It almost feels like we haven't enjoyed some Detroit Red Wings' hockey in a year following their extended All-Star break. Detroit will be tested right away with an afternoon tilt scheduled at home on Saturday against the surging Vancouver Canucks.
Vancouver will have played two games following the break, which complicates things for the Red Wings, who will be playing their first contest in ten days. Following that, Detroit heads out on the road to play the Edmonton Oilers, who rode a 16-game win streak into the break but finally suffered a loss against Vegas. Then the Red Wings play Vancouver again, this time in their barn, to begin their four-game west coast road trip.
Help is on the way for the Detroit Red Wings.
Detroit will see a boost when they take the ice on Saturday afternoon, looking to keep the wheels turning on the heels of a spectacular 9-2-2 January. The Red Wings sat out star forward Patrick Kane on Jan 31st to ensure he'd get an extended break to nurse his lower-body injury; he's expected to return to the lineup. Thankfully, that injury had nothing to do with his previous hip problems.
Since joining the Detroit Red Wings, Kane has displayed tremendous vision and playmaking ability while often paired with his good friend Alex DeBrincat. Kane has totaled seven goals and 16 points while averaging nearly 18 minutes per night over 19 games with the Red Wings. DeBrincat, 26, a dynamic scorer, has battled his share of ups and downs this season and looks extremely comfortable in Detroit. The Michigan native was Detroit's lone All-Star representative, and although he was robbed of the All-Star MVP, he put on a show during the festivities in Toronto. DeBrincat currently sits second on the Red Wings with 18 goals (five behind captain Dylan Larkin) and has amassed 43 points in 50 games with Detroit. In addition to the top two, the Red Wings have enjoyed a ton of depth-scoring. They've got ten players currently with double-digit goals on the season.
"It's great to be fully healthy and we can really build our game here going into the playoffs,"Kane said."We have 32 games left — some big, available points on the line and we have to take advantage of every game. "That was one of the things I liked, was just the depth on the team," he said. "Every team I’ve been on that’s won has a lot of depth and you can count on different guys throughout your lineup to step up every night — it’s not the same two or three guys. That’s what is exciting about our team."
The Detroit Red Wings will also get Ben Chiarot and Ville Husso back. Husso had been sidelined since mid-December with a leg injury he suffered against the Anaheim Ducks. Chiarot missed the second half of January, and although he had often been a punching bag among Red Wings' fans, he's performed far better this season, his second year with Detroit, than he did last season.
On Thursday, Kane practiced with J.T. Compher and David Perron, while Chiarot was paired with Jeff Petry on the second unit. Husso will be Detroit's primary backup netminder on Saturday, and moving forward as, Alex Lyon has solidified himself as the clear No. 1 goaltender. Lyon was a significant factor in Detroit's turnaround from December to January. He's 13-6-2 on the season with an impressive .922 save percentage and 2.51 goals-against average.
In comparison, Husso is 9-5-2 on the year with a .893 save percentage and a 3.53 goals-against average. I will say this: before the injury, Husso was starting to look like the player he had been during the first half of last season. If he can rediscover his game, it will be very beneficial for the Red Wings' playoff hopes. As good as Lyon has been, he will need a blow every once in a while down the stretch.
"I just have to make sure that whenever I get the call, I’m ready," Husso said. "I think we’ve done a good job with off-ice stuff and on the ice. "Missing almost two months, it’s a different kind of grind to get healthy. I feel full of energy. I haven’t played an NHL game in almost two months, so I have a lot of energy and a positive mindset. There’s a lot of hockey still, and it’s going to be a grind for us to stay above the line."