Week in Review
The Wings played four games in the last seven days. It started in Seattle with the fourth and final game of a road trip out West. Mortiz Seider (7), Lucas Raymond (16), and Daniel Sprong (15) scored in regulation, but the Kraken fought back and tied the game at three with 7:25 to go. In overtime, Ben Chiarot was the hero, burying his fourth of the campaign 1:07 into the extra frame through the five-hole from between the hash marks. Raymond finished with a goal and an assist to lead the offense, and Alex Lyon posted 38 saves on 41 shots.
The Red Wings returned to the friendly confines of Little Caesars Arena to host the Avalanche on Thursday. After a scoreless opening frame, Colorado went up 1-0 in the second period. Detroit tied the tilt on the power play in the third period. David Perron fed Larkin in the slot, and despite having a defender immediately on him, he muscled a rising wrister over Justus Annunen’s right shoulder for the 1-1 tie with under eight minutes left in the third period. Once again, overtime was required to settle the score, and once again, the Wings emerged victorious. Ben Chiarot and Dylan Larkin traded placed just inside the offensive zone, and Larkin grabbed a drop pass and cycled through the left circle. As the two of them crashed the net, the defense left Patrick Kane all alone in the high slot for a quick one-timer glove side for his tenth of the season.
On Saturday, Detroit hosted the St. Louis Blues for a matinee game. It was one of those days when everything went right. The Wings scored four first-period goals and sailed to a 6-1 triumph. Alex DeBrincat lit the lamp twice and added a helper for a three-point night, while Kane (1 G, 1 A), Raymond (2 A), and Michael Rasmussen (1 G, 1 A) finished with two points each. Lyon blanked the Blues on 22 of their 23 shots for his fourth-straight win between the pipes.
The week ended in Chicago on a night when Chris Chelios’ number was retired and hung from the rafters. It was also Kane’s first game at the United Center since his trade to Detroit. DeBrincat and Kane are both former Blackhawks and they combined on the game-tying goal in the third and the game-winner in the extra frame.
First, Daniel Sprong potted his 16th of the season just 51 seconds after the initial puck drop, but then the Hawks struck paydirt twice in the middle frame for a 2-1 lead heading into period three. DeBrincat tied the contest with less than five minutes left in regulation by banking a shot off the back of Petr Mrazek’s equipment from below the end line. The assist went to Kane. Then DeBrincat’s pass set Kane free on goal during overtime, and he roofed it over the glove hand to seal the 3-2 victory and push Detroit’s winning streak to four games. James Reimer saved 34 of the 36 shots faced.
Top Performers
Across the four games of the week, Kane and DeBrincat each scored three goals and chipped in three assists for six points across the four games. Lucan Raymond was third in points with one tally and a trio of helpers. Lyon won all three starts, and Reimer went 1-for-1.
For the season, DeBrincat has assumed the top spot with 52 total points (22 G, 30 A). Dylan Larkin has scored the most goals (25) and is a close second with 51 total points. Raymond leads with 32 assists has 48 points to rank third, and is tied for the fourth-most overtime goals with two.
Shane Gostisbehere continues to pace the field of rearguards with 36 points across 57 games played. He’s netted seven goals and assisted on 27 tallies. Seider has also scored seven times and ranks second among the defense with 31 points.
The team ranks eighth on the power play for the season, scoring at a 23.3% clip. When shorthanded, Detroit is escaping unscathed 82.0% of the time, good for ninth.
Standings Update
The Red Wings rank fourth in the Atlantic Division and sixth in the Eastern Conference, holding on to the first Wild Card position for the postseason. Their record stands at 32-20-6, leaving them four points behind Toronto and one point ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
What’s Ahead
The Wings will play three games this week, all at Little Caesars Arena. Tuesday, they host the Washington Capitals, and Thursday, the Islanders come to town. The Caps rank tenth, and the Isles are 12th in the Eastern Conference. Both weeknight games begin at 7:00 p.m. The Panthers are on the docket for a 3:00 p.m. matinee game Saturday. Florida ranks third in the Eastern and sits ten points ahead of Detroit at the start of the week.
