On The Fifth Day Of Christmas, The Red Wings Gave To Me...

As kids (and maybe some adults, I'm not trying to crush any dreams here) eagerly await the gifts provided by a jolly fat guy in a red and white suit, I thought of another group of guys in red and white that could make my Christmas especially joyous.

From Dec. 14 to Dec. 25, I will mimic the pattern of the 12 Days of Christmas song by asking for one thing on the first day, two things on the next day, and so on until Christmas.

But, as this is the season of giving, I'd love for all of you to give me your thoughts on what you'd like from the Red Wings for Christmas, so please, post away!

First, thanks for delivering the goods yesterday, though maybe I should have asked for 4 -0 to stay healthy instead.

You don't know what you've got, until it's gone.  What I'm asking for today is something, I'll admit, I've taken for granted in the past.  I didn't know how special it was, and now, I want it back.

Five players clicking on the power play

Though (thankfully) Detroit's penalty-kill has been absolutely red-hot over the past 12 games, their power-play has been on life-support, scoring only three tallies in that span.

There's a few reasons why this might be the case.

First off, Brian Rafalski and Nicklas Lidstrom, the top blue-line pairing on the No. 1 unit, have not been scoring with any kind of regularity (though both had points in the win of Tampa, so, there is hope).

These are the guys that set up the passes, make the shots that lead to tip-ins and, usually, get a few lasers past the opposing keeper themselves.

Even when they're doing what they need to from the blue-line, the guys down low haven't exactly made the most of their opportunities.

Players pass when they should shoot, whiff on one-timers or just plain miss an open net with frustrating regularity.

For most of the season, the five guys on the PP just haven't looked in sync (even the old faithful combo of Lidstrom, Rafalski, Holmstrom, Datsyuk and Zetterberg).

With guys like Filppula, Zetterberg, Franzen, Kronwall and Cleary on the sidelines, delivering this gift isn't going to be easy, but an effective power-play in Detroit is sorely missed.

I know it'll be tough guys, but, really, this is one of those need it more than want it type of gifts, for me and you!

...four wins in a row, three solid periods of hockey every game, two defensemen scoring, and a dominating performance by Pavel Datsyuk!