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They've Got Everything They Need . . . Almost

January 22, 2019, 5:59 PM ET [6 Comments]
Bob Duff
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Like a parent encouraging his children, the message from Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill prior to facing the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday was basically the mom and dad version of finish what’s on your plate.

“I said to the guys, we’ve done a good job,,’” Blashill told Detroitredwings.com. “Over the last 10 games, we’ve outchanced our opponents in eight of those 10 games.”

The Wings are the close but no cigar team of the NHL. Most game nights, they get everything they need - almost. Detroit’s seven losses have either ended in one-goal setbacks, or two-goal decisions that also included a late empty-net tally.

“We’ve been doing that a lot lately,” center Dylan Larkin said. “We’ve been getting off to good starts and playing well for 40 minutes and in the third we’re finding ways to lose games and tonight we can’t do that.

“We have to play 60 minutes where we’re aware of what’s going on defensively and make adjustments to what they’re doing. They have a lot of weapons, so we have to be ready for 60 minutes.”

With Detroit’s lineup, attention to detail is vital, because on most every night, the team on the other side of the ice is going to be the team with the most talent on the ice.

“The number one thing is you’ve gotta stay on it,” Blashill said. “If we go out and work with the same mentality that we had both in Calgary really and in (Vancouver), and that we’ve had lots over the last number of weeks, good for us. If we don’t go out and work like dogs, than shame on us.

“We’ve got that opportunity ahead of us again today. We’ve done a good job of having a short memory, or worrying about getting better today and focusing on the game ahead of us and that’s what we’ve got.”

“We’ve played good hockey, we’ve been a good team that’s found a way to lose,” Blashill said. “We’ve gotta find a way to be a better team that finds a way to win.”

The Wings are convinced that they are on the right track, that success is not far away. But it won’t come until they prove they can track down a solid belief system on the ice and 60-minute efforts on a continuous basis.

“We proved to ourselves and we know we can play with anybody,” center Frans Nielsen said. “This team, we’ve just gotta learn how to win games now. We’re a good hockey team. We’ve gotta realize that. We’ve just gotta learn it.

“Good teams find ways and we don’t do that now. We’ve got talent, we can skate. We’re big. There are strong guys on the team. So all we can do right now is stick with it. It’s gonna come. This team is gonna be good really soon.”

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