Babcock, on Sharks: 'We're going to have to play really well to compete with them'
Perennial measuring sticks themselves, the Red Wings are approaching tonight's game as an indicator of where they stand.
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The Sharks, who had lost only three regulation games entering their Wednesday match at Columbus, sit atop the Western Conference, using a high-powered offense, a stingy defense, great special teams and solid goaltending to get there. While the Wings are a respectable 20-6-4, some slow starts and an overall inconsistency imbues tonight's game with significance.
"When you play teams that potentially you could face later down the road, you've got to certainly make sure the statement is there," Dan Cleary said Wednesday. "It's going to be a great game for both teams. For us, we're looking at San Jose as the cream of the crop, and we've got to bring our 'A' game to beat them.
"We keep talking about being better defensively and having better starts, but we just can't seem to get away from that trend. We've gone 30 games in, and now it's time to start being consistent and executing our system the way we can. This is going to be a good game for us to get going the way we can and be more consistent."
The Wings will be using backup goaltender Ty Conklin, as Chris Osgood is nursing a sore groin. General manager Ken Holland said the team would reassess Osgood this morning.
"He's been practicing and playing in the state he's in now for two weeks," Holland said. "He said he felt better today than yesterday. He's had an MRI, which showed just a slight groin strain. But it can linger. So do we shut him down, or can he back up? We'll see."
The Wings would need to make salary-cap room to call anyone up.
Osgood has struggled -- he's got an .876 save percentage that's at the bottom of the NHL, but the Wings as a whole have lacked vigor. They're talented enough that they've been able to win more games than not, but a date with the Sharks may be just what's needed to prompt a renewed focus.
"We're facing the best team in the league," Nicklas Lidstrom said, "so it'll be a measuring stick for our team."
Coached by former Wings assistant Todd McLellan, who took over last summer for Ron Wilson, the Sharks in many ways emulate the Wings. They generate a ton of shots and are very aggressive killing penalties.
"We're going to have to play really well to compete with them," Babcock said. "We have an opportunity here to measure ourselves, find out where we're at. Our record says we're a good team, but to me, the measure is always against the best teams in the league, because in the end, that's who you speculate you're going to be playing if you're going to be playing as long as you hope to in the spring."
Perennial measuring sticks themselves, the Red Wings are approaching tonight's game as an indicator of where they stand.
Advertisement
The Sharks, who had lost only three regulation games entering their Wednesday match at Columbus, sit atop the Western Conference, using a high-powered offense, a stingy defense, great special teams and solid goaltending to get there. While the Wings are a respectable 20-6-4, some slow starts and an overall inconsistency imbues tonight's game with significance.
"When you play teams that potentially you could face later down the road, you've got to certainly make sure the statement is there," Dan Cleary said Wednesday. "It's going to be a great game for both teams. For us, we're looking at San Jose as the cream of the crop, and we've got to bring our 'A' game to beat them.
"We keep talking about being better defensively and having better starts, but we just can't seem to get away from that trend. We've gone 30 games in, and now it's time to start being consistent and executing our system the way we can. This is going to be a good game for us to get going the way we can and be more consistent."
The Wings will be using backup goaltender Ty Conklin, as Chris Osgood is nursing a sore groin. General manager Ken Holland said the team would reassess Osgood this morning.
"He's been practicing and playing in the state he's in now for two weeks," Holland said. "He said he felt better today than yesterday. He's had an MRI, which showed just a slight groin strain. But it can linger. So do we shut him down, or can he back up? We'll see."
The Wings would need to make salary-cap room to call anyone up.
Osgood has struggled -- he's got an .876 save percentage that's at the bottom of the NHL, but the Wings as a whole have lacked vigor. They're talented enough that they've been able to win more games than not, but a date with the Sharks may be just what's needed to prompt a renewed focus.
"We're facing the best team in the league," Nicklas Lidstrom said, "so it'll be a measuring stick for our team."
Coached by former Wings assistant Todd McLellan, who took over last summer for Ron Wilson, the Sharks in many ways emulate the Wings. They generate a ton of shots and are very aggressive killing penalties.
"We're going to have to play really well to compete with them," Babcock said. "We have an opportunity here to measure ourselves, find out where we're at. Our record says we're a good team, but to me, the measure is always against the best teams in the league, because in the end, that's who you speculate you're going to be playing if you're going to be playing as long as you hope to in the spring."
