Wings' 21st straight home win sets mark

DETROIT -- Red-and-white clad fans haven't seen the Detroit Red Wings lose at home in more than three months. The NHL has never seen such success at home in one season.

The Red Wings beat the Dallas Stars, 3-1, Tuesday night for their 21st straight win in Detroit, breaking the single-season mark of 20 set by Boston in the 1929-30 season and matched by Philadelphia in 1976.

During the final minute of the latest home win, the crowd showered the Red Wings with a standing ovation -- and chanted, "21! 21!" "In the end when they were really cheering, before and after the buzzer, it was a pretty cool feeling," forward Henrik Zetterberg said.

Zetterberg and Brad Stuart scored midway through the first period and Detroit went on to surpass the longstanding record. After time expired, the Red Wings went to former Islanders goaltender Joey MacDonald and then skated toward center ice to thank their passionate patrons by raising their sticks.

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 loss to Calgary on Nov. 3.

Adam Burish, who scored for Dallas, said what the Red Wings have done isn't watered down by having 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."