The Detroit Red Wings currently top the NHL standings with 63 points halfway through the season and have done so in spite of numerous bumps and bruises. Injuries to Dominik Hasek, Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom, Kris Draper, and Kirk Maltby, among others, haven’t slowed the team at all. The team currently ranks second in goals per game at 3.39 (Ottawa leads with 3.5 goals per game) and first in goals against average at 2.07. The specialty teams have also improved greatly from last season, especially the powerplay which now scores on 23.3% of its opportunities compared to only 17% last season. With both the highest total shots and fewest shots against, the Wings ability to keep possession of the puck has allowed them to dominate play. The stars have been stars, the backup goaltender has been stellar, and the young guns have stepped up their production.
Henrik Zetterberg (25 G, 27 A, 52 Pts) and Pavel Datsyuk (16 G, 34 A, 50 Pts) lead the offensive attack. Nicklas Lidstrom (4 G, 34 A, 38 Pts) and Brian Rafalski (6 G, 28 A, 34 Pts) are the top two scoring defensemen in the league, while Lidstrom also leads the league in +/- at an astounding +31. Although Zetterberg missed 5 games at the end of December, he came back quickly with two assists against Dallas on Wednesday. At the start of the season, the team featured the best scoring line in the league with Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Tomas Holmstrom together, but now coach Mike Babcock has separated the two to provide better depth as younger players have demonstrated their skill. Both players have also shown exceptional defensive play as well, forcing turnovers and takeaways again and again. Lidstrom, the captain who leads by example, has shown he is the best defenseman league. Never out of position, Lidstrom can shut down an opponents best forward while also leading the offensive break with crisp passing. His individual powerplay numbers are down slightly, but this is because the team now features another powerplay quarterback in Brian Rafalski, who has seamlessly replaced Mathieu Schneider, now of the Anaheim Ducks. Lidstrom should once again be hoisting the Norris Trophy.
When Dominik Hasek started the season slowly and struggled with injury issues, the Wings turned to Chris Osgood to protect the net. Osgood has turned in a sparkling performance with an 18-2-1 record while leading the league in GAA (1.71) and Save Percentage (.931%). With Hasek’s return, Babcock has decided to alternate starts between the two net-minders, allowing Hasek to rest more and stay healthy and Osgood to stay in peak shape. Come playoff time, the team will go with the hot hand, but for the regular season it’s better to keep both goalies rested and healthy.
Injuries to Kirk Maltby, Kris Draper, and Tomas Holmstrom have given young forwards Jiri Hudler (10 G, 17 A, 27 Pts) and Valtteri Filppula (13 G, 9 A, 22 Pts) more ice time, and the duo has responded with excellent production. Hudler has played consistently well since November started and Filppula caught fire in December. Filppula has demonstrated his great two-way game, playing valuable minutes on the penalty kill and keeping control of the puck in the opponent’s zone on the attack, a trademark of great Red Wings teams. He has the potential to be a dominant first-line player. Hudler has already surpassed his point total from last year, and his increased production has offset some of his defensive deficiencies.
Looking forward, the team’s primary concern has to be keeping everyone healthy. Although the team has consistently dominated play, they have to make sure they can carry that momentum into the playoffs. Having a choice between two goalies could give the Wings a chance to steal a game or two in a series with the hot hand, something that opponents have done in eliminating the Red Wings over recent seasons. The Wings should be taking home plenty of hardware at the end of the year, but of course, only the Stanley Cup matters.
