I don’t know about you, but New Life from Thomas Bergersen’s 2014 album Sun has always been a go-to when I go out running during those early springtime days. I mean, it kind of fits the theme, right?
Anyway, now that the Red Wings have won two of their last three games, is it premature to say they too found a new life? Yeah, it’s only three games following that infamous six-game skid, I get it, but here are the facts: They went out and crushed the Buffalo Sabres 7-3 in a game that will ironically be remembered for a while.
Then, they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes and had seemingly fallen back to reality. I’ll be frank: I thought there was zero chance for this team to upend the mighty Vegas Golden Knights. But, coming on a back-to-back in which the Knights sputtered late against, you guessed it, the Sabres, the Red Wings went out and shut them out.
Red Wings have made statement wins and those will be momentum-builders
Maybe the Wings just started improving again at the right time, as they’ll need all the momentum they can get with an upcoming four-game road trip. I outlined the schedule in a previous article, but wow, that lineup is brutal:
- Washington Capitals
- Vegas (again)
- Utah Hockey Club
- Colorado Avalanche
You can’t underestimate any of the above, even if a lot of NHL fans are ready and raring to write off Utah. But here’s the reality: The Wings have 70 points as of Monday afternoon and Utah has 71, so nobody in Detroit needs to be scoffing at the Rock Black and Mountain Blue.
And that’s what this road trip will be all about. If the Wings are really back to the winning ways they showed early in the Todd McLellan era, fans will be in for quite the ‘down the stretch’ race to mid-April. But if not, there won’t be a new life for the Wings this season, and fans will be subjected to the same old, same old.
Would the Red Wings bounce back from a poor road trip?
That depends on what one would mean by ‘bouncing back.’ Could they bounce back in terms of boasting a decent record? Absolutely. But it doesn’t mean they’ll be serious playoff contenders should they drop three or all four of their upcoming road trip matchups.
Nothing is impossible, but if the Wings flop on the road, they better hope those teams that make up their remaining schedule also flop, especially those looking to break into the playoffs. If not, the season’s over and fans can once again start looking forward to a draft that will likely see their team picking in the middle of the first round.
But if there really is a new life and a new hope in Hockeytown, prepare for a fun playoff race, and a well-deserved one at that. Ultimately, it’s up to the team to decide whether they’re ready to prove another band of pessimists wrong.