Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings Wrap: All That’s Both Wonderful And Maddening About This Team

Published

2 years ago

March 2, 2022

Bob Duff

Tuesday's 4-3 OT victory over the Carolina Hurricanes exhibited how good this Red Wings team can be when they're on top of their game.

Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime victory by the Detroit Red Wings over the Carolina Hurricanes displayed exactly how good this team can be when they’re firing on all cylinders.

“They’ve got a good record but I thought our compete level was really good,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “We created chances against a good defensive team. We defended pretty well overall. We got good goaltending when it mattered.

“That’s how you find a way to win.”

That the Wings found this way directly after an embarrassing 10-7 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs was a head scratcher. That was the opposite end of the spectrum. It was a display of how poorly Detroit can perform when not playing up to the potential the team is capable of reaching.

Why can’t they play like Tuesday more often? Is it the inexperience of youth. Could be it be their lack of depth?Perhaps it’s an acknowledgement that for all their gains this season, the Wings still have miles to go to be considered a legit playoff hopeful.

Consistency has eluded the Wings all season long. That, as much as anything, explains why they’re floundering 11 points out of a playoff spot. Detroit will head to Tampa Bay on Friday to face the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning. There, the Wings will be seeking to accomplish something not achieved by this team since mid-November – posting successive victories against teams with winning records.

Red Wings Regaining Confidence

“I thought we needed to get some confidence back, some swagger back and I thought we did a good job of that,” Blashill said. “Being able to go toe-to-toe against a really good team and find a way to win hopefully interjects that confidence back.

“We needed to get our confidence back and the only way you get it back is by earning it. You go out against a real good team and you earn it. I thought we did that. It wasn’t an easy game to win and we found a way to win a tight game and that was important.

“Now this league’s relentless. We got another great challenge on Friday and then Saturday (at Florida). We gotta go back to work here and make sure we’re as prepared as possible as we go into Tampa.”

Around The League

Detroit: The Calder Trophy race is an open-and-shut case. If Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider doesn’t win, there should be an investigation.

Washington: The Capitals are the team the Wings are now chasing for the eighth seed in the East. Washington is trying to stay positive despite a 5-8 mark over the past 13 games.

Boston: Despite a career-best four-point game in a 7-0 win at LA on Monday, Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk still wants a trade out of Boston.