The Stanley Cup Playoffs do not start for another three weeks, but the Saturday game featuring the Detroit Red Wings and the visiting Philadelphia Flyers certainly will have a postseason feel to it.
The Red Wings (39-25-8, 86 points) snapped a two-game losing streak Friday with a 5-2 road win over the Buffalo Sabres.
Coach Todd McLellan’s team will have little time to celebrate the victory as the Red Wings welcome the Flyers (35-24-12, 82 points), who cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday. Philadelphia is 10-3-1 in its last 14 games overall.
“The opposition always has a say in the game,” McLellan said. “I talk about the wonders of sport, that’s how it goes. (On Saturday), we expect to come out and have energy … but there’s always variables that come into play. We’ll control as many of them as we can, and we’ll try and get off to a good start again.”
Neither team currently holds a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Red Wings are tied with the Ottawa Senators, just one point behind the New York Islanders for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
That could change depending on the outcome of their game Saturday night, along with the Islanders’ home game against the Florida Panthers and the Senators’ visit to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Both of those games take place in the afternoon.
The Red Wings also could catch the Boston Bruins, who currently hold the top wild-card spot with 88 points. Boston welcomes the Minnesota Wild for a late-afternoon tilt.
Alex DeBrincat leads the Red Wings in goals (36) and points (77). He collected a goal and two assists in the win against Buffalo to extend his points streak to eight games (three goals, 11 assists). It also gave him a career high for assists with 41, topping the 40 he posted two seasons in his first campaign with Detroit.
The Flyers are four points behind the Senators and Red Wings.
Part of the reason for the success has been contributions from several top players. Matvei Michkov has not scored a goal since March 9, but the forward has five assists in his past five games.
Noah Cates recorded a goal and an assist in the win over Chicago. He has scored four goals and set up two others in his past five games.
Philadelphia also is getting strong play from goalie Samuel Ersson, who is 3-0-0 with a 1.47 goals-against average in March.
“I just keep playing my game, and obviously, the guys in front have done a really good job in the games I’ve played,” Ersson said. “So, it’s made my job pretty easy. I just step in there and try to do my part to help the team win.”
Both teams are looking to end lengthy postseason droughts. The Flyers last made the playoffs in 2020, while Detroit has not qualified since 2016.
