It’s no secret that the Detroit Red Wings have had an injury riddled season, having over 400 lost man games. Included in that catalog of injuries are captain Henrik Zetterberg (back) and alternate captain Pavel Datsyuk (lower body) who both have missed over 20 games.

Yet due to Ken Hollands plan of “over ripening” players in the AHL, the Red Wings have managed to further the Playoff streak to 23 consecutive appearances.

This is in thanks to youngters like Gustav Nyquist (29G, 20A) who leads the league in scoring since January 20th, Tomas Tatar (19G, 20A), Riley Sheahan (9G, 15A), Tomas Jurco (8G, 7A), and Luke Glendening (1G, 6A) who was rewarded with a 3 year contract extension in April.

However, the Red Wings will not be looking for help from injured players, as Zetterberg (back) and defensemen Ericsson (broken finger) will be out until a possible second round, while Stephen Weiss will likely be out for the rest of the season (sports hernia).

April 18th marks the date of the first playoff game in the series between the Detroit Red Wings (8th seed) and the Boston Bruins (1st seed), and it is expected to be a challenging series.

While the Bruins are not an easy opponenet by any stretch, the Red Wings are possibly the best candidate to eliminate them from the playoffs. The Red Wings have beaten the Bruins 3 times in regulation this season, twice without Datsyuk, and once without both Zetterberg & Datsyuk.

When playing against the intense style of play the Bruins have, opportunities are not going to come easy. The nitty gritty goals are going to be the difference makers.

“If you get a chance, you have to get around to the front of the net. That’s what it’s going to take in the playoffs,” forward Abdelkader said.

Great Goaltending

With netminder Jonas Gustavsson now out (unspecified injury), the Wings will look to rookie goalie Petr Mrazek to backup Jimmy Howard in net.

After Columbus’ win, securing Detroit’s position in the standings, coach Babcock decided to start Mrazek Sunday against the St. Louis Blues. Mrazek proved he was more than ready to continue playing in the NHL, posting 23 saves and his 2nd career NHL shootout.

Howard has also been coming up big, winning the last 4 of 5 starts, providing reliable goaltending that coach Babcock requires.