Detroit Red Wings take 'happy mentality' into playoff showdown at Pittsburgh Penguins
Their last opponent just did it, so why not them?
That's the mentality with which the Detroit Red Wings approach their next game, Thursday at the Pittsburgh Penguins. Going on the road, playing a foe a ahead of them in the pillow-fight that is the battle for the last wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference may sound daunting, but that's what the Washington Capitals did Tuesday when they took on the Wings and won in Detroit.
"Washington came in, found a way to win here," coach Derek Lalonde said Wednesday. "If we can go in and find a way to win in Pittsburgh, all of a sudden it’s amazing how that match kind of clips in your favor again. We find a get two points from Pittsburgh, we leapfrog them."
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The Wings (38-32-8) and Penguins (36-30-12) both have 84 points with four games remaining for each, but the Penguins have the first tie-breaker with 31 regulation victories to Detroit's 27. The Capitals trailed the Wings by a point before Tuesday, and now have 85 points, also with four games left.
The Wings will be without Andrew Copp, who suffered a broken cheekbone on a high-stick late in the third period that officials missed. He's out for the Pittsburgh game, but Lalonde didn't rule out Copp possibly being available Saturday when the Wings play the Maple Leafs in Toronto.
"I would love to see him rolling out with his old Michigan college cage back on and give us some games down the stretch but, time will tell," Lalonde said.
Likewise, Michael Rasmussen (upper body, last played April 1) is unavailable Thursday but not ruled out for Saturday.
That's two-thirds of the checking line unavailable, which is an especially big loss going up against a team that has Sidney Crosby (86 points in 78 games) and Evgeni Malkin (63 in 78) among its assets. To counter, the Wings called up Zach Aston-Reese, a 29-year-old veteran of more than 300 NHL games, to play with Austin Czarnik (also a call-up) and Christian Fischer.
In the top-six group, Lalonde split up Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat, putting DeBrincat with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond and Kane with J.T. Compher and David Perron.
"Pittsburgh, they’re a very deep team," Lalonde said. "The last time we played them we had Kane and Cat together, they did a really good job of checking them, freeing up Crosby and Malkin. So it adds a litle bit different balance. We’re losing two very important pieces to our forward group with some size, so this was an opportunity to balance our lines a little bit going on the road."
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Former Wings goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic has been a big part of the Penguins' resurgence after seemingly being out of the race at the March 8 trade deadline, but no one on the team is more responsible for the team being on a 6-0-3 points binge than Crosby, who has 17 points his last nine games.
"I watched the Pittsburgh-Toronto game and Crosby was the best player on the ice in the third period," Lalonde said. "He was noticeably the best player on the ice with some really good payers on both teams. Special, one of the greatest ever. He’s pushing that team, and it’s a great opportunity for us."
Kane called fellow 36-year-old Crosby, "as good as ever.
"They’ve been playing great, finding ways to get points and win games. He’s leading the charge. We have to make sure we try to limit his time and space and make him play in his own end. They’ve been playing great, so it’ll be a big game for us."
Alex Lyon will get the start in goal for Detroit. As the games have intensified down the stretch with the Wings trying to secure a playoff spot, he's been among the most vocal for the need to stay in the moment. Sure, the Wings are coming off a loss that made the task harder, but they played really well for most of the game against the Capitals, including 81 shot attempts, and that counters some of the pressure.
"I’m encouraged and happy because I thought we played really well," Lyon said. "It’s just important not to get bogged down by the result. Obviously you have to be cognizant of that. It’s a win and loss business and we know that. But you also don’t want to hurt yourself by anchoring yourself down. So I think if we just approach it the same way, with a healthy, happy mentality, I think that’s the way. We still have four games left. There’s still time. We just have to fight till the end."
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.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings keep 'happy mentality' as playoff race nears end
