The Detroit Red Wings will look to break a 47-year-old club record tonight at home against the Buffalo Sabres.
A Wings win would be their 15th consecutive win at home, snapping the mark set in 1965 at the old Olympia Stadium by the legendary team featuring Gordie Howe, Norm Ullman, Alex Delvecchio and Roger Crozier. (Of note, Detroit would go on to the Stanley Cup Finals that year, losing to the Montreal Canadiens.)
The Wings are 17-2-1 at home this season and haven’t lost in Motown since Nov. 3. Some of the streak’s highlights:
-- Began with a 5-0 win over Anaheim on Nov. 5.
-- The Wings have scored five goals or more seven times, including a 7-1 romp over Winnipeg and an 8-2 destruction of Los Angeles.
-- Despite only playing 20 games at home this season, the Wings are third in home goals with 78.
-- Detroit’s big performer at the Joe this year? Surprisingly, it’s Valtteri Filppula. He leads the team in goals (nine) and points (24) at home and is second in assists (15). He also ranks 15th in the NHL in home points.
As for tonight, the Wings are getting a near-perfect opponent to try and break the record against. Buffalo hasn’t won on the road since Dec. 3 and is riding an eight-game road losing streak, which is also a franchise record.
UPDATE: According to the Elias Sports Bureau, if the Wings win tonight they’ll be just the fifth team in the NHL modern era (beginning 1943-44) to win 15 straight at home in a single season.