With the Detroit Lions winning two consecutive playoff games for the first time in the Super Bowl era and the Michigan Wolverines claiming the team’s 12th national championship, it has been a great start of the year for sports in Michigan.
However, one team has been overshadowed amid all the greatness: the Detroit Red Wings.
Through January, the Red Wings have posted a 9-2-1 record, which equates to a 0.792-point percentage. Among all other teams in the NHL, only two teams have had a better January than the Red Wings: the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks.
This has boosted the Red Wings’ place in the standings quite significantly. If the playoffs were to start at the time of this writing, the team would play in the wild card for a playoff spot. However, if the season ended in December, the Red Wings would have missed the playoffs entirely.
One of the main reasons for the Red Wings’ success this early in the year has been how well the offense has come together on the ice.
Through 12 games in January, the Red Wings have scored 41 goals, which equates to 3.4 goals per game. Compared to the rest of the league, the Red Wings rank in the top 10 for goals scored per game in January.
Dylan Larkin, the Red Wings captain who has played for the Red Wings since the 2015-16 season, was one of the significant contributors to the offense the past month. Larkin scored a team-high nine goals and 15 points in January.
Notably, Larkin’s highest-scoring game last month came against the Los Angeles Kings and goalie Cam Talbot. The Kings rank third in goals allowed per game, and Talbot has had one of the better save percentages in the NHL this season, saving 91.1 percent of shots.
On top of Larkin, left-winger Lucas Raymond has also given the offense a huge boost. The first-round selection from 2020 finished the month just behind Larkin with 13 points. Interestingly, most of Raymond’s points have come from assists, with a team-high 11.
In addition to the elite offense, the Red Wings defense has also taken significant strides. In January, the Red Wings defense allowed only 2.5 goals per game, a noticeable improvement compared to their goals allowed the entire season, which is 3.3 goals per game.
This improvement isn’t a mistake either, as five of the Red Wings’ nine wins have come against the Kings, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Flordia Panthers, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Vegas Golden Knights.
Notably, all five teams mentioned above feature an above-average offense in the NHL. The average number of goals scored per game is 3.1, a number that all five teams either average or surpass per game.
Jake Walman was one of the biggest contributors to the Red Wings’ defense in January. Moritz Seider recorded 30 blocks last month. Along with Walman, Seider and Ben Chiarot were also effective, blocking 28 and 21 shots, respectively, the previous month.
When looking at the season, the Red Wings have two players who rank in the top 15 for the most blocked shots this season in the NHL, with Seider and Walman. Interestingly, only one other team, the Calgary Flames, has two defenders who rank in the top 15 in blocks this season.
As the Red Wings position themselves to possibly contend for the playoffs, their recent success suggests a new thrilling chapter in Michigan sports this year. However, it won’t be on the football field; it will be on the ice rink.