Be sure to 'like' Hockeybuzz on Facebook!
Is the emperor wearing no clothes?
Are the Detroit Red Wings delusional?
At the moment, it would appear so.
Squandering a 2-0 third-period lead and losing 3-2 to the Boston Bruins Thursday at Joe Louis Arena, the Wings chose not to focus on the big picture – that their hold on a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs grows more tenuous – and instead embrace the positives from Thursday’s defeat.
It may sound like Pollyanna thinking, but really, what choice do they have?
Is full-blown panic in Hockeytown going to solve their dilemma?
“I thought we played a good hockey game,… Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. “I thought we had lots of opportunity, and had good pace, probably as good a pace as we’ve had in a long time.
“We did a lot of good things.…
Holding a lead, though, wasn’t among them and some Wings were less on board with the everything-will-be-OK mantra.
“We let them creep back in,… Detroit forward Stephen Weiss said. “It seemed like we just lost a step there in the third and couldn’t recover.
“We’ve got to find a way to – no matter what the score is – if we let them back into the game 2-1, 2-2 to just keep going.
“We dominated in the game for two, two-and-a-half periods. It’s a tough one.…
The Wings now find themselves deadlocked with the Bruins for third place in the NHL’s Atlantic Division, each with 93 points, though Detroit has five games remaining, one more than Boston.
Ottawa, by virtue of Tuesday’s 2-1 shootout win over the Wings and Thursday’s 2-1 overtime decision over the Tampa Bay Lightning have closed to within three points of both teams and like Detroit, have five games left to play.
How did it get this tight?
Glad you asked.
After beating the New York Rangers on March 4, the Red Wings had 81 points, which was 10 points ahead of Boston and 16 points in front of Ottawa. Since that game, Detroit has gone a dismal 4-9-2, stumbling down the stretch and allowing both the Bruins and Senators to charge them down.
“That was a big disappointment,… Wings goalie Petr Mrazek said of Thursday’s loss. “These were a huge two points today on the line and we didn’t get any.…
They’ve found a variety of ways to lose games of late – falling behind early and getting blown out, and coughing up leads, including two-goal advantages in two of their last three setbacks.
Clearly, it has to be taking a toll on their psyche.
“I think when things have been going the way they’ve been going for us lately you get a little apprehensive and a little tentative,… Weiss admitted. “Sometimes you just got to say ‘screw it’ and if they’re going to beat us they’re going to beat us by us playing our best.
“When you sit back a little bit and are a little tentative that’s when you get hurt. But we’ll turn it around.…
Will they? That’s what they’ve been saying for some time now, but the evidence has supported the talk.
“We played a lot better game today than we did last time,… Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg said. “We’re doing a lot of good things. We’re working really hard.
“If we keep playing like this we’re going to be fine.…
At this stage, what else would you expect them to say?
In truth, this season is beginning to bear a stark resemblance to Detroit’s 2011-12 campaign. On Feb. 19 that season, the Wings sat atop the NHL with a 41-17-2 slate. A rash of injuries crippled the team – not unlike what’s taken place over the past month to this season’s club – and they finished 7-11-4, skidding all the way to third in the Central Division and fifth overall in the Western Conference before making a hasty first-round playoff exit in five games at the hands of the Nashville Predators.
The Wings have five games to right the ship and pull out of this potential death spiral.
“We came out right away, something we’ve talked about for a long time, but haven’t been able to do,… Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. “I thought all the way through our game was more the way we want to play the game.
“We just have to stay the course here.…
The Wings continue to say the right things.
They are running out of time to do the right things.
Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer