Mmmm.

Oh playoffs. You stress me out. So much so I have found myself unable to post anything. My strong suit is generally posting wild trade/FA speculation, crunching salary cap numbers, and vulgarity. Only the last of those three is applicable now.

Motherfuck.

I've been depending on NHL Center Ice Online for my hockey since I both live out of town and don't have cable. Oops. I've been scrambling to catch Wings games, mostly through possibly illicit means. Another reason for the posting dearth is that I was unable to watch Games 1 and 2 in their entirety. Found a good source for last game though! Saw it all on a crisp feed.

Of course they fucking lost.

So do I watch tonight's at my friend's place? Will I jinx them? I can't bear to stay away but you can be rest assured that if things start going badly I'll flee the scene. Here's some thoughts:

-As many have noticed, the fourth line is strong. Mark Hartigan has shocked me, but I'd still like to see Gator/Abbadabbadoo/The Abductor get some IT. Hartigan isn't as nasty as Abdelkader, who could make that line absolutely ferocious, and add some speed.

-With Kronwall and Stuart both showing propensity to jump up, I say split them up. Either put Lids and Kronner together and Raffy with Stuart, as Babcock did often on the road in the regular season, or maybe even swap Chelios and Stuart. Cheli is even keeled and can serve as a strong last line when Kronner jumps up for a hit or a rush. Of course, that leaves the question of who to put on the third pair. Yeah, forget about that.

-Sammy has shown himself to be a highly competent player, although still not really a highly competent offensive player. I'd like to see Hudler with Franzen and Fil, who both need an offensive boost. Huds is the guy to give it to them. Sammy-Drapes-Cleary would then make for an excellent checking line, with the possibility for offense. Drapes is, after all, the leading goal-scorer in the playoffs. Eerily similar to the beginning of the season...

-Hasek. I don't even know what the fuck to say. I'm just going to trust in the insanity.