The Detroit Red Wings won't have it easy for their upcoming homestand, which starts on Friday night. The New York Rangers have been road warriors, and the Wings already let the Buffalo Sabres and Anaheim Ducks get the best of them. And, in case you haven't noticed, the Chicago Blackhawks aren't the same inept team that they were over the past few seasons.
So to get Patrick Kane back at some point during the homestand would be great. The Wings have felt the lack of Kane's presence, and getting him back in the lineup will solidify their top six again. He has returned to practice, so it won't be long until we see Kane back in the Winged Wheel.
Kane's return will help the Wings keep pace with the high-octane Blackhawks, who are 14th in the NHL in scoring as of Thursday night, and the Anaheim Ducks, who have put up seven goals in four different games this season. If Detroit skated out there and played either team like they played Vegas, they're going to have a hard time escaping their home ice with the W.
Todd McLellan sees an encouraging trait in the Red Wings
Todd McLellan has had some harsh things to say about his team early this season, so it's refreshing to see him say something positive following that road trip. While there is definite room for improvement, McLellan was impressed with the Wings.
Ansar Khan of M Live wrote that McLellan said, “It started at home, we’re down four and we find a way to come back (6-4 win over St. Louis). We get to St. Louis and we’re scored on real early. We stuck with it and played a pretty solid game. We go to Los Angeles, we play a solid game, and they get two quick ones at the end. And it would have been easy to be happy with a point, but we were resilient enough to overcome the call in overtime and get playing again (4-3 shootout win).
“Bounced back after a game in Anaheim where we didn’t play as well (5-2 loss followed by 3-2 shootout win in San Jose). So, the resiliency, the mental drive for the group ended in Vegas. I’ve been on teams where sometimes that game five or six of a road trip is … if it goes your way, great. If it doesn’t, then you’re done and you’re getting home. It’s just that demanding. And that wasn’t the case with us. Right to the last minute we left what we had out there. It wasn’t enough, but at least we had it.”
If the Red Wings keep up that "resilient" mentality, they will be at least a 0.500 team on the road. Playing outside their home arena has clearly been their weak suit, but finding that extra gear and at least keeping things close showed them that they're capable of playing better hockey during those inevitable road trips.
Channeling that inner-resiliency vs. the New York Rangers
Ironically, the Red Wings will need to play with a heightened sense of urgency on Friday night if they plan on upending the New York Rangers. New York's been playing better hockey on the road than anyone in the Eastern Conference, posting six wins, one loss, and an overtime loss.
Don't expect anything less from the Rangers when they skate into the Motor City. Like the Wings, the Rangers find themselves in a tight division race early in the season, and the trend looks like it won't let up any time soon.
If the Red Wings can take it, they'll regain momentum for the incoming Blackhawks, Ducks, and Sabres. Should they keep playing the way they have on the road and the Wings will have more than just a good outlook as we inch toward mid-November.