Shake It On Up

What do you do when your team is in a 2-6-2 funk? You shake things up. And that’s exactly what Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill did at practice on the eve of Saturday’s game at Dallas against the Stars. Andreas Athanasiou joined Dylan Larkin and Justin Abdelkader on the top forward line. “It gives him a chance to play with Larks, he hasn’t done that much,… Blashill told Detroitredwings.com of Athanasiou. “AA is a guy that if we can get playing at his highest level, he’s obviously a very good player, so we’re giving him that opportunity. “The thing I said to him is he’s got to make sure he’s great defensively because ultimately, he’s going to be out there against some of the other team’s best players on a consistent basis, so he’s got to make sure he handles that side of it and we’ll see how it goes.… Larkin (16) and Athanasiou (12) are 1-2 on the Wings in goals this season, so this formation could be viewed as putting all of their scoring eggs in one basket, but Larkin doesn’t see it that way at all. “It’s going to be a different look, but I’ve had great chemistry with Doubles,… Larkin said. “I love the way he plays and we’re good buddies, so we’re always looking for each other and I think it’s going to translate. “It’s nice having Abby there as well to be in front of the net and win battles for us.… Defensive Realignment There are also changes afoot along the Detroit defense, including an all-rookie pairing of Dennis Cholowski with Filip Hronek. “It’s good, it’s exciting,… Cholowski said. “Two young guys. It should be fun.… Both players are sound puck movers and while they don’t offer the experience that the Cholowski-Mike Green tandem did prior to Green’s injury, they do offer a similar skill set. “He’s quick,… Cholowski said of Hronek. “He gets up in the rush. Super skilled. He can easily break the puck out of his end and make plays. I think we can kind of work off each other in that way. He’s a great skater, he’s up in the rush, looking to create offense. “It should be a lot of fun playing with him.… Blashill, who put Trevor Daley with Jonathan Ericsson while keeping the duo of Niklas Kronwall and Nick Jensen intact, admitted to unhappiness with some of his defensive pairings. “We’re trying to find the right chemistry,… Blashill said. “Ericsson and Daley have had real good chemistry in the past and we’re trying to get back to that. I think Kronner and Jensen have been pretty good. The Cholowski-Daley pairing hasn’t been as good, so we’re seeing if this can give us some good chemistry. “Cholowski and Hronek have played together in the past in the Prospects Tournament. They were excellent together, they both move the puck well together. That’s two young guys, which you don’t always want to do and that’s why we didn’t do it originally. We had an older guy with a younger guy. But I think their skill sets are good together and hopefully they can play real well together.… Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer