The biggest game the Detroit Red Wings have played in a long time?
How about the biggest games the Red Wings have played in a long time?
Back to back, no less.
It’s not a stretch to say it’s win or go home for the Wings over the next two days, with games at home Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers and Thursday at the Boston Bruins, the two teams closest to Detroit in the battle for Eastern Conference playoff spots.
Go home, as in lose, and Detroit figures to miss the playoffs for the first time since 1989-90.
It’s enough to make even the most stoic of Red Wings supporters devour their fingernails like so much corn on the cob.
From the point of view of the players, though, they absolutely must not allow themselves to get caught up in the hype.
Yes, they are big games, but once they’re on the ice, they’re just hockey games.
“I think when you are playing you don’t really think about it as much but obviously it’s huge,… Detroit left-winger Tomas Tatar said of the upcoming challenge that they face. “You have to control yourself and not think about it much.…
Tatar believes that Detroit’s experience will allow the team to retain its focus and not let the emotion of the moment overtake them.
“I feel like we are in this position every year,… Tatar said of battling for their playoff lives the last week of the regular season. “It’s always been kind of tough on us to get to the playoffs, so I’m really glad we have this kind of experience.
“We have great leadership and guys have been here many years in position like this so it’s going to help us for sure.…
For the younger players on the Detroit roster who haven’t travelled down this excruciating roller coaster ride to close out the season, maintaining their poise may be easier said than done.
The key for them is to keep calm and stay on point.
“I think everyone in the room knows how big a game it is and it's been like this the last couple weeks where every game is pretty much a playoff game for us,… rookie forward Andreas Athanasiou said. “I try not to approach it any differently than any other game.
“Obviously we know how big the stakes are. Like I said, everyone in the room knows it but I think we're doing a good job of being calm, cool and collected.…
The last thing they can afford to do is begin to play out of control, get away from the system and try to be a hero.
“You've got to know when it's the right time to take off, whether to kind of gear down a little bit and wait for the puck, wait for the opening and then kind of use your speed,… Athanasiou said. “Definitely if you just fly around out there the whole time, you take yourself out of a lot of lanes and you actually open up a lot of ice, too, so you've got to position yourself in the right spot first before you start taking off.…
From coach Jeff Blashill’s point of view, his approach is the same as it was prior to the season opener against Toronto or Detroit’s Stadium Series game at Colorado – embrace the chance at hand, and then get down to business.
“It’s enjoying the moment, this is the time of year where it’s fun,… Blashill said. “Every game matters. Game No. 1 mattered as much as this one does, it’s just that these get magnified.
“Let’s enjoy this, let’s enjoy this great opportunity we have in front of us but let’s also focus on the process of what it takes to be successful.…
Detroit’s gameplan for Games 80 and 81 won’t be any different than the plan going into the first 79 games played by the Red Wings.
“Our approach needs to be what our approach has been in terms of what we want to do all season long,… Blashill said. “We want to play a complete 60 minutes. We want to be on our toes and get them on their heels.
“The momentum of the game will dictate it. It usually goes back and forth a little bit. When momentum goes against us we need to make sure we recapture it as quick as possible.
“It should be a great game. We’re excited for it.…
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