Anatomy of a record: Detroit’s history-making home winning streak
Jan 23, 2012, 12:17 PM EDT
AP Tonight on NBC Sports Network (7:30pm ET), the Detroit Red Wings will host the St. Louis Blues at Joe Louis Arena.
It’s a fairly crucial game for the Wings in terms of Central Division jockeying — they’re just one point up on the Blues for first place — but also in terms of history. Detroit has won 16 straight home games and is now just four away from tying the NHL’s all-time mark of 20.
Let’s take a look at the past and future of the streak.
Looking Back
– The streak began with a 5-0 win over Anaheim on Nov. 5.
– The last time Detroit lost at home, Jay-Z and Beyonce weren’t parents and Kim Jong-il was the supreme leader of North Korea.
– The previous franchise best (14-game winning streak) was set 47 years ago by the famous Detroit team led by Gordie Howe, Norm Ullman, Alex Delvecchio and Roger Crozier.
– It was broken last Monday.
– During the streak, the Wings have scored five goals or more eight times, including a 7-1 romp over Winnipeg, an 8-2 destruction of Los Angeles and a 5-0 whipping of Buffalo.
– The 16-game winning streak is the fourth-longest in NHL history.
– Only the 1929-30 Boston Bruins and 1975-76 Philadelphia Flyers (20 each), and the 1970-71 Bruins (19) had longer ones.
Top Performers
– Jimmy Howard has been the goalie of record for all 16 wins.
– Detroit has seven players in the NHL’s top 20 for home plus/minus: Nicklas Lidstrom (1st, +24), Ian White (3rd, +23), Valtteri Filppula (7th, +19), Johan Franzen (13th, +17), Brad Stuart (16th, +15), Drew Miller (18th, +13) and Jiri Hudler (20th, +13).
– Detroit doesn’t have a minus player at home this year.
– Pavel Datsyuk is second in the NHL for assists at home (21).
Looking ahead
– Detroit hosts St. Louis tonight, then heads out on a five-game road trip to Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton and Phoenix. That’s followed by a six-game homestand at the Joe.
– Should the Wings get by the Blues tonight, they’ll have to wait until Feb. 8 (vs. Edmonton) to try for another home win.
– Assuming Detroit keeps winning at home, the projected date for the record-tying 20th victory is Sunday, Feb. 12 versus Philadelphia.
– The potential record-breaking opportunity would come two nights later, Feb. 14, against Dallas.
-
- hibackhand - Jan 23, 2012 at 2:28 PM
-
good post. Love the stats.
-
- soro17 - Jan 23, 2012 at 2:53 PM
-
I am going to harrumph about this. Two of the ‘wins’ are shoot-out wins. Their regulation / OT winning streak was 12 games (which is impressive, but nowhere near a record). Bloody NHL, just create a pre/post shoot-out era record book already.
-
- Jeff - Jan 24, 2012 at 11:21 PM
-
Go Wings!
