8 observations from Detroit’s 3-2 overtime win against Buffalo

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With the overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres, the Detroit Red Wings are on a two-game winning streak (after losing four straight). Let’s extract some info about the team after their latest victory.

#1: Lucas Raymond is the Calder favorite. He just keeps on scoring. Raymond added to his point total Saturday night against the Sabres, securing an overtime victory just a few minutes into the extra period. He now has 21 points on the season (Nine goals and twelve assists) through 20 games, which leads rookie scoring. After this much production, it should be clear: Raymond is the favorite to win rookie of the year.

#2: Moritz Seider continues to rack up the points. Right behind Raymond in the Calder talk is Moritz Seider. Against the Sabres, he tacked in an assist to add to his season point total of 14 points (Two goals and 12 assists). Seider is now in third place for rooking scoring.

#3: This is not a bottom-feeding team. In the past few seasons, the Detroit Red Wings have won more than a handful of games. The problem is, in a good amount of those seasons, a strong goaltending performance and decent defense won the game even when they were outshot. Now, the Wings are starting to control games, outshooting opponents and controlling the pace of play. In the Red Wings victory over the Sabres Saturday night, Detroit outshot Buffalo 41-28.

#4: Pius Suter has looked strong after a week start. After a mediocre start to the season, Suter has been more than competent on the second line. He also gets plenty of time on the penalty kill, deployed when the team needs to shut down opposing targets. He nabbed his fifth goal of the season in the Wings overtime victory.

#5: Nedeljkovic continues to protect the crease. Nedeljkovic’s stats might not have been as eye-catching as some of his previous games with the Wings, but he was solid yet again. Neddy stopped 26 of the Sabres 28 shots on goal, a solid effort considering the defensive lapses from Detroit.

#6: The defense still has major flaws. There were a few times throughout the games here the defense was just not in place. I’m not sure if it’s scheming or individual performances, but the defenders seem to have a few lapses every game.

#7: This is a very hot/cold team. The Detroit Red Wings are entered their home game stretch on a four game losing streak, and after a few games at the Little Casaers Arena, they are back with a winning record. With a team as young as the Wings, the inconsistency make sense. They’ll only get better as the year progresses, but be wary of those stretches of poor play.

#8: Are Playoffs out of the picture: it’s way too early and it almost certainly won’t happen, but it’s interesting that playoffs are even a discussion. The Red Wings are finally on the upswing and this year might be part of the turning point.

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