Now, soon, or never

After winning game 2 on the road to even the series, most teams would hope to turn around and take game 3 at home as well.

But the Red Wings were unsuccessful in doing so. Now, I may get my fair share of cries and screams for saying this, but the Red Wings lost because of two things: officiating and goaltending. By officiating, I am referring to the fact that the Wings were cheated out of a goal yet again because some official decided to lose sight of the puck.

But forget the officiating for now. There is nothing that can be done about that. Goaltending, on the other hand, can be fixed. Mike Babcock basically has three options: 1. He can pull Jimmy Howard for Chris Osgood right away. 2. He can let Howard start game 4 and make a decision based on his performance. Or 3. He can decide that Howard is sticking in net, regardless of game 4 performance, and probably leave him in for the remainder of the playoffs.

The last option is not recommended. For Babcock to do so would not only make himself look like a stubborn mule, but would also neglect the playoff experience of backup Chris Osgood. Not to mention the mental damage it could inflict upon Howard.

So that leaves us with options 1 and 2. Option 2 may appear to be the way to go, but maybe not. Coach Bruce Boudreau of the Washington Capitals wasted no time at all. After a quick 2 goals in game 2, Theodore was riding the pine in favor of Varlamov. And it worked.

The argument for Howard is that, for the most part, the goals were the fault of lousy defensive plays. That argument would prove effective in the regular season, there is no doubt about that. But this isn't the regular season. It's the playoffs. The playoffs is when you expect your goalie to step up, at least from time to time. Howard failed to do so on Sunday afternoon.

And it's not as if benching Howard would be the equivalent of waving the white flag of surrender. Chris Osgood has shown, time and time again, that the playoffs are his time to shine. He could prove to be more than effective in goal.

But then again, maybe Babcock does need to give Howard one more chance. He was playing fairly well before game 3, after all. Perhaps he can recover. It's definitely not out of the question. Pulling him out right away may not be the answer.

The arguments on both sides are legit. Overall, I would lean toward option 1 if it were my team. But it's not. It's a decision that Mike Babcock will have to make, and it's a reason that I'm glad that I am not Mike Babcock. Whatever decision he makes, he will be the target of criticism, you can be sure of that. Yank Howard now and he'll be accused of jumping the gun. Let him start on Tuesday and they'll question whether he is being too easy on the rookie.

Whatever the decision, Babcock better be right.

After all, the Detroit Red Wings season will probably depend on it.

Red Wings show signs of resurgence

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.

Franzen's return spoiled- For now

Throughout the season the Red Wings have struggled due to many injuries, but the return of Johan Franzen just might mark a turning point. The Wings fell in overtime, 4-3, but one can't help but feel that better days are ahead.

Franzen is not the most valuable player on the Red Wings, but his consistency and his extra fuel in the playoffs have always helped this team out. Perhaps the strangest thing about this season for the Red Wings has been their lack of scoring. Franzen can help there. Not only will he put plenty of pucks in the net, but his return also ought to take the pressure off of our struggling Euro Twins- Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.

I'm quite surprised to see how many fans have already counted out the Red Wings this year. They have competed this whole time, spending most of the season hovering between the 8 and 9 spots in the Western Conference. Franzen, along with the other returning stars, ought to provide the extra push that they need. Should the Red Wings make the playoffs, they will probably scare a lot of teams.

I'm being serious. The nice blessed surprise of Jimmy Howard has the Red Wings covered in goal. The defensemen are, if anything, better than ever, what with the addition of Jonathan Ericsson. The Red Wings have not allowed many goals this year, and I don't expect that to change.

As for offense, well, ironically that's where the Wings have been struggling this year. They have scored very few goals, especially compared to their recent previous seasons. Well, once Patrick Eaves gets healthy, they should actually be fine. There is no Hossa, Hudler, or Samuelsson, but there is now Eaves, Todd Bertuzzi, Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader, and Drew Miller. Dan Cleary is healthy, and I have a feeling that Valteri Flippula is ready to start making an impact; that is, an even bigger one than last year.

The Red Wings main challenge will be making the playoffs this year. Once they get in (which I think they will), they should be fine.

Wings open in Stockholm with 4-3 loss

But don't let that decide your opinion on their chances this year.

It was quite disappointing, really.

The Detroit Red Wings blew a 3-1 lead Wednesday night against the St. Louis Blues, who rallied to win it with three goals in the 2nd Period to win it, 4-3.

Now don't get suddenly worried. I have confidence that the Wings can recover from this, simply due to the fact that, well, they're the Red Wings. And we can always count on the Red Wings. Call me naive all you want, but this is realism. The Wings have finished at or near the top of the league every year during the decade. They have been by far the most trustworthy team in Michigan.

Times are tough, but the Red Wings ought to provide some relief. I laugh when I hear the argument about how hard it is to make it to three consecutive Stanley Cups. Sure, it's not easy, but it's certainly doable. And there's no doubting that the Red Wings will enter the season very hungry. If losing game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals on your own ice, in front of your own fans, to a team that you simply can't stand doesn't result in motivation, then I don't know what does.

Forget the loss of Marian Hossa. The Wings have plenty of potential in star forwards Valteri Flippula and Dan Cleary, both of whom will likely improve, particularly Flippula. I don't know much about Cleary, other than that injury limited him last year which means he ought to be in for improvement. But Flippula is the one that gets my attention. I have to admit that as the season starts, I feel terrific about the young Fin's ability. With Hossa and Hudler gone it means more minutes, something he lacked last year. Flippula will be on the third line this year, and I'm sure that, by the time the season is over, plenty of teams would like to have this guy on their first line. Flippula, a two-way, speedy, stickhandling forward, has shown that he has some Datsyuk in him.

More punch will come from youngsters Darren Helm, Villie Leino, Justin Abdelkader, and, perhaps most of all, defenseman Jonathan Ericsson aka Big E. The Red Wings have also added enforcer Todd Bertuzzi and shooter Jason Williams. My guess is that they took Bertuzzi to replace Kopecky and Williams to replace Samuelsson. If I'm correct, then there's a good chance that the strategy will work.

There will be a renewed focus on defense and goaltending this season, which is no surprise considering Osgood's rocky start last year, as well as the ineffective penalty kill. Ericsson will add some skill to the defense, and Chris Osgood has vowed to avoid another terrible start. I remain convinced that what Osgood encountered was a mental problem and nothing more. He put it behind him with a Conn Smythe-worthy playoff performance, and ought to avoid it this year. And with guys like Niklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, Niklas Kronwall, Ericsson, and Brad Stuart behind (or rather, in front of) him, he should have all the help that he needs.

There is no reason to suddenly be worrying simply because of an 0-1 start. The only way that this will shape the Wings' season is if they let it.

And, given their track record, it's safe to say that they won't.