It’s been a solid start to the 2014-15 campaign for the guys in red and white. Posting a 17-8-8 record, they currently stand 3rd in the Atlantic Division only two measly points behind Tampa Bay and Montreal who are deadlocked atop. The team has been very sound defensively, as they rank 5th in the league in terms of goals against at a 2.30 clip. However, of late, the Red Wings have hit their first real “down point” of the season, going 0-2-3 in their last five, scoring just five goals in those five games and losing out on valuable points as reflected by the close race in the Atlantic. While it is still a solid position to be in compared to last season’s injury-plagued marathon, there’s always going to be a desire for improvement.
Here’s some things this writer desires from the Detroit Red Wings for Christmas.
Shootout Success
The Red Wings have eight overtime losses, six in the shootout. Only two other teams, Colorado and Florida, have that many. The recipe for disaster in the skills competition has been a sputtery offense (four goals total on 19 attempts) and an unreliable netminder in Jimmy Howard(11 goals on 15 attempts, .257 save percentage, 0-6 record). Although Howard is sparkling in regulation and overtime, compiling a 13-5-1 record, 2.06 GAA, and a .921 save percentage, his struggles in the skills competition are apparent. It’s remarkable how much of a mystery the shootout has been for both sides of the puck, and the struggles have been costing the Wings valuable points that could put them over the hump in the Atlantic. The saving grace for the Wings right now is that these do not exist in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but some extra points to improve seeding once the Wings get there would be a great present.
Stephen Weiss Staying In the Lineup More Than Out Of It
It was a long road back to the NHL for Stephen Weiss. Battling injury after injury, setback after setback, he finally was fully healthy for the first time since he signed his 5-year contract with Detroit in 2013. In 11 games, he potted four goals and added six helpers, showing his importance to the Red Wings in terms of depth scoring. Unfortunately, from a check into the boards against Florida on December 12th, he was put out of the lineup again. With the Wings struggling to score goals during this recent slide with five in five games, they are in dire need of his services. It would be nice to have him in the lineup not just for games at a time, but game in and game out.
For The Captain to Ignite His Goal Scoring
Henrik Zetterberg is the leading scorer for the Wings this season with six goals and 21 assists. It was ten games he went without a goal before he scored Friday against the Islanders, and before that he scored just two points in his last seven contests. Besides goal scoring and putting up points, the 34-year old Swede does so much more in both ends. One of the best two-way players in the game, Zetterberg brings the defensive minded style that he has developed over the course of his career in the Winged Wheel. While he brings this and the presence of leadership donning the “C”, for him to catch fire especially at a time when the Wings are in major need of goal scoring would be useful in their journey towards elite status in the Eastern Conference.
For Xavier Ouellet To Stay In the NHL
X has given it to the Wings and given them every reason to keep the 21-year old defenseman in the NHL. Using his two-way style to create offensive chances and also settle things down in his own end, Xavier Ouellet has proven he is NHL-caliber. He is second in On-Ice Corsi Stats on the Red Wing defensive core and has played in 19 contests, compiling one goal and six points. It’s apparent to Mike Babcock he belongs with the NHL team but due to a roster crunch he has recently been sent down to make room for Tom McCollum replacing the injured Jimmy Howard. The Red Wings love to groom their prospects in Grand Rapids for years on end and it has worked throughout the years with players like Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatarcoming into their own after almost five years in the AHL. The Wings’ have shown strong defensive success to start the season, and having Ouellet’s up and coming two-way game to complement his teammates would just boost the core in both zones.
For “The Mule” to Start Kicking Again
It’s no secret Johan Franzen goes hot and cold in the goal-scoring department throughout the 82-game campaign, and he is in the middle of another cold spell. Without a goal in his last ten, Franzen has been fighting it, both on and off the ice. He’s been ill for a few weeks now and his return to the lineup on Friday brought some good signs. He seemed faster, more involved, and was a stick in the lane away from tying the game in the dying seconds. In the recent slide the Wings need their big guns to step up, and when “the Mule” gets hot, he’s one of the best weapons the Wings have. His point production has not been bad, as he’s totalled 19 in 26 games played. An improvement in the 34-year old’s number of goals however (6), would be welcoming in his getting off the schneid and his team getting back in the win column.
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Statistics and bios courtesy of RotoWorld, NHL.com, Stats.Hockey Analysis, and HockeyDB.
