Detroit Red Wings: Henrik Zetterberg and 6 Players Who Have Disappointed in 2011

The Detroit Red Wings became the first team in the NHL history to start a season 5-0 and proceed with a six-game losing streak. While Red Wings fans are thankful for a win, (a shutout against Anaheim) snapping the streak on Nov. 5th, this season has already taken a disappointing turn.

Before the win, the Wings had only scored six goals in six games. While the five goals scored during the shutout win seemed promising, one hopes it not the efforts made by a desperate team and by skills. The Red Wings have a long way to go to redeem themselves and for the players to start stepping up and playing by the skills they have.

There was no reason for the six-game losing streak. They had strong, healthy players.

There are six players on the Red Wings roster that are off on a disappointing start this season.

Pavel Datsyuk

Pavel Datsyuk is the one NHL player most likely to emulate each season. While his stats went down last year due to his injuries, one would expect a healthy Datsyuk to be playing his best this season. Since the lockout, he's never finished with anything lower than plus-11. He's one of the best defensive players on team.

So far this season, Datsyuk is minus-five. Did hell freeze over? Seeing Datsyuk at minus-five is like seeing Alex Ovechkin not score any goals this season. Who knows if he's going through a dry spell, but he needs to snap out of it and be the player we all know him to be.

At least he scored one game winning goal this season. There was a bit of the familiar. 

Danny Cleary

Danny Cleary was expected to have good season this year as he returned from the off-season claiming to be strong and healthy. Playing on the top line with Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterburg for most of this season, he's done nothing to prove his worth.

He's only gotten one goal and two assists playing with them and a minus-three status.

Maybe he needs to play on a different line. He claims he's getting chances. He claims the problem isn't the players, that they are all working hard. Whatever the problem is, he needs to find what his own strength is to the the team and bring it.

For a player that was expected by his coach to have a good season playing on a line with Datsyuk and Zetterbug, he's been disappointing.

Whatever line he is on in the future, he needs to be of more aid on the ice.

Jiri Hudler

He was off to a great start this season, with one point in the first four games. Since then, he has yet to put anything up on the score sheets. It is not to say that he hasn't had a lot of scoring opportunities, he's had plenty.

He has 12 shots on goal this season. He's not finding his way to the net. He had several opportunities playing on the line with Datsyuk and Cleary. 

Starting off the season showing how quicker, stronger, and confident he was, it all dispersed after the fourth game. He needs to find it once again and become the strong player to led the Red Wings back onto the road to be a playoff berth.

Niklas Kronwall

While he has suffered a few minor injuries this season, for being a defensive player, a minus-5 is not something one want to start off the beginning of the season with. It's inexcusable. A hard hit on him during overtime against the Minnesota Wilds this season is what gave the Wilds the game-winning goal.

He knows he needs to be better. He states he needs to be more alert. Before their win against the Ducks snapping the streak, Kronwall stated:

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"This is where the character of a team really shows . . . We're not going to skill our way out of this. We have to grind down, bear down, do a way better job staying harder on the puck, all over the ice."

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Nicely said Kronwall. Now the Wings need to go out there and do it.

(One good thing happened recently, Niklas Kronwall signed a seven-year extension contract with the Red Wings, making them the only team that he will play for in his career. He'll join Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom (who is on the way) in being part of the tradition in staying with the same team their whole career. For Red Wings fans, that is not disappointing.)

Justin Abdelkader

The Wings were hoping to get a breakout year from Abdelkader this year. So far, he's only gotten one goal and one assist. He's spent most of his career playing center, the first few weeks of the season he's been playing on a wing.

Coach Babcock believes that moving Abdelkader around will be best for the team, not necessarily for Abdelkader. While his line change probably affects his statistics, he believes it doesn't matter where he plays, that he'll be able to chip in and help.

He has yet to help out this year and break them out of their slump. Hopefully, he'll be able to contribute more as the season progresses and he finds his strength as a wing on the line. 

Henrik Zetterberg

Another top player for the Red Wings and a top scorer, Zetterberg is playing at his worst this year. He struggles on the line with Datsyuk, the duo usually perform well together on the ice. Even so, they often play apart more than together.

So far this season, Zetterberg has only three goals and two assists. He is also at a minus-three.

It's not like the top scorer is not getting any shots at the net, he has had 50 shots on goal in 12 games this season. Zetterberg said after the win against the Ducks:

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"When you keep losing, losing, losing, you're making changes, changes, changes instead of keep it simple and believe in yourself and do what you've been doing all these years."

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We can only hope that this win will spark the Red Wings to get back on a winning streak and their top players will start playing like they've been doing all these years, hopefully better.