And the one other thing that I forgot to say was that I think that you and the OtW crew do a fine job. Keep up the good work1

You’re right, the Wings as a whole weren’t playing well at all, and not all of them could have been pulled, but I felt Babcock could have tried something different. Putting in Jimmy Howard may have made things worse, but it also could have made things better by giving the team some motivation to skate in front him. If Babcock felt there was nothing to gain by pulling MacDonald, he really was giving up on the game.

You’re right about Forsberg. I should have said more, but I focused on his offensive contribution because that’s when he really started hurting the Wings.

As far as toughness goes, I don’t see the Wings getting much more gritty, no matter what happens at the deadline. One player will not change the whole team, as IwoCPO pointed out so well today. The Wings are as tough as they’ve been in years and when they’re playing like they did Sunday, toughness isn’t so important.

However, without size and toughness, they’ll have to sustain that high level of play against big, tough teams in the post-season if they want to go anywhere, like you said. The big question now is whether or not they can do it. After a game like last night’s, I have to admit my hope has taken a hit. Still, I’m confident they’ll rebound from it and learn from it. They may very well be alright come the playoffs.

I saw MacDonald as the best Wing on the ice for the first two periods. And don’t forget he’s not a high falootin’ first-string goalie. He’s just learning to play in the NHL; Babcock knows that great goaltenders need a mental toughness to compliment their other abilities. All players need to learn to deal with games like this, tough as they are, even in their depressing aftermath.

Also, I believe Forsberg was more a factor than you’re giving him credit for. Although he didn’t get on the scoreboard until the third, he winning nearly every faceoff and battle on the boards. He was routinely knocking all but the most skilled Wings off the puck at every turn. When there was a loose rebound in front of the Flyers goalie, Forsberg scooped it safely away. For these reasons, not scoring alone, many call him the best player in the game. And he lead the physical attack on the Wings, a tactic which he knows to be effective.

(Having said all of that about Forsberg, I still don’t think that he’d ever make a good Red Wing. Too long on the wrong side of the tracks. But the Wings should fear a trade that sends him back to the Western Conference!)

Tha main point that I agree on is that the Wings got supremely ‘handled’ in the physical sense last night. hope that GM Holland and the front office boys heard that alarm, loud and clear. This is a scenario that we’ve seen played out in too many post-seasons lately. Back-to-back schedules and big, physical players will be the order of the day once the season is over. What can/will Holland do to toughen up this team before that trade deadline?