Entering annual Western Canada road trip, confident Red Wings recognize challenge ahead

DETROIT -- Set to begin their annual Western Canada road trip on Tuesday, the Detroit Red Wings, who entered Monday tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs in points (60) for the Eastern Conference’s first wild card spot, know the next six days could help them keep pace in the playoff race.

“We just have to claw,” Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said after Monday’s practice. “I just think it’s the nature of the opponent and how hard the opponent is. You’re going to see some of these teams we’re battling for that (playoff) line, you’re going to go through these stretches in your schedule. Everyone is going to go through it, but it’s how you handle it.”

From Feb. 13-19, Detroit will face the Edmonton Oilers (30-17-1; 61 points), the NHL-leading Vancouver Canucks (35-12-6; 76 points) and the Calgary Flames (25-23-5; 55 points) before concluding its road trip against the Seattle Kraken (21-21-10; 52 points).

“It’s tough to win on the road in this league, especially with the caliber of opponent,” Lalonde said. “Probably talking the top two teams in the league right now in Edmonton and Vancouver; Calgary, four straight (wins) against some really good opponents and Seattle, we never play well against and they’re battling for their playoff lives.”

This season, Detroit is 12-10-1 on the road. On their last multi-game road trip from Jan. 14-19, the Red Wings collected four of a possible six points.

“This is probably going to be similar to our last couple of road trips,” Lalonde said. “We just got to play the right way, stay in the fight and give ourselves a chance to battle and claw for every point that we can.”

Detroit made a statement in its first game back from the NHL All-Star Break on Saturday, rallying from a two-goal third-period deficit to beat the Canucks, 4-3, in overtime at Little Caesars Arena.

Olli Maatta said Saturday’s victory gave the Red Wings some much-needed momentum following the break.

“We wanted to start where we left off right before the break,” Maatta said. “We were playing really well. Obviously sometimes you’re going to get a long break and you might lose your game a little bit, so we just got to make sure we keep building on that.”

According to Maatta, this four-game road trip will serve as another valuable team-bonding opportunity.

“You’re together a lot,” Maatta said. “Winning games, it helps us build the comradery in the room. I think guys get closer to each other and obviously the time you spend off the ice helps.”

Captain Dylan Larkin said chemistry has been an integral part of Detroit’s success this season.

“We have good people and good character guys in here,” Larkin said. “We have a lot of new faces, but we care about each other. I feel every guy has a voice in here. We have guys who are established and know who they have to be to be an NHL player. No one’s in here really trying to figure out their game, so from day one, it’s been pretty easy for our team to bond and build chemistry.”