Dylan Larkin returns to the Red Wings fresh off an Olympic gold medal, and Detroit is banking on that momentum carrying into the playoff stretch. The veteran center's tournament dominance - including crucial goals and penalty-kill heroics against Canada - has him primed to lead the Wings' late-season charge. With the team expecting him in the lineup Thursday against Ottawa, Larkin now chases a different kind of hardware after proving he can deliver on the biggest stages.

Dylan Larkin jets from Milan triumph to a sun-soaked Miami celebration, gold medal dangling as the Red Wings captain recharges before Thursday's Ottawa clash. Teammates like Raymond and Seider bring their own Olympic fire back to a Detroit squad sitting third in the Atlantic with playoff dreams alive in their centennial year. Insiders buzz about how Larkin's faceoff dominance and penalty-kill grit translate to a brutal post-break slate against Ottawa, Carolina, Nashville and beyond.

Detroit returns to action this week with 24 games remaining and a legitimate shot at ending a nine-year playoff drought, sitting at 72 points in a brutally tight Atlantic Division race. Captain Dylan Larkin is coming home with Olympic gold, and the team's core players are refreshed after the break, but the margin for error is razor-thin with Montreal tied on points and Buffalo lurking just two points back.

Blues executive Zimmerman pulls no punches on how the Winter Games lit a fire under the NHL's global profile. With NHL stars dominating the ice in Milano Cortina - from Larkin's clutch goals for Team USA to Hughes logging monster minutes - front offices see the league's best-on-best showcase as pure rocket fuel. Stakeholders whisper that this gold-medal buzz, especially USA's OT thriller over Canada, could reshape TV deals and fan growth back home.

Team USA's gold medal heroes pull off a miracle overtime stunner against Canada, echoing the '80 Miracle on Ice on its 46th anniversary. Dylan Larkin and Zach Werenski invite Johnny Gaudreau's young kids, Noa and Johnny Jr., onto the ice for the team photo, jersey held high in the locker room all tournament. With Meredith, Guy, and Jane watching through tears, this gesture cements Johnny's enduring legacy among the U.S.-born greats who never got his own shot at Olympic gold.

New York stirs with a blockbuster move unfolding right as the NHL trade window cracks open post-Olympic break. Agents buzz with calls from Broadway, where GMs chase that missing piece for a Cup push. Every hour brings fresh rumors, and the deadline clock ticks louder than ever.