DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills took note of comments made by coach Derek Lalonde and forward Alex DeBrincat after today’s practice at the BELFOR Training Center underneath Little Caesars Arena:
The Red Wings will have two more practice days before the Penguins come to town. Lalonde said now having a little more roster clarity will help the club prepare for Thursday’s season opener.
“Unique schedule in that we played six [preseason] games in six days, going two teams and we tried to ramp up practice by design,” Lalonde said. “We asked a lot of these guys throughout the exhibition [schedule], especially the games. We were tired in some of those games and unfortunately, it probably showed. But now, I wouldn’t call it a full reset because we’re building off camp, there’s a little time to refocus.”
Alex DeBrincat said he feels the team is in a good spot, but there’s still plenty of work to be done.
“We’ve been practicing really hard, competing out there,” DeBrincat said. “A couple of our preseason games weren’t up to par with our compete. Obviously it’s a lot of timing out there, stuff like that. I thought the last [exhibition] game was pretty good, and in practice we’ve been competing a lot. We should be ready for Game 1.”
DeBrincat also noted it will be important for the Red Wings to get back to what helped them be successful last season.
“When we’re working hard, we’re a good team,” DeBrincat said. “There’s stretches when we get away from that. I think we can learn from last year and really buckle in this year. Be focused every game, and you can’t afford to lose any points.”
Continued; Detroit plays 3 games in 5 nights to open the regular season, hosting the Penguins and Predators, and then the Wings head to New York to play the Rangers. After a two-day break, the Wings host the Rangers and head to Nashville to wrap up their season series with Nashville, so those first five games are going to be difficult, and they’re going to come in a hurry.
