Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

After the Detroit Red Wings’ latest victory, Henrik Zetterberg was asked how it felt for the team to be back in the playoff picture.

He laughed and noted it was only for a day.

Make that a little longer.

The Wings got a helping hand toward their playoff drive from former Central Division rival Chicago on Sunday as the Blackhawks beat the Boston Bruins, 6-4.

That, coming the day after the Wings won, 3-2, at Toronto, keeps the Wings in third place in the Atlantic Division. The Wings took Sunday off because they don’t play again until Wednesday, when they host Philadelphia. The Bruins, a point behind Detroit, next play Tuesday against Carolina. The Wings play at Boston on Thursday.

The Wings have used the past two games to right themselves, playing really well defensively Friday in a home victory over Minnesota and winning in Toronto on the strength of early scoring and the resurgent play of goaltender Jimmy Howard.

“I think overall we’re playing pretty good defense, and that’s something we talked about,” coach Jeff Blashill said after Saturday’s game. “I still believed going into this weekend we can be a team that plays real good defense and can create offense still. I thought we did that pretty well overall.”

Howard has won his past three starts and was especially key in beating the Maple Leafs. It’s a gratifying situation given how Howard struggled midseason.

“It’s fun being out there competing for the guys,” he said. “Just being back out there, knowing what’s on the line, being in the trenches with the guys, it’s a lot of fun. And that’s why you play the game.”

The Wings can’t afford any letup. The next two games are the biggest obstacles to making the playoffs for a 25th consecutive season. The Flyers have one of the wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference. Staying in the top-three spots in the Atlantic, meanwhile, means an automatic playoff berth.

There’s even a chance the Wings could move higher than third in the division. They trail Tampa Bay by only four points, and the Lightning just lost two key players to injury in Steven Stamkos and Anton Stralman.

The Wings close out the regular season with a Saturday matinee at the Rangers.

Contact Helene St. James: hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Check out our Red Wings Xtra app on Apple and Android!

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