The "We *don't* like our team" Era: Has it begun?

Strap yourself in, gentle reader, because the Detroit Red Wings just did something profound enough to drag my exhausted ass back here, and boy is it a DOOZY!  Alright, are we all ready for this? Alright listen up: Ken Holland...yes, THAT Ken Holland...just placed Drew Miller...ON WAIVERS!!

WHAAAAT!???

Yes, you are reading this right, Kenny Heartbreak has put a veteran forward on waivers INSTEAD of losing a young and talented player to another team for nothing!  I understand if you need a moment to collect your thoughts or clean up, but just bear with me here.  Perhaps we should consider alerting the authorities or seeing if we can get a spot in the next X-Files season because I am CONVINCED that Ken Holland has either been abducted and replaced by aliens or is now host to a sentient mind-controlling parasite that thought it's victim's job was to actually make sound hockey operations decisions.

Good lord, maybe next we'll see Riley Sheahan get.........BENCHED!!!

In all seriousness, this is still news that is far more significant than it should be.  As someone on Twitter suggested to me, maybe Holland is finally starting to feel the seat under him getting warmer.  That could be the case, but I want to believe that the Wings management is simply--finally!--turning a corner with their views on how a club needs to be built in the current NHL.  Maybe they're starting to understand that being loyal to your players can only extend so far before you've stretched yourself too thin.

Maybe the Red Wings finally have the spine to say, "We don't like our team, and some things need to change.".

Now I admit that is heavily reading into something that just happened with a lot left on the table to decide on, but damned if I don't take this as a step in the right direction.

I just hope more steps are to follow

Gordie Howe has Passed Away

The hockey world is saying goodbye to its greatest hero.  Gordie Howe, the man known as Mr. Hockey and truly the greatest player--let alone Red Wing--to play the game has died at the age of 88.

I was too young to ever get to watch Gordie play, but you didn't have to witness his greatness first-hand, his accomplishments and his legacy are so enormous that anyone who loves the game of hockey will agree he was simply the best.  There's really not much I can say that hasn't already been said, and likely in better words from people far more familiar with Gordie Howe than myself, but I felt the need deep within my hockey-loving soul to at least address the news publicly.  Howe's presence in modern day Red Wings hockey was subtle but invaluable to generations of new players coming into the league.  For kids like Dylan Larkin or Andreas Athanasiou to meet a man like Gordie and understand the greatness they are privileged to succeed by carrying on the Red Wing way is something many other teams simply cannot offer.  Howe was quite literally a link to the Red Wings' past, and helped personify the essence of the Red Wings and what it meant to wear the Winged Wheel.

A marvelous hockey player and an outstanding human being, Mr. Hockey has earned his final sleep.

Rest in Peace, Gordie Howe.

We're Not Dead Yet, and Neither am I

I feel like an apology is in order.

Life can so quickly get in the way of the things you love that, before you know it, the season is almost over and you realize that you haven't published any material since the start of the season.  I didn't want it to be this way; however, at the same time as this feeling of an apology being necessary, I realize it is not.  I have a beautiful baby girl who amazes me daily and makes my life more complete than it's ever been, a loving wife who is there for me no matter what, and friends that would bend over backwards for my family in a time of need, whenever that might be.  I'm doing pretty well for myself.

But enough about me.

I'm here, we're here, and the Red Wings are here, on this final day of our regular season.  We are as close to the brink as we are to the promised land, and which way we go will be determined over the course of the next three hours or so.  It's all so simple:

Win. One. Game.

Nothing fancy, just a W in the column, by hook or by crook.  Win and you're in.  Yes, there are other scenarios, but I don't care.  Detroit had a shot in Boston and blew it, that should be the wake-up call.  Let it be.  Let that humiliating defeat rally you to grater heights and a postseason berth.  Get revenge on the Bruins in the best way possible: by closing the door on their playoff hopes in their faces.

I believe.  Deep down, we all believe under however much cynicism or objective reasoning we put out there into the aether.  We believe in our Red Wings, so please, Red Wings: Reward our faith and get it done today.

Red Wings Explode into Regular Season, Blowout Leafs

Welcome back to Detroit, Mike Babcock.

The Red Wings may have taken a moment during the game to honor their former head coach, but Mike Babcock was given no further warmth by his old team as Detroit opened their season at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Justin Abdelkader posted a hat trick and 19 year old Dylan Larkin got his first goal and assist of his NHL career as the Wings pummeled Toronto by a score of 4-0.  Jimmy Howard, looking to return to form after a poor second half of last season, earned a 19-save shutout in the victory.

If you weren't able to watch this game, I hate to tell you this but you missed one of the most entertaining Red Wings games I've seen in a long, long time.  Detroit showed a passion and a hunger that I feel has been lacking for some time.  Now I do realize this is only the first game of a long season, but tonight showed us all what kind of potential this team has and what it is capable of.  Good play on the 5 on 5, the powerplay clicked, the penalty killers were perfect, very few miscues and turnovers all contributed to a dominant performance by the Wings.

I will admit that it was hard to appreciate the play of the entire team with how well the top line played, but no one really played badly for Detroit from top to bottom, and that might be the most exciting prospect of all that I gleaned from this evening's tilt.  Oh, and keep in mind, we're not even running Datsyuk or DeKeyser yet.  Yeah, this is gonna be a fun team to watch.

The Red Wings are back in action tomorrow against Carolina.  Petr Mrazek will get his first start of the season, and hopefully the team will carry this burst of momentum forward and keep the W's flowing.

Don't forget to like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter and leave your comments below!

The 2015-16 Season is Here! A Geek's Thoughts and Expectations

Is it October yet?

Oh, wait. Yes, yes it is!

That's right, folks! The NHL regular season is getting underway tonight, and despite the Wings not playing until Friday, I must admit I'm excited just to know that hockey is back for another year.  The slate had once again been wiped clean and Detroit begins its next new journey toward attaining the Stanley Cup.

And wouldn't you know it? We got a nice surprise earlier on in the day: Dan Cleary HAS BEEN WAIVED! You read it right, friends: Dan Cleary will NOT be on the opening night roster.  Hell, he might even get picked up before noon and that'll be the end of it (I'm looking at you, Philly).

Jimmy Howard will be starting the Red Wings' opening game against the Toronto Bable Cocks, while Petr Mrazek is starting the next game against Carolina.  This means that, at least for the start of the season, new coach Jeff Blashill is doing what I hoped he would do: Tandem the goalies.  We know Howard can be elite per his experience but we also know Mrazek can be elite per his raw potential and ability, so why not play them both? Besides, a lighter workload on Jimmy could help prevent another injury and I know you remember what happened last year with regards to those and the subsequent return...

Blashill is also making somewhat of a statement by penning rookie Dylan Larkin into the opening night roster.  No matter how much he might have promised he would consider it, I cannot for a moment believe that Mike Babcock ever would have made that call; in fact, I'm pretty sure it would be Larkin getting the boot and Cleary staying up if it were Babs' decision.  It is not his decision now though, of course, and it is nice to see Blash willing to accept the Youth Movement and see just what the kids can really do at the NHL level.

All in all, it's an exciting time to be a Red Wings fan.  Now that you've heard from the Geek, what are YOU most interested in/excited to see as this season begins from our boys in red?  Leave a comment below or let me know via Twitter @DatsyukianGeek where I can be found ranting and/or live-tweeting during the game!

Detroit Deadline Insanity: Wings Make a Second Trade

Hold onto your long-johns, Hockeytown, or else I'm about to blow them clean off.

The Detroit Red Wings have made another trade before the deadline this afternoon.  Yes, I said another, as in they have now made two.

What reality is this!?

What we have today is a trade between Detroit and New Jersey that sends right-handed D-man Marek Zidlicky to the Wings in exchange for a conditional third-round pick.  The condition on the pick upgrades it to a third and fifth-round pick if the Wings make the Eastern Conference Finals, and the fifth further upgrades to a second-round pick if the Wings go to the Cup Finals.

Zidlicky is described as a mobile, puck-moving defenseman.  His hard, right-handed shot will be a big asset on an already potent powerplay and his experience will allow him to slot in nicely as a 3rd or 4th defender.

So...just to review: Yesterday evening we got a big, gritty winger who can play either side of the ice, and now today, we pick up a right-handed D-man to eat PP minutes.  In return, we gave up two prospects who were longshots to even crack our lineup and a small handful of draft picks.

Not too shabby.

We'll get our first chance to see our new Wings on Wednesday when they face off against the New York Rangers.

As far as this year's trade deadline for the Red Wings, though, I have four words, ladies and gents: Winner winner, chicken dinner.

Wings Make Their Move, Acquire Cole from Stars

One had to wonder if this year would be like many others for the Detroit Red Wings.  Would the trade deadline come and go with no action from the brain trust in Hockeytown?  We could almost hear the canned speeches of 'We like our team' or 'Our players coming back from injury, THOSE are our deadline acquisitions'.  We'd heard them all before, and no doubt expected we would hear them again.

But not this time.

In a deal that would only be considered a blockbuster move here in Red Wings Nation, the Wings have picked up big forward Erik Cole from the Dallas Stars.

Let's face it: anything more than a swap of draft picks in Detroit is blockbuster nowadays, just let me have this!

As Dallas sends Cole and a third-round pick to the Wings, Detroit sends back a pair of prospects (Mattias Jannmark and Backman respectively) and a second-round pick.

Personally? I love this deal.  Yes, we're getting a rental player--Cole's contract is up this summer--but he adds size and grit up front that we've been lacking for some time.  Yes, we have gritty guys, but Abby, Helmer et al are not big bodies, and Helm is now out for an undetermined amount of time.  Also yes, we do have some big bodies on the team, but besides Ericsson who has only recently gotten into some fisticuffs, none of those bigger bodies really throw their weight around...I mean, do I even need to bring up Franzen...?  Also? It's not like Cole doesn't produce, with 33 points in 57 games this season on a bottom-dwelling Dallas team playing most regularly with Jason Spezza and Jamie Benn.  Give him Zetterberg and Nyquist to play with and let's see what happens, hmm?

No, I think this deal will work out nicely.  We didn't lose any impact players, and we got one in return to toughen up our lineup a little, just before the playoffs.  All in all, no complaints from me.

That said: Welcome to Hockeytown, Erik Cole!

Red Wings Show True Character, Rally Past Rangers

It's got to be said, if not before then certainly now after this game: The Detroit Red Wings are a scary, dangerous team.

For anyone who turned the television off after the first 20 minutes of this contest against the New York Rangers, few could fault you.  This game had as ugly a start as we've seen this season.  The difference tonight is that the Wings found a way to shift gears and start getting it done.  Going into the 2nd period down 2-0 and looking disconnected, Detroit hit the ice a completely new team.

What began as dominance by New York quickly turned the other way as the Wings roared back with 3 unanswered goals to take, and hold, a 3-2 lead to beat the Rangers for the first time in their last 6 meetings.  It didn't even take the big guns to get it done, with the Detroit goals coming from Riley Sheahan, Luke Glendening and Darren Helm.  The Red Wings' energy corps are becoming a true force to be reckoned with.

And what about the penalty kill?  Detroit spent most of the 3rd period on the PK thanks to consecutive, overlapping 5 on 3's.  The Red Wings were tall to the task, however, with Jimmy Howard making some spectacular saves to preserve the Wings' one-goal lead.

The win was also very special for Head Coach Mike Babcock, who tallied his 500th career win this evening.  The way things are going in Hockeytown, he's got many more to look forward to, and I believe he'll remain behind the Red Wings bench for the forseeable future.

So with the win, Detroit has now racked up 37 points.  With Montreal and Tampa both losing tonight, the Wings move past Montreal into 2nd in the Atlantic Division, only 2 points back of the Lightning for tops in the Division AND the Conference!

The next match-up is scheduled for tomorrow at 5:00 ET, when the Wings travel to meet the Carolina Hurricanes.  For now, though, we can savor the feeling of a well-earned Red Wings win.

Leafs vs Red Wings

As the regular season comes to a close, we are reminded that Detroit has some new rivals after switching to the Atlantic division. One of these teams is the Toronto Maple Leafs, who the Red Wings play tonight (7:30 PM ET on Sportsnet One, Fox-Sports Detroit)

For Detroit : 

Nyquist - Zetterberg - Franzen
Pulkkinen-Andersson-Abdelkader
Weiss-Nosek-Cleary
Miller-Glendening-Ferraro

Kronwall-DeKeyser
Smith-Marchenko
Ouellet-Jensen

Gustavsson
Mrazek

For Toronto :

Leivo-Kadri-Lupul
JVR-Santorelli-Nylander
Winnik-Komarov-Kozun
Ashton-Holland-Frattin

Phaneuf-Robidas
Gardiner-Polak
Rielly-Percy

Bernier 
Reimer

Notable notes :

Weiss on the wing with Nosek, good for him! But then, there's Cleary (womp, womp)
First game back - as far as i know - for Robidas. Look for him and Phaneuf to be physical.
The Nyquist - Zetterberg - Franzen still intact, which makes me think they'll be the 1st line as the regular season starts.
No Quincey, Kindl or Lashoff! We'll see what the kids can do; excited to see the Ouellet-Jensen pairing.

The Red Wings play in Toronto tonight and in Boston tomorrow to finish up the preseason.

Go Wings Go!

Der Kaiser: Wings Re-sign Young Defenseman to 2-Year Deal

About damn time we get some news worth me writing about!!

Well, how was everyone's summer?  I must apologize to my readers, as I seemed to have dropped off the face of the planet for a few months, but I assure you it was all in the interest of me further pursuing my dreams.

...But let's be real, you don't wanna hear about that shit, DANNY DEKEYSER JUST GOT RE-SIGNED!! (If you actually wanna hear about that shit, just hit me up on Twitter)

The news is still pretty fresh, but it appears as though the young and talented Western Michigan graduate has agreed to a 2-year contract extension worth $4.375M.  My initial thought was, "Hey look! They paid him more than Kyle Quincey!" But that thought was quickly dashed when I realized we're throwing almost that whole amount at The Saboteur in EACH of his two years.  Perhaps I'll rant about that bullshit later, but let's focus on the positive side, shall we? Ah 'kay.

Let's face it, unless we have some kind of TERRIBLE case of misfortune with our up-and-coming young blueliner (Like THAT ever happens...right........??), Dekeyser is going to be our next top D-Man in the very near future.  He's already an excellent player in all 3 areas of the ice, and has a SLEW of amazing mentors in the organization to learn from.  While I'm happy as heck that Danny got signed, I--like many I noticed on Twitter--can't help but ask: Why the shit did it take THIS LONG to get a deal in place??  DK is going to be a defensive stud for many, MANY years to come, and considering that the Red Wings have never...let me repeat: NEVER...so much as attempted to fill the void left by Nicklas Lidstrom upon his retirement, a defender with this kind of potential is what we've sorely needed.  Now that we have him, we need to lock that shit up like he lives in Fort Knox.

The only real roster question left now is whether Daniel Alfredsson will be healthy enough to opt in for another kick at the Cup.  Then once that's settled, we can all pick sides and go to war about whether we think we've got a legit playoff team or if we're going to be a shit-show and miss the playoffs altogether!

Damn, I love this time of year...it's good to be back, baby.

Wings Must be Better in Critical Game 4

There is a wide gap of difference between a 2-2 series and a 3-1 series.  Detroit needs to keep that mind as they head into tonight's Game 4 match-up against the Bruins, who currently hold the 2-1 advantage in this first round clash.

All reports indicate that the Wings are getting back Captain Henrik Zetterberg tonight, so long as he cleared at game-time by doctors.  You can't even put into words the boost this could give the team.  Regardless of the minutes he actually logs if he plays, Hank's sheer presence on the bench and in the dressing room will be massively uplifting and inspirational.

The only other line change expected is the slotting in of Todd Bertuzzi for his debut in this series, with the hope that his bigger frame will help drive the play to the front of the Boston net.  With these line changes, the Red Wings hope to generate more offense, but it wouldn't take much as Detroit has somehow managed to at least take one game after going three with only 2 goals.  A huge factor for this has been the decrepit state of the powerplay.  I won't be sad if Tom Renney is axed after this season, because whatever he's been trying to sell, the Wings haven't been buying all year.

We're only about 90 minutes from game time and hopefully when that time comes we see the Red Wings of Game 1 rather than the last two games.

This series is not out of reach by any means, but giving this one away tonight would almost surely make it so.  If the Wings are going to turn it up, tonight is the night to do it.

Datsyuk Delights with Game One Winner

The magic just doesn't stop, does it?

I gotta tell you, last night's first round opener against Boston was exciting and entertaining, albeit a bit thuggish on Boston's end, but no one expected much else coming into this series.

What most people in the media didn't expect, however, was for the severely underestimated Detroit Red Wings to skate into TD Garden and shut down the entire Bruins squad for 60 minutes and skate out with a 1-0 win and a one game lead in this best-of-7 match-up.

It's early, and it's only one win, but it's still one win.  Three to go.

And can we all take a moment to prostrate ourselves before the glory that is Pavel Datsyuk?  Did anyone wonder if he'd find a way to turn it up in the playoffs after coming back so recently? Well, he just answered all those questions with an exclamation point, as well as what could end up being the goal of the playoffs.

We're back at it on Sunday afternoon, and my only wish is that Babs does his job of keeping the boys humble.  We've gone out and beaten the Bruins in a playoff game, so that's been proven doable.  That doesn't mean we can be lazy from here on.  Every game of this series, no matter how long it goes, will be just like Game 1.  This series will be a war of attrition, and Detroit can not afford to slack off at ANY point, or it could be costly.

If Jimmy Howard stays as dialed in as he was last game, and the skaters continue to play disciplined and structured, it's totally possible.  Franzen going Beast mode would be nice, but at least he set up the Dats goal.  Maybe Game Two will be his turn.

We'll find out tomorrow.

Wings Earn Playoff-Clinching Point in Pittsburgh

Finally, a shootout loss we can feel good about!

The Wings managed to pull even with the Pittsburgh Penguins late in the 3rd after giving up two leads, but weren't able to put down the Pens for good as Detroit lost their match yesterday 4-3 after a shootout.  The point from that loss was the last point the Red Wings needed to secure their berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a 23rd consecutive year, and this has arguably been one of the toughest of all 23 years.

There have been an inordinate amount of hurdles for Detroit to jump over just to get to this point--primary among them being the ungodly number of injuries the team has suffered.  Depleting what was already a roster with some big holes didn't bode well for the Wings, but then a miracle happened:

The kids in Grand Rapids turned out to be riper than we thought.

Tomas Jurco, Riley Sheahan, Luke Glendening, and Danny DeKeyser among others accepted the challenge of filling roles far beyond their years and have been nothing short of stellar.  Add to that the young fixtures Tomas Tatar and Gus Nyquist--of whom we knew would be regulars on the team despite the weirdness with Nyquist--and you get a youth movement for the ages.

Nyquist in particular has been superb, playing the best hockey of his life ever since taking the coaching staff's advice to maintain a more shoot-first attitude.  Since then, he's taken himself all the way up to the top of Detroit's goal leaders, and the gap between him and everyone else is wide to say the least.

Dekeyser has been integral to the Detroit blueline.  The young defensive genius is easily in the Red Wings' top 3 D-men, and after the most recent injury to Jonathan Ericsson which has him still sidelined, the Kaiser has played with poise and a measure of calm that few players his age exhibit.

There are so many great stories to talk about when you look back at this year's team, and we still have the playoffs to look forward to.  Be it Pittsburgh or Boston that Detroit faces in the first round, the contest is sure to be an entertaining one!  We'll be there soon as the Wings only have 2 games left in the regular season, but the biggest challenge has been cleared: We're in.

Now, anything can happen.

Wings Learn Valuable Lesson Against Buffalo

Last night's game was way more nerve-wracking than it needed to be.

Detroit roared out to a 3-0 lead in the 1st period in their match against the Buffalo Sabres, but obviously got complacent and relaxed by the time the 2nd rolled around, because from then on the Wings let the Sabres back into the play, and only managed to scrape by with a narrow 3-2 win.  Darren Helm, Tomas Jurco and Daniel Alfredsson tallied for the Wings and Jimmy Howard improved to 20-18-11 with the victory.

I'm personally glad the Wings learned this lesson last night against the worst team in the league, because it proves exactly what the kids in Detroit need to know: Parity is the reality, ANY team can beat you any night if you don't work hard for the full game.  They almost saw it happen and almost gave away what many (myself included) would normally consider mail-in points.  The only thing is, we're way too close to the end of the season and we're still not technically a lock for the playoffs.  We do not get the luxury of backing into any wins from here on out, instead the Wings must put skate blade to throat and make sure they're playing strong hockey from start to finish.

With the standings the way they are, the most points any team below Detroit and Columbus can end with is 92.  If you factor in ROW, the Wings need to win 3 of their last 5 to be a lock for the playoffs no matter what everyone else does.  One of those 5 is against Buffalo again, so as long as the Wings turn in a slightly better effort than they did last night, that's one win, leaving 2 wins out of 4 to clinch.

That, my friends, is doable.

We're in the homestretch now, guys.  Pedal down all week means we're in.  Get it done.

P.S.:  I'd like to congratulate referee Don Van Massenhoven on his great career as an on-ice official.  He reffed his final game last night at the Joe, and we were his choice for his last match.  Enjoy your retirement, Don!  The Ref has one of the most thankless jobs in hockey, but one of the most integral and important.

Wings versus Sabres and the Magician Returns

The Detroit Red Wings will take on the Buffalo Sabres tonight at the Joe Louis Arena at 7:30pm. The Wings, who are 6-3-1 their last ten games, defeated the Sabres in the last two match ups this season. Detroit will be looking for another two points to help secure their playoff spot.

The Wings have been on fire lately, winning their last three games in a row. The big news of tonight's game will be the return of one of the best players in the league, Pavel Datsyuk. We likely see the star center play left wing in tonight's game where he won't be pushed to play as much. The line he will skate with is still to be determined.

Datsyuk has 15 goals and 18 assists this season. The magician is always a star, but has had less time
to shine this season. Tonight's game will be his first home game since December 23rd. Datsyuk has sat out 16 straight games due to a knee injury and missed 30 of the last 34 games Detroit has played. This brings the question of how much do the Wings really need to rely on Datsyuk?

Detroit has been holding their own since losing Datsyuk's key role. Players like Nyquist, Tatar and Jurco have helped keep pushed the Wings in their first Eastern Conference wild card spot. Rookie Tomas Tatar has four two-point games in the past six. There is no doubt that the return of Datsyuk will help push Detroit to their 23rd playoff appearance. However, it appears that Datsyuk does not need to play the role of saving the Wings any longer. Daniel Alfredsson is also rumored to be back in the line up tonight.

Sabres, who are 2-7-1 their last ten games, also have a couple wild cards on their own. Forward Tyler Ennis has earned three points in his last two games and Cody Hodgson has a point each of his last three games. Buffalo will be pushing to win as they face having the fewest wins in a full season since 1971-72.

Root on the Detroit Red Wings with us tonight at 7:30pm by following our Facebook and Twitter!

Jimmy Howard Wins His 150th Game as Detroit Squeaks by the Bruins 3-2

Credit goes to Jorge Nemsis on the Red Wings' Facebook Group.

The Red Wings won a game they had no business winning against the top team in the league with a score of 3-2.

Jimmy Howard also collected his 150th win in the NHL, all with the Detroit Red Wings. He's still 201 wins away from the first place Terry Sawchuk on the Red Wings' all-time wins leader.

The first goal was awarded to the Bruins with a blast from the point by Johnny Boychuk. The right-handed bruiser from Edmonton blew one past Howard at the very end of the first period after his teammate Krug had one disallowed on a sketchy call at best a couple of moments earlier.

When the second period started, the Red Wings had some get up in their skating and it finally paid off as Tatar blew one top shelf by Rask. The Finnish goaltender didn’t have a chance on the goal, as the big frame of Riley Sheahan had blocked his view. It was all tied up 1-1 after two periods and the fans, like myself, had no more nails left as the Bruins outshot the Red Wings 25-11.

Quickly in the third period, Carl Soderberg put the Bruins back up 2-1 after a PP goal, assisted by Patrice Bergeron and Brendan Smith’s brother, Reilly. That goal kind of left the Wings short of breath. Then, the Kid Line of Sheahan, Jurco and Tatar took my breath away (Top Gun reference here!) with a play that showed how much effort they give game in and game out. Tatar kicked the puck in front of the net to Jurco and the beneficiary of the Slovakian connection potted his 6^th goal to tie it up at two apiece.

Then, Nyquist exploded and did what he’s been doing for the last 12 games, scoring on a near breakaway, whilst being chased by none other than Zdeno "I have a 7 foot stick and a Norris Trophy" Chara. Gustav had the eventual game-winner, as the Red Wings would hold on and win 3-2.

After the game, Claude Julien said that the team only played 50 of the 60 minutes of the game and that is what cost the Bruins the game. For his part, Soderberg said in the post-game interview that the Bruins "never want to lose two in a row" and was quick to comment that the Leafs’ game was now the only thing on his mind, putting the lost behind him.

As for the winning coach, Babcock stated in his post-game interview that a lot of the forwards didn’t have a great game but redeemed themselves in the third period with big goals. "We can play with anyone, we don’t have to watch them play. We just need to get out there and play" Babcock remains confident that his team can overcome adversity and stated that although "this wasn’t one of our best games, we found a way to win".

Now let’s just hope they can find a way to get into the playoffs with only 6 games left. One thing is sure, if the Red Wings play like they did against the Bruins, this team can surprise in the playoffs and keep the streak of playoff appearances alive.

Red Wings Rookies on Fire

As we approach the playoffs, many were worried and doubting the Wings success. It seemed that the longest playoff streak would soon be put to a halt. However, the rookies of the team seem to have a different plan in mind.

The game last night versus the Boston Bruins was electric. The team that has been floundering to find their rhythm beat the Bruins, the best team in the NHL. Why? Nyquist, Jurco, Tatar. It has been these lethal three that have been making a difference in the Wings playoff stance and making a name for themselves too.

Boston started the night with a goal late in the first period from Boychuk. Tatar scored the lone goal in the second period to tie Detroit and Boston at 1 to 1. A feed from DeKeyser helped Tatar to get one past Boston goalie Tuuka Risk at the top of the right circle. Boston quickly took the lead back in the beginning of the third period when Soderberg scored the second goal for Boston. During a scramble in front of Rask,Tatar sent a kick pass to Jurco. The Detroit rookie tied it up 2-2. Nyquist followed up
with a beautiful breakaway with 7:12 left in the third period, leading the Wings to a 3-2 victory against the Bruins Wednesday night.

The energy from these rookies is really what is astounding.  Nyquist, with 28 goals this season (20th in the league), still has a smile from ear to ear when scoring. The star has had 22 goals in the last 27 games. Tatar, 19 goals, pumps his fists into the air when he assists a goal. These rookies are hungry for goals and even hungrier for wins. If you ask me, they are what will make the difference going forward. For anyone who has doubted the Wings in these last two seasons, look at these guys. They are our future. Producing and learning each and every game.

Another honorable mention: Jimmy Howard. He was on his game last night. Howard, who has had a rocky season himself, seems to be kicking it up. Hopefully we are seeing him preparing to be the awesome playoff goalie we always see out of him. Howard had one of his best games this season, keeping his team in the game and in the playoffs. An impressive 33 saves

on 35 shots landed Howard the "Star of the Game" spot.

Some things to look at going forward: will Gustav Nyquist stay in the spotlight? Datsyuk is said to return soon, which we all are surely celebrating. The magician has been out due to a knee injury, but has been skating during practice for the last week. It would seem obvious to have Datsyuk on the first line with Nyquist. However, will that hurt Nyquist's recent successes?

Detroit will face the Buffalo Sabres tomorrow, April 4th at 7:30pm for their second to last regular season home game. The Sabres are last in the league, with 51 points. Despite their win on Tuesday, the Sabres have lost heir last four games. Hopefully tonight's game against the Blues will tire the Sabres out and allow the Detroit Red Wings for their third win against the Buffalo Sabres this season.

What do you think of these star rookies? Do you think they will allow Detroit for another playoff appearance? Share your opinion and follow our Facebook and Twitter for more Wings coverage!

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.