One Step Closer: Red Wings 5, Wild 1

Some more of THIS after games, please.

______________________________

If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that those guys in the red jerseys last night were ACTUALLY the Detroit Red Wings. Goals from the big names. Solid defense. Stout penalty killing that even resulted in a short handed goal. Had all the trademarks of a vintage Red Wings effort.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though.

Yes, this was a great win for the Wings and will probably be viewed as one of their most complete efforts of this strange and unfamiliar season, but the real test has just begun…again. We know this team is capable of playing like they did against the Wild on a nightly basis, but everyone’s pleas for consistency with this team have seemed to fall on deaf ears. Win a good one, lose the next time out. Maybe get two in a row before falling in the third. Yes, this is an encouraging win, but can the Wings stay on the “60 minute effort” wagon?

Before the game, Mike Babcock made it clear that he wouldn’t mind seeing more anxiety and tension in the locker room because the Wings seem to have the belief that they are already in the playoffs. In most cases, confidence like that is a great thing. For the Wings this season, however, it’s that false sense of comfort that seems to drag them down and which they point to as an excuse for a poor effort. While there is still a fair bit of hockey to be played, it’s time for the Wings to fully engage the playoff mentality and start playing like each and every game is an elimination game. The next 15 games are akin to one big playoff series, and the Wings would be well served to take the effort and intensity from last night and carry it over to the remaining regular season games.

So, while optimistic and feeling good about the win, I’m not sold that the Wings are ready to be 100 percent serious and engaged down the stretch just yet. This team has let us down far too many times this season to think otherwise, and until they step up and deliver over a stretch, I’m still skeptical. Yes, I’m pulling hard for this team and I believe the playoffs are a very plausible option at this point, but there is still much work to be done. Will they falter at some point during this stretch? Probably. It’s a grind and I can respect that and I certainly don’t believe that expecting the Wings to win the next 15 in a row is reasonable. What is reasonable to expect is that the players who need to elevate their games will in fact elevate their games and that the Wings will put together a full team effort over 60 minutes against their opponents. Henrik Zetterberg and Drew Miller (!!!) took their first steps forward  last night. Now it’s time for Dan Cleary, Valtteri Filppula, Todd Bertuzzi and the rest of the supporting cast to jump in. It’s a team game and success will only come from a team effort.

So, everyone take a day and enjoy a great performance from the team you expect to see on a nightly basis. Let’s just hope this isn’t the last we see of them.

______________________________________

Production Charts

*The season totals are updated here and here.

Line Production

Special Teams Production

Tags: Dan Cleary, Drew Miller, Henrik Zetterberg, Minnesota Wild, Todd Bertuzzi, Valtteri Filppula