It wasn't the fact that they picked up 3 points.
It was how they picked up the 3 points. On Friday and Saturday, the finally healthy Red Wings picked up a win and an overtime loss by doing something they've been doing ever since they became a powerful empire: Executing the Impossible.
Tie the game with 0.2 seconds left? That's Red Wings hockey. Come from behind 2-0 two nights in a row? That's Red Wings hockey. Score twice in 5 seconds? That's Red Wings hockey. Win the game with less than a second left in overtime? That's- well, you get the idea.
Up until after the Olympic Break, the Red Wings were nursing injuries and having trouble putting the puck in the net. Now Johan Franzen, Niklas Kronwall, Valteri Flippula, Tomas Holmstrom, Jonathan Ericsson, and even Andreas Lilja have all returned, and so has the Red Wings' biggest weapon of all- the Impossible.
The trip out to Western Canada was perhaps the best example, but it wasn't the only one. Score 4 goals in 6 minutes to beat the Chicago Blackhawks, and people are gonna start to notice. The Red Wings are finally starting to calm down their fans- a little.
But there is no reason to feel overly comfortable. The Red Wings are currently 8th in a league that allows eight teams to make the playoffs, and the way 9th place Calgary is playing, the Wings will have to continue their hot streak.
And there are still many things in need of improvement. The Red Wings must begin playing hard for the whole game, or at least most of it. Lines 1 (Datsyuk, Franzen, and Holmstrom) and 3 (Helm, Draper, and Eaves) are playing great, and the fourth line is doing all right for, well, a fourth line. But Henrik Zetterberg, as well as linemates Valteri Flippula and Dan Cleary, needs to start scoring.
The defense is starting to get involved in scoring again, but they are not all the way there yet. Rafalski and Lidstrom are getting the job done, but it's about time that Stuart, Kronwall, Ericsson, and the others starting generating some more offense like they are capable of doing.
The Red Wings are nearly there, and maybe they are getting even closer. In addition to Zetterberg, Valteri Flippula finally found the net yesterday. Happy Birthday, my favorite Finnish player. There is your gift.
Now it's time for you and the other slackers to start giving to us.
