Detroit won't have an easy on-ramp back into game action when Vancouver comes to Little Caesars Arena Saturday afternoon

For the Detroit Red Wings, who haven't played since Jan. 31, there will be no time to dip in a toe and ease back into action.  Instead, Detroit will plunge straight into the deep end when the Vancouver Canucks skate into a Little Caesars Arena for a Saturday matinee tomorrow.

Not only are the Canucks leading the Pacific Division by five points with a game in hand over second-placed Vegas, but also they've had two games since their break with which to recapture the momentum they put a pin in during their time off.

"I'm not surprised at them having success," said coach Derek Lalonde, when asked about Vancouver's season to date after today's practice.  "Obviously, I'm surprised at the 70-whatever points, top one, two, three team in the league.  If you see their talent, you look down their talent, that's as good of a team as there is in the league: Depth on D, depth up front, game-breakers on D and up front, and one of the top goalies in the league.  With that said, huge credit to [coach Rick Tocchet] and their staff to get it all going in the right direction.  I'm excited that this is just a really good challenge."

Lalonde made clear that he isn't thrilled with the discrepancy in when the two team's breaks ended, while also acknowledging that Detroit benefited from the schedule's irregularities just before the break.

"I don't like it, and I have no problem saying it," he explained.  "It's a little frustrating, but I don't blame the league...This is a disadvantage for us...but at the same time, before the break, we played Tampa when they were on a back-to-back, we played Philly on a back-to-back, and no one's apologizing for us getting four points there.  It's the reality of the league, we know it, and it's our job to go out and execute it."

"It's hard," added Dylan Larkin from his locker after practice. "Vancouver have been playing twice, and it's a little bit unfair, but it is what it is. It's a one o'clock game, so we gotta get into it early."

Lalonde was pleased with what he's seen since the Red Wings re-assembled after their time off, while still noting that no amount of practice work can instantaneously shake loose the rust generated by the break.

"Those are two very good practices," he assessed.  "Those probably look very similar to those practices we had late December, early January.  They almost look like training camp practices, but, at the same time...even our first couple drills today [the second practice after the break], we weren't sharp.  We had trouble connecting some easy, 10-foot passes.  That's the worry about playing tomorrow, but, in reality, just gotta put your nose down and do it."

Depth forward Christian Fischer is in his eighth year in the league, and with that experience, he recognizes that there's a balance to be struck between embracing the down time and staying active during the bye week.

"No skating for sure, but you can't just eat like crap and drink every day," he told The Hockey News this afternoon.  "Kinda get some workouts in.  Our strength staff sent us four workouts to do during the break, and most guys are usually doing something active—going swimming or somewhere tropical.  As long as you're not just sitting around eating tacos and drinking tequila."

Fischer's line with Andrew Copp and Michael Rasmussen was in excellent form when the break hit, but he can still see the benefit in some time off prior to the stretch run.

"Obviously, seven days is a long time to take off," he explained.  "Definitely need a couple skates to get back into it. I think as well as you're playing, eventually you're gonna need a little break.  I think the guys would've loved to keep playing maybe for another week or two, but I think at some point, that break's huge for some banged up bodies."

As for the issue of facing an opponent that's already had the chance to fire back up after the break, Fischer said, "That adds to the challenge.  Obviously them just being a really good team in general and then you throw on top that they've been back at it for probably a week." Still, he was pleased with what he saw at Detroit's two practices and believes the Red Wings have done the best they can to get the post-break "Jello" out of their legs.

We'll find out tomorrow afternoon whether that Jello really is out when the puck drops on the Red Wings' stretch run to the end of the regular season.

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