Believe it

About a week ago we played these same Calgary Flames in a game I deemed to be the biggest of the year thus far, and I stand by that assessment. However, it may turn out to be the biggest game of the year for reasons other than anticipated. If we'd have won last week we could have jumped into 7th place in the conference. As it was, we dropped to 9th, and have managed to crawl back into the 8-spot. The game against Calgary on Tuesday, March 9th could prove to be a turning point in a season that was rife with ups and downs, false hope and crushing lows. Amazingly, a heartbreaking third period collapse to a team chasing us in the standings could turn out to be the best thing to happen to the team this year (short of everyone getting/remaining healthy....knock on wood).

The Wings came out HOT against Minnesota and didn't let their foot off the gas until the final buzzer had come and gone. That kind of performance shows the character of the team. Believe that they were pissed off after the meltdown against Calgary. Believe other teams in the league saw that game and started to sweat a little bit. Believe that nobody wants to see this team in the playoffs. Believe it.

Then, these very same Wings came out red hot against the Northeast leading Sabres, hitting them up for two early first period goals. For a team that has been a notoriously poor starter, it was a welcome sign to see them open strong in consecutive games. They also managed to close out both of those games with solid defensive play. Howard allowed only 3 goals against in the two contests. Even more important is that they put the game on lockdown when they needed to, which is what you need to do to be successful in the playoffs.

With 14 remaining on the schedule, there are no unimportant games left. We are going to need every point we can get, and we cannot afford to be giving away points to the teams who we're battling for the final spots. I believe that the Wings will get in. I believe that they will pull off an upset in the first round. I believe that once this Wings team gets on a roll, they will be a force to be reckoned with. I believe the hardships they have overcome this season will give them a mental edge on anybody they'll face in the playoffs. I believe the Red Wings are still the cream of the crop. I believe they will prevail. I believe this is your 2009-2010 Stanley Cup Champion. Believe it.