Game notes: It’s amazing how a simple west coast trip can drastically change the atmosphere inside a team.
To say that the Red Wings weren’t playing very good hockey before moving to the west coast would be an understatement. The Wings had dropped three of their previous four games and had a terrible December, managing only 11 points over a torturous 15-game period.
The Wings have reported that the new year has been beneficial to them, whether it’s simply the ups and downs of an NHL season or some extra practice time.
The first game of the west coast tour was a vengeance game against the San Jose Sharks, who earlier this season capitalized on the epic collapse of the Wings in a game that concluded in a 6-5 loss at Little Caesars Arena. In their rematch from January, the Wings outscored the NHL’s bottom team 5-3 in the third period. Two nights later, the Wings defeated the Los Angeles Kings in a shootout after enduring an intense back-and-forth contest. The Wings’ last victory of the trip came after they had a few days off in the Los Angeles region and defeated the Anaheim Ducks, 3-2. This was the team’s first victory of the year without scoring four goals or more.
The resurgence of form coincided with the arrival in Detroit on Thursday of the greatest hockey player. The Edmonton Oilers, led by reigning Hart Trophy winner Connor McDavid, have been on a roll these past few weeks. Since their matchup with the New York Islanders on December 19, the Oilers have won eight straight games and have not lost.