SUNRISE, Fla. — Call it moxie, call it resilience, just so long as the Detroit Red Wings get to keep calling it winning.
Their confidence at a season high, they headed west across Florida for Saturday’s matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning fresh off a restorative outing against the Florida Panthers. How much did it mean to win, 5-2, Thursday at Amerant Bank Arena? Here’s goalie Cam Talbot’s take.
“We needed a response after the last game,” Talbot said after making 40 saves. “We knew we didn’t play up to our standard that we’ve been setting, and we came out and established our game again.”
KEEP IT DIRECT:Todd McLellan backs bluntness over politeness with Red Wings
That was aided a great deal by a power play that’s scorching: Three goals — from Jonatan Berggren, Dylan Larkin and Patrick Kane — on four opportunities in South Florida; 17-for-34 since Christmas.
“That definitely helps when they bury three before the midway point (of) the game,” Talbot said. “That’s pretty unheard of. You have to give them a ton of credit. It’s been so hot lately; they’ve been carrying our team. I thought the PK also stepped up really big.”
Penalty killing, power play and goaltending: It’s the recipe for winning hockey. So was making adjustments after the Panthers forced the Wings to defend most of the first period.
“The win was terrific for our group after what we had against San Jose,” coach Todd McLellan said. “The task was very difficult — I think it was evident that they are the champs for a reason. We needed outstanding goaltending, we needed special teams to get hot. We found a way to scrap our way to a win. It wasn’t pretty, we needed some board work, we needed to block shots, we needed whistles, but it’s a good learning experience for our group and sometimes it’s easier to learn when you win than when you lose.”
The Wings have banked 16 points their last nine games to improve to 21-19-4 and move within three points of a wild-card spot — but there are still three teams ahead of them, because the standings show everyone around them has been winning, too.
“It’s natural to look at it, but we have to win hockey games,” Larkin said. “When you lace up the skates, Todd talks about that a lot, take care of what you have to do, that’s what we’ve been focusing on. You look at the San Jose game, we were overly confident. So yes, we’re building confidence as a team, but we still hav a long way to go.”
The Sharks humbled the Wings, 6-3, Tuesday in Detroit, snapping a seven-game winning streak and handing the Wings their second loss since McLellan was named coach Dec. 26. McLellan called the Sharks loss “a disappointing night,” and said the coaching staff challenged multiple players to do better in Florida.
“I think aside from the Toronto game, it’s the first time where things didn’t go well, we didn’t play to our standard, and he let us know that,” Larkin said. “That was really important and I thought very productive. But we didn’t dwell on it.”
The schedule doesn’t really allow for much sulking, as crammed with games as it is. From Tampa, the Wings go on to play Sunday at the Dallas Stars, and then Tuesday at the Philadelphia Flyers. But starting this trip against the defending Stanley Cup champions was just what the Wings needed.
“This may sound strange, but this was a perfect opponent for us,” McLellan said. “They had our attention, and we found a way to win. But we’re going down the road now and they’ve got a bunch of banners hanging there, too.”
Contact Helene St. James at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.
Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.
Her latest book, “The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings, A Curated History of the Red Wings,” was released October 2024. Her books, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
