PREVIEW: Red Wings aim to keep season-high winning streak going, host Blackhawks on Friday

DETROIT -- Officially reaching the halfway mark of the 2024-25 campaign, the Detroit Red Wings will bring a season-high five-game winning streak into Friday night’s Original Six matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks at Little Caesars Arena.

Puck between the Red Wings (18-18-4; 40 points) and Blackhawks (14-25-2; 30 points) is set for 7 p.m., with broadcast coverage on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network (97.1 The Ticket in Detroit). Detroit will look to sweep the season series with Chicago after pulling away for a 4-1 win at United Center on Nov. 8.

“The vibes are really good in the locker room right now,” Marco Kasper said. “Practices are really good. I think we’re practicing with a really good purpose. We’re just trying to get the structure in, play a structured game, play a solid 60 for minutes and go for the next win.”

The Red Wings are red-hot heading into the second contest of their current four-game homestand, most recently pushing past the Ottawa Senators, 3-2, in overtime on Tuesday.

“Systems-wise, everybody knows what they’re doing out there,” Erik Gustafsson said about Detroit’s play during its winning streak. “Trusting each other, and obviously we’ve won five games in a row here. We believe we are a great team in here. We just got to keep it going.”

Gustafsson said generating more scoring chances is also playing a critical role in the Red Wings’ current success.

“Ever since Todd [McLellan] came in, he’s wanted us to shoot it a little more,” Gustafsson said. “Get the puck to the net and bodies in front. It’s always hard when the other team is shooting. You don’t know where the puck is going…If we shoot more pucks, the puck is going to go in.”

Currently at the bottom of the NHL’s standings, the Blackhawks are coming off a 3-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.

Registering a goal and an assist against the Avalanche, Connor Bedard pushed his career-best point streak to eight consecutive games. The 19-year-old forward leads Chicago in assists (26) and points (37) this season and is tied with Ryan Donato for the second-most goals (11) behind Tyler Bertuzzi (14-8—22).

Goalie Petr Mrazek earned the win for the Blackhawks on Tuesday, his eighth of the campaign and first in his last five starts. The 32-year-old netminder also has a 3.13 goals-against average and .897 save percentage in 24 games.

“We know that, obviously looking at the standings, they’re a great team,” Gustafsson said about the Blackhawks. “They have top players on their team too. We got to be ready from the start. If we play a full 60 minutes, I think we can come out on top.”