Madison Bowey’s first official taste of life as a Detroit Red Wing was quite distasteful. In his debut as a Red Wings on Feb. 25, Detroit was throttled 8-1 on home ice at Little Caesars Arena by the Montreal Canadiens. “It was a tough start for him and for us if you go back to the Montreal game,… Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “I think he’s hung in there.… The early returns weren’t spectacular. Bowey, acquired in the trade that sent defenseman Nick Jensen to the Washington Capitals, was a healthy scratch for two of his first eight Wings games. He saw just 12:15 of ice time on March 14 in a loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the same night that he scored his first goal as a Wing. Since then, thanks in part to injuries suffered by Detroit defensive regulars Jonathan Ericsson, Mike Green and Trevor Daley, Bowey’s on-ice fortunes have been on the upswing. He’s skated at least 20 minutes in each of the past four games, including a season-high 24:29 in Friday win over the Vegas Golden Knights. “My goal coming in - I think coaching staff’s goal - was just for me to improve and get better every game and I think it’s going just as planned,… Bowey said. In fact, Blashill has witnessed an uptick in Bowey’s performance that’s earned him the additional responsibility between the boards. “I think Madison’s taken big steps,… Blashill said. “I talked to him about if he can just get better at a few things, he’s going to be a good player in this league. He looks like he’s getting better at those things. “His game management has been way better, less big, big mistakes. When he does that, he’s pretty athletic. He’s 6-foot-2, he’s got a good stick, he knows how to jump into the play. “He jumped in the weak side twice against Vegas and created chances, he disrupted a play in that game. He’s just gotta keep getting a little bit better, keep getting a little bit better. It’s a hard league when you’re young as a D-man.… For Bowey, 23, the additional ice time is allowing him to feel more at home as an NHL regular. “Coming into the NHL last year, the more you play, the more comfortable you feel, the more confident you feel in yourself,… Bowey said. “The biggest thing is just having that trust from the coaching staff. It’s huge. “It’s just been a great few weeks. I’ll just keep looking to improve and working hard.…
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