Saturday’s game against the Kings was a classic illustration of the old saying “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.

I am hoping that adadge will be the one that describes the Wings 2009-10 season.

Today’s loss was tough and it took me a few hours to at least be able to write about it. I just kept saying, “when you are in a playoff race, you can’t blow three-goal leads.

It was a nice start after a totally crappy game against the Ducks, but MAN, you have a team down by three in the NHL, YOU GOT TO FINISH THE JOB.

Now with the loss and wins by Nashville, Minni and Dallas, the Wings are back in the No. 9 spot, one point back of the Preds, and one up on the Wild. And with tree games left before the Olympic Break, two against top teams in the League, March may be a scary month for us in Hockeytown.

Another bit of news is that Ville Leino has been traded to Philly for defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and a fifth-round draft pick in 2011. With the injured forwards coming back, Leino was expendable and I applaud Ken Holland for getting something for him. Now I think he needs to find a top-notch goaltender by the trade deadline. I like Howard, but I am still not convinced that he his a true No.1 goalie, and Ozzie just hasn’t seemed to be right all season.

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I am not  totally upset about Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh, although it would have been a great win.

Despite the shutout loss, the Wings once again proved to be competitive against one of the top teams in the NHL. The thing that got to me was seeing the two whinny girls (Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Mulkin) celebrating another victory over our beloved team.

We need wins right now with the kings coming off a perfect road trip, but I think the ultimate goal is to stay in contention heading into the break, but the biggest problem the franchise will have to deal with before making a late run to the playoffs will be made over the next week. With Homer coming back against San Jose tonight and Mule expected to make a return to the lineup next week, The Wings will need to make some roster decisions to cut the roster back to a 23-man squad and to keep themselves under the salary cap. Those decisions will hopefully lead to the construction of a team that will keep the playoff streak alive. Leino, May, Meech, Lebda, Williams, Maltby, Miller and Eaves are potential players who will be sent down in order to fulfill the roster requirements.

Well, the road won’t get any easier with a trip back to the West Coast as the Wings will be in San Jose tonight to take on the Sharks. With a win the Wings could jump the Predators in the Standings, putting them into the seventh spot, which is where I thought they might be. They could be higher, seeing as I didn’t expect Calgary to fall as far as they have. With the Flames trading Jokinen to the Rangers, they may be looking for the future and not to make the playoffs this season. Nashville is also in a nose dive right now. Because of this, I think the Wings will be in a great position heading into the break.

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sThis has been a tough week in Hockeytown full of could of, should ofs and would ofs.

Despite still being on the outside looking in, I am still standing my ground that the Wings are still going to make the playoffs and keep the streak alive. I have one concern though, Why would Ken Holland allow Mule to play for Team Sweden in the Olympics?!?!?! And further more, why would he put his season in jeopardy by doing so.

I understand the honor and the pride for playing for you home country in the Olympic games, and maybe I am being a little selfish by disagreeing with this decision, but with the defense struggling like it is right now, any kind of offensive spark we can find is a must.

Also, you think the other NHL stars are serious about winning a Stanly Cup, these guys take great pride in playing for their homeland and are just as competitive on the international ice as they are on the frozen ponds of NHL arenas. I am just afraid that this Mule may be headed for the for the barn when the Wings need him the most.

Good news is that everybody seems to be recovering nicely and familiar names are getting back to the ice, while up and coming stars are heading back to Grand Rapids to hone their skills for future seasons. If all goes well, we should have the original planned roster Babcock had set up in October.

My other concern is the goal tending. Now, I know our goalies have not been getting as much help as they would like, but to be a Stanley Cup contender, you need a tender that is going to steal a few games for you. I know Howie has done that a couple of times this season, but he really needs to step up with Ozzie still struggling to get back into form. If both keepers continue to play like they have, Holland may need to look at bringing in a solidified No. 1 G at the trade deadline.

Friday we have the Music City crew coming to town for a big rivalry game. They are struggling as of late like the Wings, so both teams will be like two clans of stray cats fighting for the last fish bone in a dark alley. It could be a good confidence booster.

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It was dissapointing to watch the Wings let another opportunity to jump past the Kings go by the wayside last night.

Dispite their latest set back, I am still not concerned about them missing the playoffs. There is still a lot of hockey left to be played and we can get back on track Tuesday night with a win over Phoenix.

I also have a great deal of confidance that LA will stumble at some time over the next two months, allowing healthy Wings team to overtake them. Also, Calgary is not playing that great right now and from what I understand, the Flames are having a tough time getting things turned around.

I also have complete confidence that Ken Holland is setting down and looking at trade deadline options. I think that with the return of key players and maybe a big move at the deadline, the Wings will go from a bubble team to a Cup contender.

On a side note, Congrats to the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints on making it to the Super Bowl. I am looking forward to the match up, but I must admit that living in Indiana over the 2007 season, I am rooting for Payton Manning and the Colts. However, after what the city of New Orleans has gone through trying to rebuild their city over the last four years, I would be happy for them in Drew Brees and the Saints won it all.

Talk to you after the game against the Wile E. Coyotes.

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Last nights thrilling shootout win against Minnesota has set up an opportunity for the Wings to overtake the Kings for the eighth spot with about three weeks left before the Olympic break.

A lot of good things to talk about from last nights 4-3 win that nearly became another third-period disaster.

I could not believe it when I saw a two-goal advantage disappear like it did in Dallas on Saturday. However, this time, Jimmy Howard stepped up in OT and in the shootout to give the Wings the win.

I do think Detroit needs to stop letting these third-period leads slip away, but I think we are starting to see the team we thought we had before the season started, and as more guys come back, we will start seeing that more.

I know that there are going to be some roster moves as guys start coming back, but Ken Daniels and Larry Murphy made an observation that I agree with. They think that Babcock will keep Draper, Helm and Eaves together as a fourth line once the injury list is erased clean. I like the idea, especially watching the way Daren can fly up and down the ice, and watching the trio work together. Helm is one of the fastest guys in the NHL and although Draper may have lost a step or two over the years, he still has very good speed as well.

With the Kings coming into Hockeytown tomorrow,  I hope that Jimmy can keep playing like he did in the overtime and shootout. The extra session reminded me of the Wings OT performance against Chicago last weekend, only reversed. The Wild controlled play in the five minute session, but Howard was up to the task of keeping the puck out of the net. Definitely could use a lot of that not only tomorrow, but the rest of the season as well.

The Wings have been sitting in ninth place long enough! Come on guys! Go out there and get over the first hurdle on your way to another playoff appearance. I know LA just downed the Sabers, the top team in the East, but it would be nice to be a little more entrenched in the top eight heading into the break, and getting back into the picture tomorrow would help a great deal.

Be back this weekend to hopefully talk about a very HUGE win over the Kings.

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Sidenote: About the rumors that the Wings are going to move to the Palace for the 2010-11 season, I don’t see how it will work. Palace Entertainment would have to work the Wings’ home games in with the Pistons’ home schedule, plus the concerts and other events they may already have on the schedule. I know that the defunct Detroit Vipers of the IHL used to play at the palace, but I think to have less than a year to work out a event schedule will be too much of a headache.

I am not sure where the Wings will be playing just yet, my thoughts are they will be back at The Joe. If not, they could move into Ford Field for at least a season. Scheduling would be easier because as we know, the Lions are always done playing by the end of September.