Among Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon’s “Weekend Takeaways“:
• Speaking of the bottom, Detroit is making a now-or-never push to get back in the Eastern Conference playoff chase under new bench boss Todd McLellan. Saturday’s 4-2 triumph in Winnipeg might have been the win of the year for the Red Wings, who’ve suddenly strung together four straight victories and have dropped just one game — McLellan’s first with the squad on Dec. 27 — since making the coaching change.
• Speaking of the Atlantic, that division has become exceptionally bunched — even by, loser-point, salary cap-parity standards — thanks to Detroit’s surge and the small swoon of another team that made a coaching switch, the Boston Bruins. The B’s dropped two games on the weekend to Toronto and the Islanders and have suddenly lost five of six to hit their first real rough patch since Joe Sacco took over behind the bench. Boston currently ranks third in the Atlantic with 45 points and seventh-place Detroit checks in at 38 points. That means five teams — Boston, Tampa, Ottawa, Montreal and Detroit — are separated by just seven points and each of the four squads right behind Boston hold games in hand on the B’s.
