from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

The Red Wings are about to tackle a gauntlet that is pretty remarkable.

Beginning with Monday's game in Minnesota, the Wings are embarking on a seven-game segment in which they face seven of the top eight teams in the NHL:

► Monday at Minnesota (29-11-3, 61 points);

► Thursday at New York Rangers (30-13-4, 64 points);

► Feb. 23 vs. Colorado (33-8-4, 70 points);

► Feb. 26 vs. Toronto (30-12-3, 63 points);

► March 1 vs. Carolina (32-11-3, 67 points);

► March 4 at Tampa Bay (31-11-6, 68 points);

► March 5 at Florida (32-10-5, 69 points).

It's an incredible stretch, one that is daunting, but one the Wings are eager to tackle while attempting to maintain a spot in the playoff chase.

"It's going to be a good test for us," forward Robby Fabbri said. "We have some days in between each game so we can prepare and get ready, which is a little unusual. But in the end, we'll go out and no matter who the opponent, we have to do what makes us successful and when we're doing the right stuff it doesn't matter what team it is (they're playing), we're going to be successful."

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