The Red Wings will play on national television twice this weekend, visiting the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday (12:30 p.m. ET; ABC, SNP, SNW) and hosting the Minnesota Wild at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday (1 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN 360).
Detroit is in a tight battle. The Red Wings (40-27-8) are tied with the Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets at 88 points, but the Senators hold the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference due to tiebreakers. Ottawa has more regulation wins than Detroit (33-29) and one less game played (75) than Columbus (76).
“He’s been unbelievable the last three years,” Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said of DeBrincat, emphasizing the word “three.” “He’s consistent. He plays hard. He’s hard on the puck. He plays bigger than his size, so he’s a very important player for us.”
Detroit acquired DeBrincat (5-foot-8, 180 pounds) from Ottawa in a trade July 9, 2023, and signed him to a four-year, $31.5 million contract ($7.875 average annual value). In three seasons, he has 217 points (105 goals, 112 assists) in 239 games for his hometown team. He leads the Red Wings in goals in that span, and he’s third in assists and second in points.
DeBrincat shows up each game — literally. He has played 449 straight games, the third longest active streak in the NHL. Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns is at 999 straight, Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki at 530. Burns will become the second player in NHL history to reach 1,000 — after Phil Kessel, who holds the record at 1,064 — when the Avalanche visit the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, SNP, SNW).