The Detroit Red Wings entered the two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament clinging to a playoff spot. For a franchise that hasn’t qualified for the postseason since 2015-16, that’s a significant development.
They have 27 games remaining to hold onto their position and perhaps even move up in the Eastern Conference standings. The quest begins with a Saturday matinee against the visiting Minnesota Wild.
According to Tankathon.com, the Red Wings have the toughest remaining schedule of any team in the league. Top defenseman Moritz Seider doesn’t care.
“I don’t even want to know if we have the hardest schedule or if we’re flying the most amount of miles in the league,” Seider said. “There are no excuses right now. We have to win, we have to get points, and no matter who we play, I think if we bring our A game, we have a good chance of getting two points.”
The season turned around in late December when general manager Steve Yzerman fired head coach Derek Lalonde and hired his no-nonsense replacement, Todd McLellan.
Detroit has reeled off a pair of seven-game winning streaks under McLellan’s guidance. The latest one was halted in its last outing, a 6-3 home loss to Tampa Bay on Feb. 8.
“We’ve just been playing real good hockey all the way around, doing a lot of things well,” forward Joe Veleno said. “Competing, and our attention to details have been sharp. When Todd came in here, he introduced us to a lot of new systems and the way we’d like to play. We feel good about our chances and our game. We definitely want to be that team to push to the very end and learn from those mistakes last year that didn’t get us in the playoffs.”
The Red Wings are playing their season series against the Wild in a span of four days. They’ll visit Minneapolis on Tuesday, sandwiching a Sunday home game against the Anaheim Ducks.
Minnesota entered the break sitting at third place in the Central Division. The Wild won five of their last seven games prior to the layoff.
They play five of their first seven games after the break on the road. That’s followed by a seven-game homestand.
They’re still waiting for their top scorer to return. Kirill Kaprizov hasn’t started practicing since undergoing lower body surgery. Kaprizov, who is on the long-term injured reserve list, hasn’t played since Jan. 26.
Minnesota doesn’t have another dynamic offensive threat. In the two losses since his injury, the Wild were shut out. However, they managed to score six goals against the New York Islanders in their last game on Feb. 8. Matt Boldy led the charge with two goals and an assist.
Like the Red Wings, the Wild are eager to get back on the ice.
“It feels good (to) mentally reset, and we all know what’s at stake this next 26 games or so. So, it’s a sprint now. ” forward Marcus Foligno said. “We’re excited to be back. This is coming into the best time of the year.”
