The Detroit Red Wings find themselves sitting at the top of the Atlantic Division with a record of 22-14-3 through 39 games. The Eastern Conference is still a logjam with only 13 points separating the Carolina Hurricanes who claim first and the Columbus Blue Jackets who find themselves at the bottom.
With 43 games left to play, the Red Wings find themselves in the driver's seat to break their nine-year playoff drought. This is a stark contrast from this time last year when the Red Wings found themselves at 13-17-4, second-to-last in the Eastern Conference and had just fired former head coach Derek Lalonde for current head coach Todd McLellan.