Disappointing night

Just when we thought the Wings had turned the corner, a lack-luster performance last night in Anaheim reminds us of the punch they are still missing.

I said it last night after watching the 4-1 loss to the Ducks, and Mike Babcock let his feelings known about it to the press afterward, The turnovers were backbreaking and unacceptable for a team that’s trying to keep themselves in the playoff hunt.

I think the really frustrating part was that the Wings had been playing so well, going 7-3-1 in their last 11 games heading into last night, and had been looking like they were gaining some momentum as players were coming back off the disabled list, then to have a game like that right before heading into a big match up tomorrow night against one of the top teams in the Western Conference, the L.A. Kings, makes me a little nervous about how the Wings will respond. I mean, we have seen it a few times this season where after a strong stretch of games, the Wings fall into a scoring funk for three or four games. Too many more of those in a competitive Western Conference may make it difficult for the Wings to stay in contention.

Another sad aspect of last night’s game was the continued struggles of the power play as the wings went 0-4 with the man advantage. Mix in the fact that the Wings gave up their first shorthanded goal of the season, Saku Koivu’s 200th tally of his career, and it is safe to say that the special teams play last night was less then impressive. Heading into the game, Detroit was the only team in the entire NHL to not have allowed a shorthanded score.

On the brighter side, Johan Franzen and Jason Williams both hit the ice for the first time in the Wings pregame skate yesterday morning.

Mule has not laced the skates up since suffering an ACL tear back on Oct. 8. His injury was one of the first of many significant ones the Wings have had to suffer through this season, and his scoring punch has been a part of the wings inconsistent offensive play.

Although he is moving closer to his return, he still may not be back until after the Olympic break.

Williams only skated for about 15 minutes near the end of practice. It was the second time he has been on the ice since November.

The next Wing scheduled to return from injury is Dan Cleary, who said last night on the FSD broadcast that he hopes to be back in the line up in Los Angles tomorrow night. He has been out with a separated shoulder.

Wingnut 5013