Bill Clement

If they are healthy, the Red Wings are several notches above the team they were last year when they won the Stanley Cup.

Detroit defeated Chicago in the Western Conference finals, but came out of the series with some key players hurting. The Red Wings expect defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom (lower-body injury) to play in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The availability of Pavel Datsyuk (foot), and Jonathan Ericsson (acute appendicitis) will not be known until the series starts. Kris Draper (lower-body injury) is doubtful for Game 1, but is expected to play later in the series.

I must admit that based on the inconsistent play of goalie Chris Osgood during the regular season, my thought was Detroit was not better than a year ago. Inferior goaltending can undermine the quality of any roster. But I changed my opinion after Osgood found his “A” game the moment the playoffs began. He’s been on a roll since the start of the postseason.

The switch turning so decisively for a goalie is very rare and very surprising. A goalie ramping up his play is one thing, but going from inconsistent to a picture of consistency is remarkable. I didn’t think it was possible for a goalie to do this until witnessing it with my own eyes in the performances of Osgood.

With goalies as good as Osgood, it’s all mental, all focus. I’m not so sure he doesn’t get bored at points during the regular season, and that in turn affects his mental approach to playing his position.

Another reason the Red Wings have improved is they were able to add a player of Marian Hossa’s stature last summer. He is one of the preeminent forwards in the NHL. And there’s even better to come from Hossa. We haven’t seen the best from him yet. He’s a dynamic player, who in a lot of games flies under the radar, but he’s always capable of winning a game or breaking a game open.

In Hossa and Datsyuk, the Red Wings have two players that you can say if the game was played in a phone booth, they would be first-team All-Stars every season. Confined space is where it’s most difficult to play and excel. Hossa and Datsyuk are masters at doing so.

Detroit’s roster hasn’t changed that much from last season, but there are five players on it who are better than they were a year ago. Those five are two defensemen, Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart, wingers Jiri Hudler, Daniel Cleary, and Johan Franzen.

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Kronwall is an intimidating predator with puck skills, and he is playing with a much greater confidence level. Stuart is a punishing hitter, who is having his best NHL season. Stuart, who always seemed mistake prone and a lot of that I believe came from a lack of confidence, is playing as committed a game as at any point in his career.

Hudler now sees himself as a player who is able to contribute in big situations. He ranges between 13 and 14 minutes of ice time, but makes the most out of it. This year he upped his goals and assists. He scored 23 goals compared to 13 last season, and had 34 assists compared to 29 a season ago.

Originally a first-round pick of Chicago, Cleary really lost his way and his confidence in the process. Before getting to Detroit four seasons ago, his high in goals was 14. Since then he’s had a couple of 20-goal seasons for the Red Wings. His confidence has soared, and he’s taken his game to another level in the postseason.

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Franzen has been a consistent playoff performer, but his confidence has increased as well. And it should have after he was signed in April to an 11-year, $43.5 million deal.

Also worth a mention is the play of center Valtteri Filppula, who is just a tremendous all-around player, and who has taken another developmental step forward this season. He does everything on both sides of the puck extremely well.

The Red Wings are a better team than they were last spring, but so are the Penguins. With that being the case, it will be interesting to see how the Stanley Cup finals play out.

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