Detroit Red Wings
"Not Much Runway Left" as Detroit Looks to Save Season in South Florida: Red Wings-Panthers Game Day Notebook
Everything you need to know ahead of this afternoon's game between the Red Wings and Panthers
© Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports - "Not Much Runway Left" as Detroit Looks to Save Season in South Florida: Red Wings-Panthers Game Day NotebookDeflating though the last two games may have been, the Red Wings skate into this afternoon's matinee with the Florida Panthers in Sunrise with their chances at cracking the postseason alive. Thanks to some friendly results around the league, Detroit remains just two points back of a playoff spot (albeit with an extra game played).
"Not much runway left," said Derek Lalonde after Friday's practice. "But the message post-game [against Carolina] was keep building. I liked our third period. I asked the guys to stay with it and try to build something in the third. We had a very strong third period, and we got some help in the league last night, which is the reality of where we're at. We have a really tough opponent on the road, and we gotta find a way to get some points. It's only gonna be done with a good team game."
That's the mentality entering today's game: to embrace the challenge of the moment, build on the small successes of the last week, and fight to earn points in a difficult environment with the knowledge that those small successes need to become big ones to extend the season beyond the regular campaign's promised 82 games.
Lalonde described yesterday's practice as a "morning skate plus," saying that his team "needed some touches and reps" and had "habits that we want to work on with the puck." Because while there have been small positives from efforts like Tuesday's in Washington or last Saturday's in Nashville, those positives need to manifest in points soon.
Despite the frustration inherent in the last week's results and the urgency of the moment, as defenseman Olli Maatta pointed out yesterday, this is a moment of the season to savor. "The whole game day you just want to go out and play," he said. "You can't wait for that game to happen, and it's fun times. I think guys enjoy it; you can feel it in the room. Every game matters so much, and I think that's the biggest thing...We gotta push, we gotta compete, but at the same time, you gotta make sure you have a little bit of fun out there too."
Lalonde pointed out that Detroit's staff hasn't spent the last few days in fits of rage, yelling and screaming to try to inspire a change in fortunate. Instead, the Red Wings recognize that they must improve quickly but also that they have positives to build from.
"There's moments our intensity as a group and a staff picks up, but this isn't throw tables, bang water bottles," Lalonde said. "It's keep pointing things out. Again, a little—I wouldn't say frustrating—but if you look back at our recent stretch, obviously we were very good against the Islanders at home. We were excellent in a lot of ways, unfortunately lost 1-0 on the road. The Capitals game, that's again a pretty good team game; Grade A's are 13-3 in our favor. We take that any night, got a point. Last night, I wouldn't say a step back, but we got their A game, and there were some pushes in the second. We didn't handle that well, but there's some positives in our game. We just gotta keep finding those positives, build off that even a little bit more, and try to get some results."
At the end of the day, Detroit's season has been focused from the beginning on being in this spot—with a chance to fight over the finish line to a playoff position as the regular season draws to a close—and that's worthy of excitement.
"We wanted to be in this situation," said Lalonde. "It's a growth, learning situation to be in this situation. There's going to be ups and downs with it. I think there's a little frustration with the lack of results lately, but at the same time, of course, these guys are excited to be in moments and games like these."
Lineup: Illness Remains an Issue
Dylan Larkin did not participate in yesterday's practice, but Lalonde described that absence as a "maintenance day." However, the illness that's afflicted the Red Wings for more than a week now remains a factor. Austin Czarnik and Patrick Kane were both late omissions from Thursday's lineup because of it. Czarnik was able to skate Thursday, per Lalonde, but Kane was not.
"Good sign that Czarnik skated today, and we'll just wait on a couple other guys there, Patrick Kane being one of them," Lalonde said yesterday. "Questionable would be a good way to put it," he added of Kane's status for today's game. Meanwhile, defenseman Jake Walman—out of the lineup since March 17th with a lower body injury—remains a possibility but not an assurance.
Because of Czarnik and Kane's illness, Detroit was forced into an 11 forward-seven defensemen lineup Thursday night against the Hurricanes. With Czarnik skating yesterday and the Red Wings calling up Zach Aston-Reese from Grand Rapids, they won't have to use that alignment again today, unless they choose to.
Finally, Lalonde also said yesterday that Alex Lyon will start in goal. Lyon's form late in the season last year as a Florida Panther propelled the Ice Cats into a playoff spot (and eventual run to the Cup Final) while also reigniting his career. Perhaps he can tap back into that form Saturday afternoon on the outskirts of the Everglades.
Panthers Fallible of Late
When last Detroit met the Panthers, Florida was the NHL's hottest team and proceeded to out-duel the Red Wings, flashing their playoff muscle and know-how in a 4-0 shutout victory at Little Caesars Arena. At the time, it was the Panthers' 10th win in 11 games, and they would proceed to win four of their next five.
Before the two teams first meeting of the season, Lalonde spoke of the swagger that defines this Florida team, beginning with superstar winger Matthew Tkachuk.
"There's an 'it' about him; there's a swagger about him," said Lalonde of Tkachuk back in November, before the two teams first meeting of the seaosn. "I remember doing my TV gig last year [Lalonde served as a studio analyst for Sportsnet on Canadian television last postseason] and watching him operate—it's such a small thing...they won in Boston to make it 3-2, and the cameras are in there, and he's like 'we'll be back here.' And I'm sitting back like 'I believe him.' And if I believed him watching on TV at 11:30 at night, I'm sure the people in that room did. He just has a way about himself."
At the moment, however, that swagger has been harder to come by for Florida, though they did clinch a playoff berth this week. The Panthers enter today's game having lost six of seven, having been shut out twice in that stretch.
Per Maatta, the Red Wings' path forward is a simple one: "It's the same challenge as we had [against Carolina]. Obviously, we gotta get more pucks on net; we gotta get more traffic at the net. We could spend a little more time in the offensive zone."
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