Tough weekend, but I still have hope

Although the Wings left two points on the ice this weekend (one in Dallas and one at the Joe), I was a bit more optimistic about their chances to make the playoffs after their overtime loss to Chicago.

Trust me, after watching them blow a 2-0 lead to the Stars I thought I was going to have another Maalox moment, but seeing them compete against the best team so far this season in the entire NHL, made me feel that they are starting to form into shape. I think it is a realistic goal for them to finish as high as fourth.

The reason is that I expect many team’s ahead of Detroit in the standings to hit a skid, every team seems to at some point during the long season. The Wings have hit theirs already, so I feel that they are poised to make a run. Right now, the Flames, who are losers of four straight, are crashing back down to reality after a 9-1 beat down at the hands of the Sharks.

Also, they seem pretty lose for the situation they have been put in. Did you see Pav’s an Burt’s goals in the shootout on Sunday? It looked like they were experimenting with the puck.

They are in Washington right now preparing for another tough test in the Capitals and Alex Ovechkin. A win could make the rest of the NHL take notice and realize what I saw against the Hawks. They just need to get through the tough three-week stretch with 11 road games, but they have seemed pretty comfortable away from The Joe this season. Plus, they will start getting their regulars back from the injury list, so that will add depth and secondary scoring options. My hope is that either Howard continues to progress like he has, or Ozzie finds that old puck magic he has displayed the last two postseasons.

The Wings are on the cusp of getting back into the eighth slot, so lets not break out the ‘Dead Wings’ signs just yet.

Wingnut5013