As December rolls on with one game left to play prior to the holiday break on Tuesday against the Dallas Stars, the Detroit Red Wings find themselves with a 21-13-3 record and sitting atop the Atlantic Division with 45 points. An 8-2-1 December record has given fans hope that this will be the year the Red Wings break their nine-year playoff drought.
The Red Wings are getting great contributions from many of their stars, including Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, Patrick Kane and Moritz Seider. The rookies, Emmitt Finnie, Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Nate Danielson have brought an influx of youth and shown that they belong at the National Hockey League level.