Back from the dead? Three NHL teams with new life

Detroit Red Wings

Detroit’s first seven-game winning streak in 13 years — coinciding with the arrival of new head coach Todd McLellan and the firing of Derek Lalonde — has propelled them from 28th in the league to 18th in points percentage. They sit two points back of the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with two games in hand. 

Meanwhile, Detroit’s power play has hit an astonishing 50 percent clip since Christmas. Youngster Marco Kasper has also gotten in on the action of late. He went 15 straight games without a point and was -12 in those games. He’s got two goals and two assists in Detroit’s last two wins over Seattle and Chicago.

The Red Wings are trying to avoid becoming the first Original Six team in NHL history to miss the playoffs for nine straight years.

Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens had hit a rough patch in their rebuild before the holiday break. On Dec. 16, coming off four straight games without a regulation win, back-to-back losses that included a 9-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal was sitting 29th in the NHL in points percentage and way back in the Eastern Conference playoff race. 

That felt like the perfect time for the Canadiens to reel off a 9-2-1 record, including beating all four previous Stanley Cup champions on the same six-game road trip. 

Montreal now has an identical record to Detroit and sits just two points back of Columbus for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot. It also has two games in hand. 

Since Dec. 16, Montreal has had the best points percentage in the NHL. Encouragingly, this isn’t just a case of hot shooting or goaltending. Natural Stat Trick has Montreal with an expected goals percentage north of 53 percent in that span — good for 11th in the league.

New York Rangers

Unlike Detroit and Montreal, the Rangers weren’t sitting in the danger zone on Thanksgiving. Their well-documented problems were only just beginning, but they sat 10th in the NHL in points percentage when the turkeys were carved. 

From Nov. 20 through Jan. 10, the Rangers were the turkeys, consistently carved by opposing offenses leading to the worst points percentage in hockey over a seven-week span. They dropped from looking like a playoff lock to a clear lottery team. There were questions about whether GM Chris Drury was facing a locker room rebellion. 

Things have looked different since a 6-2 blowout loss to Tampa at the end of December. The Rangers are 4-2-1 since then, notably 3-0-1 in their last four games with wins over New Jersey and league-leading Vegas. That included a three-game stretch without star goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who was battling an undisclosed upper-body injury.

Shesterkin has been stellar in his return to the ice, stopping 50 of 53 shots (.944 save percentage). Meanwhile, the Rangers top-used defensive pair of K’Andre Miller and Will Borgen appears to have found their stride. During this winning streak, their possession stats have been excellent while outscoring the opposition 5-1.

The NHL’s playoff race is significantly more interesting than it was a month ago thanks to these three teams.