The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted an early-morning column which discusses the Red Wings’ overall play and their ability to win in a gritty fashion, with St. James noting that the Red Wings have turned things around since their 0-3-and-1 road trip in early November:
They used a three-day break to refresh themselves and, as rookie defenseman Moritz Seider put it, “decided to be great.” That’s led to a season high on the swagger meter as the Wings take their 12-9-3 record up against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.
Sunday was a chance for a little respite after grinding out a 4-3 victory in overtime Saturday against the New York Islanders.
“It wasn’t our best game,” Seider said, “but we have that swagger now, and that confidence in our abilities to stick together and win those games somehow.”
That echoed what Dylan Larkin said Tuesday after the Wings won at Boston, which came after home victories against the St. Louis Blues and Buffalo Sabres, and was followed the next night by a home victory against the Seattle Kraken. To coach Jeff Blashill, who has emphasized the Wings’ need to finish close games, that’s a sign of growth.
“Two things I like when I hear that is, one, our guys understand that we have to keep getting better, and they’re not satisfied… our game isn’t nearly perfect and we need to keep striving for that perfection,” he said. “But with that said I do think you can work and compete yourself past mistakes, and I think we have done that.
“And I think that’s part of grinding out wins — part of it is staying with it, part of it is stepping up in big moments and we’ve had all those things, whether it be a goalie or a player making a big play in overtime — guys have stepped up in big moments.”
Continued (paywall)
