Coming Up Big While Short

Call it controlled aggression, if you will. The Detroit Red Wings don’t want their penalty killers getting foolish on the ice, but they do want them getting out there and getting after it. So far, it’s a strategy that is paying dividends. By deploying a more aggressive penalty killing strategy, the Wings have scored six shorthanded goals already this season. That’s not only more than they scored last season, it’s more than they’ve scored in the past two seasons combined (five). “That’s been the identity of our team, down ice, putting pressure on them,… Detroit defenseman Trevor Daley said. “We’ve got some guys that can absolutely fly, so we use that to our advantage. It helps us on the penalty kill especially. It makes it a little hard for teams to enter the zone. We’ve done a good job. “We’ve been showing we can score on the penalty kill, so we’re also a threat there. Teams are going to have to look out for that, too.… You have to go all the way back to 2010-11, when they scored five times while killing penalties, to find a season prior to this one in which the Wings netted more than three shorthanded goals in a campaign. The six shorties are the most in season since the Wing tallied eight times while shorthanded in 2009-10. “We have six, but we could have more at this point,… Detroit center Dylan Larkin said. “It seems like the past couple games, every time we’re out there, we’re creating something, which sounds crazy but as a power-play guy, when you know the other team’s looking for offense (while short), it puts you on your heels. “Usually, there’s four forwards out there (on the PP) and one guy is going to bite and make a mistake because he’s not used to be being back there and having to skate backwards.… While a shorthanded goal counts the same as every other type of goal on the scoreboard, in the psyche of an opponent, it can create havoc, the type of uncertainty capable of swinging the balance of a game. “It’s huge,… Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “I think a shorthanded goal is a huge momentum changer. Lots of times you’re looking at it and saying, ‘Boy, we’re going to be down another goal,’ and all of a sudden you score and it’s a different story. “Again, I just think it takes a lot away from the other team’s power play. When they come in to their PP meeting, I guarantee their coaches are saying, ‘They’ve scored this number of shorties.’ All of a sudden that puts you on your heels a little bit. It’s a hard way to run a power play.… Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer