BY KYLE MYERS – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
Here are five Red Wings storylines to follow after the seventh week of the NHL season.
1. Stellar Goaltending: The Red Wings are 3-1-1 in their past five games, and a large part of their success has come from some solid performances from their goaltenders. Jimmy Howard hasn’t allowed more than two goals in his last four starts with a save percentage over .950 and Jonas Gustavsson held the opposition to only a single tally in his last appearance for the Wings. Detroit has certainly benefitted from some solid play between the pipes of late, and if the trend continues, the Wings should be punching their ticket to the playoffs for the 21st season in a row.
2. Sub-par Scoring: Despite the stellar play at the defensive end of the rink, Detroit has been struggling offensively of late. Their 3-0 win against Edmonton was the first game in their past five that Detroit scored more than two goals, and zero of the three goals were scored by a top six forward. Detroit’s big guns have cooled down lately on the score sheet, but their goaltending has been bailing them out with huge performances
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3. Johan Franzen: Franzen may not be lighting up the score sheet, but it’s not for lack of effort. “The Mule” as he’s affectionately known in the D has been a raging bull on the ice, throwing his body around and generating some solid scoring chances. Franzen was a victim of the iron against Chicago, hitting the crossbar twice in crunch time in a shootout loss to the Blackhawks. Wings fans have long known that an angry Mule is a productive Mule, and he capitalized on a breakaway against the Avalanche after his frustrating game against Chicago. His stats have been subpar so far this season, but his recent play suggests he’s on the cusp of returning to his 30 goal form.
4. Wild, Wild West: If Detroit fail to make the playoffs this season, playing in the Western Conference will have played at least some part in the disappointment. The West is the definition of parity right now, as the difference between fifth and 11th place is only three points. Teams are bouncing in and out of the playoff picture nightly, and the Western playoff picture may not be settled until the final week of the season.
5. Helm’s Impending Return: One Wings regular who is yet to hit the ice in 2013 is Darren Helm, a 30 point scorer whose energy is sorely missed on Detroit’s third line. Helm is a gritty player who anchors Detroit’s second penalty kill unit, as well as chipping in offensively when needed. Helm a big part of the Wings’ future plans, and his return should bode well for not only Detroit’s special teams play, but their even strength game as well.