The Red Wings’ Next Two Games are their Biggest of the Season; Here’s How they Can Win Them
Facing the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals their next two games, the Red Wings have a chance to sprint ahead in the playoff race. Here’s how they can win those key games.
Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports - The Red Wings’ Next Two Games are their Biggest of the Season; Here’s How they Can Win ThemYou couldn’t script a better schedule if you tried.
Whether fate or fortune, the Red Wings sit in the second Eastern Conference wild card spot at 84 points. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh and Washington sit at 83 points in the same number of games. And in the final five games of the season with so much on the line, it’s those Capitals and Penguins that Detroit faces next this Tuesday and Thursday.
This is the defining moment of the season. Win and the Red Wings likely punch their ticket. Lose and they’re going to get passed.
The high stakes nature shown these next two games is a fate that Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde has repeatedly embraced. At the start of this season, Detroit wasn’t expected to compete for a playoff spot by most projections. Now, it’s all but two games away from beating the odds.
In order for that to happen, though, the Red Wings need these next two wins. Here’s how they can get them.
Fast Starts, Quick Control
Old sayings dictate that nothing is about where you start, but rather where you finish. Whatever wise guy came up with that clearly was never in a playoff race. In order to win these next two games, Detroit’s best route is to get ahead early. Even if it can’t score, simply not allowing a goal in the first period is crucial.
“We’ve struggled with our starts a couple weeks ago, so we kind of cleaned that up,” Lucas Raymond said Sunday after a game in which he scored the opening goal less than a minute in. “And (it’s) always a benefit when you can come out like that. So I think the first period was good, especially the first 10 and then we kind of dropped off a little bit, but strong performance and like I said, just nice to get out of here with a win.”
Later he expanded on that idea. “I think it’s a lot about mindset, that we come on and really play our game because when we play our game we know we can, we can compete with any team in this league,” Raymond said. “Sometimes we’ve gotten tough starts where we’ve been kind of on our heels a little bit trying to feel the game out. I think tonight we came out just guns blazing, so I’m trying to replicate that.”
The last time the Red Wings faced the Penguins on March 17, they fell down 3-1 in the first period in what became a 6-3 loss. Pittsburgh was able to control the game with its lead, and Detroit had to play catch-up before it could play for a win. Against the Capitals on March 26, both they and the Red Wings played a scoreless first period before the Capitals eventually won in overtime.
If Detroit is going to win against those two teams this time around, it needs to get ahead in the count. That’s what made a win over Buffalo feel assured throughout Sunday’s game, and that’s what gave the Red Wings an advantage throughout.
Defense Wins Championships
All season, the Red Wings have been a team whose deep offense carries them forward. Yet Sunday’s win over Buffalo showed a new element: Detroit locked down on defense the final two frames, blocking a multitude of shots and sealing the win by not allowing a goal.
If the Red Wings want to beat the Penguins and Capitals, closing out games with good defense will be essential.
“I saw a stat the other day, we’re one of maybe two or three teams that has 12 wins when trailing in the third,” Lalonde said. “There’s some mental fortitude from the group, but finding ways to close out games is difficult, especially against a team like that. And again, I think Alex (Lyon) was being a little humble there. I thought he was our best player in the third. That team had some looks, some really good looks that he kept out of the net.”
Whether through superior goaltending, shot blocking or positioning, Detroit can use its defense to cause a win. The Penguins possess the star power to beat an overextended structure if the Red Wings don’t mind their defense. Likewise, the Capitals are an opportunistic team that slips through the cracks they see in their opponents. If Detroit limits what it gives up, the invariably puts it in a better position to win this playoff sprint.
Don’t Look too Far Ahead
Last season during the Florida Panthers’ playoff push, goaltender Alex Lyon was feeling the nerves. So, he turned to Eric Staal, more than 1300 NHL games to his name, for some guidance.
Staal’s message: stay in the moment. Lyon did, and he backstopped the Panthers to a playoff bid.
“I think that living in the moment and staying day by day is absolutely crucial this time of year, and remaining calm in critical situations. I talk about that all the time. But that’s what the best players do. We have teams that we can maybe make up ground. But the reality is if we get the job done here, then we’re going to have more difficult games after that, and your reward is just to play more hockey and more difficult games. So you really can’t think too far into the future. You can’t worry about the past and we have to enjoy this because that’s an important part of the process for a little bit here.”
The Red Wings don’t have a lot of time to stop and smell the roses, nor do they have time to count their playoff probability before finishing the season. As much as the game-by-game mentality is an overused coach-ism, it’s also true.
Detroit’s room is full of veterans who’ve been through these chases, and that could help them make the most of this opportunity.
“It’s always a learning experience,” Lyon said. “I think a lot of guys in our room have played in big games and I think it’s muscle memory and it’s brain memory and kind of the way you’re thinking and feeling. I think that the more you expose yourself to, it’s like anything, you get better at it. And so it’s good, and I think you gotta turn the page quickly, enjoy it for about an hour or two and then start worrying about the next one.”
If the Red Wings stay locked in on their next game, next period, next shift, their focus can help them make sense of the frantic nature of a playoff race turned playoff sprint.
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