The Red Wings take on Nashville Saturday night. Here's a game day notebook with a focus on the pressure of Detroit's playoff race, the way Dylan Larkin's return improves the lineup, and how goaltenders can reinvent their play amid a tough season.
The Red Wings are a 12-game span away from taking a major step in their rebuild and finally making a playoff series. All the drafting, all the free agents, it has all led to Detroit being in position to finally strike.
Pressure is mounting. Derek Lalonde feels it too.
“Probably emphasizing those things of staying in the moment, living in the moment,” Lalonde said of what he’s learned to manage pressure. “You’re gonna run into these highs and lows — it’s how you handle them. And you gotta give the group a ton of credit. They’ve done a pretty good job with it. We’ve won three of our last four after obviously a very tough stretch.”
Despite his quick shift to a team view, Lalonde is perhaps one of the most experienced with managing pressure. He was an assistant coach for a Tampa Bay team that tied the NHL win record at the time yet blew a first round series to Columbus. The Lightning turned laughing stock, until they rattled off back-to-back Stanley Cups the next two seasons. He’s seen the epitome of highs and lows, and he knows how fickle this time of year can be.
He knows how big this stretch of hockey is coming up, too, especially on a five-game road trip that starts Saturday in Nashville.
“It sounds like a cliche but not only is it a long road trip, the caliber of opponent on the road trip and we’re in survival mode — we gotta try and eat every point possible,” Lalonde said. “Then we have an opportunity tomorrow against a (Nashville) team that hasn’t given up many points. So that’ll be a really, really good challenge for us.”
Whether the Red Wings rise to that challenge or not could make or break their playoff hopes. If Lalonde’s earlier projection that they needed 95-100 points for a playoff spot remains true, then they need 17 points out of 24 available this last chunk of the season, a .703 win percentage. For context, an earlier 16-4-2 hot streak from January on saw the Red Wings win at a .772 percentage. They’re going to have to pick up the pace here, no doubt about it.
There’s reason to believe that the exact number to clinch might fluctuate with three teams — Detroit, Washington and the New York Islanders — vying for the same second wild card bid. However, all the Red Wings can do is continue to win their games. Living in the moment like Lalonde said is of vital importance. They can't let the future distract them from the task at hand.
All that starts Saturday against Nashville.
The Lineup
Detroit gained a crucial piece of the lineup in Dylan Larkin on Thursday, a comeback accented by his two-goal performance and the crowd chanting his name. His return slots the lineup into better roles than without him, bringing a lot more punch up and down the lineup without sacrificing defense. It seems likely that the same lines will roll out against Nashville, including on defense where Jake Walman is still dealing with a lower body injury.
Lalonde mentioned that Larkin has caught the illness sweeping through the Red Wings’ dressing room right now, but it seems as though Larkin will be ready to play Nashville. Detroit could certainly use his ability to match up with opposing lines, something made more difficult with being on the road.
In net, Lalonde said Thursday that Alex Lyon will get the start after five days off. At one point, Lyon was the stalwart goaltender the Red Wings needed, but his performance nose-dived during a seven-game losing streak, and his save percentage hasn’t passed .900 in eight starts. If there was ever a time for a get-right game, it’s now.
“This is a legit rest for him where he hasn’t seen the net — it’ll be for a week (since) Sunday against Pittsburgh” Lalonde said. “So if there’s a little reset, probably overplaying him for sure. He’s never taken that workload in his entire career at this level.”
For Nashville, the lineup should look something similar to its last game against Florida. The Predators won that game 3-0 against one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams. They’re formidable and deep, including the familiar Gustav Nyquist who once played for Detroit.
Despite Down Year, Juuse Saros Rounding Back into Form
At one point this season, Predators goaltender Juuse Saros might as well put his realtor on speed dial. For a goaltender who’s usually consistent, his starts included a whole lot of clunkers. It seemed as though Nashville might try and trade him. Then, Saros went on a seven-game point streak before the trade deadline.
Forget about trade talks, he was the Predators’ guy. Since he has rounded into form, Nashville has become as scary an opponent as any.
“They start from the net out,” Lalonde said. “Obviously the goaltending is getting back to that world class form that he has shown in the past. I think it brings confidence to the group. And then they’re clicking in all areas. Their superstars are playing like superstars, their checkers are checking, their offense is playing well, their special teams — it’s been pretty impressive to watch.”
Saros’ situation shows how fair-weather NHL goaltending discourse can be. One day, a goaltender is seen as a slice of swiss cheese to be shipped off never to return. Flip that with a win streak and all of a sudden all their sins are forgiven. He’s the same goaltender, and it’s hard to believe his technique has changed so drastically in a few short weeks. There’s always the issue of confidence with goaltenders, and maybe his slump was a negative feedback loop. Regardless of the changeup, Nashville went from having hardly any goaltending support to having one of the NHL’s best again.
Detroit will get a good look at how Saros has reinvented his play as of late on Saturday, and maybe it can take some notes from its opponent. Lyon and backup goaltender James Reimer could use a dose of confidence considering Lyon’s string of poor starts and Reimer’s skittish saves after allowing some soft goals. Rounding into Saros-like form is unrealistic, but getting a confidence boost could help the Red Wings make the most of this final span of the playoff push.
Where to Watch
Tonight's game (a 5 p.m. puck drop) can be viewed on Bally Sports Detroit. It will also be streamed on ESPN+ and Hulu.
Also from THN Detroit
Combining Reliability and Dynamism, Edvinsson Earns Immediate Trust in Latest Red Wings Call-Up
On Upcoming Road Trip, Red Wings’ Starts Matter Even More
‘They Know he’s Gonna Battle’: James Reimer Helps Red Wings Earn Crucial Win over Islanders
Defense Turns to Offense as Red Wings Beat Islanders in Larkin's Return