Red Wings Going for Three in a Row: Can Diminished Roster Beat Sharks?

Admittedly, Red Wings fans are a tough bunch to please.

Over the past decade and a half, we've come to expect, if not demand perfection from our Big Red Machine.

Often times, winning isn't enough. We want big wins, shutouts, blowouts, embarrassments, and beat-downs.

Some fans are so obsessed with perfection that even Detroit's current two-game winning streak has been made out to be a negative thing.

A 3-1 win over the Flames? "So what, the Flames were slumping anyway."

Last night's 2-0 shutout of the Bruins? "Oh, real hard with (Milan) Lucic and (Marc) Savard out of the lineup."

Sad.

So, for those fans who just aren't happy until the team wins "a big one," tomorrow night is for you.

Detroit will square off at home against the ever dangerous San Jose Sharks.

San Jose is currently on a five-game winning streak and has shown no signs of stopping that streak any time soon.

Offseason acquisition Dany Heatley has fit the team like a glove and, along with a resurgent Patrick Marleau and perennial All-Star Joe Thornton, contributes to a top-three forward crop as dangerous as any in the league (57 points combined).

However, it isn't just San Jose's superstars carrying the mail for this team.

The Sharks have 16 players with at least one goal and five players with double-digit point totals.

By contrast, Detroit's top three forwards this season, Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, and Tomas Holmstrom have combined for 34 points and are the only players with double-digits in the points column.

However, like San Jose, Detroit does have a lot of people contributing, with 18 current roster players with at least one goal.

But, they have been racked by injuries and illness, having lost power forward Johan Franzen until February, center Valteri Fillpula until December, and recently, defensemen Brian Rafalski and Jonathan Ericsson to the flu.

The latter two are expecting to play Thursday, however, they will admittedly be playing at less than 100 percent effectiveness.

Matched up man to man, superstar to superstar, Detroit doesn't have a chance.

If Detroit has any hope of extending their streak to three, they must continue the strong five-man unit play that has always been the staple of their game, but is needed now more than ever given their diminished lineup.

In addition, goalie Chris Osgood must do all he can to prove that his 50th career shutout (29 saves) wasn't a fluke occurrence.

The Sharks, like the animal for which they are named, are fast, ferocious, and lethal. 

They have the talent and the determination to rip you apart if you let them, so Detroit must be on full alert when the puck drops tomorrow evening.

A win over San Jose would be a huge boost for a team that, for the first time this season, looks to have its collective heads together and is skating in the right direction.

The Sharks face the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight, while Detroit has the night off.

This could help to tire out the big fish from the West as they swim into Joe Louis Arena.

This, and another solid effort from the Wings, should help Detroit land a victory against San Jose and satisfy some of the more demanding fans waiting for a big win.

Then again, I can almost here the naysayers now, "Yeah, they won, but San Jose was tired from the night before."

Sad.