Shine collected his first career NHL point on Saturday, getting the secondary assist on captain Dylan Larkins’ game-opening goal in the first period. Larkin now has four points (two goals, two assists) during a three-game point streak and 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) in his last 18 games.
And with one more point this season, Larkin (23-26-49) can become the first Red Wings player to notch four straight 50-point campaigns since Henrik Zetterberg did from 2014-18.
“The leadership of [Larkin], he just kind of pulls everyone along with him,” said goalie Cam Talbot, who made 33 saves against the Flames. “You see [Lucas] Raymond elevate his game, a couple of other guys too. You put Marco Kasper in that category as well, he’s been hot since we put him on that wing. [Larkin’s] just been dragging everyone into the fight, and everyone’s been following.”
As good as some individual offensive performances have been for Detroit, head coach Todd McLellan said the netminder tandem of Talbot and Alex Lyon has also been a key part of the club’s success this season.
“In my opinion, you need to have two [goalies] in the NHL to win,” McLellan said. “You just can’t ride or run one guy anymore. The game’s too intense. There’s volume shooting, so the numbers are going up in the 30s and 40s. The travel, as you can see what we’re going through, is too hard on a single goaltender. To have both playing the way that they are is a real good sign, but often that’s a reflection of the group around them doing some of the things that they need to do.”