At this time of year, power rankings are mostly irrelevant to the Red Wings’ cause, and I feel that to be the case right now…But ESPN’s power rankings for this week point out that the Red Wings have a pair of pivotal games to play against the Tampa Bay Ligthing both tomorrow and on February 8th, with both taking place at Little Caesars Arena:
24. Detroit Red Wings
Previous ranking: 20
Points percentage: 51.04%Jan. 25, Feb. 8 vs. Lightning. Given the ties between the franchises — including current Detroit GM/former Tampa Bay GM Steve Yzerman — games between the two are always must-see affairs. And with the Red Wings currently chasing the Lightning in the standings, these will matter even more.
Next eight days: vs. TB (Jan. 25), vs. LA (Jan. 27), @ EDM (Jan. 30
Continued; the Wings go West to play the Oilers, Flames, Canucks and Kraken on January 30th, February 1st, February 2nd and February 4th, and then the Wings get a break before that February 8th game vs. the Bolts, which closes out the Wings’ pre-Four Nations schedule.
Right now, the Wings are only 4 points behind the Bolts in the Eastern Conference standings, with Tampa having 2 games in hand over Detroit, so it’s crucial that the Wings win the next 2 meetings against the Lightning.
