Five-Game Winning Streak Puts Red Wings in Playoff Chase

Good morning and happy Friday, February 17th.

Congrats to our readers who predicted the Seattle Kraken & Florida Panthers would score the most goals in yesterday's poll. Their 6 goals each narrowly bested the Bruins (5) and blew away the Golden Knights (2) last night.

By the way, if you love the newsletter please share it with a friend! And if you hate it, how about sharing it with an enemy? 👊

Not all that long ago the story about the rebuilding Detroit Red Wings was that they had slid enough to be on the outer edges of the NHL draft lottery.

This morning their tale is that they are knocking on the door for a playoff spot.

The Red Wings hammered the Calgary Flames 5-2 Thursday night for their fifth consecutive win. The triumph leaves them only two points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers are tied for the final position with 62 points. The Red Wings now have 60.

General manager Steve Yzerman’s team has missed the playoffs for the past six seasons. The Red Wings are currently on a five-game road trip and have won their first three games on that trip. They haven’t won three consecutive games on a single road trip since 2019.

“We’re feeling a little something in that room right now,” Red Wings winger Robby Fabbri told Bally Sports Detroit. “The results that are coming are from the way we’ve been playing. It just shows our character. We weren’t getting the results, but we didn’t change anything. We’re not going to stop now. We gotta keep going.”

Captain Dylan Larkin is leading the Red Wings’ charge. He boasts six goals and 11 points during their win streak. He is fueling the offensive charge and goalie Ville Husso has been sharp. However, it was backup goalie Magnus Hellberg who made 33 saves in the win against the Flames.

Detroit has scored 23 goals in their winning streak. The 4.6 goals-per-game average is well above their season-long 3.11 goals-per-game average.

The Red Wings’ next game is Saturday at Seattle. They then will meet the Washington Capitals in Washington for a pivotal game in their playoff chase.

🧢 Seth Jarvis collects first NHL hat trick in 6-2 win over the Canadiens. Tied 2-2 headed into the third, the Hurricanes came out firing on all cylinders, collecting goals from Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal, and two from Seth Jarvis. The 21-year-old forward saved his best for last, securing the hat trick with a nice breakaway move to the backhand with just 20 seconds remaining in regulation (watch all 3 goals 👇). 

🐆 Florida Panthers hand the Capitals 3rd straight loss while tightening their playoff race. Thanks to scoring by committee and Sergei Bobrovsky making 29 saves last night, the Florida Panthers downed the Capitals 6-2 and put them in a tie for the final Eastern Conference Wild Card with 62 points each. The Capitals have one game in hand with Alex Ovechkin still away from the team mourning the loss of his father. 

Who was the first Non-Original Six NHL team to win the Stanley Cup? Bonus point if you can snipe the year.

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The 1974 Philadelphia Flyers were the first Non-Original 6 NHL team to win the Stanley Cup.