Depth is a beautiful thing

Last night's game was something, eh?

It really made me think about this season.  The Wings have had a tremendous start to the year.  They're now 12-3-1 for 26 points.  That's good for first place in the the Central Division and the Western Conference.  And the Wings have done it in less games than any other team in the top nine of the league standings.  It's a great record and start to the season, but it's not the games they've won that I've been impressed with...it's how they've done it.

This team is clicking from top to bottom.  In net, Jimmy Howard has come out of the gates playing well.  He was questioned going into the season on whether he could sustain his level of play from the previous year.  There is zero doubt that he has answered his critics.  The sophomore slump has been non-existent.  Has he been perfect every game?  Of course not.  No goalie is.  But he's kept the Wings in every game and made some big saves along the way.  He's a top ten goaltender in this league and I dare someone to argue otherwise.

And what about the Wings' stars?  No slow starts here.  Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, and Nicklas Lidstrom all decided to show up right away.  Datsyuk and Zetterberg lead the team with 18 points each and Lidstrom is not far behind with 17.  The Perfect Human is off to his best start in the points column since the 97-98 season (and we all know how that year ended).  I don't care if he's 40-years-old either.  The fact that Lidstrom has never won a Hart trophy, let alone be nominated for one, is a joke.  He's been the best, most consistent player the last 15 years.  Lidstrom for Hart 2011. 

You can't win a Stanley Cup without depth.  Look at the Wings from 2008 or the Blackhawks from last season.  Those teams had the deepest rosters in hockey.  This summer Chicago had to jettison half their team because of the salary cap and now they're struggling.  Having the ability to roll four lines is the biggest weapon the Red Wings have in their arsenal.  Detroit's leading goal scorer is Danny Cleary.  He's been on the third line all season.  Todd Bertuzzi has moved around from the second to third line and he's been one of the best players for the Red Wings.  He leads the team in plus/minus with a +13.  Even Petrella thinks he's playing well and that's saying something.

You could ever make the case that Detroit doesn't even have a third line, they have two second lines.  That being said, with the way Babcock has been juggling the lines, if he ever split up Datsyuk and Zetterberg, you could argue that the Wings have two or three first lines.  Depth is a beautiful thing.  As we said on this week's edition of TP:60, the Wings currently have an embarrassment of riches.  I would much rather sit here every day and debate whether Babcock should sit Miller or Eaves or give Modano a day off or what to do when Draper returns, than watch Brad May, Kris Newbury, and Jason Williams play on the fourth line.

Don't forget the defense either.  The new pairings have been great so far.  Brad Stuart has looked rock solid next to Lidstrom.  The addition of Salei and his pairing with Kronwall has clicked.  The Team America version of Rafalski we are seeing paired with Ericsson is the best second or third defensive pairing in the league.  How about Big Rig?  He has played very well since coming back from back spasms.  If he keeps it up, this could be the best defensive in the league one through seven.

And then we have moments like we saw in last night's game. Miller shoots the puck on net, Halak makes the save and tries to harmlessly slap the puck into the corner out of mid-air, but instead he knocks the puck into his own net.  The Wings are catching some breaks this year.  Health, depth, and talent are only 3/4ths of the Stanley Cup equation.  A team needs to catch a few breaks a long the way.  They need good luck on their side.  Last year it seemed like all the breaks went against the Wings.  Whether it was the Brad May intent to blow the whistle no goal or the controversial Dallas shoot out goal.  Those calls always seemed to go against Detroit.  This year, we've now seen Danny Cleary knock the puck into the net...along with his entire body and the goal stood.  Throw in Halak's mishap and the Wings seem to have karma on their side in 2010/2011.

Don't forget the confidence either.  How many times did the Wings blow a one or two goal lead last year?  This season, when the Wings get a lead late in a game you get the feeling that they're going to lock it down and win.  Even when they're down a goal entering the third or down two goals early, you just get the feeling they're still in the game.   Hell, last night they were outplayed by the Blues for the majority of the game and they found a way to absolutely turn it on late in the game and win.  As Kenny Holland says, you usually get a good idea of where your team is going to finish by American Thanksgiving.  We're almost there and I'd say this Red Wings team has the makings of another special season.

Let's Go Red Wings.