NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman ponders how the 8 Eastern Conference teams which did not make the playoff cut last season might change that equation this upcoming season, and here’s what he has to say about the Detroit Red Wings:
DETROIT RED WINGS
Last season: 41-32-9, tied for second wild card, missed on regulation wins tiebreaker
How it ended: The Red Wings won their final three games, but each came after regulation, leaving them tied in points with the Washington Capitals for the second wild card, but with five fewer regulation wins (32-27). It was the eighth straight season the Red Wings missed the playoffs, the longest drought in team history.
Biggest offseason change: Cam Talbot signed a two-year contract July 1 to provide more consistent goaltending than what Detroit got last season, including a .907 5-on-5 save percentage that was 26th in the NHL. The 37-year-old ranked in the top 10 in the NHL last season in goals-against average (2.50, sixth) and save percentage (.913, eighth) in 54 games with the Los Angeles Kings, and played in the NHL All-Star Game. He also was 12-9-4 in games when he faced at least 30 shots; last season Detroit allowed 32.4 shots on goal per game, seventh most in the NHL.
Why they could get in: A Red Wings offense that averaged 3.35 goals per game, the most among any team not to make the postseason, added forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who scored 23 goals in 76 games with the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers last season, and had nine points (five goals, four assists) in 24 games to help the Panthers win the Stanley Cup. Combine that with a returning Patrick Kane, a healthy Dylan Larkin, a more mature Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat, and scoring shouldn’t be an issue. Talbot and Alex Lyon should provide a more reliable combination in goal; Lyon had a stretch of 14 wins in 21 games between Dec. 29 and Feb. 27, but playing an NHL career-high 44 games seemed to wear on him later in the season. If the Red Wings can cut down on the shots allowed per game, the more dependable goaltending combined with their high-end offensive attack could be enough to earn a wild card spot.
Continued; the Wings are going to have to “walk and chew gum at the same time” here, because the team needs to both overcome the losses of David Perron, Shayne Gostisbehere and Daniel Sprong, and it needs to significantly stem the tide of goals against which doomed the team last season despite its prolific offensive output.
Detroit will need a full-ice commitment to excellence to close the gap between itself and the rest of the NHL’s playoff teams.
