Will 'sliding' into the playoffs hurt Detroit's Cup chances?

They've led the overall standings for most of the season, had their division title all but wrapped up by Christmas, and own the NHL's best defense to go along with the Western Conference's best offense.

Still the Detroit Red Wings aren't feeling much love these days.

"No one talks about us, they only talk about San Jose and Anaheim in the West," said coach Mike Babcock. "We're sliding into the playoffs unnoticed."

Henrik Zetterberg leads the Red Wings with 43 goals. (AP)

Well not exactly, but with the scorching hot Sharks grabbing the spotlight over the last few weeks and the Ducks being the reigning Stanley Cup champs, it's fair to suggest the Red Wings seem to have fallen a step back in terms of expectations. Less pressure for a change might not be such a bad thing to a team that clearly has enough talent to win, but with the Red Wings having run on cruise control for the last few months, it also leads to natural questions about whether the veteran team can turn the switch back on at crunch time.

Especially after Wednesday night when Babcock said his team looked "disinterested" in losing 6-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks, who kept their slim playoff hopes alive and prevented Detroit from clinching first place overall for at least another day. Given recent team history, the lack of urgency signals a potential problem for the Red Wings heading into the playoffs where they will face a team that has had to go down to the wire just to get in.

Babcock understands the concern. He was behind the bench in 2005 when Detroit finished first in the West and lost to eighth seed Edmonton in the first round and he coached seventh-seed Anaheim in 2003 when it swept Detroit in the opening round, getting a close up look at what happens when favorites take things for granted.

"I've been on both ends of it," Babcock said. "When you're the higher seed, the other teams have usually been battling like crazy and sometimes you've been drifting along, but the great thing for us this year is our games down the stretch have been against good teams that have played us difficult."

In theory that should prepare the Red Wings well for their next challenge, but Babcock isn't willing to automatically make that assumption. The final seedings likely won't be determined before the last games are over Sunday, which means that Detroit has several potential opponents to think about. And none are particularly appealing according to the coach.

"When you come to the rink as a fan, if you're expecting us to shellack the other, that never happens," Babcock said. "It doesn't work like that in this league now.

"The line between the best teams and the teams finishing eighth is very, very little. Every team is capable of beating the other team, we all have good players. You know you look at who you want to play and you don't want to play anybody, they're all that good."

Running smoothly

While the Red Wings are dealing with questions about their intensity heading into the playoffs, there are those wondering if the San Jose Sharks haven't peaked too soon.

The Sharks took an 18-0-2 record into Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Kings and still have an outside chance of overtaking Detroit for the Presidents' Trophy. But that prize concerns San Jose coach Ron Wilson even less than the notion of his team possibly hitting a wall.

"You don't plan on a streak like this and I'm not about to tell our team to change," Wilson said. "You get into trouble when you have a rope pulling in one direction and you loosen the grip, sometimes it slips out of your hand."

Still, Wilson plans to let his charges ease themselves into the playoffs. He's not planning to rest anyone over the final two games, but he will be cutting back some of his key players' ice time.

"What we're doing is maintaining guys who have bumps and bruises, they won't play," Wilson said. "But other guys who are healthy are going to be in there, they just won't have to play as much."

Icings

• The Dallas Stars had a shot at winning the Pacific Division as recently as the trade deadline, but they've gone into a tailspin and will make the playoffs as one of the lower seeds in the West. That means they'll start away from home, which could be a good thing, says coach Dave Tippett. "It really brings your group together," he said. "You're a very tight pack on the road, you eat together, everything is very focused on the game sand we've got some young players we've integrated into our team this year so its not a bad thing to start off on the road."

• Anyone who doubts that Eric Staal deserves MVP consideration need only look at Carolina's crucial win over Tampa Bay on Wednesday. Staal has carried this team offensively since captain Rod Brind'Amour went down two months ago, but his numbers may overshadow the impact of his leadership for the 'Canes. That quality was in full display against the Lightning, a night after the Hurricanes lost in Washington and were tied for first place in the Southeast Division by the Capitals. Staal didn't let that stew very long, outfighting Vinnie Lecavalier for the puck in the first minute of play before skating down the ice before opening the scoring to start a rout.

• A programming note for those who need something to do before the college basketball final. The NHL Draft lottery will be televised Monday night from New York, if you can find it on the tube. The Versus network will broadcast the event from league offices beginning at 8 p.m.

They said it

"We just want to make sure we temper our enthusiasm in some areas." –- Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle on what he told Chris Pronger, who will return Sunday from his eighth suspension, just in time for the playoffs.