Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings Win Fifth In a Row to Pull Within Two Points of Playoffs

Published

1 year ago

February 16, 2023

Dominik Kubalik broke out of a nine-game goalless drought with a pair of goals against Calgary. (Photo by Sammi Silber)

Dylan Larkin continues to pile up points and the Detroit Red Wings continue to post wins that move them closer to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Detroit captain generated three more assists to fuel the Red Wings to a 5-2 win against the Calgary for their season-high fifth consecutive victory. This is the first time Detroit has won three consecutive road games on a single trip since 2019.

The win, coupled with Washington’s loss to Florida, pulls the Red Wings within two points of a playoff spot. Detroit has 60 points and Washington and Florida are both at 62. The Red Wings have three games in hand to Washington and four against the Panthers.

The Red Wings play the Capitals Tuesday in Washington. Their next game is Saturday in Seattle.

Larkin has led the charge for the postseason with six goals and six assists during the winning streak. Dominik Kubalik, who hadn’t scored in nine games, scored twice against the Flames. Kubalik scored his 15th and 16th goals of the season. He moved back in the lineup because Lucas Raymond is injured.

Tyler Bertuzzi had his best overall game since coming off the injured list. He had a goal and two assists and was visible every shift he was on the ice.

Perron Hits 700 Points

The Red Wings didn’t play a perfect game: Magnus Hellberg, making his first start in goal since Jan. 27, gave up a shaky shorthanded goal early in the first period to give Calgary a 1-0 lead. Jake Walman, returning to the lineup after suffering an injury last week, and his partner Moritz Seider were caught up ice in the second period to allow Dillon Dube to score a goal that tied the game 2-2.

But the Red Wings continue to show resilience within games. Two power-play goals (from Robby Fabbri and Bertuzzi) helped. The power play has been strong during the win streak. They are 8-for-18 (44%) with the man advantage and now rank fourth in power percentage on the road.

David Perron assisted on Fabbri’s goal for his 700th career point. He is the fourth player from the 2007 draft to reach that level. Patrick Kane (1,215), Jamie Benn (815) and Jakub Voracek (806) are the others.

This is the first time that Detroit has swept the Alberta road trip since 2014-15. The Red Wings beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 in a shootout on Wednesday night. When the Red Wings did it in 2014-15 it was also on back-to-back nights.