The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan sets up the upcoming home-and-home series with the Columbus Blue Jackets thusly:
The Wings hold the top spot on the Eastern Conference wild-card chase with 66 points. Columbus has the second and final wild-card spot with 64 points. Three teams were tied entering Wednesday’s games with 62 points (Ottawa was the only one of the three playing Wednesday night).
So, you have the excitement and hype of the outdoor game definitely present. But the Wings realize a big part of this weekend is staying in business mode and understanding the big picture of the playoff puzzle.
“We’re fighting for that wild card and fighting to move up in our division,” goaltender Cam Talbot said. “It’s going to be four big points on the line, an eight-point swing (potentially) one way or another. It just can’t be an experience (of playing the outdoor game), it has to be a game and you have to approach it that way. Business as usual.”
The Wings were able to keep their two-point lead on Columbus, thanks to an impressive 3-2 victory Tuesday in Minnesota. The Wings have won nine of their last 12 games (9-1-2), are doing it in a variety of ways, and now are seeing more players contribute to the winning ways.
In Minnesota, it was young players such as Simon Edvinsson (two goals), Albert Johansson, Elmer Soderblom (assisting on Edvinsson’s game-winning goal), and Marco Kasper (assist) continuing to make important contributions.
As the season progresses, the young players are seeing their roles increase thanks to consistently vital contributions.
“One, we don’t have a choice because we have a lot of young guys, and they’re very capable of playing,” coach Todd McLellan said. “We don’t hesitate to put them out there. We feel comfortable with the job they can do and they’re gaining valuable experience. Then secondly, the veterans appreciate them. It’s a two-way street. There’s nothing worse than having an old and a young team divided. We have a good mixture of just being a Red Wings team. We don’t talk about a lot about young and old, veteran and rookie.”
Update: Here’s more from Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen:
On Dec. 17, the Columbus Blue Jackets were 12-15-5. On Christmas, the Detroit Red Wings were 13-18-4. Back then, no one would have guessed that the home-and-home series these two teams will play this week would have a significant impact on the Eastern Conference race.
The Red Wings’ 3-2 win against the Minnesota Wild Tuesday improved their record to 9-1-1 in their last 11 to continue their hold on the Eastern Conference’s first wildcard position. Detroit has 66 points, followed by Columbus in the second wildcard spot with 64 points. The Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers and Boston Bruins each boast 62 points.
None of those three teams want to see Detroit and Columbus have three-point games Thursday in Detroit or Saturday in the outdoor game at Ohio Stadium.
The two teams met Jan. 2 in Columbus , and the Red Wings survived a 5-4 verdict. The Blue Jackets have played much better at home than on the road this season (19-6-4 vs. 9-16-4). The Red Wings have some measure of consistency in their home and road record. They are 16-12-3 at Little Caesars Arena and 14-10-3 on the road.
The Blue Jackets are the better offensive team, ranking fifth with an average of 3.29 goals per game. Detroit is 18th at 2.90 goals per game, but Todd McLellan’s team has scored three of more goals in 10 of its last 11 games. Detroit is the better defensive team at 3.12 goals-per-game. Columbus is at 3:28.
Detroit boasts a power-play advantage at 29.2%. Columbus coach Dean Evason has a worry there because his team’s penalty kill efficiency is roughly 75%.
