Justin Abdelkader

With the second half of the season well underway, the Red Wings know there are games they need to win even if the odds are against them. Last night was one of those games, as Detroit skated into Honda Centre and reminded the Anaheim Ducks how to play a good road game. Justin Abdelkader exploded offensively, notching his first NHL career hat trick, and Pavel Datsyuk got goal #250 and assist #500 of his career in what was a stellar outing for the Wings. Both players will more than likely say, however, that the best part of last night was earning 2 points against a hot team that many expected more tenacity from.

Detroit finally made a move of note this offseason by securing speedster Darren Helm till 2016. Helm signed a 4-year $8.5 Million contract, sources say, which gives him an average cap hit of $2.125 Million/year. This is great news, as Helm is one of the best energy players on the team--something the Wings could've used much more of during the playoffs.

Helm's season was interrupted last year by injuries, including a sliced tendon in the series against Nashville that sidelined him for the rest of the year. Surgery on the injured arm was successful, however, and Darren is expected to be ready for training camp and should be back to his old self in no time.

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

Detroit falls short yet again in a loss against the Nashville Predators last night. Is the missing players hurting the Wings or is it more than that? Let’s evaluate the game.

The game started really well. The Wings came out really strong and played very aggressive. They ended the period trailing the Predators by one, but the playing style definitely did not reflect that. The Wings lead shots on goal 9 to 8. The first goal came from a wrist shot by Patric Hornqvist 7:30 into the first period. Gustav Nyquist had a bad give away and David Legwand took advantage of it. Legwand had a quick pass to Hornqvist, who scored the goal. Only 13 seconds af...