Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin recapped his experiences in the Four Nations Face-Off while speaking with the media after Detroit’s 4-3 OT loss to Minnesota on Saturday afternoon, as noted by the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan…
Larkin was one of the best stories on a USA team that had many of them during the wildly entertaining tournament. Beginning on the fourth-line in mainly a checking role, Larkin rose in the lineup.
Larkin had the eventual winning goal, and had an assist, in USA’s 3-1 victory over Canada during the round-robin. That prompted USA coach Mike Sullivan to elevate Larkin, who eventually got more of a top-six forward role as injuries mounted and Larkin maintained his level of effectiveness.
“I stuck to who I am, and I did everything I could to help the team,” Larkin said. “Whether it was bringing energy or trying to be a voice in the room, that’s what I tried to do — and I was happy to do it. “
Larkin was thrilled to be part of the tournament, with what became a close-knit USA team.
“We had such a great group of guys, it was so good to be around everyone,” Larkin said. “We had the history of playing with each other, whether it was (Plymouth Township-based) NTDP (National Team Development Program), or world championships, or other teams. We got along real well and it was just a great experience. I did whatever I could to help the team.”
The excitement of the games, and the importance, is something that could energize Larkin and Raymond even further, to end what has been an eight-year Wings streak of missing the NHL playoffs.
“The games were so intense and so much fun,” Larkin said. “It was a disappointing end for us (USA) and I’m sure Ray (Raymond) will say the same (for Sweden). It was definitely a huge motivator to come back and play today and push our team to make the playoffs.”
And the Free Press’s Helene St. James…
“It was a great experience,” he said. “The games were so intense and so much fun. It was a disappointing end for us, but it definitely is a huge motivator to come back and push our team to make the playoffs.”
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“I think I stuck to who I am,” he said. “I was just really trying to do whatever I could to help the team, whether that was bring energy, whether it was trying to be a voice in the room. Be there for the guys. Whatever it was, I just tried to do it, and I was happy to do it. We had such a great group of guys that it was just so good to be around everyone. It was just a great experience.”
Larkin’s comments echoed those made by Lucas Raymond, whose tournament ended when Sweden failed to advance past round-robin play. Raymond also had a goal and an assist in Saturday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild. Both played around 20 minutes.
“We asked a lot of them,” McLellan said. “They had an impact on the game, which is a good sign. I’m not sure where their gas tanks are. Maybe because Larks played two nights ago, he had maybe better legs than Razer. But they’re going to play a lot of hockey and we’ll find them time to get the rest they need.
“We’re riding the horse right now and we’re whipping it. That’s how it’s going to be from now till the end.”
There was a sequence in the third period during the Wings’ fourth power play when Seider couldn’t control the puck and ended up chasing Joel Eriksson Ek, whose breakaway ended as he came to a stop after bumping Cam Talbot. Larkin rushed in, and wound up with a roughing call. Having Larkin sit in the penalty box isn’t ideal, but the Wings will take the overall message it sends.
“He’s the captain,” McLellan said. “We lose our captain in that situation – would we like to have him on the ice? Yes. But he’s showing a lot of leadership skills taking care of the team. It’s heads or tails.”
