Wings on ice for morning skate. Helm skating with team for first time since Jan. 26. Filppula also skating. Colaiacovo not on the ice.

— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) March 7, 2013

Doesn't that just make your morning?

There’s been a million articles on the realignment that’s been proposed by the NHL, but we gotta hit on it too.  They’ve managed to somehow not squarely address the main concern that the NHLPA had with the last alignment, notably the uneven conferences.  However, there’s a lot of good too.  Let’s just hit the main points from the Wings’ perspective.  First here’s their division:

The NEW Central Division

Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabers
Detroit Red Wings
Florida Panthers
Montreal Canadians
Ottawa Senators
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs

Good parts: 

Just look at that division.  Holy crap.  4 original six teams, plus hockey mad Buffalo and Ottawa. And don’t forget Yzerman’s team down there in Tampa, who are always fun to watch. Not to mention we get free wins again Florida forever, similar to Columbus. 

Less travel!  Though there is still a decent amount with Florida and Tampa, but still. 

Time zone – All Eastern conference teams, which means all games are EST.  Woohoo, no more 10:30 games! 

Did I mention that we are in a conference with FOUR original six teams?

Coolest oriignal six picture on google. 

More thoughts and a reader poll, after the break:

Like the headline suggests, Wings get 2 points tonight largely because of the play of Jimmy Howard. Thanks, Jim! On the other end of the ice, J.S. Giguere did a terrific job of wearing gigantic equipment. In the end, Detroit’s two goals were enough as they held on to win 2-1.

More after the jump:

Tonight at 7:30 on FSD. Be there.

What's there to say that hasn't already been said at this point. The Wings will roll with the same lineup as the last few games, and whether you think Babs is crazy, stubborn, looking for a new job, or has a plan is all irrelevant. Why? Because he's the coach and your not, that's why. So I won't give you my opinion as to why Datsyuk says Dat-sucks each time he lines up with 11 & 8, or why White is scratched over Kindl, or why Tatar and Andersson can't crack the top 6. My opinion doesn't matter.

Click the jump for more stuff...

Obviously I disagree with Mike Babcock here, but I'm biased towards winning, so maybe my opinion doesn't matter. What do you all think about his latest comments regarding Tatar and the second line?

That hurt. Detroit didn’t play well until the third, but Howard played one of his best games of the year. Unfortunately, the bad guys pulled off a late miracle. Ericsson played well tonight, but an unlucky break saw him in the box for putting the puck over the glass. Then a failed clearing attempt led to Kane’s tying goal. Franzen hit two posts late in this game.

Like I said, this hurt.

More after the jump:

Ah, here we go with little brother, who's been dominating the league so far this year.  But we have a chance.  A chance not just to avenge not just the first game that ended in an OT loss this year, but for every team the Hawks have cheated out of a win thus far.  To avenge cabbies everywhere.  And to remind little brother why Detroit's been the team to beat for the past 21 years.  

For that, we're gonna need a superhero kind of effort to win today.  And that's just what Josh Howard has provided us for today's movie poster...

...after the break.

77%.  That’s what our PK percentage is these days.  It’s been the one thing that’s killed us this year.  Killed us again this past Wednesday against the Kings.  If we don’t fix it soon, it’ll be the reason why the streak ends. 

I feel like penalty killers are given a pass on fans and reporters critiquing their game individually.  Draper was great at it right?  I think so, but I have nothing other than my memories to back that up. 

Sure, we know the PP sucks, but who is making it suck and who’s doing alright out there?  Let’s take a look.

I'll give you three guesses of who's sucking it up, but there's no way you get who's dominating...all after the break. 

Detroit played a strong game from start to finish tonight and earned two points in a 2-1 shootout win in San Jose. Brunner has been the only Red Wings to score in the shootout this year. He's 2-2 and the Wings are 2-0 in the skills competition. This also means our goalies haven't been beaten yet. Though shootout wins don't count as much as regular wins, 2 points is better than 1.

UPDATE: Randy Hahn has apologized for his comments regarding Eaves' "goalless streak" so I'm calling off the dogs. He says he forgot about the concussion. Ok. We move on.

More after the jump:

With the eventual return of Colaiacovo Detroit will have 9 NHL defenseman on the roster. The obvious yet unpopular 1st move made would be to send Lashoff down to GR. That leaves 8 defenseman left. Kindl and Huskins could sit eating up roster space in the press box, but it may not be that simple. Lashoff has proven too valuable to the Red Wings to honestly send him down while claiming they are icing the best defense possible. He plays in all situations, not only being trusted to be out defending a 5-on-3, but doing it extremely well in the process. If you were looking for a Brad Stuart replacement look no further than Lashoff.

Click the jump for my thoughts on the Wings D. Now and beyond.