from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

The calendar says late November and the NHL season has just crawled past the quarter mark.

But Tuesday's game for the Red Wings in Boston could mean a little more than usual.

The Wings have been a surprise in these early weeks, and lead Boston by one point in the standings, though the Bruins have the better win percentage.

Leaving Boston with a victory would give further notice that maybe the Wings are closer to being for real than most analysts felt they would be. It would keep Detroit in the upper half of the standings.

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