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Alex

• Detroit, MI (US)
• Since: Mar 26th, 2011
• Blogs Written: 6
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Alex's Recent Blogs

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  Best possible NHL realignment scenario: 2 conferences, 4 divisions
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  Could we see Zetterberg retiring in the near future?
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  Red Wings need to bolster the second line, defense
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  First round shows how valuable Valtteri Filppula is to the Red Wings
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  Steve Yzerman is the obvious choice for top NHL GM

At the top of the mind for every Wings fan is how their level of play this season will transfer into the playoffs. After going on a dominate 16-4-2 run in the first quarter of the season, the Red Wings have just 30 wins in 57 games since December, posting a 30-19-8 record. What is even more disheartening is their 11-12-2 home record since that time. But what any Wings fan also knows is that they've always had motivation problems, perhaps from years of being a top team in the league.

The Wings have one of the best offenses in the league on paper. With Datsyuk and Zetterberg anchoring their top six, they have six other forwards capable of playing top six roles including Franzen, Filppula, Cleary, Bertuzzi, Hudler and Holmstrom. With Mike Modano centering the third line, the leftovers from the top 6 round out to complete the third line and their forth line, containing 3 of Helm, Eaves, Abdelkader and Draper, provides a touch of scoring and a lot of hustle.

The Red Wings' defense is also top in the league - on paper - with Lidstrom, Rafalski, Stuart, Kronwall, Ericsson, Salei and Kindle. At least one defenseman has been out for the Red Wings for the majority of the season, so one of Ericsson, Salei and Kindle will be sitting out. Kindle has had an extremely successful year for his role on the Wings, so it will likely be Salei or Ericcson. Either way, their defensive corps is more than capable of shutting down other teams' offenses on a nightly basis.

But of course with Detroit, the problem isn't on paper, but the ice. Along with their tradition of winning the past two decades, they also have a tradition of lacking motivation. Though in recent years they have had deep playoffs runs, they had a reputation of abnormally early playoffs exits. Despite having a solid roster, they simply weren't able to muster the effort to advance. Many times this season, the Red Wings have played far below their capability, with embarrassing losses against the Thrashers, Kings and Blues. The Red Wings have been able to clinch their division despite playing less than .500 hockey for months, largely thanks to how well they played for the first two months of the season.

But the Wings have been here before. The past two seasons, they had a disappointing regular season for their standards, but were able to up their level of play for the playoffs. In 2009 the reached game seven of the Stanley Cup finals, and while in 2010 they had a much less desirable second round exit, they were able to improve the level of play somewhat.

So the question remains: will the Red Wings be able to increase their level of competition and live up to their expectations? I think they will. In the beginning of the season, the wings were a machine. They looked like the team from their last Cup winning season. Stellar offense and and a stifling defense. They were on a mission. Then December rolled around and their level of play dropped significantly, but only due to lack of motivation. They proved to themselves they can still play, and after being the standard of the league for two decades, they called it in, but were still able to take from top record in the division anyway.

The Wings have all the tools required to go on another deep run the they playoffs. What they need to do is bring their best game every night for 60 minutes when the playoffs begin. Something they have proven they can do in the past, and what they will prove again come next week.