How chat with Newsy helped Detroit Red Wings' Christian Fischer straighten out his game

Christian Fischer skated back to the Detroit Red Wings' bench, looked at one of the associate coaches, and knew there was no goal.

Oh well. Offense wasn't what landed Fischer on the Wings' radar last summer anyway.

What the Wings saw in Fischer was an inexpensive role player, the kind that complements and is needed amid the scorers and playmakers. On that, Fischer has delivered. As coach Derek Lalonde described it this week, Fischer plays "an honest game.

"It’s a predictable, north game, simple and that line is playing off each other well, working off a forecheck and he’s doing it. He’s been really good. Good on him."

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Good on Fischer, 26, all the more after he drew less favorable reviews for his performance even as the Wings went 3-0 on the California trip at the start of January. When the Wings came home, Lalonde made some line adjustments, one of which was to put Fischer with Andrew Copp and Michael Rasmussen. Copp and Rasmussen have played together on and off going back to last season, and Fischer has been a good fit after righting himself.

"As good as we were on that West Coast trip, his game dipped a little bit and I think he took it very personal and got his game back in order," Lalonde said. "He’s been really productive on that line."

It's not like it was difficult for Fischer to figure out what he needed to do.

"I play a pretty simple game," he said. "Me and Newsy have a good relationship and a lot of trust. I think it was more so just unnecessary turnovers that usually aren’t part of my game. Playing a certain role, you can’t be bringing negatives. Usually I try to bring some type of positive to every shift, and energy. So yeah, we chatted near the end of that California trip and then ever since then, it seems to be going pretty good with Copper and Ras, we’ve been having some good chemistry together.

"I think we’re all pretty similar players. We all think the same way, and that’s probably the biggest thing. We all know where we want to be, we play a pretty simple, cycling game, all three are big bodies. We’re going to grind them down and that fits all three of our playing styles, which is nice."

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Fischer had two goals and seven assists after 44 games, off pace from the 13 goals and 27 points he had in 80 games last season with the Arizona Coyotes, but pretty much on the nose for what he has contributed most of his career. He put the puck in the net in Tuesday's game against the Dallas Stars, but knew the play was offside as the puck went in.

"I knew it was close," Fischer said. "I went back to the bench and looked at (Alex) Tanguay and he shook his head, so, it was nice to know right away. It’s unfortunate, but it happens. You have to stay in a good mindset. There are a lot of other ways you can impact a game positively."

Fischer averages around 11 minutes per game. He has had a plus or even rating in all but six games, and it's those instincts in his own zone that prompted the Wings to sign Fischer for one year, $1.25 million. Of late, he's been part of Lalonde's attempt to have a semblance of the Yanni Gourde, Blake Coleman, Barclay Woodrow line that was so key to success for Lalonde's former team, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"We never won until we had the Gourde, Coleman, Woodrow line," Lalonde said. "That’s just hard to find in today’s NHL. There is some thought of that when we put (Copp's) line together. You want them to check, but you want them to drive a little bit, too."

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her @helenestjames.

Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from  Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Simple contributions from Christian Fischer helping Detroit Red Wings