Back on Track, Wings vs. Kings

Firstly, sorry it's been so long since my last post. I missed a few game previews and such, it was a really busy weekend for me and things still aren't letting up at this stage. Anyway, the good news is the team play stats will be back pretty soon (save for the +/- because of some major, seemingly insurmountable, issues going from PC to Mac) and WOAW will become a little more interesting.

But the first order of business is the Red Wings.

It was a positive weekend for Red Wings' fans, who saw their best players get it done to push the Winged Wheel back on track. Some brilliant goaltending coupled with some Datsyuk magic, got the Wings the full four points from their back-to-back meetings with Montreal and New Jersey.

Onto the game...

The Kings haven't played too much lately. Since the previous meeting on December 4, the Kings have only played two games while Detroit has played four. The Kings, like Detroit, have split results going 1-0-1, beating Calgary but losing a few nights ago to Minnesota in overtime.

The Kings have shown they are a very good young team. But are they ready to take the next step? They sat atop the Western Conference for a little while earlier this season, but it all came crashing down with a few injuries and some slumping stars. Things seem to be headed in the right direction again, but a victory in Detroit would be a very solid affirmation of that. More than just turning things around though, is the importance of those two measly points.

The Kings sit dead last in a Pacific division race that is... well, it's just ridiculous. The fifth-placed Kings are only 3 points in arrears of co-leaders Anaheim and Dallas, but fortunately have two games in hand on Dallas and several on Anaheim. That division is so tight though, that no team can afford to let up. Each team has its dangers and each one has a very real shot at a strong playoff push.

Detroit, well they have a 5-point break on second-placed Vancouver with equal games played. A loss wouldn't hurt too much, but it's not a healthy habit to be dropping games because you can. Especially in this Conference. If the Pens could amass 12 straight wins in the West I would gladly take my hat off and pay my respects to them. But this season seems to be carrying on the old tradition of imbalance between the quality of the two halves of the League.

Team stats below, enjoy the game!

California Trip Success

Three games against three tough teams all vying for contention in their conference. Getting 5 of 6 points from San Jose, Anaheim and L.A. is no mean feat.

It was unfortunate it had to end with a loss, but there are really very few negatives I can derive from the defeat.

Goaltending -- success! In my opinion, Ozzy had a very solid return after a month off. Los Angeles, while a little banged up right now, are a very talented team and Osgood stood up to the challenge well. Both regulation goals scored by the Kings took fortunate deflections a goalie can do very little about. Howard? Well, as usual Jimmeeehhh was the man.

Work ethic -- present! The Wings had an excuse to take a night off last night, but I was pleasantly surprised to see hard work from all four lines and the defense for most of the game. The top lines did some good things, the third and fourth lines were physical, and the powerplay was pretty unlucky. The team didn't click 100% but I didn't expect it to in the second half of back-to-backs, on the other side of the continent against a Kings team battling to get back into form.

The top forwards -- not too shabby. The top two lines were pretty solid throughout the road-trip, with 3 points each for Filppula, Franzen and Cleary, with Zetterberg and Datsyuk picking up 5 points each over the 3-game span.

The Wings now head back home for a short home-stand to face San Jose, Nashville and Montreal before heading to New Jersey for a quick 4 games in 6 days.

With the exception of the Mike Modano, the Wings are a very healthy bunch after Osgood and Draper's return. One thing I have to say though; is Patrick Eaves sat out last night for Drapes, and I couldn't help but wish he hadn't. Draper didn't do too much, not that you'd expect much, but Draper won't earn a permanent spot on this roster unless he shakes off the rust. He'll get his chance, and so he should -- he's earned the opportunity, but he'll need to make the most of it. As Kirk Maltby will attest to, there are some young, fast, hungry guys down there that want to wear the Winged Wheel every night. And God I love it!!

Red Wings Look for Sweep in L.A.; Game Preview

It's no mean feat to sweep the California road-trip, but the Wings have a chance to do just that tonight. The unfortunate part however, is they have to go through the Kings of Los Angeles to do it.

Admittedly, the Kings have been struggling of late, winning only two of their last 9 games, while the Red Wings have been the opposite, losing only two of their last 11. It's never a simple task to win in Los Angeles though (0-2 in 2009/10), particularly when it's the second of back-to-back games.

Babcock makes a few small changes to the line-up that blanked the Ducks 4-0 last night, with the return of a few injured vets from their ailments. Kris Draper will in his first game of the season after his groin injury suffered in training camp became a sports hernia and ended up setting him back another month or so. Osgood missed all of November with his strained groin but will make his first start since October 30.

It'll be a challenge for Ozzy. There's no doubt he's a champion player and a great servant to the Red Wings organization. He's had some tougher times of late and seems to be finding it difficult to settle into the role of back-up for Jimmy Howard. I hope Ozzy can find a way to get back to form and help Jimmy out with the workload a bit. It's a very serious concern for me how much Howard is being played and I just hope Osgood can make himself a reliable alternative when needed.

It's going to be a tough test, there's no doubt about it. Most of the signs point to a Detroit loss to be honest. Back-to-back games after a rough opponent, [possibly] rusty Chris Osgood in net and just the fact that the Wings have a tendency to lose after some solid wins makes me a little iffy about this one. I guess we'll see just how good the Winged Wheelers are.

Osgood is Back, Will Start Saturday Against Kings

Chris Osgood is now back at full health and ready to compete sending Joey MacDonald back down the Grand Rapids.

Howard will start Friday night's meeting with the Ducks and Osgood will have the task of shutting down the L.A. Kings on Saturday night. Osgood missed about a month with a groin injury.

This is great news in my opinion, as Osgood's return (hopefully) will allow Howard to f=sit out more games so he's not burned out from a Kiprusoff-like schedule come April.

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.

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.