It hasn’t always been pretty, but it continues to be effective and that’s what matters most to the Detroit Red Wings.
“We’re doing things right,… Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg said after they won for the sixth time in seven games, beating the Vancouver Canucks, 5-3 Sunday at Joe Louis Arena.
Detroit grabbed 2-0, 3-1 and 4-2 leads and held off a late Canucks rally. “Maybe it hasn’t been perfect all the time, but in the end we’re winning games,… Zetterberg said. “When you’re not playing your greatest and you can win games, that’s good.…
Defense Rests
While he’s happy with the end result most nights, Detroit coach Mike Babcock isn’t as happy with how they are getting there. While Sunday marked the 10th time in 12 games they’ve scored at least three goals, it was the sixth time in eight games the Wings have surrendered three or more goals.
“What’s happening now is that because we score more, we give up more,… Babcock said. “That’s not how it’s supposed to work.…
Defenseman Niklas Kronwall agreed that while the outcome is generally satisfying, the journey can prove somewhat bumpy.
“I don't think we've necessarily played great but we've found different ways to win,… Kronwall said. “We've been down, we've been up. All in all, we have to find a way to play better for 60 minutes.
“Of course, we take the wins any way we can. But to find even more comfort in our game, I think we have to play better for 60 minutes.…
Power Outage The game was delayed for 35 minutes when a transmission line that feeds power to Joe Louis Arena momentarily failed. Both teams returned to the dressing room while the problem was resolved and lights were powered up again.
“For a bit there I thought we didn’t pay our bill, but they told me we did so they turned the power back on,… Babcock said.
His players passed the time by spending Sunday afternoon the way many opted to around the city.
“We came in here and watched a little football on TV,… Kronwall said.
Miller’s Mark Ryan Miller foiled brother Drew on a third-period breakaway, but Drew had the last laugh with yet another victory recorded at the expense of his sibling.
“It was a good chance, for sure it was probably the best one (he’s ever had against his brother),… Drew explained. Harassed by Vancouver defenseman Luca Sbisa, he couldn’t get a bouncing puck under control.
“By the time I got there, I didn’t really get a chance to make a move, so I just tried to take a shot and get it on net.
“It was a breakaway. I just couldn’t get the puck to settle down. It probably wasn’t the clearest breakaway, but still a good opportunity.…
Individually, Ryan still owns Drew. In eight meetings as NHLers, Drew has never scored on his brother.
“Nope,… Drew shrugged. “I got an assist on (Darren) Helm’s goal a couple of years ago that got him pulled.
“I don’t think he’s too happy about that.…
Ryan isn’t too happy about the bigger picture when his brother is on the other team, either.
Sunday was Drew’s seventh victory in the eight games against Ryan. He’s 7-0 against his brother as a Red Wing.
“It’s not something that I hold over his head, but he knows it’s there,… Drew said with a smile. “When the game’s over you’re still brothers. You don’t get to see each other that much.…
Ouellet Down As expected, defenseman Xavier Ouellet was returned to AHL Grand Rapids when Brendan Smith was activated from injured reserve.
Back in action, Smith is still a little dumbstruck by the freakishness of his latest injury. He was left with an infected left hand after cutting his hand open when he punched Columbus Blue Jackets forward Nick Foligno in the teeth during a Nov. 18 game.
“This has been a weird one,… Smith said. “It’s just a bad luck kind of thing, definitely the weirdest and hopefully I don’t get any more of these.…
At first, Smith was unaware of the severity of the injury.
“I played the rest of the game and it wasn’t until in the morning I noticed there was something wrong, an infection,… Smith said. “It was pretty swollen.
“Apparently there’s a lot of bacteria in the mouth, so I ended up getting infected that way. I had to get surgery on my hand, first of all, to clean it out, and it's been good since that.…
Abdelkader Out Just as they were closing in on 100 per cent health, the Wings lost left-winger Justin Abdelkader, who did not return for the third period after suffering a shoulder injury.
“He’s day to day,… Babcock said. “He’s got a shoulder issue. It’s not life threatening.
“It might be for some guys, but Abby is tougher than most, so for Abby it’ll probably be shorter than most.…
Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer