DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings won an NHL-record 21st straight home game, beating the Dallas Stars 3-1 on Tuesday night.
Henrik Zetterberg and Brad Stuart scored midway through the first period for the Red Wings, who broke the mark of 20 set by the Boston Bruins during the 1929-30 season, and matched by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1976.Fans at Joe Louis Arena gave the team a standing ovation in the final minute and were chanting: "21! 21!" After the game, the Red Wings raised their sticks to acknowledge the cheering fans.In the NHL's seven seasons with a shootout to eliminate tie games, Boston won 14 straight at home during the 2008-09 season. That was the longest streak until Detroit's current run of dominance.Joey MacDonald made 20 saves, filling in again for the injured Jimmy Howard, and was 32.8 seconds away from his third NHL shutout.Adam Burish scored and Kari Lehtonen stopped 34 shots for Dallas.The Red Wings' next two games are at home -- Friday against Nashville, and Sunday against San Jose. That will give them a chance to break another record by the Bruins.Boston won 22 straight home games, spanning two seasons. The Bruins closed the 1929-30 season with 20 victories at home and then won its first two in Boston the following season.Detroit hopes it doesn't follow the path of the last two teams to win 20 straight at home. The Bruins eight-plus decades ago and the Flyers nearly 36 years ago were defending Stanley Cup champions and went on to lose in the finals.Would you attend more Stars games if the team raised its profile in Fort Worth?
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