Wings one win away from once-implausible feat

This is being decided in the toughest areas of the ice, in front of the net, in their relentlessly grinding effort. And make no mistake about this — it’s also being decided in the head.

• Photos: Red Wings 2, Blackhawks 0 -- Game 4

The time is now for Red Wings; goalie Jimmy Howard could hold key

Now we find out how tight and real it is, how frustrated the Blackhawks truly are, how much higher Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Jimmy Howard can raise their games. The Red Wings are gathering confidence and the Blackhawks are gathering themselves.

• Photos: Red Wings practice ahead of Game 4

Red Wings hitting Blackhawks like they mean it, grab series lead

If it moved, the Red Wings hit it. If it bounced, they chased it. The Blackhawks kept passing and pressuring, and the Red Wings kept pressing and pressing, slamming bodies and pursuing pucks.

Once-grizzled Wings proving youth is served in postseason

In between the hyperbolic extremes, the Wings are finding rejuvenation and balance, and a whole lot of energy. They come churning into Joe Louis Arena tonight brimming with possibilities that keep growing, and you can bet the crowd will be amped.

• Photos: Red Wings 4, Blackhawks 1 -- Game 2

After a little rest, don’t count Red Wings out yet

Oh, the Red Wings are outmanned, and it was evident in Wednesday night’s 4-1 loss. But after practicing at Joe Louis Arena on Friday before hopping on the plane back to Chicago, the Red Wings better understood the task, and felt better equipped to handle it.

• Photos: Red Wings practice ahead of Game 2

Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard is up for the challenge against Blackhawks

Normally, one playoff series doesn’t define a team or validate a plan. But this isn’t a normal season, and the Red Wings just won their most important series in years.

Red Wings' steely resolve belies their youth; Blackhawks up next

The Wings rolled into Anaheim and knocked off the second-seeded Ducks 3-2 Sunday night in Game 7 to advance to the second round, where the Blackhawks await. Redemption doesn’t work as a strategy, but for personal motivation, it can work brilliantly.

• Photos: Red Wings 3, Ducks 2 -- Game 7

Wings-Ducks series has been good to the last gasp

Did the Wings and Ducks play seven games of aesthetically scintillating hockey? No. But they played one of the tightest series imaginable, more tightly contested than almost any the NHL has seen, with four of the first six games decided in overtime.

Wings duo of Zetterberg, Datsyuk steadies teammates through emotional win

From the brink and back, the Red Wings made another crazy trip and pulled out another crazy game Saturday night in Detroit. They blew a late lead but Zetterberg wouldn’t let them blow the game. His slapshot 1:04 into overtime gave them a 4-3 victory over the Ducks.

• Photos: Red Wings 4, Ducks 3, OT -- Game 6

Exasperating gets best of exhilarating in Red Wings' Game 5 setback

They’ve been skating on the edge all series, and skated deep into the night again. But this time, the Red Wings could conjure no overtime magic.

• Photos: Ducks 3, Red Wings 2, OT -- Game 5

Young Red Wings aggressive from get-go -- and it pays off in big way

The final play went from rookie to rookie to rookie, and in the playoffs, you grow up fast. The Red Wings are learning on the fly and earning what they get, and they absolutely earned this one.

• Photos: Red Wings 3, Ducks 2, OT -- Game 4

Justin Abdelkader’s hit deals Red Wings far bigger blow

One hit changed this game and might have changed this series. Abdelkader was given a five-minute penalty and kicked out, and faces a possible suspension for clobbering defenseman Toni Lydman.

• Photos: Ducks 4, Red Wings 0 -- Game 3

Jimmy Howard must be better if Red Wings want to win series

Howard must rebound because the Red Wings don’t have the depth to wear opponents out. It’s not always the goaltender’s fault, and when the Wings used to be loaded, the goaltender could weather a rough patch. Not in this series.

With Tigers' powerful bats, Verlander's mound mastery becomes sideshow

They won their fifth straight Tuesday night, clubbing the Twins, 6-1, and for all the obsession about the speed of Verlander’s fastball, did anyone clock the ...

Henrik Zetterberg’s leadership fits hot Red Wings to a ‘C’

Henrik Zetterberg wanted the puck badly and went and got it, then was knocked to his knees and got it again. Seconds later, it was in the Stars net, a carom ...

Lions try to fix their glaring needs to the extreme

It’s too early to tell if the Lions are playing it smart in this draft, but they sure aren’t playing it safe. With their first three picks, they grabbed one of ...

Another convincing victory gives Red Wings that playoff feeling

The Red Wings left Joe Louis Arena to resounding roars Thursday night, and the way they’re skating, they plan to be back. We knew we’d see this eventually ...

No margin for error this time: Lions must get this draft right

Martin Mayhew and Jim Schwartz have been together four seasons and are just 22-43, so I’d say this is a whole new level of crucial, perhaps the most important ...

Jimmy Howard’s goaltending, Wings’ grit show postseason begins now

This wasn’t quite single-elimination hockey, but it was close. And with their 21-year postseason streak teetering, the Wings went ahead and started their ...

If Joe Dumars can still turn Pistons around, he must prove it now

Lawrence Frank is gone and there’s nowhere else to look now. It’s squarely on Dumars, as the spinning wheel turns. Dumars rightly gets credit for a lot of the ...

Pistons are staggering — and Tom Gores must do something about it

This is not acceptable anymore. That’s what Pistons owner Tom Gores essentially said, and I assume it’s what he meant. But they’re just words, and this is a ...