By TED KULFAN
The Detroit News
DETROIT -- Fans have a tendency to put more worth on games toward the end of an NHL regular season than the beginning.
Games in October and November seem to get lost amid the baseball playoffs and football season beginning.
But all these games count the same. Victories in October are worth two points just like April. And the Red Wings are showing just how valuable they are.
With the training room filled by injured Red Wings, and points getting tougher to earn, that 14-4-2 record through the season's first 20 games proved important.
"It gave us a cushion," general manager Ken Holland said.
A cushion, confidence in the roster, and the realization there's depth.
And that depth has been apparent for the Red Wings in recent weeks, as injuries have piled up.
Some of the games haven't been pretty. The Wings earned a victory and shootout loss against Columbus over the weekend, three of four points that won't show up on the team's season-ending highlight reel.
But the Wings continue to gobble points, stay close to Vancouver in the hunt for the league's best record, and try to keep on course until some of the injured players return.
"We're finding ways to win games," said Holland, who is hopeful Pavel Datsyuk (right hand) and Danny Cleary (fractured left ankle) could return soon after the All-Star break (first week of February). "Every night it's somebody different who is coming through."
Mac attack
One of those depth players who've provided a lift is goalie Joey MacDonald . Brought up from Grand Rapids when Chris Osgood (sports hernia) was hurt, MacDonald was in net for Saturday's wild 6-5 shootout victory over Columbus and settled things down Friday after Jimmy Howard (bruised right knee) was injured, in the 3-2 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets.
MacDonald's teammates aren't surprised by his contributions.
"He's a good goalie, we all know that," Henrik Zetterberg said. "He'll have a chance to show it."MacDonald, 30, has played with the Red Wings, Bruins, Islanders, and Maple Leafs in his career.
MacDonald signed with the Red Wings last summer to provide depth at the position.
With Howard out day-to-day and Osgood until March, this is an opportunity for MacDonald to show he can help an organization.
"This is what I've been waiting for," MacDonald said.
Ice chips
After the two games in two nights, the Wings had day off Sunday. They'll be on the ice this morning preparing for Tuesday's game in Pittsburgh.
