His team mired in a five-game losing streak, his own production stagnant, Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg was quick to point the finger of blame at himself. “Obviously it’s not fun when you don’t score,… Zetterberg said after Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings extended Detroit’s skid to 0-2-3. “So I take big responsibility in that.… Zetterberg has now gone 18 games since he last lit a red lamp behind an enemy net on Oct. 18 ina 6-3 loss to the Maple Leafs at Toronto in what was Detroit’s seventh game of the NHL season. During that span he has recorded six assists. This is actually the fifth time in the past three seasons that the Detroit captain has endured a goalless stretch of double digits in length. Last season, he went 10 games without a goal at one points. In 2015-16, there were droughts of 14, 12 and 11 games in length. Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill figures he’s got plenty on his plate to worry about going forward, but Zetterberg is never one of his concerns. “Hank’s a big-time competitor,… Blashill said. “He’s a big-time warrior. He wants to help this team win. So there’s no question that … I don’t know if it’s wearing on him, he’s been through lots of this throughout his career. “The year I was here as an assistant (in 2011-12), the first half of the year was a real struggle for him and he was unreal the second half. He’ll keep doing what he does, which is working his ass off and competing like crazy, and I think in the end he’ll get results.… Effort and determination are never an issue where Zetterberg is concerned. He is what Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh likes to call “a do everything right… kind of guy. But he’s also 37, and every time he enters a slump of any length, there are always going to be raised eyebrows about whether the end is near for him in terms of being an effective point producer. Blashill doesn’t harbor such fears, inciting the name of another Detroit legend when discussing Zetterberg’s recent woes. “Last night that line created the most chances on our team,… Blashill said. “They’ve got to keep doing it. There’s no easy answer to it. You’ve got to keep grinding. “I give leadership talks and what’s that Eminem song, you get one shot? Well, that’s not how life is, you don’t get one shot, you get shot after shot. You get knocked down. It’s how many times you keep getting back up. That’s the reality of it. So you keep grinding.… What never wanes with Zetterberg is his defensive game, or his desire to remain a complete player, and that’s what his teammates admire about him the most. “First of all, he’s still a 200-foot player that helps you be in the mix of those games to potentially win them,… Blashill said. “He played lots of minutes in a lot of those games that we were in - a shootout against Columbus, in overtime against the Rangers, Jersey. He’s a big part of that. “You’ve got to have 200-foot centermen that play both sides of the puck in order to have any chance to win and he consistently does that, he just hasn’t been as offensive as he’d like to, I’d like (him) to (be) or you guys would like him (to) do.… At the same, Blashill understands that this is an everyday business and Zetterberg, like any player, will be held up to scrutiny when his productivity wanes. “That’s the difference in the NHL, you can never get away from it,… Blashill said. “When you’re not in the NHL, you don’t get asked about it every day.… He’ll continue to experiment to find a fit in terms of linemates with Zetterberg in the hopes of getting him out of his goal slump. “Is there a guy to put with him?,… Blashill asked. “Him and Nyquie (Gus Nyquist) have been working together. We’re working to find a third that hopefully creates some more production. But if they get chances like they did last night they’ll be production, 100 percent. “I think Nyquie’s gotten chances on a fairly consistent basis. Do they need to produce? Yes. But I think with chances comes production.… Not that he thinks anyone should be worried about Zetterberg, mind you. “He’s carried the team for a long time. I expect him to continue to produce.… Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer
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