GDHQNHL15_2pg-Detroit Red Wings 2

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One of the players that did excel on both ends of the ice, and will be counted on to do it again, was Kronwall. Playing most of his career in the shadow of future Hall-of-Famer Nicklas Lidstrom, Kronwall has come into his own over the last few years and established himself as a team leader. Following along with the theme of the year, Jonathan Ericsson had his season end in March when his left middle finger was shattered by a puck in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Although he continues to get treatment on the injury seven months later, Ericsson will be counted on to anchor the team’s top defensive pairing alongside Kronwall. Danny DeKeyser has been a pleasant surprise for the Red Wings. He came to the team as an undrafted free agent but finished last season second on the team in ice time per game. He was rewarded for his play with a two-year, $4.3 million contract. DeKeyser will generally find himself as a part of the second defensive pairing with Brendan Smith. Outside of those four, Kyle Quincey should see minutes in the third pairing. He was one of only two Red Wings to play in all 82 games last season. His linemate is far less clear. Brian Lashoff and Jakub Kindl are back but both struggled in the defensive zone and players like Xavier Ouellet, Ryan Sproul and Alexey Marchenko, who all saw some playing time last season, will be competing for ice time. Goaltending The Red Wings feel comfortable with veteran Jimmy Howard inside the crease. Howard is coming off of a down year but some of his struggles can be attributed to the constant shuffling of the players in front of him and, unsurprisingly, a string of injuries and illnesses that cost him time in both the regular season and playoffs. The 2.66 GAA and .910 save percentage he posted were well below his career numbers and far worse than the 2.13 and .923 he put up in 2012-13. Howard has recovered from the hand, knee and hip injuries that slowed him last season and should return to form. The team’s backup, Jonas Gustavsson, also returns after a season where he started 27 games. He did not fare much better in net with a 2.63 GAA and .907 save percentage but the Red Wings did manage to go 16-5-4 in his starts. The team hopes to see a lot less of the Swede in net this season. Power-Play Although injuries clearly limited the Red Wings’ power play, struggling with the man advantage is nothing new in Detroit. Their 17.7 percent success rate, which ranked 18th in the league, was not much worse than the 18.4 they finished with in 2012-13 and a bit better than the 16.1 from the season before. Instead of units one and two, the Red Wings may refer to their power-play units as young and old. When healthy, Datsyuk, Zetterberk and Fransen form an impressive unit but they rarely got the chance to play together last season. Despite their extensive missed time, and when you include Kronwall and DeKeyser, they accounted for 22 of the team’s 50 power-play goals. The second unit could see the youngsters Sheahan, Tatar and Nyquist paired together. They all gained valuable experience when they saw time on the power-play last season and combined for 10 goals of their own. Penalty Kill The Red Wings’ penalty kill fared a bit better than their powerplay. They killed off 83.1 percent of their opponents’ power plays and that ranked 12th in the league but their inexperience showed in the number of penalties they committed. The Red Wings were short handed 296 times, fourth most in the league. Darren Helm has speed to burn and he put it to good use on the penalty kill where he can always recover position and helps keep teams honest because he is a threat to turn any misplay into a shorthanded opportunity.. Fellow center Luke Glendening put in hard minutes on the penalty kill as a rookie and that effort should help assure him a spot on this year’s roster. DeKeyser was also key to killing penalties and it will be another factor in him turning his two-year deal into an extended stay with the club. Prediction After squeezing into the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot, the Red Wings are hoping things will break better for them this season. They have some young talent but the team is still relying on their veteran players to carry them. It’s no surprise when older players get injured, but if they can manage to stay healthy Detroit could see themselves push into the second round. Scoreboard 2013-14 2012-13 2011-12 2010-11 2009-10 PLAYOFF FINISH Conf QF Conf SF Conf QF Conf SF Conf SF REGULAR SEASON 39-28-15 24-16-8 48-28-6 47-25-10 44-24-14 POINT TOTAL 93 56 102 104 102 SHOOTOUT RECORD 5-9 2-5 9-3 4-4 6-9 GOALS SCORED 222 124 248 261 229 GOALS ALLOWED 230 115 203 241 216 POWER-PLAY % 17.7 18.4 16.1 22.3 19.2 PENALTY KILL % 83.1 81.7 81.8 82.3 83.9 Pavel Datsyuk Dave Reginek/NHL/Getty Images


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