I'm in Michigan and a Wings fan, I watch every game for both teams.
Wings defense is fairly horrendous, probably bottom 8 in the league personnel wise. With that said, the Wings are exceeding expectations due to Larkin, AA, Mantha all stepping up a bit - and the coach starting to trust the young guys a bit more. The thing that struck me most about the Wings this year is speed - it will be very interesting to see how the two teams look speed-wise through the neutral zone (both skating speed and passing/transition).
Keep an eye on Green, he's easily the best offensive D on the team - just an experienced and talented puck mover. He's an UFA at the end of the year and I think if the roles were reversed and the Wings were 6% to make the playoffs and the Oilers were 55% - he'd be headed back on the plane to Edmonton. With the standings as is, not sure that happens but it'd be an amazing rental for Edmonton if they want to try to get in the playoff race.
An article was posted about Green to Edmonton in the past few days, if anyone is interested:
Red Wings Trade Rumors: A king’s ransom for Mike Green