroit.

 

 

Edited March 28, 2024 by 1984Echoes

[slothfacekilla]

2 hours ago, buddha said:

i didnt see the wings' games when berggren was up, but it doesnt seem like he made much of a difference and he was promptly sent back down.

is he anything more than trade bait at this point?  isnt his contract up?  they may just not re-sign him.  

He was what he's always been sadly, doesn't win puck battles (doesn't even go into those areas) and defensive lapses that lead to goals for the other team.  He can make some slick passes from the outside of the offensive zone and seems to see the offensive game decently, but his actual offensive output does not make up for him being both weak and unengaged when it comes to winning the puck or playing defense.  I think they might be able to deal his RFA rights to a bottom half team trying to find some scoring around the draft but we'll see.  He honestly seems like the perfect San Jose Shark right now.

[1984Echoes]

Sounds about right.

[lordstanley]

I’m pretty sure the Wings have lost 9 straight road games, with the last win being the Kane show in Chicago. 0 for 5 on a road trip, loss to Pitt, loss to Nashville, OT loss to Washington. 

[slothfacekilla]

1 hour ago, lordstanley said:

I’m pretty sure the Wings have lost 9 straight road games, with the last win being the Kane show in Chicago. 0 for 5 on a road trip, loss to Pitt, loss to Nashville, OT loss to Washington. 

What a depressing streak.  I fear it isn't going to get broken tonight.

[slothfacekilla]

Kane and Czarnik both out tonight with illnesses, ouch

[lordstanley]

Caps and Flyers both trailing after 1. Door opens a crack, Wings need to take advantage. 

[lordstanley]

Wings being outshot 11-1 with 2 minutes left in the 1st. Somehow still scoreless. 

[slothfacekilla]

It's a wonder it took that long for the Canes to score, eesh

Petry wandering too.  He went over to Rasmussen's guy for no reason, blah.

Edited March 29, 2024 by slothfacekilla

[slothfacekilla]

And then he takes a penalty cmon man

[Tigerbomb13]

Dreadful