Is this really happening? Are the Detroit Red Wings actually playing up to their potential? Are they really one of the NHL’s hottest teams? Are they finally, at long last, looking like a playoff team ready to make a postseason run?
OK, that last one might be stretching things a bit. But you can’t argue that the Wings have been impressive under new coach Derek Lalonde on their way to winning five straight games for the first time since late 2021, when some other dude — whose name conveniently escapes everyone — was the coach.
If you haven’t been keeping tabs on the Wings’ late-night exploits during their current road swing, let me summarize it this way: They’ve torn through Western Canada the way Sherman marched through the South.
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The Wings are 7-3-0 in their past 10 games and their five-game winning streak after Thursday was the NHL’s second best, behind only the New York Rangers’ six straight wins.
But it’s the Wings’ road wins that have been most impressive.
After beating Calgary and Vancouver at home, they won three road games in four nights, outscoring the Canucks, the Oilers and the Flames, 16-7. Add the two home wins to that tally and the Wings are plus-13 in goal differential during this winning streak. That’s outstanding for a team that’s minus-5 for the season.
There’s still work left to grab a wild-card berth in the tough Eastern Conference. Through 54 games, the Wings are 26-20-8, for a total of 60 points. That left them two points behind Washington after Thursday for the last wild-card spot, though the Wings had three games in hand on the Capitals.
It’s hard to say the Wings have looked like a playoff team much of this season. They’ve shown consistent effort and have mostly eliminated the blowout losses they suffered under old what’s-his-name last season.
But they haven’t put together winning streaks the way good teams do, and they don’t have that one player who strikes fear in opponents’ hearts, like the way Oilers have two in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. That duo is probably the most potent tandem in the NHL; they play with the power of a Mack truck, the speed of a Ferrari and the firepower of a fighter jet.
Honestly, I thought this five-game trip would end the Wings’ playoff hopes. Edmonton and Calgary are playoff-caliber teams. And with road games left against Seattle, which is near the top of the Pacific Division, and then a cross-country flight to finish up against the Caps on Tuesday, I figured the Wings might go 1-4 as their playoff dreams died a quiet death away from home. Less road warrior, more roadkill.
Instead, they’ve played inspired hockey. Defensive-minded, puck-control, patient and opportunistic hockey.
Even though they beat the host Flames, 5-2, on Thursday, it was Wednesday’s 5-4 shootout win over the Oilers that was more impressive because it came against Draisaitl and McDavid and an otherwise potent offense led by an almost unstoppable power play.
They beat the Oilers because Tyler Bertuzzi dove to block a 90 mph slap shot from the point, and later cleared space near the front of the net for Robby Fabbri’s goal. They won because Dylan Larkin won key faceoffs and because they managed the puck the way Lalonde has preached, which resulted in a 4-2 lead on a mere 14 shots through two periods.
The Oilers mounted a furious rally and tied it at 4 after outshooting the Wings, 17-7, in the third period. But with 2:55 left, the Wings escaped a two-minute penalty to Ben Chiarot for high-sticking. Again, don’t forget the Oilers’ have the NHL’s best power play — converting at 31.1%, nearly five percentage points better than No. 2 Ottawa — since the Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders terrified defenders in the late 1970s.
“Just winning on the road is difficult, period, let alone against a team like that with the type of difference they have,” Lalonde told the Wings’ website after the game.
The next night in Calgary, the Wings started the game like they were skating through wet cement and fell behind, 1-0, in the first period on a shorthanded goal. Moritz Seider made an odd choice to make a long pass to backup goalie Magnus Hellberg, who misplayed the puck and allowed the Flames to pounce for a cheap goal.
Hellberg was solid the rest of the way, but it was the team’s leadership that made the difference. Lalonde told Bally Sports Detroit after the game that veteran David Perron, who got his 700th career point in the game, was vocal about the team’s slow start.
“I think the goal in some ways, in a crazy way, helped us because we were flat, we weren’t executing, we weren’t skating,” Lalonde said. “And then they scored and then I think our guys woke up a little bit. We had really good push, we got the (tying) goal at the end of the period, which was huge for us.”
These streaks and this kind of resilience gives us a peek at who the Wings can be when they’re at their best. As hopeful as this streak feels, it’s a double-edged sword — it only leads to more impatience from fans who have grown to expect a lot.
I got a kick out of one treasured reader’s question that led off the weekly mailbag of Free Press beat writer Helene St. James. He wondered if owner Christopher Ilitch should be looking for a new general manager to replace Steve Yzerman after four years on the job.
If you have that same question, let me make this perfectly clear: Fans asking if it’s time to move on from Yzerman is like North Pole elves asking if it’s time to move on from Santa.
Yet, I get the frustration. The Wings have missed the playoffs the past six seasons, which obviously isn’t all on Yzerman. But there’s an expectation in Hockeytown that hasn’t been met, and Yzerman is certainly part of that.
But you can see the growth. Last year, the Wings were six points out of a wild-card spot in mid-February. This year, they’re just two points out of a wild-card spot in mid-February, and they look like a better team with more consistent effort and execution.
Even though Yzerman has preached patience to the public and followed the plan to under-promise while trying to over-deliver, there’s no question the Wings have gotten better. If that doesn’t lead to the playoffs this season, Yzerman should understand there will be an expectation for them to qualify next season. Because even Santa shouldn’t sleep too comfortably when he’s surrounded by a bunch of angry elves.
Contact Carlos Monarrez: cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.