Since the calendar flipped, the Detroit Red Wings have been the standard of consistency, securing a point in all seven of their games, winning six while dropping one in overtime.
After a solid start to the season, the Red Wings went through hiccups but have picked up momentum heading into their matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday in Raleigh, N.C., hoping to extend their win streak to four and points streak to eight.
Detroit, which will wrap up a three-game road trip Friday, boasts a 7-2-1 record in its last 10 games.
Dylan Larkin extended his team lead in goals, scoring his 18th of the season in overtime in Wednesday’s 3-2 win over the host Florida Panthers. Alex DeBrincat leads the team in scoring with 40 points, one ahead of Larkin.
“Give these guys credit; it is very hard to win in this league. It is hard to win on the road,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said after the win vaulted his team into third place in the Atlantic Division. “It’s still a long way to go; you can see all the teams bunched up.”
“You’re going to have to have some quality runs to keep yourself in the battle, and we’ve had a few of them.”
They get set to take on the Hurricanes, who are third in the Metropolitan Division. However, things have been less consistent of late for coach Rod Brind’Amour’s team.
After winning five straight, the Hurricanes have split their last four, and enter the clash with the Red Wings off a 5-2 loss Monday to the visiting Los Angeles Kings.
Coming off a disheartening defeat, the Hurricanes have enjoyed three days off during a six-game homestand, allowing them to rest before taking on the second half of the season, where they hope to solidify a playoff spot.
However, the looming issue for Carolina is in the crease, as out of four netminders that have seen game action, only Pyotr Kochetkov has posted at least a .900 save percentage — and he’s in concussion protocol.
With Frederik Andersen out indefinitely, Carolina’s options are Anti Raanta and his .869 save percentage or Yaniv Perets, an ECHL call-up who stopped the only shot he faced in 12:46 of playing time against the Kings after relieving Raanta.
On a brighter note, the Hurricanes are set to get a boost among their forwards with Martin Necas likely returning after missing the last five games with an upper-body injury.
“Marty is one of the more talented players we have, and he’s an impact player. He can make a difference in a game,” Brind’Amour said. “He might not be noticed the whole game, and then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, he’s got that ability. We need him going at the level he can get to.”
–Field Level Media
