The Detroit Red Wings are in the final stretch of the playoff push. With four games left, the Red Wings are in a playoff spot right now but nothing’s certain yet. Tonight’s game against the Sabres, and three other games forthcoming, will be crucial if they hope to make the playoffs for the 23rd consecutive season.
Apr 5, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall (55) celebrates his goal against Montreal Canadiens with teammates during the third period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
DETROIT RED WINGS
37-27-14; 88 points
1st in Wild Card
19-15-4 on the road
The Red Wings recently saw a four-game winning streak come to an end. The team is coming off a 5-3 loss to the Canadiens on Saturday. Their last loss prior to that came on March 27, also at the hands of the Habs.
Saturday’s loss to Montreal was a wild one.
The Habs blew a three-goal lead but came back with two goals in 2:27 late in the third to rally back for the win. Red Wings goals came from Pavel Datsyuk, Luke Glendening and Niklas Kronwall.
Jonas Gustavsson had 21 saves in the loss.
After tonight, the Red Wings have three more games left in the season. They’ll visit the Pittsburgh Penguins tomorrow night at 8pm, then host the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday. The Red Wings wrap up their season in St. Louis on Sunday.
RED WINGS LEADERS
- Goals: Gustav Nyquist (28), Tomas Tatar (19)
- Assists: Niklas Kronwall (40), Henrik Zetterberg (32)
- Points: Henrik Zetterberg (48), Niklas Kronwall (48), Gustav Nyquist (47)
- Penalty Minutes: Kyle Quincey (84), Brendan Smith (68)
- Power Play Points: Niklas Kronwall (25), Daniel Alfredsson (18)
- Shots on Goal: Henrik Zetterberg (151), Tomas Tatar (148)
- Time on Ice/Game: Niklas Kronwall (24:17)
RED WINGS FACING INJURY WOES
Like the Sabres, the Red Wings have had their fair share of injuries this season. In fact, just two players have appeared in all 78 games for Detroit – Drew Miller and Kyle Quincey.
Jonathan Ericsson, Stephen Weiss and Henrik Zetterberg are all on injured reserve. Daniel Cleary is out indefinitely. Pavel Datsyuk just returned from an injury that kept him out nearly half the season. As of April 5, the Red Wings had 391 man games lost to injury. That’s second most in the NHL, behind only the Penguins.
Of the Red Wings skaters who dressed in Saturday’s game, four of them have spent time in the AHL at some point this season. (But don’t feel too sorry for them: of the 20 players who dressed for the Sabres on Sunday against Philly, SEVEN spent time in the AHL this season, including both goaltenders!)
WHO’S HOT: RED WINGS
Darren Helm has five points in the last five games for the Red Wings, including a hat trick against Toronto on March 29.
Niklas Kronwall, Johan Frazen, Gustav Nyquist, Daniel Alfredsson, Daniel Dekyser and Jakub Kindl each have four points in their last five games.
Luke Glendening and Justin Abdelkader are each on personal two-game point streaks. Glendening scored his first NHL goal on Saturday against the Habs.
The Red Wings have a 19-15-4 record on the road this season. Not quite as dangerous as they are at home, but Detroit’s still a tough team to face no matter what venue. As they look to finish out the season strong and move into the playoffs on a high note, they surely won’t be taking any chances against the Sabres tonight.
The puck drops at 7 p.m. at the First Niagara Center.