Notes: Blashill continues to tout the process

DETROIT -- Outside perception may be that the Red Wings are on the verge of splintering as their frustration mounts because they cannot figure out how to turn around their recent swoon.
Detroit has gone 1-5-4 in its last 10 games and its home record stands at a mystifying 5-6-5, which ranks 24th out of 31 NHL teams.

Despite the process being good, the results have not translated on the scoresheet and in the standings.
Yet the Wings feel they have played reasonably well except for a couple of stinkers and if they continue to play their game, the puck will start bouncing their way.
Wings head coach Jeff Blashill firmly believes as difficult as it is for the players to stick to Detroit's style of play because they've been rewarded with very limited success, it will benefit the team in the long run.
"One of the hardest things to do in life is trust the process when you're not getting results, in any facet of life," Blashill said after Tuesday's practice at the BELFOR Training Center. "(The) mistakes people make is they go away from the process, they panic too early and they don't stay with it. You have to trust the process.
"We've out-chanced our opponents 49-34 over the last three games and the worst of that was the Winnipeg game, it was the most even of the chances. We got one point to show for it. That's not enough. Are you frustrated? Sure, you're frustrated, but that doesn't help you.
"You have to understand that if you keep playing that way, you keep trusting the process, we know guys getting scoring chances have scored in this league, we believe they're going to score again, so stay with it. If we stay with it, I believe we'll get the results we want over the long term."
When Blashill was asked if the Wings still trust not only the process, but each other out on the ice, he was candid.
"Our guys have total trust in each other doing their jobs and I think that's why we've played well, even though we haven't gotten results," he said. "Is it a difficult sell (the process)? I don't know. My job is to make sure to Illustrate to them the way to success. I believe they understand that. Absolutely it's difficult. That's why dieters across the country go off diets. That's why people don't stay with things when they're struggling. That's the reality of it.
"You have to understand that if process is good, results follow. It always happens. It doesn't always happen as quick as you want but it always happens, so let's stay with the process."
He is concerned with the Wings' record over the last 10 games of 1-5-4, but Blashill says there is a logical explanation for their skid and has a way to reverse the slide.
"Two things, you got to flip some of those fours (OT losses) and if you flip some of those fours we'd be 3-5-2, fine, but still not good enough. That's the ebb and flow of the season. When you lose every overtime game or shootout, you put yourself in a tougher spot.
"Two, certainly, lately we haven't had the same production from our specialty teams that we've had. I said at the beginning of the year we were going to need elite specialty teams to be a playoff team.
"Certainly, from the last five-six games from a production standpoint it hasn't been elite or good enough. I actually think the process from both (power play and penalty kill) of those has been good enough in terms of a results standpoint."
Virtually every Detroit player has echoed Blashill's thoughts about the process not being the issue, it comes down to execution, especially not turning the puck over.
They may be struggling to win games, but the Wings are a team united in the belief of as long as they stick to the game plan, brighter days are within their grasp.
DEKEYSER'S STRUGGLES:Since he returned to the Detroit lineup 10 games ago after missing 17 games with a broken bone in his ankle, defenseman Danny DeKeyser has had a tough time.
He has been held without a point and is minus-11. DeKeyser has been at least minus-1 in nine of the 10 games he has played since his return.
"It's been taking me a little bit to get going to where I want to be. Last night (versus Florida) I felt good, I thought my legs were better, I was moving a bit better on the ice, just felt stronger," DeKeyser said. "I guess at the same time I got to look at it as (the) ankle injury I was out six weeks, so it's going to take me a little bit to come back from that. It's been three or four weeks now, so I'm starting to feel better, feel like I'm getting into it now."
For the season, DeKeyser is pointless in 13 games and is minus-11. His ice time average is 18:47.
"I think it's hard to miss a large chunk of the year, especially the beginning of the year and I think he's tried to work himself back in with real important minutes and it's not an easy thing at all," Blashill said. "Obviously, some of that plus-minus we've had some games, 10-1, 6-1, you can rack up some minuses in a hurry.
"But I would say he's been somebody who has been finding his game and doing it against the other team's, whether it's their best players, but certainly good players.
"He's been better the last three or four games. Seems like he's headed in the right direction, but we need him to continue to take those steps and be a shutdown type player who can get the puck out of your end."
DeKeyser could also be a victim of bad timing.
"It's been a tough stretch for everybody. If I had an option to come back in the middle of a six-game winning streak or earlier, it might have been a little better for my plus-minus," DeKeyser said. "It's just one of those things where you got to keep battling through it and keep getting better every night, try to be on the plus side."
BERTUZZI SENT TO GRAND RAPIDS: Promising Detroit forward Tyler Bertuzzi was sent back to the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins after Tuesday's practice.
With Luke Witkowski back from his 10-game suspension and the Wings pleased with the play of veteran forward David Booth, it isn't a surprise Bertuzzi was returned to the Griffins.
Bertuzzi appeared in only one game, Saturday's 6-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues. He was held scoreless and was minus-3 in 9:13 of ice time.
"My biggest thing on Tyler, and I said after the game that night (Saturday), is do we have enough minutes for him? He's different than Booth in that he's at the beginning stages of his career," Blashill told reporters after practice and before it was announced Bertuzzi was being sent down. "If we don't have enough minutes for him, then he's better off playing in GR, so that when injuries arise or opportunities open with more minutes, he's more ready to jump through that window of opportunity."