As the Detroit Red Wings hit the home stretch precariously clinging to a playoff spot, it’s tempting to assume this is uncharted territory for the league’s Teflon team. But the Wings have actually been here before, and likely more recently than many recall.
Four years and a few weeks ago, a Detroit team coming off back-to-back Stanley Cup final appearances sat outside Western Conference playoff picture with 22 games left in the 2009-10 season. With a post-season appearance streak that dated back to 1989-90 in jeopardy, Detroit dug in and went 17-3-2 the rest of the way, tossing in a first-round playoff victory over the Phoenix Coyotes for good measure.
With 24 contests left in this year’s campaign, the Wings — in their new Eastern Conference surroundings — are one point clear of three teams trying to bump them for the final post-season invitation, while two more squads sit just three points back. Back in 2009-10, Detroit was sparked by 39-year-old defenceman Nicklas Lidstrom, who netted 15 points during those final 22 games and logged all kinds of hard, multi-purpose minutes.
This year, if they hope to extend their astounding run of 22 consecutive seasons in the playoffs, the Red Wings need another Lidstrom-like hero. But with their current stars banged up and their goalie struggling through a miserable year, leading men are in short supply.
When Detroit resumes its schedule with a visit to Montreal on Wednesday night, they’ll be without the services of centre Henrik Zetterberg, who’s expected to miss the rest of the regular season and quite possibly the playoffs thanks to surgery that addressed a herniated disc in his back. The injury has plagued Zetterberg all season and forced him out of the Olympics after just one game for Sweden. Pavel Datsyuk, meanwhile, may be in the lineup for Detroit, but won’t his same elusive self thanks to a nagging groin injury.
Zetterberg’s absence and Datsyuk’s compromised health means no skater stands out as a prime candidate to provide the thrust required to fight off the teams nipping at the Wings’ heels — not even 24-year-old Swede Gustav Nyquist, who asserted himself with nine goals in Detroit’s last 10 games before the Olympic hiatus.
That makes it all the more necessary for goalie Jimmy Howard to find top form in a hurry. Howard’s NHL breakout came during that same season when Lidstrom led the charge to the playoffs, and the netminder’s play was a huge stabilizing force on that club. Last season, Howard inserted himself into any conversation about the league’s elite goalies, playing the best hockey of his career and easing the adjustment to life after Lidstrom for the Motor City. This year has been marked by injuries and inconsistency, and Howard has just over 20 games left to come good on what’s been an erratic season.
Prior to winning two of its last three pre-Olympic contests, Detroit registered just four regulation-time victories in 24 outings, meaning there’s been significant fraying for a couple months. Now, with the 2013-14 calendar being counted more in weeks than months, the team has no margin for error; either its goalie gets hot or an injured star struggles though the pain to carry them across the line. If not, the Wings’ debut season in the East may just coincide with their first playoff miss in nearly a quarter century.