All the Detroit Red Wings want for Christmas is to get on a roll.
If they intend to extend their current run of consecutive Stanley Cup playoff appearances to 26 seasons, they are left with no other choice but to do so.
A 10-game winning streak such as the one set forth by the Philadelphia Flyers earlier in the month would be good. A 12-game (and continuing) run currently being assembled by the Columbus Blue Jackets would serve them even better.
Yes, with Detroit seven points out of a playoff position, the circumstances are already that dire.
“We’re going to have to hit the ground running tomorrow,… assessed Detroit general manager Ken Holland, whose team opens its post-Christmas slate with a Tuesday home date against the Buffalo Sabres.
“We’ve put ourselves a long way back. To play your way back into it, we’re going to have to play above .500. Anytime we’re playing teams above us in the division they’re huge four-point (games).
“You’re going to have to be in the 90s to qualify for the playoffs, so we’re going to have to play well above .500.…
In point of fact, if you do the math, the Flyers currently hold down the final Eastern Conference wild card playoff spot and are on pace for 100 points. With 34 points, the Wings would require 66 out of a possible 96 points over their remaining 48 games to get to 100 points. That’s a .687 winning percentage the rest of the way.
Detroit's best hope for postseason play is to get to third in the Atlantic Division. Boston is currently there but only on pace for 91 points. To attain that plateau, the Wings would require 57 out of 96 points but that’s still a .593 winning percentage.
Holland hits the nail on the head when he discusses why the Wings are where they are in the standings.
“We’ve just squandered away so many points at home,… Holland said of their dismal 7-9-3 slate at Joe Louis Arena. Detroit and Boston (8-9-0) are the only Eastern Conference teams with losing marks on home ice. “We have to turn around our home record. We have to continue to be good on the road.…
Special teams are another thorn in Detroit’s side that must be cured in order to have any hope of moving forward.
“The power play hasn’t helped us,… Holland said. “We have to figure out ways for our power play to produce.
“If the power play had produced a little bit better or at different times - I guess what I’m saying is it’s a fine-line league.…
The number of games - and points - that have escaped Detroit’s grasp in the third period is another issue of contention.
|We’re seven points out,… Holland said. “You think of all the games we’ve lost in the last minute or the last 9-10 minutes at home. We’re up a goal against Winnipeg with nine minutes to go – they scored two goals in the last nine minutes and we lose. We’re 3-3 with Tampa Bay, they score with a minute to go.
“We need to play a little bit better, collectively and individually. There’s 48 games to go. We’ve got to get going tomorrow. We know we’ve got to win a game tomorrow. It’s a big home game. We need two points.…
Holland also recognized that in reality, Detroit’s deadline to get things turned around is much shorter than the 48 games remaining on the regular-season schedule.
“In the next 20-25 games we need to play our way back into it, because as the year goes along, every organization has got to make decisions,… Holland said. “Obviously, the (Feb. 28) trade deadline dictates decisions – buy, sell or stand pat. So it’s not like you can wait until the last 10 or 15 games and all the sudden you’re going to put something together.
“We all understand the next 20-25 games are going be really critical in determining how this season plays out for us.…
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