NBCSN continues its coverage of the 2013-14 campaign tonight when the Detroit Red Wings host the Philadelphia Flyers at Joe Louis Arena at 8:00 p.m. ET. In addition to NBCSN, you can also watch the game online.
All of a sudden, things have become bleak for the Detroit Red Wings.
Pavel Datsyuk was already out after being elbowed in the head by Ottawa Senators defenseman Jared Cowen and now they’re without captain Henrik Zetterberg due to a back injury that’ll have him on the shelf for at least a couple weeks.
With other starters like Danny DeKeyser and Todd Bertuzzi banged up as well, it’d be easy for the Red Wings to sit around and feel bad about themselves. Instead, they head into their game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday riding a four-game winning streak, as well as five of their last six, and sitting just three points back of Boston for the Atlantic Division lead.
Getting them through the tough times are a handful of guys you may not have expected. Goalie Jonas Gustavsson has played exceptionally this season including winning three of the last four games. That fourth win was a shutout from Jimmy Howard. Sometimes things just work out like that.
Forwards Darren Helm, Daniel Alfredsson, and recent AHL recall Gustav Nyquist have picked up the offensive slack with Helm and Nyquist turning into goal-scorers. Helm has seven goals in 14 games and Nyquist has four goals in the six games he’s played this season. Now that he’s not heading back to the minors, getting Nyquist back in as injury disaster struck has turned into a god-send.
With everything coming up roses at the moment, you wonder when fortune might start going against the Red Wings. If you’re a believer in karma, perhaps their play is making up for the injuries to their two superstars.
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As for the Flyers, we got a look at them on Monday night during their 2-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild. Philly had been on a roll previous to that loss as they’ve turned their season around since the brutal start that cost Peter Laviolette his job and ushered in Craig Berube.
That loss to Minnesota saw Ray Emery wind up the fall-guy in goal meaning Steve Mason likely gets the call tonight. We discussed Mason’s numbers this season back on Monday and they’ll need him to stand tall to keep the Wings at bay.
With Claude Giroux getting his groove back, things should be looking up for the Flyers. Of course, things don’t always go as planned. Vincent Lecavalier missed Monday’s game due to an issue with a back spasms. With him leading the team in goals, you can understand a bit better why they were shutout.
Now that these two teams are Eastern Conference foes, revisiting what made them rivals for at least one postseason back in 1997 makes it seem like doubly ancient history. It also means having to see this highlight a couple more times a year.