Howard is supposed to be the Wings future, he's only the present because Osgood hasn't performed with any consistency — at least that's more or less the tune Mike Babcock's been playing since the beginning of the year. The Wings are in good shape schedulewise and should certainly make the play-offs. A first round match-up with the Hawks would be delicious prospect.

A win at the fifth attempt against the Avs for the Flames. For the fifth time this season between the teams, a 3-2 scoreline. Oddly, this was by far the worst performance of the five; we made very very hard work of a 3-0 lead, and the Avs could well have scored a second goal with the net empty in the dying seconds. Still, a win is a win, and all that.

Amor de Cosmos wrote:
A first round match-up with the Hawks would be delicious prospect.
The Hawks have struggled somewhat since the Olympic break, and the goalie conundrum is still to be solved. It could derail them, as neither Huet or Niemi look as solid as Khabibulin did last postseason. The third choice Corey Crawford has conceded a really bad shorthanded goal in Anaheim tonight. I think Detroit would take advantage of such problems.

The winner will know they've been in a series, probably go the full seven. I'm probably unduly influenced by the fact that Vancouver generally handles the Wings rather well, while the Hawks...well, everyone knows how that ends. Detroit's in town Saturday, two days after the Sharks. Time for Big Louie to earn his crust.

A lot could still change before the play-offs. Someone will get hot, injuries will play a part (the 'Nucks lost Samuelsson for three weeks yesterday... not good.)

I was going to say I couldn't quite work out how Detroit were going to contrive to lose in Edmonton tonight. In the end, Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk (season stats 0-8-2, 4.16 GAA, 0.868 SV%) was 0.4 seconds away from his first NHL win in regulation when the Oilers decided to cough it up in their own end one last time. Brian Rafalski scored, and the groan could be heard all the way down the QE2 here in Cowtown. Edmonton won in a shootout, and Dubnyk got his first win after all.

That loser point for Detroit keeps them 8th in the west after Calgary inflict a fifth defeat in a row on the Sharks. 4-3 was a flattering score to the Sharks, but the Flames' usual problems of an inability to defend a large lead resurfaced right at the end.

In advance of tomorrow, go Canucks!

San Jose are now seriously at risk of being caught by Phoenix for their division title (who'da thunk that back in October.) The Sharks are an oil-tanker of a team, big, strong and skillful enough for purpose. But they're slow and, if you get to them early, seem to take ages to turn a game in their favour. In their last two games the 'Nucks and Flames took early leads and were both able to hang on despite continuous pressure. I think they may have made a bad move shedding journeymen to accomodate Dany Heatly too, it's left them with less depth. But we have to play them twice more at their place so it doesn't do to get too cocky.

Yes, should be a good one tonight — mind you I thought that last time Calgary were in town. Vancouver and Detroit each have 7-2-1 records in their last ten games, the best in the league. Lets hope they're shagged out from last night's game.

Un-be-lievable. Twice in two nights, Detroit score a goal inside half a second remaining in a period.

Bugger eh?

I only saw the last two minutes plus OT but we can't give up that much puck possession and expect to steal games against a club like Detroit. I mean how many shots did Luongo face? Well over 50? The Canucks are maybe the best in the league on the break at the mo, but the defence just isn't there when it comes to keeping players like Datsyuk and Zetterberg against the boards all night. I wish Willie Mitchell were healthy, he's sorely missed on nights like this.

heh, I was just annoyed tonight as I was last night. Cheering for the Canucks felt....odd.

We play Minnesota, Anaheim and the Islanders in the next three. Got to win them all and hope someone above us suddenly collapses. But who?

Good question. The Sharks are the only team in a playoff spot that are playing badly but they've too far to fall to do you much good. Colorado and L.A. are so-so and might still be caught. I still think there's time for Detroit to hit a rough patch and, in spite of Ursus's confidence, I'm not sure Howard is a playoff goalie yet.

It might all be academic now anyway. A terrible loss in Minnesota, where the hitherto impeccable Vesa Toskala reverted to the one regularly seen being pulled in Toronto.

I can't work this team out. No urgency at all today, and Iginla's line was a defensive liability all afternoon. I figure we have to go 8-2-0 just to have a chance. We have still to play the Canucks, Blackhawks, Capitals and Sharks in the last 10. A very tall order.

The Sharks are 3-0 down in Edmonton after two periods. They are not going to be the no. 1 seed, and will need to turn things around dramatically if they are going to survive the first round,

1-5 final. This is ploy on the Sharks part to avoid the Wings right? Phoenix win again and are only a point back. Avs lose again too, so all is not lost for the Flames quite yet.

Hmmmm. Avs equalise to make it 3-3 in LA inside the last ten seconds. You could have driven a bus through the middle of the LA defence on the last rush up the ice. A three point game between the two sides was the last thing we needed.

Maybe this is all karma from the hockey gods for Brent Sutter quitting New Jersey last summer, saying he had nothing lined up, and then appearing in Cowtown a week later.

The 47th Element wrote:
Un-be-lievable. Twice in two nights, Detroit score a goal inside half a second remaining in a period.
I've always said it: Detroit are the Man Utd of the NHL. This is why I hate them.

Amor de Cosmos wrote:
...Vancouver generally handles the Wings rather well, while the Hawks...well, everyone knows how that ends.
...And this is the other reason I hate them!

There might be five minutes of our game on Long Island to go, but this can't wait. Tonight's performance has been inexcusable. They simply thought all they had to was turn up and a win would be theirs against a team who lost 5-0 last night. Dreadful.

This was one your guys coulda and shoulda no doubt. If if was tough to make up ground on the Wings/Avs before it's near impossible now. Say goodnight Iggy.

Darryl Sutter is very much the lightning rod tonight, looking round the internet. From the Jokinen trade onwards last season, he's mortgaged the future in pursuit of "win now". We have no first or second round draft pick this year, and some truly bad contracts were taken on in the February makeover: the utterly useless Kotalik 'earns' $3m a year, Staios $2.7m a year. Add that to Langkow and Sarich ($8.1m a year between them) and it leaves us no room to sort this mess out.

The biggest bust of all might be Bouwmeester. He might be solid defensively, but for $6.8m a year, we need a hell of a lot more than that. Two goals!!

If you want to "win now" bringing in a bunch of Leafs is never going to be the answer and certainly Sutter should have known that.

It could workout down the line but talented players are frequently so demoralised by their Toronto experience that it takes them a season or two, at least, to recover. Wellwood and Raycroft here in Vancouver are classic cases, only now is the latter recovering his confidence and the former showing what he's capable of.

The Leafs players haven't been too bad since they came. Ian White has been the best of them. Stajan and Mayers have been OK. Hagman has struggled a bit. It's the core players that are the problem - the captain most of all - and it seems moving Phaneuf has not scared them enough. They either don't buy into the Sutter way, or are in decline. Maybe more have to go.

I didn't see today's game, being in town for the usual Premiership game and full English breakfast, but a 5-0 beating by a Boston team that struggled for goals all season came as no surprise at all. We also get to watch the Caps eviscerate them tomorrow.

Darryl Sutter has now taken us full circle back to where we were when he took over. The organisation's complete mistrust of skilled players is being laid bare for all to see right now. We have lots of d-men, lots of grinders on the farm. But skill? Backlund is the closest to that, but if we continue to play him in a team like this, we'll stunt his development the same way the Oilers have with a number of their prospects.

Still, it'll be nice to enjoy the playoffs without having to stress about another first round exit.