DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills posted a preview of tonight’s game between the Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks (8 PM EDT start on DetroitRedWings.com), mostly quoting Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde regarding the Wings’ tasks ahead as they begin a stretch of playing 8 games over the course of only 12 nights:
“You plan on it and around [the exhibition season], but it’s exciting too,” Lalonde said. “Obviously it’s rinse and repeat. “You’re running two teams, basically one at once, and these fly-in, fly-out road trips. It’s all part of it.”
Detroit reduced its expanded Training Camp roster to 57 players on Sunday. That number will continue to be trimmed over the next couple weeks, as the Red Wings have until 5 p.m. ET on Oct. 7 to submit their maximum 23-man Opening Night roster.
“I think you’re going to see a lot of mixed lineups, maybe a couple of NHL-experienced lines with a couple of new guys,” Lalonde said. “That’s what we’ll see [Wednesday].”
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“I liked our intensity in Traverse City, so I’d like to keep that at a high,” Lalonde said. “Obviously your takeaways from that Red & White game – there was some growth in it, some teaching [Tuesday], which happens a lot. A lot of ill-advised turnovers that’ll get us in trouble, which is understandable. We want to keep growing our game in every area.”
Lalonde also spoke about the importance of using these exhibition games to give the organization’s prospects extended opportunity to play alongside and against NHL-caliber talent.
“We’d love to play those guys a ton, but you might be asking those guys to play some back-to-backs, some three [games] in four [days] down the stretch,” Lalonde said. “But yes, we want to give all those guys an opportunity. If you recall last year, we played Simon [Edvinsson] a ton and we thought that was extremely valuable for him and his growth. It will be similar for those young guys.”
