Two days before the NHL broke for the Olympics, the Detroit Red Wings — two-time Western Conference champions — fell to 27-21-12. At the time the Red Wings were the No. 8 seed, struggling just to make the Stanley Cup playoffs. Was the dynasty finished? Nope. Detroit is 14-3-2 since. More important, the Red Wings are healthy again as injured players have trickled back into the lineup. Six Detroit players have seen action in 61 games or fewer this season. Either Northwest Division champ Vancouver or 102-point Phoenix has a nightmare first-round matchup.
“I believe that some of the guys that haven’t played much hockey … and have had long, long layoffs should be a lot fresher,” said Detroit coach Mike Babcock, who coached Canada to a gold medal in Vancouver.
