2011 NHL Playoffs: 5 Things That Must Happen for Red Wings to Silence Critics

The final stretch of the Red Wings season watched them fall from grace and has almost been a terrifying reproduction of the opening stretch circa 2009.

The mediocrity of the Wings since the All-Star break has much of the Red Wings faithful slipping into a state of doubt, as they've watched three- and four-game winning streaks spiral into three- and four-game losing streaks.

Bad passing, weak coverage, painstaking injuries and goaltender inconsistency have all attributed to an under .500 home record and the instillment of fear in Wings fans everywhere.

If anyone wants to see the Winged wheel get past the first round, many things need to happen. Here I will showcase the top five things I believe need to happen to turn Detroit around.

1. Better Passing

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GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 16: Brian Rafalski #28 of the Detroit Red Wings passes the puck in Game Two of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Phoenix Coyotes during the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Jobing.com Arena on April 16, 2010 in Glendal

The Red Wings passing is normally top-notch. Being the puck-controlling team they normally are, breakout passes typically come second nature. However, this year it seems every other game the passes have given me a horrible case of Tourette's. Not the funny kind either, but a rather large stream of violent profanity.

Brian Rafalski, Jonathan Ericsson, Brad Stuart and Niklas Kronwall stand out in particular and ironically enough rank second through fifth on the team's giveaway stats, combining for over 200 giveaways. Our forwards have been less than stellar as well (anyone who saw Valtteri Filppula's disastrous giveaway to Patrick Kane knows what I'm talking about).

If the Wings want to defeat the aggressive forecheck of the 'Yotes, the breakout passing and passes through center ice are going to need to increase exponentially. Everyone knows they can do it—when they are on, they are on, but when they are off, it's a disaster.

2. Henrik Zetterberg/Johan Franzen

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DETROIT - JUNE 06: Henrik Zetterberg #40 of the Detroit Red Wings celebrates his goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins with Johan Franzen #93 during Game Five of the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Finals at Joe Louis Arena on June 6, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. (Ph

Maybe a little out of the Wings' hands, but it is definitely one thing that needs to happen for the Wings to succeed. Henrik Zetterberg has been the heart and soul of the Wings all year, leading the team with 80 points and 56 assists while bringing up third on the team with 24 goals.

Pavel Datsyuk is incredible, but his ability is nearly doubled when on the ice with Z, and looking back at the way Wings have won this year (32 out of the Wings' 47 wins needed three or more goals to take it), goal-scoring is going to need to be in high priority. So far Zetterberg is only expected to be out for Game 1, but we will just have to wait and see.

Johan "The Mule" Franzen leads the team with 28 goals, but it feels like those all came in a span of five games—the other 77 games this guy has been invisible. With his huge stature and lightning hands, we have seen him break playoff records the past two years. If he can live up to his playoff performer fame, the Wings will have a much better shot at the Finals.

However, if anyone remembers last year, he singlehandedly kept them in the series against San Jose that they still lost, which is why he only gets one slide instead of all five.

3. Consistent Goaltending

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CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 10: Jimmy Howard #35 of the Detroit Red Wings sprays water onto his face during a break in the action against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on April 10, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. The Red Wings defeated the Blackhawks 4-3

Jimmy Howard has established himself as Detroit's starter, and he has shown his city that he can carry the load on his shoulders at times. But that is just it—only at times has he done it.

This is his year to shine. With Chris Osgood on the IR and Joey MacDonald showing off his talents earlier in the year, Howard needs to be the consistent goalie he was last year. Inking a two-year contract extension with a nice raise attached should give Howie the confidence he needs to go into the playoffs worry-free (in a job security sense).

He has put up less than spectacular numbers (ranked 33rd in save percentage and 36th in GAA) throughout the year and needs to shake his "sophomore slump" if the Wings want to extend their run through Phoenix.

4. Penalty Kill

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DETROIT - MAY 20: Pavel Datsyuk #13 of the Detroit Red Wings reacts after he was called for an interference penalty late in the third period against the Anaheim Ducks in game five of the 2007 Western Conference finals during the NHL Playoffs on May 20, 2

I hate to put this in here because I love watching Darren Helm kill penalties with Kris Draper. But the thing is they just can't do it alone. The Red Wings penalty kill sits 17th in the league at just over 82 percent. This just flat-out needs to get better.

The Wings don't take a lot of penalties, but when they do, it always seems to be at the worst moment (three seconds left against Chicago). I think we have two of the best penalty killers in the league in Draper and Helm, but our D has got to help out our forwards a bit by getting the puck out of the zone.

This may reflect slide No. 1 (better passing) in the fact that we can't get the puck out of our own zone without the opposing team knocking it down. Whatever the case may be, this has to get better.

5. Home Ice Advantage

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DETROIT - JUNE 6: Fireworks go off as skaters carry flags around the ice prior to the start of Game Five of the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena on June 6, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan.

The Joe has got to be one of the toughest buildings in the league for another team to come play in—at least it was until this year. The Red Wings have one of the biggest followings in professional sports and need to use that home ice advantage to build some energy.

The Wings' home record has been rough this year, especially as of late (I happened to attend the 10-3 St. Louis Massacre), and that is just not the Red Wings' style. Joe Louis is usually where the Wings dominate, playing off the "Let's Go Red Wings" chants and finishing with a serenade of 20,000 to "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey.

This is the No. 1 thing that must happen for the Wings to win this year. They must regain the meaning of home ice advantage.