In a span of 40 days, the Red Wings seem to have transformed into another team, moving up to the top wild card spot. They have fashioned two seven-game winning streaks and McLellan’s 15-4-1 record ties Mike Babcock for the best 20-game start with the club for a Red Wings coach.

The Red Wings are currently on a West Coast trip. They have their second and final meeting against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night. On this road trip, they have collected six

Even Patrick Kane had to laugh and admit, “I’m not sure any of us really thought we’d be in this position right now, but what a spot we’re in.”

With an overtime win in Vancouver and a successful western Canada swing, the Red Wings are firmly back in the Eastern Conference race.

The turnaround has been staggering. The Red Wings are 13-4-1 since McLellan replaced Derek Lalonde on Dec. 26. Their 27 points during that span is tied for first in the NHL with Dallas (13-4-1) and Washington (11-2-5).

Among all the gifts that Detroit Red Wings fans were receiving on Christmas Day, the best one of all wasn’t found under the holiday tree. Todd McLellan is the gift that keeps on giving.

The Red Wings just put together their second seven-game winning streak under new head coach Todd McLellan. "Obviously, I'm not sure any of us thought we'd be in this position," Patrick Kane said. "You gotta give Todd a lot of credit too.