DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills asked two Red Wings players about the team’s goals as they face a Tampa Bay Lightning team that defeated Detroit 5-1 a week ago today:
“The last time we played against them, it was a little bit sloppy,” Jonatan Berggren said. “That’s not the standard we have for ourselves, so I feel this will be a good game to take a little bit of revenge.”
The Red Wings snapped their three-game winless streak by jumping ahead and hanging on to defeat the Montreal Canadiens, 4-2, on Thursday. Behind two even-strength goals and two special-teams goals, Detroit grabbed two important points as Eastern Conference standings only continue to tighten.
“We talked a lot about the start, and I felt like the first 10 [minutes] we were really good [against Montreal],” said Berggren, who had the game-opening goal on Thursday. “Maybe in the second half of the second [period] we dipped a little bit, but then we were strong and pulled it out by playing solid defensively.”
In 46 games this season, Berggren has 13 points on eight goals and five assists. The 24-year-old forward said he feels he’s improved since the start of the campaign, his third with the Red Wings.
“I feel like my game has grown a little bit when Todd [McLellan] took over,” Berggren said. “Points and goals always give you more confidence, but then I feel like my offensive game doesn’t take away my defensive game.”
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“The last couple of home games, our starts have been really good,” Albert Johansson said. “That’s something we need to keep doing. The starts are really important for us. We have our foot on the gas, we’re shooting and retrieving pucks then we get a goal and work from there. That’ll be key for us.”
