DETROIT — The Red Wings beat the Dallas Stars 3-1 on Tuesday night for their 21st consecutive victory at home — breaking the NHL single-season record of 20 set by the Boston Bruins in the 1929-30 season and matched by Philadelphia Flyers in 1976.
Henrik Zetterberg and Brad Stuart scored midway through the first period at Joe Louis Arena and Detroit went on to surpass the long-standing record.
After time expired, the Red Wings went to goalie Joey MacDonald and then skated toward center ice to thank their passionate fans by raising their sticks.
“In the end when they were really cheering, before and after the buzzer went, it was a pretty cool feeling,” Zetterberg said.
Detroit extended the streak with three wins in shootouts, which became a part of the league in 2005 after the lockout and has led some to downplay the significance of this record.
In the past, the Red Wings would’ve had to settle for ties and an unbeaten streak instead of a winning run.
“There’s really no way to combat that argument,” Stuart said. “But still, it’s an incredible accomplishment regardless of what you’re going to compare it to.”
Since the shootout eliminated ties, the longest previous home winning streak was 14 by Boston during the 2008-09 season. Detroit’s run began after a Nov. 3 loss to the Calgary Flames.
Adam Burish, who scored for Dallas, said what the Red Wings have done isn’t diluted by the fact they have chances to win games that used to end in ties.
“I think it’s harder than it was in the ’70s, just because of the parity,” Burish said. “There are no games where you can just show up and think you’re going to win.”
MacDonald made 20 saves for Detroit and was only 32.8 seconds away from his third NHL shutout.
