Are the Red Wings...contenders?

[The Red Line]

No. The only contenders are out west IMO. No eastern team besides Pittsburgh has the personnel and/or experience to win a 7 game series against the likes of LA, Chicago, St. Louis, and maybe Anaheim.

Yes... if there's one thing the Wings are short on it is playoff experience....

 

[TheAngryHank]

Tampa lost tonight, Wings can re-take their #1 spot in the east tomorrow.

However, this will be their 2nd game in like 9 days, so they'll probably be rusty as hell.

Pitt has had the same 4 days off so might be down to who wakes up first.

 

[Pavels Dog]

No. The only contenders are out west IMO. No eastern team besides Pittsburgh has the personnel and/or experience to win a 7 game series against the likes of LA, Chicago, St. Louis, and maybe Anaheim.

Wings are still a Western team in essence. They know how to play against and beat those teams.

 

[Dynheart]

Wings are still a Western team in essence. They know how to play against and beat those teams.

Yea. It's funny how people were pimping the Wings with the whole "western conference domination" (with other teams of course)...but they move to the east, then all of the sudden they are just an "inferior eastern team".

They were a central division team not so long ago. Heh.

 

[Hammettf2b]

Yea. It's funny how people were pimping the Wings with the whole "western conference domination" (with other teams of course)...but they move to the east, then all of the sudden they are just an "inferior eastern team".

They were a central division team not so long ago. Heh.

Not to mention beat the Ducks and took Chi to 7 games with a far worse line up than they have today.

 

[icKx]

This is a better team than the one that upset the Ducks and took Chicago to game 7 OT.

Hopefully some Eastern team wins it all this year so this narrative of the unstoppable West can die down.

Edit: someone else beat me to it^^^

 

[Honey Bear]

Not to mention beat the Ducks and took Chi to 7 games with a far worse line up than they have today.

This is a better team than the one that upset the Ducks and took Chicago to game 7 OT.

Hopefully some Eastern team wins it all this year so this narrative of the unstoppable West can die down.

Edit: someone else beat me to it^^^

The team that took Chicago to game 7 only took them there because Chicago came out lackadaisical through the first 4 games. That series should've never gotten that far at all, and that series basically woke up the Hawks to win the cup. I'm not trying to take credit away from the Red Wings, but the Hawks were much better than that Red Wings team and it should've never gotten to that point if they had woken up a little earlier in the series.

 

[PullHard]

The team that took Chicago to game 7 only took them there because Chicago came out lackadaisical through the first 4 games. That series should've never gotten that far at all, and that series basically woke up the Hawks to win the cup. I'm not trying to take credit away from the Red Wings, but the Hawks were much better than that Red Wings team and it should've never gotten to that point if they had woken up a little earlier in the series.

The Wings should have beaten the Penguins in 2009 to win back to back cups

I can play, too

 

[Honey Bear]

The Wings should have beaten the Penguins in 2009 to win back to back cups

I can play, too

Just saying, that was really the case for the Hawks. Honestly, we probably would've lost to the Kings if we did somehow get past Detroit playing the way that we did the entire Minnesota series and up till about game 4 or so of that Detroit series. So I'd say Detroit really helped the Hawks out in winning that cup by actually making it a challenge and putting them on the brink of elimination.

 

[RyanOhReally]

Gosh Darn better be. They just always seem to win. Mrazek is a starting goaltender in my opinion. I think Jimmy Howard could be sent out at the draft while he's still at that elite recognition level

 

[Dotter]

The team that took Chicago to game 7 only took them there because Chicago came out lackadaisical through the first 4 games. That series should've never gotten that far at all, and that series basically woke up the Hawks to win the cup. I'm not trying to take credit away from the Red Wings, but the Hawks were much better than that Red Wings team and it should've never gotten to that point if they had woken up a little earlier in the series.

Yeah I'm not buying that one bit. Wings almost beat CHI without a couple of their most important players who would have pushed them over the top... and likely beat the Blackhawks.

Not taking anything away from the Blackhawks, they took advantage of an injured DRWs team, but I think that is the only reason why it went to 7.

 

[Honey Bear]

Yeah I'm not buying that one bit. Wings almost beat CHI without a couple of their most important players who would have pushed them over the top... and likely beat the Blackhawks.

Not taking anything away from the Blackhawks, they took advantage of an injured DRWs team, but I think that is the only reason why it went to 7.

Well you don't have to buy it. It's the truth though. Wings were not on the Hawks level.

The Hawks were sleepwalking vs MN in the series before and thought they could do the same vs Detroit. It was clear they couldn't and it took them a whole 4 games to realize it. If the Hawks play like a team giving 100% from the get go, that series is over in 5 with the Hawks winning it. Simple as that. I went back and watched the series again, came to the same conclusion. I don't want to take away from the Red Wings, but it wasn't really about them. The Hawks had everything going for them that season, and then towards the end of the year they started to play lackluster like they just wanted to get back to the Cup Final without having to earn it to get there. Tale of two teams from Game 5 and on.

 

[Dotter]

Well you don't have to buy it. It's the truth though. Wings were not on the Hawks level.

The Hawks were sleepwalking vs MN in the series before and thought they could do the same vs Detroit. It was clear they couldn't and it took them a whole 4 games to realize it. If the Hawks play like a team giving 100% from the get go, that series is over in 5 with the Hawks winning it. Simple as that. I went back and watched the series again, came to the same conclusion. I don't want to take away from the Red Wings, but it wasn't really about them. The Hawks had everything going for them that season, and then towards the end of the year they started to play lackluster like they just wanted to get back to the Cup Final without having to earn it to get there. Tale of two teams from Game 5 and on.

Actually the facts are the Wings matched up well against the Hawks and nearly took them out in a grueling 7 game series. Had Detroit been a bit more healthy and had couple of their important players who were out injured, I doubt Hawks go past game 6 in that series.

The Ducks series prior to CHI really took its toll on that Detroit team. Credit to the Hawks for taking full advantage and not letting up off the gas.

 

[Honey Bear]

Actually the facts are the Wings matched up well against the Hawks and nearly took them out in a grueling 7 game series. Had Detroit been a bit more healthy and had couple of their important players who were out injured, I doubt Hawks go past game 6 in that series.

The Ducks series prior to CHI really took its toll on that Detroit team. Credit to the Hawks for taking full advantage and not letting up off the gas.

Haha. The Red Wings were not a better team than the Blackhawks. Even if Detroit was healthy, it still comes down to how the Hawks would play. The Hawks put themselves in that position to be down 3-1. The only way the Hawks lose that series if they beat themselves which they were about to do if they hadn't woken up for Game 5 and on.

The Hawks were just so much more superior, it was just a matter of them trying. Sorry buddy.