"Dylan Larkin seems to be the Key to the Red Wings' Success!"

My lord have the Detroit Red Wings missed Dylan Larkin. The Red Wings captain finally made his return to the lineup Thursday. His return came just in time to host their biggest game in years, against a New York Islanders team close behind them in the Eastern Conference wild-card race.

The Red Wings have skidded through an tough to watch March, and this team is desperately trying to end a seven-year playoff drought. Without Larkin, the Red Wings had looked like a team that was just going through the motions. The Larkin-less Wings squandering an 8-point lead over their closest challenger for a wild-card spot and are now having to fight simply to stay in the race by the time he returned.

This brings me to last nights game. Late in the second period, with Detroit hanging on to a 2-1 lead, Larkin found himself wide open in the slot, taking an Alex DeBrincat pass and ripping past Ilya Sorokin. He motioned to the crowd to get up, and they gladly obliged, roaring in celebration.

From that moment on, a Red Wings win was not in doubt. Detroit beat the Islanders 6-3, and Larkin tacked on an empty-netter. He was named the game’s third star, and given his importance to the Wings he should be no less than third star every night.

Late in the third period, after Larkin’s empty-net goal to seal it, the chants of Larkin's name could be heard reverberating off the walls of Little Caesars arena. You can contribute this to a sign of relief, at least for the moment, that Larkin is back.

Watching the game last night it was amazing just how different the Red Wings looked with Larkin back. And how quickly he made his impact felt. Looking back, the signing of Larkin to 8 years $69 Million, seem like a bargain for how much he means to this team, and how much this team needs him.

I will leave you with this. Even tough it is great that he Wings finally got their captain back, it is more concerning that there is no leadership, accountability, or heart when the captain is away.