Niklas Kronwall – that’s right … defenseman Niklas Kronwall – scored the winning goal in the shootout against Predators goalie Pekka Rinne.

Overall, the game was more than a solid effort from the entire team. There was little evidence that the Wings players are any less than fully healthy. And there were few signs that players were mentally tired as they had been for most of the season.

In addition, the WIngs have started making a case, and it’s not a hard case to make, for Jimmy Howard as a front-runner for the NHL’s Calder Trophy, which is given to the league’s best rookie each season. In fact, a strong case could be made for Howard as the league’s MVP, though it is highly doubtful that the MVP award will slip away from Alexander Overchin of the Washington Capitals, who is having, by anyone’s account, a remarkable season.

The win did wonders for helping the Wings secure a playoff position for this year. They are now in sixth place, eight points about ninth-place Calgary. However, Calgary has a game in hand and plays on Sunday.

If the playoffs started today, the Wings would pack their bags and head to Vancouver to play the Canucks and their Olympic gold-medal-winning goalie Roberto Luongo.

Obviously, with seven games left in the season, and just a couple of points separating positions five through eight, there is going to be a lot of shuffling in the west. The Wings are in a good spot. They have a light travel schedule and play against the Columbus Blue Jackets twice. If for some reason they don’t make the playoffs at this point, there would be no one to blame beside the 22 players wearing the winged wheel each night.

I’m hoping that Babcock and the team recognize that this weekend’s home and home against Chicago is meaningless. It’s a great time to bench veterans and get some playing time for the kids.

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