Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Are the Red Wings the West’s hottest team again?

grouphugdetap

James

After playing some great hockey in mainstream obscurity, the Dallas Stars went into Friday’s conference clash as the hottest team in the Western Conference. The Stars lost that game against the Pittsburgh Penguins and dropped another to Detroit tonight, which might crown the Red Wings as the hot team du jour in the West.

In the simplest terms possible, it seems almost undeniable; as of this writing, the Red Wings have won four games in a row while no other West team has a streak of more than two victories. They’ve also been beating the tar out of their opponents in the process. In the last four games, Detroit out-scored their opponents 18-4 and Jimmy Howard earned two shutouts.

A simple reason why the hot streak might go cold

My bet is that some columnist somewhere will critique the Red Wings’ collective age when looking at their interestingly hot-and-cold season. (Detroit won five in a row, lost six consecutive games and now they’re on their four-game streak.)

A mere look at their schedule should provide an adequate explanation - and maybe a glimpse of their immediate future. After playing six straight games at Joe Louis Arena, the Red Wings will begin a four-game road trip on Tuesday that includes a game against the St. Louis Blues and then a trio of games against California teams.

With that schedule in mind, you shouldn’t be too be surprised to see a panicked column or two about the Red Wings in the next week or so.