Detroit Red Wings (30-20-6) vs. St. Louis Blues (30-24-2)
When: Noon Saturday.
Where: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
TV: ABC.
Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1).
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CARLOS MONARREZ Red Wings show Steve Yzerman vs. Avs how they’ve graduated to near-playoff status
Game notes: In a way, the Blues — who enter Saturday clinging to the West’s second wild-card spot by percentage points over Nashville — have the Red Wings to thank for their 10-week surge. The last time the Wings and Blues met, on Dec. 12 in St. Louis, the Wings had the Blues singing, well, y’know … after a third-period rally featuring three goals resulted in a 6-4 Detroit victory. (Michael Rasmussen and Lucas Raymond each had a goal and an assist, while Joe Veleno had a pair of helpers.) That convinced Blues president John Davidson a change was needed — not at the top, but kinda close by, as he fired head coach Craig Berube (who, remember, won the franchise’s only Stanley Cup in 2019) over late-night beers.
Under new coach Drew Bannister, St. Louis has gone 17-10-1 — not epic, but better than the Wings’ 15-11-2 mark since then — to climb back into the playoff picture. So what’s the difference?
In the crease, Jordan Binnington has looked a lot more like the netminder that led the 2018-19 Blues to that Cup as a rookie; after starting the season with a .907 save percentage and 3.10 goals-against average in 21 games — marks tainted, perhaps, by the five goals allowed to the Wings in December — Binnington has posted a .915 save percentage and 2.59 GAA in 19 appearances since. Also, he’s no longer doing borderline crazy things in NHL arenas, such as throwing a water bottle at an opponent during a postgame interview, or getting ejected for hitting an opposing forward with his blocker.
Also thriving is center Jordan Kyrou, who wasn’t quite living up to his eight-year, $65 million contract (signed before the 2022-23 season) with five goals and 12 assists over his first 28 games. In the 28 games since, however, Kyrou has put up 14 goals and 14 assists (a 40-goal pace as well as a point per game).
Former MSU standout defenseman Torey Krug has also been on a heater under the new regime, with 16 assists (though don’t look too hard at that minus-15 plus/minus). That was helped — a bit — by Krug’s five-assist game on Feb. 11 against the Canadiens in Montreal. That set a record by a Blues defenseman and made the Livonia native one of just eight U.S.-born defensemen with a five-assist game. (The others? Chris Chelios, Adam Fox, Phil Housley, Mark Howe, Tom Kurvers, Brian Leetch and Gary Suter.)
The Wings, meanwhile, haven’t had any coach firings or five-assist games; they’ve just been playing solid hockey that includes a lock-down penalty kill. Since the start of 2024, the Wings have allowed just six power play goals in 47 opportunities against, a kill rate of 87.2%.
After today’s matinee at LCA, the Wings won’t have much time off, as they head to Chicago for a 6 p.m. Sunday matchup against the Blackhawks, with Chelios getting his number retired by the ’Hawks in a pregame ceremony. The Blues, meanwhile, get a couple extra days off — perhaps to allow for time to get through Canadian customs — as they visit Winnipeg and Edmonton on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Live updates
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Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
