The word of the day in off-day notebook land is “swagger.” MLive’s Ansar Khan wrote about it, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff talked about the Wings’ belief in each other, which generates “swagger,” and this afternoon, the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted an article which discusses the Red Wings’ self-confidence as embodied by one Moritz Seider:
“He’s a realty talented player,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “Poise, swagger, those things are important on any kind of player that aspires to be an elite player. You have to have swagger and he’s got it. I also think part of the reason he has a belief in himself is he’s got a really good skill-set. He’s been a big piece of the infusion of the talent here and that’s been a big reason we’ve been able to find ways to win games.”
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“It’s easy to gain confidence if you know your teammates got your back,” Seider said. “Not just one game, every single game. That gives you a little bit more edge against the opponent to try a move or go the extra mile.”
And that word “swagger.” It doesn’t just fit Seider. It’s beginning to describe this entire Wings’ roster, as the points pile up in the standings.
“We have that swagger now and that confidence in our abilities to stick together and win those (close) games somehow,” Seider said.
Some numbers are beginning to stand out. The Wings are 13-9-3. As of Sunday they sat in the No. 1 wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. They are 9-2-2 at Little Caesars Arena, a rink that is becoming a formidable home ice advantage. The Wings are 9-0-2 when leading after two periods, and 6-3 in overtime.
“Our guys understand that we have to keep getting better and they’re not satisfied that our game isn’t nearly perfect,” Blashill said. “We need to keep striving for that perfection. But with that said, I do think you can work and can compete yourself past mistakes. We have done that. That’s part of grinding out wins. Part of it is staying with it, part of it is guys stepping up to big moments and we’ve had all those things.”
Continued; if you missed it, the Wings Tweeted out the record that Seider set:
Fun fact of the day! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/IqP8sZXCcP
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 5, 2021
