The Red Wings inched closer to an NHL-record 20 straight home wins with Wednesday’s 4-2 victory over Edmonton.
It was Detroit’s 18th straight home win, leaving the Red Wings just two games shy of the all-time NHL record of 20 straight. That record was first set by the Boston Bruins during the 1929-30 season, and matched by the Flyers in 1976.
Johan Franzen put the Wings up in the first with his team-leading 21st goal of the season. Cory Emmerton made it 2-0 in the second, and Detroit seemed poise to cruise to win No. 18.
Edmonton would make it interesting, knotting the game at 2-2 in the third period on Sam Gagner’s second goal of the game. That seemed to wake Detroit up, as Drew Miller and Henrik Zetterberg promptly added a pair of goals to provide the 4-2 margin.
The win was Detoirt’s 36th on the season, giving them a league-best 74 points.
The Red Wings’ next five games are at home, which will give them ample time to set – and extend – the home-wins record. Anaheim, which has the third-fewest points in the Western Conference, visits on Friday, followed by a nationally televised Sunday night game against the Flyers (in other words, the Wings could tie the record against the team that set the record).
Should those two go down as W’s, then Detroit could rewrite history Tuesday, on Valentine’s Day, against Dallas.
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