As they hit the quarter-pole of the NHL season Monday night, for two periods the Detroit Red Wings resembled world beaters.
Then they nearly got beat.
After exhibiting a blueprint of the up-tempo, push-the-pace way they need to play to succeed, opening a 4-1 lead over the Ottawa Senators after two periods at Joe Louis Arena, the Wings crawled back into a defensive shell for the final 20 minutes and barely escaped with a 4-3 victory.
Call it human nature. The Wings know it wasn’t what they should do, but in the recesses of their minds, it somehow made perfect sense.
“You want to play the same but it’s not as easy,… Detroit left-winger Tomas Tatar explained. “You’re leading 4-1, you start backing up a little bit, try to control the game.
“It’s hockey, I don’t see anything wrong with it. Everybody’s trying with the same energy. I know we shouldn’t do it, but it’s just how everybody is thinking. As soon as we start chipping pucks out, it’s just the way how the game is played these days when you’re leading 4-1.
“You shouldn’t probably do it, but it’s a mental thing.…
Center Luke Glendening wasn’t as diplomatic, and was upset they didn’t keep their foot on the pedal once they had the Senators on the run.
“We were hard on the forecheck, we were getting their D to turn,… Glendening said.
Almost as suddenly, they turned off the tap.
“Sometimes that’s how games go,… Glendening said. “We were fortunate to get a win tonight.…
Glendening did share Tatar’s opinion that subconsciously, keeping up the tempo with a big lead is a difficult chore.
“I guess sometimes it probably is,… Glendening said. “It shouldn’t have been tonight after we got embarrassed in Toronto (4-1 loss Saturday), but that’s the way it goes sometimes.…
Weiss Guy When the Red Wings signed forward Stephen Weiss to a five-year, $24.5-million contract in the summer of 2013, they envisioned nights like this.
In just his second game back after his 2013-14 season was ended by sports hernia surgery, Weiss potted a pair of goals to lead the Detroit attack.
It was his first two-goal game since Feb. 26, 2012.
“I hadn’t scored in this building yet (as a Red Wing),… Weiss said. “I thought about that today. Why not go get it in the first one back and get it over with? It felt good.
“After the second one I wanted the third one. I said, ‘This might be my night.’…
Missing most of the past two seasons due to injury, Weiss was just happy to have a successful night on the ice again.
“This is the best league in the world,… Weiss said. “It’s hard enough when you’re in a groove and playing well, never mind when you’ve missed so many games. You’re in, you’re out, you’re in, you’re out. You’re playing different positions. It’s tough to do what you’ve done throughout your career.
“Like I said, it felt good to be in the lineup, it was nice to get a couple of goals and get the win. But I’ve still got a lot of work to do.…
Getting There With an 11-5-5 record, the Wings may not be on top of their game, but they are pleased at the direction in which their overall game is headed as they enter what Detroit coach Mike Babcock calls the grinding portion of the season.
“The first 20 and the last 20, it’s the fun part of the schedule,… Babcock explained. “And now it’s the grind part of the schedule, so you’ve got to be mentally stronger and you’ve got to dig in and keep going.
“If we can keep doing what we’ve done in the first segment and we have four of them, we’re in the playoffs with 100 points. So we’d love to have that happen.…
Tatar is another who believes the team is on the path toward a solid campaign.
“We are doing a good job right now,… Tatar said. “We are happy with how we are playing. I think somebody is crazy if they think we will win all of them.
“You have bad games, you have good games. All the good games, we play pretty good hockey. I think we are in a good spot right now in the standings.…
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