Wings still best team, but need defense

There's no doubt the Wings are good enough to defend their Stanley Cup title. There's some doubt they're ready to do it this very second. There's fair concern about the goaltending, although I think Osgood will be fine, after playing better the past month.

I still look at the Wings and see the most talented team in the league, the No. 2 seed in the West, despite the worst statistical season of Osgood's career. That contributed to the Wings' unheard-of ranking in goals-allowed (20th), and I'm not convinced they'll instantly fix it.

They're convinced, which is all that really matters, I suppose.

"I'm not concerned," captain Nicklas Lidstrom said. "Last year, we had a lot of offensive weapons, but team defense won the Cup. I think sometimes we were scoring so many goals (during the regular season), we had letdowns defensively because we knew we could catch up."

Coach Mike Babcock offered a similar opinion, more succinctly, when I asked if he had worries about his defense.

"Zero," he said. "I thought we were pretty good for a chunk of time, but when we ran out of the race for the President's Trophy, I don't think we were emotionally or physically engaged. I would expect both those things to be back."

The Wings allowed the second-fewest shots in the league, which means opponents weren't exactly shredding their defense, which means goaltending was the issue, which is why they need Osgood as focused as last postseason, when he was terrific.

Table set for upset

With all due respect (not really) to our Ohio neighbors, it's not like the Blue Jackets are loaded with firepower, last in the league on the power play. Forward Rick Nash led them with 79 points -- including two hat tricks against the Wings -- and next was Kristian Huselius with 56.

But Columbus is a spirited upstart led by a veteran coach, Ken Hitchcock, who won the Cup in Dallas. The Wings almost never start the playoffs rolling, and the Blue Jackets have the fresh-faced goaltender to frustrate them.

The huge Mason (6-foot-4, 212 pounds) posted a league-best 10 shutouts, although he struggled down the stretch. Big, hot goaltenders always are scary for big, hot favorites, which can lead to big, stunning upsets.

I'm pretty sure the Wings have the mythical playoff switch they can flip, but it's more like a dimmer dial, turned up gradually. Remember, they haven't won a first-round series in fewer than six games since sweeping Los Angeles in 2000. They've also lost a trio of first-rounders -- Los Angeles (2001), Anaheim (2003), Edmonton (2006). Last year, it took a six-game scrap to eliminate Nashville, only after Osgood replaced Dominik Hasek.

"Going in as an underdog against the higher seeds, I think teams are just realizing that's not a big deal," said Columbus' Raffi Torres, who played for Edmonton in '06. "All the pressure is on the other team."

Good start vital

When the Wings have struggled early, they've struggled to score. Their offense now, from Pavel Datsyuk to Henrik Zetterberg to Marian Hossa to Johan Franzen, is too diverse not to produce. And when challenged this season, they responded. After the Blue Jackets embarrassed them, 8-2, in Detroit on March 7, the Wings went to Columbus eight days later and won, 4-0.

They essentially split six games with the Blue Jackets (3-2-1, with an OT loss), so they won't be skating in with big heads. Heck, the way their flaws have been dissected, they might even be a bit miffed.

"We played good in the regular season, it's not like we've been awful all year," Zetterberg said. "We're taking this first round real seriously. We know we played 'em six tough games. You want to get off to a good start, otherwise it can be over quick."

The quicker the Wings' smothering defense returns, the better Osgood should be, the quicker this will be over. Just don't panic if it's a little tighter than preferred, as tight as it usually is.

bob.wojnowski@detnews.com">bob.wojnowski@detnews.com