I'll be the first one to admit I never saw this coming.

A few months ago it looked pretty bad and we were on the verge of not making the playoffs. And now? This team is making some noise... and even if we don't go any further than this round, we're seeing the future of the Wings now and it looks pretty darn bright.

Taking Chicago to the brink of elimination is pretty damn cool. We can't let up now- and if LA taught us anything last year, keep riding this gravy train out to the bitter end.

Jimmy Howard's been stellar and, dare I say even stolen a few games for us. Hank & Pav have been solid, but what's really impressed me so far has been the youngsters. I never thought Kindl would come along so quickly. Smith has rebounded nicely. Andersson's been a stud defensively and is winning the big faceoffs. And Nyquist & Brunner have actually helped this team shed its slow image. It's not a bad time for this team to come together.

Again, I'm shocked but a pleasant shock.