The Detroit Red Wings will look to accomplish something they haven’t done in 17 years when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon.
Detroit carries a seven-game winning streak into the game. The Red Wings haven’t won eight straight since Jan. 17-Feb. 5, 2008.
It’s their second seven-game winning streak since Todd McLellan was named head coach in late December. The last four in this streak came during a road trip to Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Seattle.
“To go home with eight points in the bank, I’m not sure we thought we would get that when we left, but we chipped away and chipped away,” McLellan said. “The spirit and the belief system have gone up. They’re playing to the structure that we put in. It’s easy when you’re winning, you can get people to believe in things a lot simpler than if you’re losing.”
All those road wins came down to the wire. A pair were decided in shootouts, another in overtime and the other was clinched with an empty-netter.
“I think ever since Todd came in, we have proved we’re a good hockey team,” top defenseman Moritz Seider said. “We knew we had it in the locker room and we just couldn’t find a spark and he brought that extra spark, brought us back to life. But still a long way to go.”
With the Eastern Conference standings bunched up, the Red Wings have put themselves back in the running for one of the eight playoff spots. The game on Saturday will be pivotal. Tampa Bay, which has played one fewer game, has one more point than Detroit.
“I’m not sure any of us really thought we’d be in this position right now,” Red Wings forward Patrick Kane said. “What a spot we’re in. It’s fun when you’re playing for something every night. We’re in a good spot and we put ourselves there.”
The Lightning are 3-0-1 in their last four games. They defeated Ottawa in back-to-back home games this week, squeaking out a 4-3 win on Tuesday and pounding the Senators 5-1 on Thursday.
“It was a massive two games for us,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. “We had this five-game homestand, we dropped the first one to Chicago, but for us to get seven out of the next eight (points) was pivotal. Especially against a division rival that we’re neck-and-neck with. And they were hot coming in.”
Star forward Nikita Kucherov has recorded at least one point in 16 of the last 17 games. He contributed two assists in the latest victory.
“Obviously a great effort, this was a huge two games for us,” center Jake Guentzel said. “This is our identity; we’ve got to not give up much because that’s a high-scoring team over there. I think it’s easy to get up for these games … playoff mentality against a team we’re fighting against.”
This is the third meeting since Jan. 18 between the Lightning and Red Wings. Tampa Bay won the first matchup, 5-1, led by Kucherov’s goal and two assists. In the rematch a week later, Detroit recorded a 2-0 shutout as Cam Talbot made 28 saves.
They’ll finish the four-game season series in April.
–Field Level Media
