Red Wings Balance Sheet as at 4/28/10

Plus

The Red Wings won the series.

Minus

It took seven games and three trips to the desert.

Plus

The Red Wings are almost completely healthy. *touch wood*

Minus

The veteran Kirk Maltby's season-ending shoulder injury is that "almost".

Plus

Jimmy Howard had ups and downs, but overall showed he's not scared of the playoffs. His numbers aren't spectacular but solid: 2.59GAA, .919SV%, 1 SO.

Plus

Being a team that will probably start every series it plays on the road, going 3-1 in the other teams barn is a great sign.

Minus

What's up with them day games?? Hope we're done with them for the playoffs.

Plus

Trashville is out.

Minus

Chicago is not.

Plus

We get the Sharks for Round Two. Out of every team in the West besides Colorado and Nashville (for the travel), I'd have preferred to play the Sharks in the Semi's the most. The Red Wings went 3-0-1 against them in the regular season.

Minus

Who cares? It was the regular season.

Plus

Thornton: 6GP, 0G, 3A, -4, Marleau: 6GP, 1G, 2A, -2, Heatley: 5GP, 0G, 4A, -1

Minus

Pavelski: 6GP, 5G, 3A, +6, Clowe: 6GP, 1G, 7A, +6, Setoguchi: 6GP, 3G, 3A, +4

Minus

The Red Wings continue their massive travel schedule.

Plus

Each Wings player will have enough AirMiles to get a free holiday to Hawaii this summer.

Plus

The Ducks didn't make the playoffs so we don't have to worry about getting beat up by them at any stage.

Minus

The Ducks didn't make the playoffs so they couldn't beat up Chicago, San Jose or Vancouver.

Plus

The Red Wings look like they have the hunger to win...

Minus

...sometimes.

Minus

The Leastern Conference is looking to be particularly pathetic this year. Will someone please challenge the Penguins for once?

The Perfect Game; Red Wings 6, Coyotes 1

I hate to say I told you so... but last week I predicted with my in-depth statistical analysis that the Wings were absolute certainties to win the series.

Thanks Nick, Hank and Pav for making me look super awesome. Not as awesome as you guys though... obviously.

Tonight was pretty much the perfect game by the Wings. The only real mistake being made by Jimmy Howard on Vernon Fiddler's face-off goal.

Like was the case with almost every game of the series, special teams decided the winner. Detroit went 3/6 with the extra man, while shutting down Phoenix's 4 powerplays. The killer blow came late in the second period when the Wings came up big on a huge 5-on-3 penalty kill.

With a 3-1 lead and the home fans sensing a comeback, the Wings faced a defining moment when Brad Stuart was sent to the box for hooking whilst on the PK, giving the 'Yotes a 72 second 2-man advantage. At that point you felt that maintaining the lead into the 3rd period would almost kill Phoenix and set the Wings up for the win -- but it would take a tough PK.

The penalty kill itself was brilliant with perfect positioning, timely shot-blocking and solid goaltending demoralizing the Coyotes PP, but the crushing blow came seconds after Brad Stuart returned to the ice getting a break-away and wristing it past Bryzgalov for a 3-goal lead.

The third period was academic as the disheartened Coyotes awaited the final horn of their amazing season. The majority of the usually rowdy crowd of Jobing.com Arena stayed to salute their team one last time despite the disappointing result in the decider.

For the Wings, Nicklas Lidstrom -- only hours before he turned 40 -- put in 2 powerplay goals and added 2 assists. Henrik Zetterberg got three assists to tie ex-Wing Mikael Samuelsson for second in the League with 11 points. Pavel Datsyuk got the first two goals of the game, setting the tone the rest of the way.

Now the Wings await the schedule for their Conference Semi-Final series with the San Jose Sharks.

The Season on the Line; Red Wings vs. Coyotes - Game Seven

After the disaster that was Game Six, the magic of Game Seven beckons as both the Red Wings and Coyotes face elimination.

In Game 6's preview I spoke about the Red Wings dominance in special teams. That's certainly something I won't be doing again as everything went the 'Yotes way on Sunday when both up and down a man (or two), going a long way to helping them tie the series at three.

While still not a certainty, Shane Doan is considered more likely to play on Tuesday night but it's difficult to be sure as Dave Tippett is keeping Doan's health a very close secret.

Chicago's win in Nashville last night means that one Western Conference Semi-Final series will be between the Blackhawks and the Canucks. This means the other will be San Jose and the winner of this game.

After the 5-2 loss on Sunday, I've thought a lot about losing the series. As disappointing as it will be, it'll be a much easier loss to take that last year or '07. This year's team, while very good, probably just isn't Cup-winning material if they can't get by the Coyotes. Phoenix is a great team and very well coached -- but they're not the benchmark of a Stanley Cup Champion.

I can't help but feel this series would've been over in 5 or 6 if Detroit of 2007-09 was playing. This series, not unlike the Wings' habits all season, opportunities have been missed and again it has resulted in putting Detroit in a rather undesirable position.

But maybe a big 7-game series win will drive some energy and hunger into the team and the Wings game will pick up for later rounds. The problem is, even if they do, can they really win the Cup after series' in Phoenix, San Jose and possibly Vancouver? A travel schedule like that makes for a very favorable match-up for any Eastern Conference team in the Finals.

In any case, first round losses always stick in my craw, so let's pull this one out and get to San Jose.

A Chance to Move On; Game Six Preview - Coyotes vs. Red Wings

Despite what NHL.com's preview might be reporting, Detroit's powerplay is going pretty well. Operating at 21.7% scoring 5 powerplay goals on 23 chances compared to Phoenix's 3 from 22. I'm really not sure where this comes from, but it's completely wrong:

Stat Pack -- Despite having the 3-2 series lead, Detroit has scored only one power-play goal in the first five games. Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom tallied it back in Game 1.

Special teams have been a very important part of the series. In fact, this series would in all likelihood be over if Detroit could contain the Coyotes PP in Game 1, like it has since.

Shane Doan will probably return for Phoenix but remains a game-time decision. If he does suit-up, Mathieu Schneider will probably be the scratched player.

This will be a tough elimination game for the Wings. The Coyotes have faced adversity since the start of the season and will not give the game to Detroit easily. All series long the spunky Coyotes have made life hell for the Wings, and with their backs to the wall, I expect Babcock will need the best from his men to get the win and move on to the Conference Semi-Finals.

Wings Take 3-2 Series Lead with 4-1 Win

It was another case of the final scoreboard not accurately depicting the tightness of the game itself, but a win is a win, and it's all the Red Wings needed to give themselves an opportunity to close out the series on home ice in Game Six.

The game itself was not unlike Game 4, with a very tight start with neither team allowing their opponents many scoring chances and both goalies looking sharp. A lead was taken a little earlier this time around though, thanks to a centering attempt from Drew Miller that found its way over the goal-line from a Coyotes skate. The lead came with just under 3 minutes remaining in the first and would be held into the break.

You have to wonder what kind of crowd serenades a goalie that is on a shutout streak of around 100 minutes, but in the second frame -- for some bewildering reason -- the Fans in White saw fit to jeer Jimmy Howard, even before he'd let in the first goal. It took some rough, but probably legal treatment of the Wings' goalie to get the Coyotes on the board mid-way through the game as Ed Jovanovski put in a rebound in the crease with one skate on the leg of a downed Howard.

The game was a see-saw affair in the third with some Howard brilliance preserving the tie-game until an offensive breakout of two goals in 70 seconds got the Red Wings a 2-goal lead with 7:41 to play.

It was still difficult to feel comfortable however, particularly when Henrik Zetterberg was called for hooking with 5:24 left on the clock. If the Wings couldn't kill their 19th-straight penalty, you got the feeling a team like the Phoenix Coyotes could just maybe force this into OT with another late goal.

The PK stood strong though, and the Wings went on to finish with a 4-1 result.

Game Notes

- Zetterberg's empty-netter gave him his sixth goal of the playoffs, second only to ex-Wing, Mikael Samuelsson's amazing 7-goal start with the Sedins in Vancouver.

- The win ends a 10-game losing streak since 1966, for Red Wings Game Five's on the road.

- Detroit has now outscored the Coyotes 7-1 in the last two games with Jimmy Howard stopping 59 of 60 shots.

- The Wings PP struggled going 0/6 for the night. A big contributor to the PP woes, was winning only 1 draw out of 9 with the man-advantage!

The series shifts back to Detroit for Game 6 on Sunday.

The All-Important Game 5; Red Wings/Coyotes Preview

The Red Wings/Coyotes Western Conference Quarter Final series' heads back to the desert as a best-of-3 series.

Ex-Red Wing, Mathieu Schneider, who has missed the first four games of the series will play, while Coyotes captain, Shane Doan will be a game-time decision.

3-0 Result Augurs Well for Detroit

Well, since WOW is your #1 source for useless Red Wings' stats -- here's a real beauty for ya.

Since the 2001/02 playoff season, a total of 87 teams have shut out their opponent in at least one of the games in the series. The team pitching the shutout has ultimately won the series 67 times and lost 20, for a win percentage of .689%.

In that same period, the Detroit Red Wings have had 13 playoff shutouts in 10 different series, winning 8 of them to be .800%. The two losses happen to be connected to 5-0 shutouts. Both of them very memorable but for all the wrong reasons. First, against the Anaheim Ducks in Game 3 of the Conference Finals on '07 to take a 2-1 series lead and not win another game after that. And then, just last year in Game 5 against the Pens in the Cup Finals rematch. Again, the Wings weren't able to win again and lost in 7.

Buuuut... that also mean that every other time the Wings are able to get a shutout, they ultimately win the series. That includes 3-0 shutouts just like the one last night.

So in summary:

When Detroit wins a playoff game, 5-0 -- .000% series wins.

When Detroit gets a playoff shutout by any other score -- .100% series wins.

So, by applying my flawless logic to this infinitely meaningful stat, we can safely conclude that the Wings will definitely finish off the 'Yotes and move on the Western semi's.

Wings Tie Series Again with 3-0 Victory

Sometimes the scoreline isn't a true reflection of a game and this is one of those occasions, in a tightly contested win for the Wings.

After Game 3, I did something I rarely do -- singled out poor performances. But such was the dissatisfaction I felt with the performances of Datsyuk, Holmstrom, Franzen, Lidstrom and Howard. I'm guessing I wasn't the only one that thought so as they all seemed to respond with exceptional games, helping the Jimmy Howard earn his first career playoff shutout and tying the series 2-2.

The Coyotes were, yet again, a motivated team and made it very tough for the Wings. Most of the game was a tie-game and you got the feeling that it would take a Wings PP or a Wings turnover to open up scoring as Phoenix seemed unwilling to afford a second of time nor an inch of space to any man in red on attack.

On the 'Yotes fourth and final penalty of the game, it happened -- only just -- when Henrik Zetterberg tipped blueline drive from Todd Bertuzzi. The tip was reviewed for a high-stick but all replays showed that it was close, but not conclusive enough to overrule the initial rule on the ice. The Wings headed into the final change with a 1 goal lead.

The third period was a defensive challenge having to kill off 3 powerplays, two of which overlapped for a short 5-on-3. Howard's shutout bid was assisted by some inaccurate shooting from Phoenix who took almost half the period to register their first shot on goal after sending 8 shots wide. The successsful PKing gave some momentum to Detroit, who knocked in an insurance goal from Pavel Datsyuk with just over 4 minutes to play. Zetterberg got his 2nd of the game and fifth of the series to make it 3-0.

Special teams were a big win for Detroit, going 1/4 on the PP and killing off all 6 of Phoenix's man-advantages.

Detroit will now enjoy a 2-day break before resuming the series in Phoenix on Friday night.

Prime to Pounce; Red Wings vs Coyotes Game 4

This series has taken to an unfortunate pattern so far. Phoenix seems to win each game before a work day, much to the delight of my colleagues here in Toronto. Sure, I can ask them if the Leafs are the first team in history whose win total happened to be the same as the number of their first draft pick, but that still doesn't help the Red Wings now, does it? I suppose Detroit will just have to start winning some hockey games then... starting tonight.

The Wings face a confident and probably fairly satisfied Coyotes team that has taken back home-ice advantage with an impressive Game Three victory. This provides Mike Babcock and his boys with a prime opportunity to pounce on the 'Yotes for the next few games. But it must start tonight.

A loss for Detroit would give them the unenviable task of winning three straight or hitting the golf course. But a win sends them to Phoenix for Game Five against a team that is probably still satisfied with splitting their road games in Detroit and confident of beating their rivals in their own barn. That also sounds like a great chance to pounce and get momentum in the series.

A big step forward to grabbing that momentum will be getting back the regular season Jimmy Howard, who had a pretty rough game in his playoff home-opener on Sunday.

Shane Doan and Vernon Fiddler are possibilities to play for the Coyotes, and will most likely be game-time decisions for Dave Tippett.

Wings Downed By 'Yotes, Trail 2-1

As disappointing as the Red Wings were, you have to admire the determination and hunger of the Phoenix Coyotes. They wanted it more, and as a result got it, as the precocious Coyotes doubled up the Wings 4-2, taking a 2-1 series lead.

So, where did it all go wrong?

To me, it seems pretty simple. Most of the Wings best players were far from it, and it's difficult to win when that happens.

Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen, Tomas Holmstrom, Nick Lidstrom and Jimmy Howard all had games they'd rather forget. In this league, it doesn't matter if you're playing the top or bottom team -- if a list like that is having a bad day, you're probably not gonna win.

As far as positives are concerned, there aren't too many other than the fact that there is a lot that can be improved upon. We know that when this team really wants to win, it does. Perhaps with their backs to the wall, they will summon the hunger that is required to win in the postseason.

Game 4 will be in Detroit on Tuesday night. A loss will see the Wings with a 3-1 deficit and facing elimination for the rest of the series with a tenuous grasp on playoff survival.

Game 3 Preview: Coyotes vs. Red Wings

The Red Wings find themselves with a great opportunity in the next two games to stamp out any confidence the Coyotes can muster and take control of the Western Conference quarter-finals.

The Red Wings line-up remains unchanged from the one that took a 7-4 decision in Game Two in Phoenix to steal home-ice advantage. The Wings will hope to tighten up on a so far potent Coyotes' offense that has scored 7 goals on Jimmy Howard in the first two games. Luckily, the Detroit attack has been slightly more dangerous, with 9 goals of their own.

Vezina-contender Ilya Bryzgalov will hope to bounce back after giving up 6 goals on Friday night; a night he'd probably rather forget. Jimmy Howard's night wasn't much better, giving up 4, but taking the win.

Crazy Playoff Parity

For the first time in the NHL's history, every road team has seized home-ice advantage from their higher seeded opponents after the first two game of the series. Since 1980, round 1 of the NHL playoffs began with the first two games of the five- or seven-game series beginning in the barn of the higher seeded team. For 29 years, at least one home team has been able to "hold serve" and retain their home-ice advantage after the first two games, but that streak ended last night.

The Kings overtime victory over the Canucks last night made them the 8th of eight teams to win one of their first two road games of the series. Seven of the eight series' have had two games in the books with Nashville & Chicago playing game two tonight. If Chicago can bounce back and tie that series, it will also mean all 8 series' were tied after 2 games. Another first in the NHL.

I think Bettman got that parity he was after.

All statistics and Bettman-hatred aside, it has been a very entertaining playoffs thusfar. There have been big saves, beautiful goals, huge hits, high scores with late-game goals and five of the 15 games have seen overtime action.

Another amazing statistic of these playoffs so far -- when taking away empty-net goals, every game except Detroit's 7-4 win in Game Two, has been a one-goal game.

The NHL has never seen parity like this.

Wings Even Series, Take Home Ice

What a wonderfully energetic and impetuous team they have other there in Phoenix.

Sure, it's really easy to be gracious after a win, but despite the frustratingly insistent nature of their play in the first two games, I like this team and think they'll be very difficult to put away.

The Coyotes, again, came out hard and made me, for one, very nervous. After taking a 1-0 lead into the locker-room after 1 period, the game got a little silly. It wasn't the kind of game I'd like to see from Detroit, nor did I think it would fare us well in the game. The second stanza turned out to be a 5-goal shootout, won by the Wings which saw the game tied at 3 after two frames.

The goal-trading continued in the first half of the final frame, albeit with a swap in who the leading team would be the first of them coming from Justin Abdelkader. And what a goal...

... remember him? Abby hadn't played in a little while, but he was returned to the line-up in place of a quiet Jason Williams, and I think it's safe to say he'll be sticking around for a bit after this game. "Gator" was hitting everything that moved all night, but his Datsyukian steal in the Coyotes' zone and deke past Bryzgalov was a play to remember.

After that, the Red Wings were.... the Red Wings. Momentum was seized and never yielded, solidifying the lead with a PP goal with just over 2 minutes left, and an empty-netter for Henrik Zetterberg, completing his hat-trick for the night and sealing a 7-4 victory for Detroit.

The Wings now have the home-ice advantage and look ahead to Game Three in Detroit on Sunday afternoon.

Notes:

- It was not a goalies' night -- Bryzgalov: 7-39, Howard: 4-31.

- Henrik Zetterberg recorded his first career hat-trick.

- The Zetterberg/Filppula/Bertuzzi line combined for 5 goals and 3 assists and a +5 rating.

- Shane Doan was the best Coyote with 1 goal and 1 assist with a +1 rating.

- Justin Abdelkader played his first NHL game since January 27 getting a goal and a +1 rating.

- Vernon Fiddler fell hard against the boards late in the third and was helped into the locker-room.

NHL.com Boxscore

Game 2 Preview: Red Wings vs. Coyotes

The Wings will have a second opportunity to get home-ice advantage from the Coyotes tonight in game two of their Western Conference quarter-final series.

The elephant in the room is the Red Wings penalty killing on Wednesday night. While letting in 3 goals on 4 powerplays is obviously a disappointing, Wings' coach Mike Babcock isn't too concerned about it. When you take into account only one of them was due to a structural mishap, and that the Wings PK down the stretch was as good as it gets, one would think the events of Wednesday would prove to be a rare occurrance.

The Wings are looking to get a more physical with the addition of Justin Abdelkader to the bottom three, in place of Jason Williams. Detroit found themselves pushed around and heavily out-hit by the fired up Coyotes in Game One.

Wings Have Rare Game 1 Loss, Trail 'Yotes

For the first time since the Conference Semi-Finals in 2006/07, the Red Wings have lost a series opener in the playoffs. Detroit won 4 of the next 5 games against the Sharks to win that series, the same sort of response will be required in this one to continue on in the playoffs.

Detroit faced a team last night that ran high on energy from a delirious Phoenix crowd enjoying their first taste of playoff hockey in 8 years.

The Wings drew first blood from a surprisingly bad goal given up by Vezina-contender Ilya Bryzgalov, but the Coyotes drive was admirable and weren't to be stopped. The Wings again gave Phoenix a deficit to look at but again they drew even and in the third period got the game-winner from the stick of Derek Morris to take Game One, 3-2.

Amid the unwelcome disappointment of a playoffs loss, there are positives to be taken from this tight game. Firstly, the Coyotes powerplay will almost certainly prove to be anomalous. Phoenix went 3/4 with the man-advantage, scoring on their first three chances in only 2:38 of cumulative powerplay time. All this against the best penalty killing team down the stretch. So, the PK can't get any worse. Improving that will go a long way to a W.

Further to that, the Coyotes were an electric team all night. Shot stats painted a muddy picture of the kind of game that was played. The Coyotes seemed to run on pure adrenaline for most shifts while making almost no mistakes in their own, nor the neutral zone. Even Dave Tippett wouldn't expect that kind of play to be sustained over a 7-game series.

It should also be kept in mind that the pressure remains on Phoenix for Game Two to hold onto their home-ice advantage. This is a pressure that the more experienced Red Wings will look to exploit to wrestle away the advantage.

Let's hope they can... stay tuned. Same place, same time, Friday night. Go Wings!

Red Wings vs. Coyotes; Game 1 Preview

This time last year, another young team surprisingly qualified for the playoffs and met a much more experienced Detroit team in the first round. The result was not good for Columbus, as they were comprehensively swept in one of the more lop-sided series' in recent memory.

Fast-forward 12 months and Detroit's team, whilst having to wear some significant losses to free agency, seems just as dangerous as the one that swept the Blue Jackets, but this time it's the 'Yotes.

The season series with the Coyotes was split down the middle, with Detroit's wins being in regulation and both Phoenix's in overtime. Both teams took a win at home and on the road.

Phoenix has probably been the biggest shock of the season, finishing 3rd overall in points in the West, and taking full advantage of the much-criticized shootout, with 14 of their 50 wins this season coming after a 65-minute stalemate.

Luckily for Detroit, there are no shootouts in the playoffs. Despite the obvious talent on the roster, the Wings had a very difficult time getting the extra point after OT and will be happy to have seen the last of them for now, particularly given Phoenix's dominance in that category.

The goaltending for both teams have been probably the most consistent positive of the season, with both Ilya Bryzgalov and Jimmy Howard both making the strongest cases for MVP of their respective clubs.

The Red Wings Have Gained My Respect

On October 26:
Detroit - 12th Western conference, 3-4-2

On November 27:
Detroit - 11th Western conference, 11-9-4

On February 11:
Detroit - 10th Western conference, 27-21-11

End of Regular Season:
Detroit - 5th Western conference, 44-24-14

Not bad, Red Wings. Not bad at all. It's been a very challenging season -- probably the most challenging since the early-90's -- but as displayed by the late climb through the standings, the adversity has been met with admirable character.

Since just before the Olympics on February 11, Detroit has gone 17-3-3 to shoot from 10th to 5th in the conference against some fierce compeition. The late-season tear has put the league on notice, with strong wins over highly-rated Cup-contenders like Chicago, Pittsburgh, Vancouver and Buffalo.

The surge, as impressive as it was, was still not enough for the Wings to nab home-ice advantage. It has however, allowed them to stay away from Chicago and San Jose for the first round at least. Having said that, playing Phoenix should prove to be just as challenging.

The year has seen man-games lost through injury like no other Red Wings season I can remember. Guys like Franzen, Kronwall, Filppula, Williams and Holmstrom are costly players to lose, but the effect is compounded when you look at how the Wings' best players struggle with the loss of their teammates.

Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg have both had difficulty excelling without the support cast. Both players put up 70 points on the season. For both players, it's their worst point total since 2003/04, except for Hank's 68 points in 63 games in 2006/07.

Both players showed a return to form with the returns of Williams, Filppula and Franzen, and it's no co-incidence.

The one constant in the final two-thirds of the season was, shockingly enough, the goaltending. 26-year old rookie Jimmy Howard has surely been the MVP for the Red Wings this season, with consistency that will no doubt get him a Calder trophy nomination and a continued solid presence between the pipes will go a long way to the Red Wings going deep in the postseason for the fourth consecutive year.

Whatever the case, while the Red Wings can be proud of the last two months of hockey, if they can't be proud of the next two, it's a failed season. Such is the pressure of being part of this great franchise.

"To whom much is given, much is expected."

Playoff Schedule Announced

The NHL has announced the playoff schedule for the first round of the 2010 playoffs.

The #5 seed Detroit will play #4 Phoenix in the first series the Red Wings will begin on the road since 2001. The series kicks off Wednesday, April 14 and game seven, if necessary, will be on April 27.

Wednesday, April 14		at Phoenix, 10:00 p.m.	TSN, VERSUS
Friday, April 16		at Phoenix, 10:00 p.m.	TSN, VERSUS
Sunday, April 18		at Detroit, 3:00 p.m.	NBC, TSN
Tuesday, April 20		at Detroit, 6:30 p.m.	TSN
*Friday, April 23		at Phoenix, 10:00 p.m.	TSN, VERSUS
*Sunday, April 25		at Detroit, 2:00 p.m.	NBC, TSN
*Tuesday, April 27		at Phoenix, TBD	TSN

The full playoff schedule for all teams is here at NHL.com.

Red Wings Finish 5th with Gutsy Win over 'Hawks

A solid OT road win over possibly the league's best all-round team is a great way to sum up the Red Wings finish to the 2009/2010 regular season.

After trailing 1-0 after the first from an ugly, very playoff-like powerplay goal from the Blackhawks Dave Bolland, Detroit kept their sticks on the ice as they defended against the formidable Chicago attack whilst countering with some offense of their own.

Patrick Eaves tied the game up in the second and a Tomas Holmstrom tip on Brian Rafalski's blueline drive in the third gave the Red Wings a 2-1 lead as the "De-troit sucks!" chants had a rare silencing at the United Center.

The playoff-like defense continued as the Wings defended their modest lead with success but the skate of the red-hot Colin Fraser was too much to stop, tying it up only 3 minutes later.

The Wings were forced to kill off one more penalty with 2:32 left on the clock to earn the point keep them above the Predators, but the Kings overtime win in Denver moments earlier meant Detroit needed a second point to take 5th-place and a first-round match-up against the Coyotes.

The free-flowing OT period lasted only 3:11 as Brad Stuart ended the regular seasons for both teams with just his 4th goal of the season, capping off the Wings amazing finish to the season with a 3-2 overtime win, and a 15-2-2 run.

Additional bonus: No Conference title for Chicago. Unlucky!!

Special Teams

Today's game was a rare one, where Detroit took more penalties than their opponents. Detroit went 0/2 on their opportunities while keeping the 'Hawks to 1/4 after giving up a PP goal only 11 seconds into the first man-advantage of the game.

In Net

- Jimmy Howard had another great performance, capping off a 15-1-2 end to his regular season. Howard made 27 saves for the Wings including 16 in the middle frame, keeping the Wings in the game.

- Antti Niemi stopped 18 of 21 Detroit shots on goal, finishing his magnificent rookie season with a 26-7-4 record.

Up Next...

The Phoenix Coyotes in the Stanley Cup Playoffs!!!

Three Shorties in One PK!!

You're doing it wrong, Canes!!

Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets Preview

In the second of the home-and-home series between Detroit and Columbus, the Wings look to solidify their dominance of the Blue Jackets, and jockey for position in the Western conference standings with only Sunday's game remaining after tonight.

Right now Detroit sits in 6th place on even points with both Los Angeles (5th) and Nashville (7th). The Wings sit ahead of the Predators by virtue of having one game in hand but the Kings high wins total gives them the tie-breaker over Detroit for 5th place.

Wednesday night's game was not what Mike Babcock had hoped to get from his squad but is somewhat satisfied with getting the all important 2 points with the help of three 3rd period goals in just 76 seconds. A more defensively responsible effort will be required tonight to get another two points and wrap up the season series with the BJ's getting 11 of a possible 12 points.

Turnovers in their own end gave the Jackets a chance at the win, but the Wings explosive third period saved the game and got the 4-3 result.

Wings Look to Snap Losing Streak; Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets Preview

After a disappointing weekend getting only 1 of 4 possible points, the Red Wings chances of getting 5th in the Western Conference, while still strong, have taken a hit. Detroit now relies on the Kings and the Predators to drop points while winning all their remaining three games.

The rest of Detroit's regular season begins at home on Wednesday, when they meet Columbus in the first game of a home-and-home series. The game will mark the final home game of the season for Detroit as they head to Columbus and Chicago to round out the season.

The Red Wings had a rough game against the Flyers but the team's recent form is still positive overall, with Johan Franzen, Tomas Holmstrom and Pavel Dastyuk all registering 9 points in their last 6 games.

The trio will hope to get offensive help from Henrik Zetterberg, Valtteri Filppula, Nick Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski; who've all gotten 3 points or less each, in the last 6 contests.

A Second Chance at 5th Place; Rings vs. Flyers Preview

After Saturday's disappointing overtime loss to the rival Nashville Predators, Detroit has a second chance to leapfrog Nashville today, with a win over Philadelphia.

The win will draw the Red Wings on even points with the Preds, but will sit ahead of them on points percentage, as Nashville will have played one more game than Detroit.

Chris Osgood will also be making his first start since January 27.

Wings Going for 5th in West; Red Wings vs. Predators

Not really any time for a verbal preview, so enjoy the pretty graphical summary. Go Wings!

Osgood to Play Against Flyers

For the first time since January 27, Ozzie will get the start for Sunday's game against the Flyers in Philadelphia. Howard will start tomorrow against Nashville.

More from The Detroit News

The Playoff Picture in the West

Not too bad, Wings -- seven in a row. It wasn't too long ago the Wings weren't able to find a way to win three in a row, and now we await a visit from Nashville tomorrow, with a shot at our 8th consecutive win.

The Wings have received no help from the Predators of late, so don't expect any on Saturday. Despite having a scoring drought that lasted almost 200 minutes, Nashville still has not given up many points, with a stingy defense of their own. Unfortunately for them, Detroit refuses to give up any points and now sit in a commanding position to take and hold 5th spot in the West. Detroit sits one point behind the Preds with 2 games in hand.

The playoff race looks something like this:

		Pts	Games still to play
1	San Jose	104	5	@ MIN	@ COL	@ CGY	vs VAN	vs PHX
2	Chicago	101	6	@ NJD	vs CGY	@ DAL	vs STL	@ COL	vs DET
3	Vancouver	96	5	@ ANA	vs MIN	vs COL	@ SJS	vs CGY
4	Phoenix	100	4	vs EDM	vs NSH	@ LAK	@ SJS
5	Nashville	96	3	@ DET	@ PHX	vs STL
6	Detroit	95	5	vs NSH	@ PHI	vs CBJ	@ CBJ	@ CHI
7	Los Angeles	94	5	vs ANA	@ ANA	vs PHX	vs EDM	@ COL
8	Colorado	89	6	vs CGY	vs SJS	@ VAN	@ EDM	vs CHI	vs LAK
9	Calgary	87	5	@ COL	@ CHI	vs SJS	vs MIN	@ VAN

Looking back in the standings, it's beginning to look more and more like a worst-case scenario for Detroit is 7th. The Kings are hot on the trail with a big 8-3 victory over the Canucks last night, one point back with the same games played, but Colorado, who has one game in hand, trails by 6 points and Calgary trails by 8.

Shockingly, Detroit is still mathematically able to win the Central Division Championship, though the chances are very, very slim.

Also unlikely, but with improved odds, is the chance at seizing home-ice for the first round of the playoffs. Phoenix, who has played one more game than the Wings, has a 5 point advantage for fourth. Right now, these two teams seem destined to meet in the first round with Phoenix being the first team to hold home-ice over the Red Wings since Colorado in 2000. Wow, that's a crazy stat!

A big game tonight, albeit with limited effects on the Red Wings outlook, is the match between the Avs and Calgary. Right now Colorado has command over the 8th and final playoff spot in the West, but a win from the Flames would suddenly put huge pressure on Joe Sacco's team in Denver. The Avalanche would still remain 8th on wins and hold a game in hand, but every game from then on would be a danger game.

So, that's what I'll be watching tonight. While unofficial, the playoffs really have begun for many teams and the Flames seem to be facing the equivalent of a 3-0 series deficit if they lose to the Avs.

The only other game of real note for me, is the Blackhawks visit to New Jersey. A 'Hawks loss would increase that slim hope of grabbing the Division title at the 11th hour. Plus, it's nice to watch Chicago lose.

Jimmy Howard; NHL.com's Second-Star for March

Jimmy Howard was only to be outdone by Coyote, Lee Stempniak's remarkable 13 goals in his 14 games for the month of March, as Stempniak, Howard and Henrik Sedin were NHL.com's first-, second- and third-stars, respectively for March.

Per NHL.com:

Howard posted a 12-2-1 record with a 2.24 goals-against average, .918 save percentage and one shutout as the Red Wings (40-23-13) climbed to sixth place in the Western Conference. Howard allowed two goals or fewer in nine of 15 starts, highlighted by 33 saves in regulation and overtime plus stops on 10 of 11 shootout attempts in a 1-0 victory at Nashville Mar. 27. Howard improved to 33-15-9 with a 2.27 goals-against average, .925 save percentage and two shutouts in 58 games, becoming just the fourth rookie in Red Wings history to post 30 wins in his rookie season (Terry Sawchuk, Roger Crozier, Glenn Hall). He has started 23 consecutive games, the longest streak by a Red Wings goaltender since Tim Cheveldae (29) in 1991-92 and tops by a Detroit rookie since Roy Edwards (23) in 1967-68.

Howard's brilliant Calder-contending season continues tonight as he gets his 24th consecutive start up against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Wings Seek Seventh Straight; Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets Preview

Detroit looks to do something they haven't done in two years; win 7 in a row. More importantly, Detroit looks to do something they haven't done this season; sit 5th in the West.

Tonight's game vs. Columbus marks only the fourth game of the season between the divisional rivals, who will play another pair of games against each other before the conclusion of the regular season.

Columbus has been pretty hot lately under the guidance of new coach Claude Noel, going 7-2-2 in their last 11 games. Two of those wins against the Central division leaders, the Chicago Blackhawks, by a combined score of 12-5.

Detroit on the other hand, has been the hottest team in the NHL after the Olympic break with an impressive stretch of their own going 12-2-1 since Canada won Gold in Vancouver.

This surge has pushed the Wings from 9th in the West to a solid 6th position and all but a certainty to continue their playoff qualification streak to 19 seasons. A victory tonight would give Detroit an almost insurmountable 8 point lead over the Calgary Flames in 9th, with only 5 games to play in the season.

Other Previews:

Winging It In Motown

As mentioned on FSD: Nightmare on Helm Street