Detroit City Wire

The Detroit Red Wings are using a three-day break between games to focus on improving their physical play and competitiveness. After an off-day on Monday, the team gathered at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center for a high-intensity practice led by head coach Todd McLellan.

“We don’t get a lot of time during the season to practice the way we did today,” McLellan said. “We just can’t, because you have so many games in such a short time frame. They expended a lot of energy today. It was physical and there was a lot of battling.”

McLellan organized several drills emphasizing puck protection and body positioning, aiming to make better use of space on the ice. He encouraged both larger and smaller players to increase their physical presence.

“We’re not a small team, but sometimes we don’t play big,” McLellan said. “We have some length, some guys who are long and tall. We have some girth. Those players have to give us more of that. The smaller players can also do that too. They can roll around. Sometimes, they’re the toughest to handle in and around the blue paint because they have a low center of gravity, are quick and have to dart in and out. We’re just not seeing enough of it right now.”

Forward Alex DeBrincat emphasized the need for Detroit to become tougher opponents across all areas of play.

“We need to be a more physical and harder team to play against,” DeBrincat said. “We’re giving up too much too easily, so we got to win our 50-50s in the O-zone and D-zone. Really, all over the ice. Just getting back to that work ethic and playing simple is going to be what’s best for us.”

After losing their third consecutive game on Sunday afternoon, Detroit is looking not only for improved results but also hoping to end its current power-play struggles; over their last five games, they have converted only once in twenty opportunities with the man advantage.

“Could [the power play] be better? Yeah, for sure,” Patrick Kane said. “I also could say, if you look at the last couple games, that we could’ve had a couple goals here or there. There were some chances… As a group, we still feel very confident in what we can do. We’re going to try to not lose confidence in the power play because it is such a crucial part of the game.”

The Red Wings resume their four-game homestand Thursday night against the Anaheim Ducks.