Detroit Red Wings: Henrik Zetterberg Yet To Score, and Four Other Trends of Note
So, five down, 77 to go.
Man, when you say it like that, making any statements about a team after completing just six-percent of their season seems a little silly.
Perhaps the best thing we can say about the Detroit Red Wings start to-date is that it is the exact opposite of what we saw happen at the beginning of last season.
Rather than getting off to an 0-2 start, which was their worst in 20 years, Detroit jumped out of the gate 2-0.
However, the Wings proceeded to go on to a 1-1-1 record; the very definition of mediocrity.
While a 3-1-1 record to start the season isn't really something to moan about, the things that led to the losses as well as the trends that got them the wins are certainly worth mulling over.
We'll be taking a look at five key areas of concern/optimism, but, before we get to those, a few other trends are worth mentioning.
- Todd Bertuzzi leading the team in scoring is a mixed blessing. It's great to have Big Bert contributing, but the top names on the stat sheet should not be veterans on the back-nine of their career.
- Modano looked to be off to the races in game one, scoring his first goal as a Red Wing. But, four games later, that remains Modo's only point. He's still settling in, to be sure. But, let's hope the process doesn't take much longer.
- For a day at least, I was hopeful that Chris Osgood was going to round back into form after a good outing against the Blackhawks in game two...then he let in four goals on 15 shots. Then again, I guess that now is Ozzie's form.
Alright, on to the top five takeaways, five games in.
Follow Matt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MAhutter12
Jiri Whodler?
1 of 5
Perhaps it's simply a gap between expectation and reality, but I'd have guessed we would have seen more from "Happy" Hudler at this point.
While he spent last season in the KHL, there's no reason to think that he's suffering from some kind of learning curve now that he's back in the NHL.
He's playing for the same team, the same coach, among many of the same players as he did just two seasons ago, so a "fish out of water" scenario isn't a likely explanation for Hudler's lack-luster start to the season.
While he's generated two assists playing alongside Mike Modano and Dan Cleary on Detroit's third-line, his 1.6 shots a game pace must improve if he's to be the factor everyone knows that he can be.
Looking at Hudler's performance, that is, the performance that doesn't show up on a stat sheet, he looks to be over thinking his game on the ice.
Passing up shooting opportunities, forcing plays that aren't there, and failing to read plays that are makes one wonder if Hudler isn't a bit too focused on waiting for a perfect play to develop.
In the end, it may be just a matter of time before he feels more comfortable with his new line-mates and they emerge into the difference-making trio they seem destined to be.
Let's hope that time is soon.
Give It Away...Great Song, Bad Hockey Strategy
2 of 5
Alternatively, I was going to go with, "Red Wings or Red Hot Chili Peppers?", but wasn't sure who'd get the reference.
Come to think of it, I'm not sure how many know the song in the first place, but I digress.
Unfortunately, giveaways aren't a new problem for the Detroit Red Wings.
Some may recall that they began their defense of their 2008 Stanley Cup win by coughing the puck up 23 times to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the home opener of the 2008-09 season.
Since then, the trend has continued, with varying degrees of improvement from time to time.
Looking at Detroit's two losses to date, one can see that a combined 25 giveaways isn't a recipe for success.
Getting beaten is one thing, beating yourselves is something else again.
Typically, giveaways are the result of players making blind passes, ill-advised long passes, bad clearing attempts or just plain laziness.
All of the above are attributable to the Red Wings, however, why they continue to happen remains a bit of a mystery.
At any rate, if Detroit could simply refrain from giving the puck away as often as they do, losses would likely be few and far between.
What Sophomore Slump?
3 of 5
So, how about some good news?
For those of you who might say it's too early to hand out praise to Jimmy Howard, consider this: if he was 0-3 with a 3.50 GAA and .850 save-percentage, do you thing people would already be writing him off as a one-hit wonder?
You bet they would.
Conversely, Jimmy Howard has looked solid as a rock in goal for the Wings and, with each game, more firmly establishes himself as not only Detroit's undisputed starter, but one of the better goalies in the league.
True, he coughed up four goals to the Avalanche, two of which were of the questionable variety. However, the ensuing shoot-out to win the game went six rounds before anyone got a puck past him.
Even on that night, he played well enough to get his team the 'W', but his teammates failed to score to make his performance count.
Howie looks calm and confident, and is playing with, dare I say, "swagger". All he has to do is keep it up and the fears of a second season slip will quickly dissolve, if they haven't already.
.png?w=256 "NHL Mock Draft")
.jpg?w=256 "Kucherov Landing Spots")
.png?w=256)
"Henrik, Where Are Z Goals?"
4 of 5
Alright, let's see if we can get a few of these cliches out of the way.
Call them the guys that drive the bus, the straw that stirs the drink, the jam in the jellyroll or the tip of the spear, your best players have to be your best players (wait, can you clarify a cliche with a cliche?).
It's five games in, and we've yet to see Henrik Zetterberg bulge the twine.
In fact, until last Saturday's 2-1 OT win over Phoenix, Zetterberg had only two assists and even plus/minus rating.
Though the emergence of the Franzen - Filppula - Bertuzzi line has been a welcome happening, the reunion of Detroit's Euro Twins in Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, should and must result in the offensive magic the two have built their careers on.
Zetterberg is getting his chances, he has 16 shots through five games, but he needs to start converting them, and soon.
Take These Broken Wings...Please!
5 of 5
Let me go on record and say that, personally, I'm done with the whole injury thing.
I had more than my fill of it last year and really don't have the stomach to go through another season of a revolving door on Detroit's sick bay.
As of now, Justin Abdelkader has yet to start his season (ribs), Jonathan Ericsson has played just one game (back), and the nagging knee injury Rafalski has played through finally got the better of him after game two.
There's also the little matter of Johan Franzen's, ahem, "concussion", but, as he's now all but certain to play Thursday against Calgary, we can rest comfortably knowing that the Mule should be back and kicking.
Still, three regulars out of the line-up in just five games played gets me twitching as I revisit the horrors of last season's injury plagued campaign.
Unlike the previous four observations, the Wings can't do much about avoiding injuries, as such things are ultimately up to the Hockey Gods.
So, say a prayer, and light a red and white candle every night, and ask for health the rest of the season.
.png?w=480 "NHL Mock Draft")
.jpg?w=480 "Kucherov Landing Spots")
.png?w=480)
.png?w=600 "B/R NHL Staff Second-Round Predictions 🏒")
