The Detroit Red Wings have played the first twenty games of their inaugural OTHL season giving the fans of Detroit and the league much to talk about. After twenty games, the Wings sit in first place in the Western Conference with a 12-7-1 record, good for 25 points.
Despite their recent success, the Wings did not have a great start to the season. They started the season 0-2 as they lost their home opener to Edmonton and then a road game to the Washington Capitals. Detroit finally broke into the win column with a big 2-1 win over new rival, Columbus. However, the taste of victory did not last long as Detroit went on to lose two of the next three, giving them a 2-5 record.
The Wings were down and not playing good hockey. They were having trouble scoring goals as they only had 12 through their first 7 games. The Wings needed a spark to turn things around when Nikolai Khabibulin took center stage. The "Bulin Wall" stood tall as he lead his new team to four consecutive victories where he posted shutouts against a dangerous Los Angeles team and Columbus. The Wings still weren't lighting the lamp, but Nikolai stood on his head during that stretch to get his team headed in the right direction. After the streak, Detroit gained some ground and sat with a 6-5 record.
The good play continued as the Wings went 3-1-1 in their next five games winning the final three in that stretch. The three wins were all against legitimate opponents as the Wings knocked off Tampa Bay, Colorado and New Jersey. The Wings were starting to gel as a team and were still being carried by the remarkable play of their netminder. The Wings had climbed all the way up the standings and had a record of 9-6-1.
The Wings would lose their next game to Dallas, a 3-1 decision, but then bounced back with three straight victories over the Islanders, Flames and Rangers. These three victories marked the arrival of the Detroit offense as they managed fifteen goals in those three games. These victories gave Detroit a 12-7-1 record, where they currently sit.
Now we take a look at what's going on with the players. Everyone knew Detroit would have some problems scoring goals, but no one imagined it would be this bad. Until recently, the Red Wings offense has been nowhere to be found. This does not mean there hasn't been any bright spots. The second line consisting of Ray Whitney, Pavel Datsyuk and Anson Carter has been Detroit's best line outplaying the first line on most nights. Pavel Datsyuk leads the team with seventeen points (6,11) and is trailed by linemate Ray Whitney by one (6,10). Anson Carter has also gotten in on the action. He has five goals and five assists and leads the team in +/- with a +11 rating. Offensively, the biggest surprise has to be left winger, Martin Rucinsky. Martin has seven goals and six assists while playing on the third line. He also leads the team in powerplay goals with three.
Before the season, Detroit's defense looked to be the team's weakness. However, after a shaky start to the season and a key addition in Rob Blake, the defense has proven to be very steady. Rob Blake is the leader of the group playing on the top pairing with youngster, Jiri Fischer. They have played well against the other teams top lines. Dan McGillis and Steohane Robidas have both been pleasant surprises. Dan has scored two power play goals and has added ten assists while leading the team with 44 hits. Stephane has been the team's best defender in his own zone as he is playing at a +10 rating and has also added four points (2,2). Jaroslav Modry is also quietly having a solid season as he has nine assistsand is a plus four on the season.
There has been no question as to who the team's most valuable player has been thus far. Goaltender, Nikolai Khabibulin has been phenomenal between the pipes. He has a 10-6-1 record with two shutouts. Nikolai also is fourth in the league in goals against average (1.98) and save percentage (.927). There have been many nights he has single-handedly won games for Detroit and their struggling offense. The acquisition of Khabibulin, just before the season, has to be seen as the best deal in this franchise's short history. Nikolai has been great, but Detroit's backup, Roman Cechmanek, hasn't been that bad in limited action. Despite giving up five goals in the second game of the season against Washington, Roman has bounced back with two solid outings, where he earned victories in both games.
Detroit seems to have re-established themselves as a force in the Western Conference. However, there is little room for error as only six points separate 1st and 8th place in the conference. We hope to see continued success for the rest of the season and wish our Wings the best of luck from here on out!