We are a week away from the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings from Ann Arbor, MI, and hockey fans can barely wait.
Saturday gave us a potential indicator of what to expect, as the first meeting of the year between the Leafs and Wings resulted in a back-and-forth game that ended in Detroit breaking its eleven-game shootout losing streak.
Both teams have struggled mightily as of late. While Detroit and Toronto currently sit in fourth and fifth place in the Atlantic Division, respectively, they were expected to both be better this season.
New Year's Day will be an opportunity for a fresh start for both teams.
The Red Wings, who have been suffering through an incredible amount of injuries, will likely have some stars back like goaltender Jimmy Howard and center Darren Helm. They need to score more goals and stop blowing leads in order to return to their former status of one of the NHL's most feared teams. They are not scaring anyone right now.
The Maple Leafs' biggest problem has been a lack of consistent goal scoring. Some nights they explode and can completely dominate any team in the league, as shown in their 7-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on December 14. More often than not, however, they can only manage to put one or two pucks in the net.
Last Saturday's contest between the two teams showcased the good, the bad and the ugly from each side. Detroit looked great in the first period, scoring three goals early and chasing Leaf goaltender James Reimer. Sure enough, the Red Wings could not hang out to the lead as Toronto surged to score three unanswered and take the lead. The Leafs also could not close the game out, as Tomas Tatar tied it late, and Detroit (somehow) won the game in a shootout.
Both Detroit and Toronto have the potential to be two of the NHL's better teams. Lately, however, we have been seeing each team at its worst.
Is it the 24/7 cameras? Is it coincidence? Will either team turn things around?
Time will tell as the calendar begins anew with an outdoor game in front of some 110,000 fans.