Special Teams Excellence Propels Detroit Red Wings over New York Rangers

The Detroit Red Wings have been a very entertaining team to watch this season, and they have grown tremendously since the season started in early October. It is fair to say that the team has exceeded a number of expectations, and at this point you can only wonder how far this team can go. After skating by the Rangers on Saturday, Detroit is now second in the division with 37 points, despite having played two fewer games than the Montreal Canadiens.

The victory also saw the Red Wings buck a trend that they have struggled with for most of the season. Despite having a sub-.500 record in games in which they trailed after one period of play, the Red Wings found a way to get the job done against a relaxed and revitalized New York Rangers squad.

Detroit entered Saturday night's contest versus the Rangers with the fifth-best power play in the NHL and the fifth-best penalty-kill unit.

The matchup was an interesting game from a special teams perspective, because the Wings failed to score a power-play goal, even though they have been clicking as of late. Their penalty kill, on the other hand, was excellent and continues to be one of Detroit's biggest strengths.

Early on, the Wings were in the perfect situation to take a stranglehold on the game and set the tone, but the opportunity came and went with little fanfare. 

Dave Reginek/Getty Images

Detroit was clicking at 23.1 percent on the man advantage, but it couldn't cash in on a mistake made by Carl Hagelin when he earned a double minor for high sticking. The Wings pinned the Rangers in their own zone for almost the entirety of the penalty, and despite registering a number of great shots, the score was still 0-0.

After watching the Red Wings come up short in this situation, it seemed like it wasn't going to be their night—especially when you consider Cam Talbot entered this game on a two-game shutout streak, and he stood tall during the first period.

Ultimately the Red Wings would score, but it was their staunch penalty kill, not their offense, that truly won them this game. Special teams were the deciding factor, and the Wings lived up to their reputation for being a solid defensive team while short-handed.

In addition to great short-handed play, the Wings played a good defensive second and third period. During the first period, some good puck movement by the Rangers—and bad coverage on the part of the Wings—allowed New York to jump out to a 2-0 lead.

Kevin Klein walked in and slammed home a rebound in the crease, and Rick Nash was sprung by a Derick Brassard pass. The Wings went into the locker room trailing by two, and from that point on it was a completely different game.

From the second period on, the Rangers failed to harness their gained momentum, and they let the Wings back into the game during a span that lasted one minute and one second. Tenacity and aggressiveness allowed Riley Sheahan to roof his sixth goal of the season on the backhand, and Luke Glendening picked up his third tally.

During the second and third periods, Detroit did everything it failed to accomplish during the first period. The Wings pounced on every loose puck, drove the play up the ice and squashed the Rangers' ability to make plays and generate offense.

Darren Helm ultimately would score Detroit's third goal of the game, but a couple of bad penalties almost gifted the Rangers the contest. It started with a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty, followed by a high sticking double minor by Kyle Quincey. And shortly after the first penalty was killed, Jonathan Ericsson took a high-sticking penalty of his own.

During the second five-on-three, the Rangers had almost two minutes to set up, but solid positioning and active sticks enabled the Wings to stymie any offensive chances the Blueshirts generated. Jimmy Howard also made some key saves—he had 29 on the night and eight during the power play—and was helped by the crossbar and posts during the Rangers' late five-on-three surges.

It was impressive to see the Red Wings bounce back and play a buttoned-down game, and their final stand during the third period was one of the best displays of penalty killing the NHL has seen this year. The Wings' PK unit went a perfect 7-of-7, and the entire team blocked 11 shots and won 33 of 56 faceoffs. 

With the victory, Detroit is 8-2-0 in its last 10 played, and after putting on a penalty-killing clinic, the team ranks third in the league, with only the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks ahead of it. 

It was very important for the Red Wings to come back and earn two points, because picking up points could be difficult over the next few weeks when Detroit will be run ragged. The team will play four games in the next six nights, will have two days off and then play four more in seven nights. 

It will be interesting to see how many points the Wings can pick up before the Christmas break, and at that point we will have a clearer look at their potential playoff position.

All in all, it wasn't one of the Wings' best overall games from start to finish, but they showed resiliency, heart and other intangibles that will have to keep the team going during the upcoming stretch.

Stats via NHL.com.

Tom Urtz Jr. is an NHL columnist covering hockey for Bleacher Report.

Follow @TomUrtzJr