The Detroit Red Wings are poised to return to the postseason this year. Despite the club seemingly fading down the final month, they look good enough to hold on to at least one of the wild card spots.
Of course, a strong push could swing them back into one of the top three seeds in the Atlantic Division. That said, even if the Red Wings end their playoff drought, the season could be a failure. In particular, a quick, first-round exit may not sit very well with fans.
As it stands, the Red Wings are in the second wild card spot. That would earn them a first-round date with the Carolina Hurricanes, the top seed in the Eastern Conference. That’s certainly a tough first-round matchup. And it could also mean a very early exit.
If the Canes swept the Red Wings, or bounced them in five games, how would that go down? Would that constitute a failure?
In some eyes, it would.
Unless they were four or five very close games that went into overtime, scrutiny from outside the fanbase would hit the organization over the summer. Plenty of nitpicking would go over trade deadline decisions and shortcomings.
The most immediate finger-pointing would focus on the trade deadline. But beyond the trade deadline, there could be one key issue that might emerge as the most pressing concern.
Goaltending could once again dominate offseason Red Wings conversation
The goaltending situation actually started out as a bright red light on the dashboard. But John Gibson has settled into his role in Detroit very well. At this point in the season, he’s appeared in 45 games, notching 25 wins to go with a 2.56 GAA and a .906 SV%.
Those are the numbers Red Wings fans hoped to see from Gibson when the club traded for him last summer. If that carries over into the postseason, the Red Wings could have a very good chance to upset the Hurricanes, or anyone else for that matter, in the first round.
But if the Wings had to turn to Cam Talbot, for whatever reason, that’s something that could make fans queasy. Talbot has appeared in 28 games, posting a 3.03 GAA and an .891 SV%. The goaltending has to hold up in the playoffs. Otherwise, the situation in the crease could dominate the Red Wings’ offseason conversation again.
Of course, goaltending is not the only factor looming over the Red Wings at the moment. But all things remaining equal, it will be the crease that could determine if the Wings make an extended playoff run or get a head start on the golf course.
One way or another, the next 13 regular season games are imperative for the Red Wings' success.