The Detroit Red Wings need an extended hot streak to stay in the playoff race. Back-to-back victories over Philadelphia since the All-Star break have helped their cause.
They’ll look to keep building momentum when they visit the Minnesota Wild on Monday in St. Paul.
Detroit won at Philadelphia 6-3 on Wednesday, then pulled out a 4-2 victory over the Flyers on its home ice Saturday afternoon.
Backup goaltender Thomas Greiss, who hadn’t played since Jan. 9, made 32 saves.
“I thought the game was loose at times, but Greiss played really, really well,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “Obviously he’d like the one back in the third, but he made up for it right away with a huge save. He came back well after being off for so long. He controlled the game and pucks were sticking to him.”
The Red Wings had four different goal scorers, most notably Filip Zadina. The sixth overall pick of the 2018 draft, Zadina has been in an offensive funk this season.
Blashill moved Zadina to the top line, joining center Dylan Larkin and rookie Lucas Raymond. Zadina’s goal was just his second in his last 24 games.
“At the All-Star break, Blash talked to me because he wanted to move Vladdy (Vladimir Namestnikov) back with Ras (Michael Rasmussen) and bring Z up to the first line,” said Larkin, who recorded three assists on Saturday. “I played with him last year and he always works hard. He’d be the first to admit he has struggled this year but he’s worked hard with us and it is paying off.”
Rookie defenseman Moritz Seider contributed a third-period power play goal. Raymond leads all NHL rookies with 38 points, while Seider is tied for third with 32.
“He’s had a massive impact, and he’s getting better as the season progresses,” Blashill said of Seider. “There’s a part of me that wants to underplay his impact, but he’s been a huge part of our success.”
The Wild are 10-1-1 over their last 12 games. They bounced back from their only regulation loss during that stretch, a 2-0 blanking at Winnipeg on Tuesday, with a 3-2 win over Carolina on Saturday.
“I think that’s the most important thing after a loss, is not to carry that on and on and lose five in a row like I think it happened earlier this year,” forward Frederick Gaudreau said. “And that’s not what we want to see. We’ve got to put our mind in the present moment after a loss and just play the next one like it’s the most important game of the season, especially against a team like that. That was a fun one.”
Gaudreau had a goal and an assist against the Hurricanes. He has contributed six points (three goals, three assists) in his past six games, after scoring just two goals in his first 32 appearances this season.
Minnesota led 3-0 early in the third period and held off Carolina’s late charge.
“I think it just continues to grow our confidence, to know that we can hang in there with one of the best teams in the league and come out on top,” goalie Cam Talbot said. “They were relentless all over the ice (Saturday). We bent but we didn’t break, and we got some big goals.”
–Field Level Media