As the month of April approaches, some
teams in the NHL are playing their best hockey of the season. Whether they play
well to secure home-ice advantage in the postseason, secure a playoff spot in
general, or play for pride, players are stepping up for their teams and
relishing roles as heroes and spoilers, and sometimes both simultaneously.
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| Courtesy of: Detroit Free Press |
Alternatively, in addition to teams that
have struggled all season long, there are teams faltering at this crucial point
in the season, either holding a playoff spot and unable to clinch it or currently
on the fringe unable to find what it takes to get in. The Detroit Red Wings
find themselves in the faltering category, surprisingly still in the top three in the
Atlantic Division with mediocre play and the Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators
unable to catch up to date.
While it is obviously a good thing Detroit is still in the playoffs as it stands now, the bad news is unless they improve in the following areas, they could find themselves eliminated early in the playoffs or worse-out of playoff contention.
Goaltending
Jimmy Howard has been struggling and most people think he has not played as effectively since returning from a groin injury. This was most obvious when Howard was pulled against the San Jose Sharks last week in the first period after letting in the first shot on goal 19 seconds into the game and stopping 6 of 9 shots. Petr Mrazek got the start against the Tampa Bay Lightning and looked impressive however followed that game with a lackluster showing against the New York Islanders. Not every goal can be blamed on Mrazek- 3 were power play goals- however, one was scored off a generous rebound and another was off his own skate from the side of the net. Mrazek was pulled after this goal in favor of Howard. It is this inconsistent goaltending and these bad goals that are allowed in that are sinking the Red Wings right now.
While it is obviously a good thing Detroit is still in the playoffs as it stands now, the bad news is unless they improve in the following areas, they could find themselves eliminated early in the playoffs or worse-out of playoff contention.
Goaltending
Jimmy Howard has been struggling and most people think he has not played as effectively since returning from a groin injury. This was most obvious when Howard was pulled against the San Jose Sharks last week in the first period after letting in the first shot on goal 19 seconds into the game and stopping 6 of 9 shots. Petr Mrazek got the start against the Tampa Bay Lightning and looked impressive however followed that game with a lackluster showing against the New York Islanders. Not every goal can be blamed on Mrazek- 3 were power play goals- however, one was scored off a generous rebound and another was off his own skate from the side of the net. Mrazek was pulled after this goal in favor of Howard. It is this inconsistent goaltending and these bad goals that are allowed in that are sinking the Red Wings right now.
Special Teams
Currently the Red Wings are 2nd in the NHL on the power play and a staggering 20th overall in penalty killing. The penalty kill units, while used a lot less than other teams as Detroit is 22nd overall in penalty minutes per game, has not been successful and this needs to be remedied in order to give the team any chance of post-season success. Last game alone the Red Wings allowed the Islanders 3 power play goals; in the last 10 games, the Red Wings have allowed 10 power play goals (including 3 against the Philadelphia Flyers on March 14th). The Red Wings have been successful on the penalty play, scoring a league-leading 66 power play goals this season. However, they have also given up 8 short-handed goals which places them 3rd overall this season including one against the Islanders where Tatar tripped over the blue line and two against the Boston Bruins on March 8th where Stephen Weiss coughed up the puck twice.
Consistent Scoring
The Red Wings have had no problems scoring this season and even some games they have lost have been high-scoring affairs (eg. against San Jose, Arizona, and the New York Islanders in March alone). Nonetheless, it is the lack of consistency among players that continues to be in issue. It is a well-known fact that players go hot and cold in the NHL, however guys like Gustav Nyquist (3 goals in February, 3 so far in March) and Riley Sheahan (2 goals in February, 2 so far in March), and captain Henrik Zettterberg (2 goals since a 3-goal game on January 18th against the Buffalo Sabres) seem to be going cold at a vital time of the season. Many players on the Red Wings team need to start finding the back of the net in order to be the offensive threat required in securing a playoff stretch and being dominant in the playoffs.
