Detroit Red Wings Links: Limping Into the All-Star Break

After winning three straight from January 14-18, the Detroit Red Wings have fallen back into old habits, going 0-1-3 in their final four games before the All-Star Break.

The Detroit Red Wings appeared to temporarily right the ship in mid-January. They came home after a mediocre road trip, proceeding to drop six goals on Pittsburgh, eke out a 1-0 win over Montreal, and roar back from an abominable first period to beat Boston 6-5 in a shootout.

Only four games stood between them and the All-Star Break. Unfortunately, Detroit couldn’t maintain their winning ways. Leading 2-1 late in the third against the Buffalo Sabres last Friday, the Red Wings relinquished the lead and lost in overtime. Then on Sunday, they fell in overtime to the New York Rangers after neither team scored a goal in regulation. Two nights later, they led the Bruins 3-2 after two periods, only to, predictably, cough up the lead and lose in overtime again. And in their final game before the All-Star Break, they failed to score against an actually decent Maple Leafs team, ultimately losing 4-0.

In a matter of five days, the Wings completely undid their mid-January success. If those three wins constituted three steps forward, these four losses constitute three-and-a-half steps back. I phrase it that way because three of those four losses came in overtime; but no matter how you slice it, they’re in a worse position than they were two weeks ago. Instead of sitting last in the Atlantic Division, Detroit is now sitting last in the Eastern Conference (along with New Jersey and Tampa Bay). Sad!

The Wings, however, did play nine games in fifteen nights, and even the best teams would regress towards the end of a stretch like that. A five day break couldn’t have arrived at a better time. It’ll provide an opportunity to rest, recharge, and gear up for the final 33 games of the season. Unless you’re Frans Nielsen.

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