If you were listing the Detroit Red Wings defense pairings in numerical order, it’s the duo of Niklas Kronwall and Jonathan Ericsson that carry the bulk of the workload. But if you were listing the D pairings in order of which has proven to be the most effective and reliable this season, those kudos would be reserved for Danny DeKeyser and Kyle Quincey.
“I think the best pair we have on the team right now is DeKeyser and Quincey,… Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. “They’re the steadiest pair each and every day, the two guys playing the best.…
Neither of them offensive dynamos, Quincey shows 1-5-6 totals and a plus-two rating from 34 games. DeKeyser owns a bit more of a productive flair and is 2-12-14 in 36 games and plus-four.
“I just think they’ve been really solid, the two of them,… Babcock said. “They seem to play well together. Quincey kills penalties and plays hard and is heavy, and is making simple plays. DeKeyser moves the puck.…
Even the guys who play ahead of them on the depth chart are willing to acknowledge that Quincey and DeKeyser are performing very effectively.
“I think they complement each other really well,… Kronwall said. “Q is huge. He uses his body. He’s a guy not a lot of guys want to play against because he’s so heavy and hard on you, and DK is more of a puck-moving guy who’s also solid defensively, but maybe plays a little more of a positional game than Q.
“They’ve been nothing but great for us.…
Quincey and DeKeyser first began working in tandem just over a year ago, not coincidentally around the time that Quincey, who was a minus-16 in late November of last season, saw his fortunes begin to turn more positive and it’s a pairing that has continued to blossom.
“Our focus, what I try to tell him, is to minimize the mistakes,… Quincey, 29, said of DeKeyser, 24. “Our job is not to win the game; it’s to not lose the game.
“So minimize our mistakes, give the pucks to the forwards to do what they do and I think we’ve done a really good job minimizing scoring chances against.
“In the last month I can almost count on one hand how many chances teams have had. That’s a credit to our overall system and our overall defense, but we enjoy playing with each other and it’s been almost a year now and we’re doing pretty good.…
It’s said that familiarity can breed contempt, but in this case, it’s fostered confidence.
“I like playing with the same guy all the time because you build chemistry that way,… DeKeyser said. “You kind of learn some of their tendencies and learn what they like to do on the ice. That way you can kind of react a second ahead of time before the other team does. It’s a little tougher to do that when you’re always switching pairings, playing with different people.…
Quincey’s sturdiness and DeKeyser’s silky smoothness are proving to be the perfect combination to ensure secure and safe play when they are on the ice.
“He’s really strong in the corners and a lot of time he pops pucks over to me and gets me room so I can skate them up the ice or find a guy with a pass,… DeKeyser said.
“I know he’s pretty good at popping the puck in the middle when he can and getting it off the wall so the wingers don’t have to struggle so much when the D are pinching down.…
While their strong points might seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum, Quincey sees some familiarity in the way both approach defensive performance.
“We maybe look a little different but we’re similar in the way we play,… Quincey said. “I’ve got 60 pounds on him (actually only 25, 216-191) but other than that I like to jump up when I can and he knows I’m going to jump up.
“We take our turns. He skates very well. I’m probably a little stronger in the corners. I try to get him in situations where he can skate and I try to take the situations where I’m in the corners battling or in front of the net.…
Losing Hand Tomas Jurco and Tomas Tatar were wearing the smiles and Detroit’s seven Swedes the chagrined looks as Slovakia upset Sweden 4-2 Monday to win the bronze medal at the world junior championship.
“I just heard about the result,… said right-winger Gustav Nyquist, whose country was vanquished by the homeland of Tatar and Jurco. “We had a little bet going there. I’m not very happy about the result.
“I’m sure the Swedes aren’t too happy about it. It’s a tough one for the Swedes. We’re usually ahead of the Slovaks. At least that’s what I’ll tell them.…
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