The Detroit Red Wings nearly fell out of the playoff race due to a bad December in which the team went 5-10 and the wheels appeared to have fallen off. As December was winding down the Red Wings won a game against the Nashville Predators in OT. At the time it was not viewed as anything earth-shaking or season-changing. Yet, it was in that game on December 29th when Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat fought with the Predators Roman Josi. Since that fight, Detroit is currently on a 10-2-2 streak.
It is not unusual for a player to fight a member of the other team to kickstart his team if effort and energy are not there. But, Alex DeBrincat? An unlikely source to spearhead a season turnaround. Or is it? DeBrincat managed to angle his way out of Ottawa and to his home state to the organization he wanted to play for which was calculated and his fight against Josi seemed just as calculated to help the sputtering Red Wings.
Players with the offensive upside that Alex DeBincat has generally do not mix it up on the ice. When they do it is an attention-getter. That fight and the past six weeks have put Detroit in a playoff position because that fight seems to have galvanized the players as they have played with more intensity.
As mentioned, an in-game fight is meant to spur the team to give more for that game. DeBrincat’s fight appears to have a far more reaching impact as the Red Wings shook off inconsistent play and flipped the switch on the season.
What has also aided the team was team captain Dylan Larkin and J.T. Compher and goalies Alex Lyon and Ville Husson returned from injuries and David Perron served a six-game suspension. In other words, Derek Lalonde did not have all his players to work with.
The Detroit Red Wings are a confident group and have turned deficiencies into strengths all stemming from a late December fight, a fight that put the fight back into the Red Wings.
