There is no doubt that the Red Wings are one of the most dominant teams in the NHL.
But can they really be considered the best? When looking at the division standings, you notice that the Red Wings are the only team in their division that is in the playoffs. Nashville is close but unless they really pick up their game it is unlikely that they will make it to the postseason.
The Red Wings do not perform as well as one might think against the other teams in their division. Against Nashville they have a 4-3 record, Chicago 2-3-1, Columbus 4-2-1, and St. Louis 4-3.
These are not the numbers that you would expect from a team that is likely going to win the President’s Trophy. This begs the question: can you really call the Wings the best in the NHL when they have a difficult time containing the teams in their division, all of which are not in the playoffs?
However, the more serious question is this: why are the Wings so dominant against the other NHL teams but fail to produce big numbers in the weakest division in the NHL? This is a question that Mike Babcock needs to address if the Wings look to have a serious go at the Stanley Cup.
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4 months ago
they are the best simply put. they have had a ton of injuries all season. when playoffs start they should have the full roster, perhaps minus holmstrom which hurts. they have the most goals for and least goals against. 3 of the best players in the league in Z, dats and lids, and look at it this way, the red wings aren't dominant against division teams, well there won't be any to get through in the playoffs. haha.
4 months ago
Good point. However, this might be a potential flaw in the team. And to your other point about injuries, the wings have plenty of talent. Even with Lidstrom out and all the other problems they had there is still no excuse for them to lose on any type of a regular basis. Babcock was concerned about this problem when the Wings went through that massive losing streak. He knows that there are problems that need to be worked out.
4 months ago
When the Red Wings were slaughtering the Central Division teams en route to the President's Trophy, the talking heads said it was only because of their weak division. Now they are en route to the President's Trophy having been less dominant in their division and more dominant against everyone else.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't right? =]
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