Drew Miller

Last night's showing was a welcome sight, and hopefully a portent of things to come.

The Red Wings were desperate to get back into the win column as they played host to division foe Nashville, to whom they lost in overtime just 4 days previous. The Wings did not disappoint the Joe Louis Arena crowd, exploding for 4 goals and blanking the Predators 4-0

Red Wings fans are still upset at the way in which the historic 2011-2012 season came to a close. How can a team with one of the leading goaltenders and the current NHL record for consecutive home victories go 4-4-2 in their last 10 AND lose home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs?

The team took quite a hit after going through a series of momentum changing injuries to stars like Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen, Jimmy Howard and Nicklas Lidstrom. Some would even say that Howard hasn't been the same since the injury. That slump in the season wasn't a surprise.

It also didn't help that the Wings couldn't capitalize on some of their late season opportunities which includes them falling to the Columbus Blue Jackets in Columbus, and then losing at home to Nashville, New Jersey and Chicago. The loss in Columbus just emphasizes the team's biggest setback of the season. The Wing's finished with a 17-21-3 record when playing away from the Joe.

There are almost two years until the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia however the gears of preparation are well into use. Canada has tapped Red Wing legend Steve Yzerman to return as executive director for Canada. Wings GM Ken Holland will be a key member of Yzerman's support staff, however it's doubtful Yzerman and Holland will be the only two people with Red Wing ties at Sochi.

Of course rosters change and the Red Wings are in for a moderate overhaul over the next two seasons but there are some shoe-ins to be Olympians, some players who would be on the bubble if selections were today and some youngsters that may push for a bid as they develop.

The Undoubted

Lidstrom. Datsyuk. Howard. Bertuzzi. Ericsson. Kindl. Eaves. All banged up. Can the Detroit Red Wings win another Stanley Cup with their best defenseman, forward, and goalie out? Up until this point in the season, the Wings have been relatively healthy and have definitely played like it. Now, we are at a point where the “law of averages” has kicked in, and the once healthy Red Wings are starting to pile up injuries. Maybe the better question is, can the Wings win their division?

The Red Wings may play next with seven starters out of the lineup. That’s scary, even if we are talking about the 2002 Red Wings. Is this team getting old? Does Mike Babcock run them too ha...