The Detroit Red Wings picked up their fourth win on their season-high six-game road swing, capped by their 4-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday evening.
The metal of the Detroit Red Wings was put to the test as they embarked on a season-high six-game road trip.
The road trip, which just concluded on Saturday evening, yielded extremely encouraging results, as the Red Wings won four of six games while claiming nine of a possible 12 points.
The Red Wings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks by a 4-0 final score at United Center thanks to multiple contributions from former Blackhawks players Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat, helping Detroit maintain a tie for the first place position in the Atlantic Division.
Not only that, but John Gibson picked up his second shutout in three games, and won his fifth straight start, something he attributed to a complete team effort.
“I thought it was a complete game top to bottom, from the drop of the puck to the finish," Gibson said. "We stuck to our game plan and played really well. A total team effort.”
DeBrincat scored just 55 seconds into the contest, while Kane picked up the 498th goal of his NHL career in the venue in which he wowed legions of Blackhawks fans during his 15 and a half seasons as a Blackhawk.
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Rookie Emmitt Finnie increased the lead to 3-0 in the second period, while DeBrincat capped the scoring with an empty-net goal late in the third period, his second of the night and team-leading 18th goal.
Afterward, head coach Todd McLellan, who is closing in on his one-year anniversary since being hired, lauded Detroit's efforts not only against Chicago but on the overall road trip.
“When you look at it from a points perspective, it’s a really good trip for us, we had to win in a lot of different ways," he said. "To finish six games in 10 nights with a shutout, that’s something we should be proud of."
McLellan has repeatedly spoken about the importance of mental fortitude and game management, which he saw plenty of over the course of the trip.
Red Wings' Patrick Kane on Coming Back to Chicago: “It’s Always Fun”
On Saturday evening, longtime Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane will suit up for the Detroit Red Wings for the third time at United Center, the venue he called home for so manyyears.
When we started Training Camp three months ago, we talked about being mentally stronger, physically stronger, and improving (our) in-game management," he said. "I thought we saw all three of those elements on the trip, especially here tonight.”
The Red Wings return home to play consecutive games on Tuesday and Wedesday evening against the New York Islanders and Utah Mammoth.
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