The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a notebook article which discusses the Red Wings’ 4-for-4 road trip and 7-game winning streak. Coach Todd McLellan was marginally satisfied with the Wings’ efforts, as he told FanDuel Sports Network Detroit last night:
“Above average,” said [Red Wings coach Todd] McLellan with a chuckle after the game on FSN Detroit. “To go home with eight points in the bank, I’m not sure we thought we would get that when we left, but we chipped away and chipped away. The spirit and the belief system have gone up. They’re playing to the structure that we put in. It’s easy when you’re winning, you can get people to believe in things a lot simpler than if you’re losing.”
Tuesday’s victory marked the second seven-game win streak the Wings have had under McLellan, who took over as the Wings’ coach on Dec. 26. They are 15-4-1 under McLellan, enabling the Wings to charge upward in the standings to the point the Wings now hold a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The difference before and after McLellan is startling. The penalty kill, which was porous before, has been better. The team defense is improved. But another realization in the resurgence is McLellan’s willingness to play the Wings’ young players, giving them larger roles, and watching them thrive.
Players such forwards Marco Kasper, Jonatan Berggren and Elmer Soderblom, and defensemen Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson are all playing regularly, in larger roles, and all are contributing. All made key contributions in Tuesday’s victory.
“It speaks to the organizational depth right now to have those kids come up and find a way to contribute,” McLellan told reporters afterward. “Everything is brand new for us (McLellan and assistant coach Trent Yawney). We just play them and see what we get out of them, and they’ve responded.”
Continued (paywall)
