Is This the Season-Defining Week for Wings?

Detroit comes into their game tonight against Columbus as the co-owner of the 7th seed.  They are tied with Toronto in points but hold two games in hand on the Maple Leafs.  The Red Wings then play Montreal, followed by the aforementioned Leafs, and enter the new week with a game against
Tampa Bay.  The Wings are as healthy as they're going to be for a while yet, and they are hotter than they've been in some time, which leaves one big question:

Is this the week that determines whether the door to the playoffs stays open for passage, or gets slammed in our face?

Now to be fair, we've seen Detroit get a decent amount of help from the Leafs by way of them going into some sort of hockey coma, having lost their last 5 games.  That part is HUGE for us.  Columbus is faltering as well, having dropped back below us already.  But none of this matters if not for the hard work and determination of the Red Wings.  Take for example Jimmy Howard's resurgence over the last week, as well as Gustav Nyquist's possessed play since returning from the Olympics! There hasn't BEEN anyone hotter than our boy Goose.  These two have taken to driving the bus and are currently steering it in a pretty damned good direction!  We're back on the inside, it's now in Detroit's hands to keep it that way.

Author your own fate, Wings.  Don't let other teams dictate where you stand.  Keep working hard and clawing for those points like you have been and things will continue to improve.

Play like the season is on the line, because it is.

Wings Get Crazy for Crucial Game against Leafs

The Detroit Red Wings are trying desperately to stay in the hunt for the playoffs while enduring ridiculous amounts of injuries, and may see that task further hindered as they get ready to face the Toronto Maple Leafs, a division rival sitting above them in the standings.  Forward Landon Ferraro has been recalled by Detroit in case Justin Abdelkader can't go after leaving the previous game early.  As if more call-ups didn't sound the alarm loud enough, it seems struggling Defenseman Brendan Smith has been re-positioned to Left Wing.  Wings fans haven't seen a move like this since we saw a blueline-patrolling Sergei Federov...it's just a shame that this time around it's not that caliber of a player.

Todd Bertuzzi is also a game-time decision, so we could very possibly see both the debut of Ferraro along with Brendan Smith 2.0 against Toronto.  At this juncture, Mike Babcock and the coaching staff need to try something different, so why not this?  Smith's most consistent error on D is that he isn't able to gauge properly WHEN to pinch in and push the play in the offensive zone, very often getting caught deep as the puck goes back the other way leading to an odd-man rush or a forward trying to cover for him.  Maybe now on the wing he'll work out better, since he likes going to the opposition corners so much in the first place.

All I know is, no matter the changes Detroit makes, we need to start scoring and winning some games.  Too many more losses from here on out and that door to the post-season is going to shut for good.

Wings Far from Perfect on Lidstrom's Jersey Retirement Night

Talk about a buzzkill.

It seems as though the Red Wings are out to make sure they make a terrible mess of every significant event taking place this season with them involved.  Winter Classic? Awesome, let's lose that one in front of a record-setting crowd--oh wait, we didn't even manage that part.  Oh hey, Lidstrom's jersey is going up to the rafters tonight and we could spank the Avs in the same evening! Well, on second thought, let's not bother.  To do that, we'd have to play a full 60-minute hockey game.  Instead, let's make a big spectacle of the banner-raising (which was seriously beautiful, by the way), then blow two leads after playing about 50 minutes of solid, heart-and-soul hockey...and then nap through the rest of the game.

Yeah, that was a great plan, boys.

I said it on Twitter last night and I will say it here: Yes, there are injuries and yes, that means we aren't playing our best players.  That does not equate to this team being poor skill-wise.  Our defense is lacking, I'll be first to admit, but how do you play relatively sound, smart hockey for 50 minutes and then just turn it around like you have 5 guys on the ice consistently unaware of what the game of hockey even is??  When they talk about players running out of gas, I wouldn't think to take it so literal that they ACTUALLY SHUT DOWN once that gauge dips!!

Oh, there's minute 50, time for us to go comatose! Really, guys...?  You're better than this, you know it and everyone on this side of it knows it.  Get your damn act together before you finally cost yourselves a playoff berth because you couldn't be bothered to stick it out for another half a period.