The Red Wings are currently in third place in the Central Division, tied for 8th in Western Conference, and 13th in the entire NHL, with 58 points based on their 25-18-8 record. Not used to being in this position, Detroit has been up against numerous injuries to key players, and need them all back and in playing condition if they wish to regain their position as one of the dominant teams in the league.

Center Pavel Datsyuk leads the Wings with 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists), tied with leftwing Henrik Zetterberg with 37 (12 goals, 25 assists), while rightwing Todd Bertruzzi is tied with leftwing Tomas Holstrom for the team lead in goals with 15. But the bigger story of how and why the Red Wings are still in the hunt may very well be found in goal at the other end of the ice.

Goalie Jimmy Howard understood why there were those who wanted to trade him after the way he began the season in Sweden, but all he has done since is prove how important it is to be patient. Howard, an NHL rookie, has been absolutely brilliant, improving to 18-11-4 with a 2.23 goals-against average (6th in NHL) and a .926 save percentage (5th in NHL). One quarter of the way through the second half of the season, Detroit is in desperate need of points to remain in the playoff picture, and is placing less emphasis on splitting time between Howard and Chris Osgood, and putting more on winning every game. Prior to this season, coach Babcock said he wanted 25 victories out of Howard, similar to what Ty Conklin accomplished as Osgood's backup last season. At this point in the season, Howard has 18 victories and has silenced early critics who were ready to dump him after Sweden, where he gave up five goals against St. Louis in the second game of the season.

The Detroit Red Wings are a veteran squad with enough experience to get them over most any hurdle. Make sure to be there to see if they have enough to rebound in time for a strong playoff run this season. There is too much history to show they can do it, so order some tickets now and don’t risk missing it when they do.