By Dave Hart
LocalSportsJournal.com
Red Wings 5, Islanders 1 – The Red Wings cruised past the New York Islanders on Saturday afternoon and snapped their two-game losing streak.
Dylan Larkin and Tomas Tatar each scored a goal and picked up an assist for Detroit, while Gustav Nyquist and Brad Richards added two assists.
The Islanders’ captain John Taveras scored their lone goal in the contest.
Detroit’s goaltender Petr Mrazek picked up the win, stopping 28 of 29 shots.
The Red Wings are now 26-18-8 on the season, good for 60 points and a third place tie in the Atlantic Division.
Detroit will remain home and play the Atlantic Division leading Florida Panthers.
Record: 26-18-8 60 pts
Tied for 3rd Place in Atlantic Division (7 pts behind Florida)
Tied 5th Place in Eastern Conference (18 pts behind Washington)
3 pts ahead of Pittsburgh for the last playoff spot
Magic # to clinch 25th straight playoff berth: 58 pts
Magic # to clinch Atlantic Division title: 69 pts
Magic # to clinch Eastern Conference: 83 pts
Next Game: 02/08/2016 vs. Florida Panthers 7:30 p.m. @ Joe Louis Arena
Stats: Goals- Thomas Jurco (3), Kyle Quincey (2), Tomas Tatar (15), Dylan Larkin (18), Mike Green (4). Assists-Andreas Athanasiou (1), Pavel Datsyuk 2 (20), Larkin (19), Gustav Nyquist 2 (15), Brad Richards 2 (10), Tatar (17). Goaltender- Petr Mrazek (19-10-4) 28 saves on 29 shots.
Pacers 112, Pistons 104 – The Indiana Pacers never fell behind in Saturday nights victory over the Pistons.
The Pacers jumped out to a 34-22 lead after the first quarter and never looked back as Detroit managed to only cut its deficit to four points.
Paul George led the Pacers with a game-high 30 points, while George Hill added 17 points.
The Pistons were led in a losing effort by Reggie Jackson with 26 points. Andre Drummond picked up a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
The Pistons are now 27-25 on the season, good for eighth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They have a one and a half game lead over the Charlotte Hornets for the final playoff spot.
Detroit will host the Toronto Raptors on Monday night.
Record: 27-25
4th Place in Central Division (10 games behind Cleveland)
8th Place in Eastern Conference (10 games behind Cleveland)
1.5 games ahead of Charlotte for the last playoff spot
Magic # to clinch a playoff berth: 30
Magic # to clinch Central Division title: 42
Magic # to clinch Eastern Conference title: 42
Next Game: 02/08/2016 vs. Toronto Raptors 7:30 p.m. @ Palace of Auburn Hills
Stats: Reggie Jackson 26 points, Anthony Tolliver 17 points, Marcus Morris 16 points, Andre Drummond 10 points 13 rebounds.
