As the Detroit Red Wings seek to build on what is sustainable from their hot start, an experienced lineup is one of the biggest sources of confidence.
Ten days into the season, the Wings had collected 10 of a possible 12 points (and feel they should have had 11), four of which came against division rivals and eight of which were against Eastern Conference teams. They won an emotional game in Ottawa against the team that blasted them in back-to-back meetings last February and showed they can pull away in games that have gotten close in the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Calgary Flames.
CAP & CAT: Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat clicking for Red Wings
Dylan Larkin pointed to a veteran lineup as a big reason why the Wings have gotten off to such a good start.
“We don’t really have anyone trying to figure out their game,” he said. “We’ve got NHL players in our lineup and when things get tough, we keep ourselves in the game. We just have a lot of experience and we all work together, work for each other.”
Ville Husso and James Reimer have played well in net, and having seven experienced defensemen has led to tough decisions about which one to scratch, and a few outings where such a luxury has led to the Wings to use 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
“It’s nice,” Larkin said. “I would say we’ve got seven defensemen that can play the game and two goalies that have been really big for us so far. We don’t really give up many grade-A chances unless it’s lapses from us. We have great experience back there and guys that can clear out the front of the net.”
Larkin came out of the first six games with 11 points, one behind Alex DeBrincat. No newcomer has had a bigger early impact than DeBrincat with eight goals, including a hat trick, but every line is stronger after the off-season additions made by general manager Steve Yzerman: J.T. Compher has strengthened the second line, Daniel Sprong the third line, and Christian Fischer and Klim Kostin the fourth line.
The Wings won five of their first six games and came out of the season opener in New Jersey saying they should have had at least a point with how well they played as a team. Five games in, the power play was 9-for-18; six games in, the Wings had scored 30 goals. Those paces aren’t going to last, but it shows how much better the Wings are.
“Leading the league in goals scored, we’re averaging almost five a game, our power play – that’s not sustainable for anyone,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “But you ride these streaks when you have them and keep playing the right way and try to keep it as long as you can.
“We’re still trying to find our game and play the right way – that’s sustainable. We are getting good goaltending, special teams, and our scoring is overshadowing some of our mistakes.”
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @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’ hot start: Not sustainable, but they enjoy it
