Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - The last time the Detroit Red Wings failed to make the playoffs, Gustav Nyquist was less than a year old.

Currently, the 24-year-old Swede and other young Red Wings are doing their best to ensure Detroit keeps its lengthy postseason streak alive.

Nyquist has taken the offensive lead for the Red Wings during the second half of a season that has seen Detroit decimated by injuries to key players. After entering 2013-14 with only four goals in 40 career games, he has exploded for 28 goals in 51 outings this season, including a staggering 23 markers over the last 28 games.

One of Nyquist's biggest goals came Wednesday evening against the visiting Boston Bruins, a team that entered the contest with a 15-0-1 record in its previous 16 games.

With the score tied at 2-2 in the latter stages of the third period, the speedy winger picked up a loose puck in his own zone before torching Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara down the middle of the ice for a breakaway goal. The tally stood up for the win and Boston went down in regulation for the first time since March 1.

The highlight-reel score gave Nyquist a goal in three straight games and he has lit the lamp 12 times over his past 10 trips to the ice. More importantly, the win gave Detroit a three-point lead over Columbus for the first of the Eastern Conference's two wild card spots and moved the Wings four points clear of ninth-seeded Toronto.

Of course, with six games left on Detroit's regular-season slate, making the playoffs is far from a certainty. However, if the Red Wings avoid missing the postseason tournament for the first time since the 1989-90 campaign, Nyquist's contributions during the stretch run will be the biggest reason why.

Detroit is second only to Pittsburgh this season in terms of man-games lost to injuries with 379. But while the Penguins have managed to have superstar Sidney Crosby in the lineup for all 76 games, the Red Wings have played huge stretches without their two best skaters -- Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk.

Team captain Zetterberg and fellow forward Datsyuk have combined to play in only 84 games this season, and only two since the NHL returned from the Olympic break in late February.

The good news is Datsyuk is due to play his first game since Feb. 27 when Detroit hosts Buffalo on Friday. Meanwhile, Zetterberg, who still leads the team in scoring with 48 points in only 45 games, won't be able to return from back surgery until the playoffs.

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Top Shelf: Red Wings following Nyquist's lead