PREVIEW: Red Wings want to keep point streak going in Western Canada, take on Canucks on Monday

VANCOUVER – As their season-long six-game road trip shifts to Western Canada, the Detroit Red Wings will try to stretch their point streak to five straight contests when they square off against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Monday night.

“I’ve been lucky enough to be part of the Western Conference and Pacific Division my whole career,” Detroit head coach Todd McLellan said. “There’s a lot of real good rivals out here. The buildings are each unique. The fanbases are crazy. They really support their teams strong, so [Western Canada] is a fun place to play.”

Puck drop between the Red Wings (15-11-3; 33 points) and Canucks (11-15-3; 25 points) is set for 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, with broadcast coverage on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network (97.1 The Ticket in Detroit). The two clubs will conclude their regular-season series in exactly one month when they play at Little Caesars Arena on Jan. 8.

“The other factor that sometimes gets talked about is the number of Canadians we have, or other teams have,” McLellan added. “When you come to Canada, you get to play in front of family or are around family often. It is a factor. I would never want to let my family members down, and maybe dig in a little bit more when you’re tired or not feeling real good. We invite all the parents out to these three games.”

The Red Wings are coming off a 4-3 win over the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday, marking their fifth straight win against the Kraken since Feb. 19, 2024. Emmitt Finnie, Andrew Copp, James van Riemsdyk and Patrick Kane all scored for Detroit, while netminder John Gibson stopped 24 shots to earn his second consecutive victory.

“Gibby played great for us the other day,” Alex DeBrincat said. “Hopefully, we can help him out a little bit more by giving up less chances and putting a few more into the net.”

The Red Wings’ penalty kill did a good job keeping the Kraken off the scoreboard, going 2-for-2. Going into Monday’s game, Detroit had killed off 78.2 percent of its penalties -- 24th in the NHL.

“I thought we started the year real strong, then we took a little bit of a dip injury-wise and maybe even goaltending-wise in that situation,” McLellan said. “We seem to have got that back. Understanding our structure and strike points. Face-offs are such a huge factor on the penalty kill.”

The Canucks, who are last in the Western Conference’s Pacific Division, ended a four-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the visiting Minnesota Wild on Saturday.

Vancouver’s leading point scorers at this point of the season are Elias Pettersson (eight goals, 14 assists) and captain Quinn Hughes (two goals, 20 assists), who each have recorded 22 points. Kiefer Sherwood (12 goals, four assists) and Brock Boeser (nine goals, seven assists) are tied for second with 16 points apiece. Goalies Kevin Lankinen and Thatcher Demko have combined for a 3.13 goals-against average and .892 save percentage this season.

“They have a lot of skill over there,” DeBrincat said about the Canucks. “There’s definitely no easy night in the NHL. You can win any night. You have to come ready to play, no matter who you’re playing against. The way the League is right now, everyone is within a few points of each other so it doesn’t matter if you’re at the bottom or the top. It’s going to be a tough game, and we got to prepare for their strengths.”