Early this month, I had high expectations for the Detroit Red Wings, and I implored all of you to do the same. I cited the manageable schedule and the fact that this team was also good enough to upend some tougher opponents, considering their scoring potential and sound goaltending.
So far, 7-7-1 isn’t even close to what we were expecting in the preseason, and when you factor in tiebreakers, it puts the Wings in sixth place in the Atlantic, ahead of the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens.
As I write this, the Sabres are getting ready to face the St. Louis Blues, so the Wings could find themselves just above the basement by 9:00 PM CST. With two games in hand, it’s not quite the end of the world, but there would need to be a sense of urgency in place.
Scoring definitely needs to pick up, and despite the 3-2 win in their most recent matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins to bring them back up to a 0.500 points percentage, the Wings are still in the NHL’s doldrums in goals scored, ranking 31st in the NHL. Of course, these scoring struggles had to come when the Wings goaltenders, Cam Talbot specifically, had been lights out.
If the Red Wings figure out how to overwhelm opposing netminders…
This team has all the talent in the NHL world to find their rhythm offensively, both at forward and at the blue line. Lucas Raymond has been an outstanding playmaker, and Moritz Seider has, overall, been the best player on this team to watch.
The verdict? Overall, the Wings haven’t played to expectations, even if their goaltending efforts, minus Ville Husso, have kept them in contests. Sure, they’re still giving up a lot of shots on goal, and they’re converting nowhere near enough into goals.
But this is a team that, thanks to their play in the crease, doesn’t need to be all-world when they don’t have the puck. They do, however, need to regain their high-octane ways that made them fun to watch throughout most of last season.
The Wings only need to make sure the goaltending duo of Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon keeps playing well once they inevitably begin finding ways to convert chances into goals. When that happens (call me optimistic), the Wings will start challenging for a top-three spot in the division.
And remember, heading into Thursday night’s games, Detroit is only three points behind the third-place Boston Bruins. So, while they have underperformed, the Wings can hold a playoff position while it’s still early in the season at the drop of a hat.