The defending champion Red Wings trudged through the first four months of the season playing good, but uninspired, hockey.
With eight future Hall of Famers on your roster, you can compete most nights while not clicking on all cylinders, to steal an analogy from the Motor City.
Detroit had a rare six-game winless streak from Jan. 25 to Feb. 8 and was 27-17-9-2 after losing to Colorado in the final game of that run. The Wings had 65 points -- five behind the Blues for the Central Division lead, and 12 behind the Stars for home ice in the West. It wasn't desperation time, but they weren't playing up to their Hall of Fame potential.
Then someone flipped the switch.
The Wings are 11-0-0-1 since and are currently riding an eight-game win streak. Something must have clicked in their 5-4 win over the Sharks on Feb. 10 because they have been a team possessed ever since. During their 12-game points streak they have outscored their opponents 59-29 and scored four or more goals nine times. Now, Detroit is four points ahead of St. Louis and trails Dallas by just one for the Western Conference lead.
"We're making better plays with the puck offensively and better plays with the puck defensively," Red Wings head coach Dave Lewis told the Detroit News. "I think our positional play is better and for whatever reason, the puck's going in."
Part of the reason for Detroit's improved play is the return of captain Steve Yzerman on Feb. 25. Even before he was actually back in the lineup, Stevie Y inspired his teammates with his incredible rehab effort to get back into playing shape, and surely some of that rubbed off.
Curtis Joseph is 8-1 in his past nine starts, but he still needs to raise his game for the postseason. Even at the next level, CuJo isn't as scary to teams as Dominik Hasek was.
"I like to see the puck and it seems like I'm seeing it real well and the guys are clearing the rebounds out," Joseph told the Detroit News. "Anytime that happens consistently, you're going to win."
Another bright spot has been the improved play of two of the Wings' flashy foreign forwards, Pavel Datsyuk and Sergei Fedorov. Datsyuk has two goals and 11 assists during his impressive five-game point streak. And when he's not busy hogging the headlines with his juicy personal life, Fedorov can still bring the fans out of their seats with the best of them.
Though he's not dominating the league like he did in his Hart Trophy season of 1993-94, Fedorov can still be one of the most dynamic one-on-one players in the league as he proved with his natural hat trick on Friday. Fedorov has at least one point in each of the past 11 games and leads the Wings with 66 points.
"It's a pretty good stretch," Fedorov told the Detroit Free Press. "Let's put it that way. I don't want to jinx it."
With talent like this, it's hard to put a jinx on it. April is inching closer, which means the Wings are just getting warmed up. They know when the games really start to mean something.
The Wings have a challenging five-game stretch in the next eight days, kicking off with a three-game Western swing Sunday in Anaheim. After playing the Ducks, Kings and Coyotes, the Wings return home to play host to the Avs and Sens next Saturday and Sunday, in what could prove to be a preview of the Western Conference final and the Stanley Cup final, respectively.
Dead deadline With the NHL trading deadline approaching on Tuesday at 3 p.m., it looks like the final hours leading up to it could be surprisingly silent. Sure, there will be some big deal pop out of nowhere, but it doesn't look like deadline day will have the excitement many thought it would weeks ago. Alexei Kovalev, Owen Nolan, Bryan Marchment and Glen Wesley already have been sent packing, and now comes word that several teams thought to be active players on the trade market could hold their cards instead.
The Coyotes are apparently going to keep captain Teppo Numminen rather than deal him to Detroit. The Kings reportedly are close to a new contract with unrestricted free-agent-to-be Aaron Miller, while the Jackets are saying the same thing with Geoff Sanderson. Even with some of these potential targets allegedly off the market, there are still name players like Vincent Damphousse, Bryan Smolinski, and Alexei Zhitnik floating out there, but none of these would constitute a blockbuster deal. It's all about finding the right bit parts at the deadline this year.
Fans love the fisticuffs The biggest cheers at the FleetCenter on Saturday afternoon may not have come when Sean O'Donnell potted the game-winning goal in overtime. Though the Beantown faithful let out a hearty roar when the red light went on for the game-winner, the loudest cheer of the game may have come in the first period when P.J. Stock dropped the gloves with Alex Henry. The fans boisterously cheered "P.J.! P.J.!" as middleweight (but always game to drop the mitts) Stock was left bloodied by heavyweight Henry in the best of three first-period fights.
While the NHL claims it isn't trying to cut down on fighting, the league clearly is happy that brawls are down again this season. But fans love fights. In every arena around the league, fans leap to their feet and cheer wildly when the gloves come off. Most people seem to support the NHL dropping the instigator penalty to allow the players to police themselves on the ice. This move would, of course, result in more brawls, but since that's a time-honored part of the game and something that the fans love, would that be such a bad thing?
Edmonton @ Calgary -- Tuesday, 9 p.m. EST The Battle of Alberta has been turned into the Harvey the Hound Bowl by Craig MacTavish's tongue-ectomy on the Flames' canine mascot. Both teams are hot heading into this week, with the Oilers having won three in a row and the Flames on a four-game win streak. Calgary leads the season series 2-1, including a 4-3 home victory in the infamous tongue incident game Jan. 20.
Dallas @ Minnesota -- Wednesday, 8 p.m. EST It's been 10 years, but folks in the Twin Cities still hate former North Stars owner Norm Green for moving the Stars south to the Lone Star State after the 1992-93 season. Just last week I received a "Norm Green sucks" e-mail from Chris Lenz of Crystal, Minn., so the fans in the Land of 10,000 Lakes have neither forgiven, not forgotten the franchise's relocation to Texas.
Buffalo @ Atlanta -- Saturday, 7 p.m. EST Who on Earth could be interested in a matchup of two of the worst teams in hockey late in the season? Nikolai Zherdev, that's who. The nifty 18-year-old Russian center, the odds-on favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, may want to tune in to see if the Thrashers or Sabres are likely to hold the best chance at the top pick in the NHL Draft lottery in April.
Toronto @ Vancouver -- Saturday, 7 p.m. EST It was so good on Hockey Night in Canada this week, let's do it again next week. The Maple Leafs' hopes of catching the Sens for the Northeast Division title are fading fast, while the Canucks are suddenly facing an intense challenge from the surging Avalanche in the Northwest.
Plus: Scott Mellanby Talk about being overdue for a hat trick. Mellanby had scored 319 goals in 1,209 NHL games, but had never put three in the net in a game before Thursday night's four-goal explosion in a 6-3 win over the Coyotes. So after 22 two-goal games, the gritty Blues winger finally had fans doffing their chapeaus in his honor.
Minus: Sami Kapanen That change of scenery thing worked out well for one day, at least. After scoring in his first game with the Flyers on Feb. 8, Kapanen has gone 13 in a row without a goal despite averaging around 21 minutes and taking nearly three shots per game. With just five assists and a minus-2 rating since coming to Philly, he isn't contributing much in other facets of the game either.
Plus: Kevin Weekes After going 1-15-3 in his previous 19 decisions, Weekes was due for a good week. In three games last week, Weekes went 2-1 with a 0.67 goals-against average, a .972 save percentage and back-to-back shutouts against the Penguins and Wild on Thursday and Friday.
Minus: Mike Smith Now that Theo Fleury is on waivers and unwanted in the Windy City for next year, it's safe to say that move was a disaster. Throw in not re-signing popular captain Tony Amonte last offseason and clearly losing the Michael Nylander for Andrei Nikolishin and Chris Simon deal with the Caps, and it hasn't been a banner year for the Blackhawks' already unpopular general manager.
Plus: Roberto Luongo It's a good thing that Luongo likes a lot of work, because the Panthers' porous defense usually obliges him with plenty of pucks. He went 2-1 with a 1.58 GGA, .948 save percentage last week, including a 40-save performance in a 2-1 win at Atlanta on Friday where he lost the shutout bid with 35 seconds left.
Minus: Rick Kehoe It may be hard for Mario Lemieux to fire his former road roommate from his rookie season, but it now looks as if he is four weeks away from having to do just that. In his defense, Kehoe was placed in an uneviable position of leading a financially struggling team that really does need a new arena to survive.
"I don't think ESPN Classic is calling for the video."
-- Hurricanes head coach Paul Maurice after his team shut out the Penguins 4-0 on Thursday for their first road win since Jan. 4.
"I kind of enjoyed having that distinguishing fact that I scored more goals than anyone without a hat trick. Proves you're mediocre for a long time."
-- Blues right wing Scott Mellanby after netting his first career hat trick on Thursday.
"I've seen him do those things on TV. I'm glad to see his number on the back rather than his emblem coming toward me."
-- Rangers goaltender Mike Dunham after watching Brian Leetch's beautiful end-to-end scoring rush in Monday's 1-1 tie with the Islanders.
"What happens in this league is every time you have a bad moment, your mug's on TV. My kids go to Catholic school and every day they have to go and explain why their dad talks like that. It's embarrassing and maybe over time it'll wear me down, but it hasn't yet. I know a lot of coaches just stand there, but I can't."
-- Mighty Ducks head coach Mike Babcock on his reputation for being intense behind the bench.
"I'm still waiting for my crack at that."
-- Red Wings center Steve Yzerman on the league conference call when asked if he had ever dated Anna Kournikova, the ex-wife of teammate Sergei Fedorov.
Joe Sakic is a damn good center. But it's an embarrassment of riches that the Avs can play him on their second line. Unfortunately Sakic's fantasy value will take a hit because he won't be playing with hot wingers Milan Hejduk and Alex Tanguay, since Peter Forsberg has usurped his spot on the top line. SportsTicker's Craig Rondinone offers this among his list of four things fantasy hockey players need to know heading down the stretch in the final four weeks of the regular season.
Stephen Weiss, C, Panthers Weiss was selected by the Panthers with the fourth pick in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, with only Ilya Kovalchuk, Jason Spezza and Alexander Svitov going before him. Weiss had 223 points in 172 games with the Plymouth Whalers in the OHL over three seasons before getting a late-season tryout contract and playing seven games with the Panthers at the end of last season.
The 19-year-old Toronto native spent much of the early part of the season in head coach Mike Keenan's doghouse, but his playmaking abilities and excellent hockey sense convinced Keenan not to send him back to juniors. Weiss lacks confidence in his shot -- he has just 67 shots on goal in 64 games this season.
His defensive ability is ahead of his offensive ability right now, but once his offensive skills develop, Florida could have a top-notch playmaker for years to come. The Panthers believe Weiss projects to a top-six forward, with the best-case scenario of him evolving into a top-line, two-way center.
.033
Average career goals per game by low-scoring Bruins defenseman Sean O'Donnell, who netted his first of the year (and just the 20th in 598 NHL games) on Saturday to beat the Capitals in overtime.
.833
Patrick Roy's winning percentage in his past 18 starts (14-2-2).
10
Players on the Capitals with 10 or more goals, the most in the league from one team to hit double digits in goals.
11
Penguins' team record for consecutive losses in a season, set in 1983. Pittsburgh's eight-game losing streak is just one loss away from matching the second-longest in team history, set in Mario Lemieux's rookie season of 1984-85.
Team record number of man-games lost to injury by the Kings this season.
Our latest best guess at what the postseason seeding will look like.
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Ottawa Senators
Detroit Red Wings
New Jersey Devils
Dallas Stars
Washington Capitals
Vancouver Canucks
Philadelphia Flyers
Colorado Avalanche
Toronto Maple Leafs
St. Louis Blues
Tampa Bay Lightning
Minnesota Wild
Boston Bruins
Edmonton Oilers
New York Islanders
Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Each week during the season, this space will be devoted to your comments on a particular issue.
Last week's topic: Who will win the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer?
I think that Markus Naslund and Mario Lemeiux are having phenomenal seasons, but with the injuries to Todd Bertuzzi and Mattias Ohlund, Naslund will have a heck of a time trying to put points up on the board because of the fact that Vancouver is a one-line team. Lemeiux is the only one with any talent in Pittsburgh, so it will be hard for him to keep up the pace after having Alexei Kovalev traded. With the return of Joe Sakic, the trio of Peter Forsberg, Milan Hejduk, and Alex Tanguay will have an easier load to bear, so I think that either Foppa or the Duke will win the title. Jacob Weindling, Denver, Colo.
You can bet that it's gonna be Markus Naslund. He's hot, the team is hot and Pittsburgh seems to become the next financially bankrupt team so there's no way owner Mario Lemieux will get the chance to concentrate 100 percent on hockey. Besides, now that teams are fighting harder down the stretch, don't surprised if Super Mario will get an injury along with an early retirement. William Pullinen, Helsinki, Finland
Milan Hejduk will win the scoring title because he and his line have
been virtually unstoppable since the All-Star Break. In addition he
receives most of his assists from Peter Forsberg, the most exciting
player to watch in the game today. Rick Cullwell, Denver, Colo.
I think that Markus Naslund will be the new scoring champion this year. Since the Pens have dumped Alexei Kovalev, Mario Lemieux has been left to tread the icy Pittsburgh waters on his own and it has shown in his point production. Lemieux only has 25 goals, so who else on this mediocre team can he feed the puck to? As for Naslund, well he is playing on the NHL's top line this year, with Todd Bertuzzi and Brendan Morrison. If those three players can stay healthy, Naslund is a shoo-in for the trophy. Ian Ethier, Ottawa, Ontario
Peter Forsberg will win because the Avs are going up while the other two contenders, Mario Lemieux and Markus Naslund, are playing for teams that are cooling off. Forsberg centers the hottest line in hockey. Plus, the talent on the Avs' power play is superb, so it's easy to rack up points there too. Marie, Toronto
As the season begins to wind down, Colorado and the Forsberg-Hejduk-Tanguay line are gathering so much momentum they're beginning to look about as unstoppable as, well, an Avalanche! Both Forsberg and Hejduk are closing in on the scoring leaders. I just can't decide which one of
these two will win it. So, I'll go with Forsberg and Hejduk to finish in a
tie. Bill Hunt, St. Paul, Minn.
My answer is Markus Naslund because he has the most goals in the NHL and he gets a lot of assists. My second guess would be Mario Lemieux because he gets about two assists a game. Joey Hunt (age 8), St. Paul, Minn.
How could Markus Naslund not win the Art Ross Trophy? He has two of the best linemates in the game today in Todd Bertuzzi and Brendan Morrison. However, Mario Lemiuex should be given major credit for his role on the Pittsburgh Penguins squad. He has no real offensive help, and somehow, Mario continues to rack up the points. If Kovalev remained in Pittsburgh, another Art Ross would be in Mario's already crowded trophy room. Matthew Zizek, Mississauga, Ontario
This week's topic: What five active players would make up your dream power-play unit?
Click here to send us your choice, with a short (75 words or less) explanation. Brevity and humor are good; naughty words and personal attacks are not so good. And don't forget to include your name, hometown and home state/province.
Jon A. Dolezar covers the NHL for SI.com. "Week at a Glance" appears each Sunday during the regular season.
Got a comment, question or scoop for Jon? Click
here.
Stephen Weiss, C, Panthers
