The Fifth Liners

In NHL.com's Five Questions With series, Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland admitted be believes that the Wings are not legitimate contenders: "I don't know that there are more than five or six legitimate Stanley Cup contenders; we're probably not in that group." Ken Holland to NHL.com Is this a kick in the teeth for Red Wings fans or a much-needed blast of realism? Is anyone surprised by Holland's words? Probably not. Having been a Red Wing fan for as long as I can remember, I'm under no illusions that the team aren't in the best place for winning Lord Stanley's cup. I'm not even sure we'll make the playoffs. 25 straight playoffs is a solid achievement; but since the Red Wings haven't made it past the Conference Semifinals since the 2008-09 season, that achievement doesn't really count for much as it isn't bringing any silverware home. We haven't made it past the first round in the last three seasons. Let's be hon...

Last night, the San Francisco Giants look advantage of a minor implode by the Kansas City Royals to level the scores of the 2014 World Series at 2 games a piece after 4 games played! This match up between Missouri and California might not have been predicted by many fans at the beginning of the post season, but so far both are making a good show of things. After being humiliated in game one by the Giants, the Royals' recovery has been nothing short of a masterstroke! Watching starting pitcher James Shields stumble his way through 4 very nervy innings while Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner held Kansas to only 4 hits in a one sided 7-1 victory made the air go out of Kauffman stadium! Also aided by a Hunter Pence home run, things were already looking bleak and the Royals impressive 8-0 post season record lay in ruins. Game 2 brought about a dramatic change and the Royals looked more fired up and ready to counter the Giants threat. After being held 1-1 in the opening innings, Om...

The Detroit Red Wings have 9 games left in the regular season. The Question that GM Ken Holland and Coach Mike Babcock is does the team have enough left in the tank to ensure that it can hang on to a playoff place? Let's look at the remaining games from the point of view of a (slightly) biased Wings fan. 11/04/13 San Jose Sharks - Home. The Wings are currently 1-1-0 against the Sharks and their only win was a shootout in February. The Sharks have made a lot of trades leading up the closure of the window last week and the Wings will need to pick apart any of the inconsistencies that come with unfamiliar players and lines playing together. 12/04/13 Chicago Blackhawks - Road Despite Chicago's dominance of all things Western, the Wings have taken 2 points from their three games having lost 2 in overtime. Wings' record against the Hawks is currently 0-1-2 and the sole regulation loss was a 7-1 thumping on March 31st. There's a score to be settled but with 2 roa...