Notes: Jensen cements his role

DETROIT -- Red Wings defenseman Nick Jensen has always had Jeff Blashill in his corner.
Perhaps it dates back to when Blashill coached Jensen in Grand Rapids from 2013-14 through 2014-15, but the Detroit bench boss has always admired Jensen's competitive spirit and his skating ability.

"Nick is an excellent defender by the way that we want to defend, gapping through the neutral zone, closing on people in the D-zone," Blashill said. "If you don't create stalls, you spend the whole game in your end. He can create a stall because he's strong and he's tenacious. If you don't gap and end plays early, you got to sort out odd-numbered situations, which is probably the No. 1 way teams score in the league. He can do that.
"He's a real competitor. So, there's lots of positives to Nick's game. Like I said, at the beginning of the year for whatever reason, he didn't have a great camp, but he's really done a good job since then."
Jensen was a healthy scratch on opening night against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but hasn't missed a game since, emerging as a more-than-capable blueliner for the Wings.
In 47 games, Jensen has two goals among his 11 points, is minus-4 with an ice time average of 20:43, which is fourth-highest on the team.
"Obviously the more minutes you get to play, the more experience you gain and the better overall play you have," Jensen said. "I think the more experience you have, the more little things you learn and the better you adjust to the game at this level."
When asked what adjustments he's made mentally to his game from training camp through the first half of the season, Jensen feels not much. has changed.
"I think my mindset then is the same as it is now and is the same as it probably will be the rest of my career," he said. "You always have to show why you deserve to be in the lineup and it's a day-by-day process.
"So, every day, like today in practice, you got to make sure you show up. You can't take days off. Game day is the same thing. You got to make sure you show up every day thinking that someone's going to take your spot. That's kind of the mentality I had at the beginning of the year.
"Obviously I took that first game, I was a healthy scratch, and I kind of used that as fuel. I knew next time I got the opportunity, I was going to play that game like it was my last game. Every game from there on out, I take that same mental approach."
Blashill thinks what clicked in Jensen is an uptick in his confidence level.
"When you have confidence, you take that extra second to make the right play and when you don't have confidence, you panic and throw it away, and lots of times when you panic and throw it away, it's a bad thing," Blashill said. "When you play good hockey, your confidence builds and you're not afraid to make a mistake, and when you're not playing great hockey, you're afraid to make a mistake and that's the reality of it. It is a learned thing? Probably. Is it a confidence thing? One hundred percent.
"(Jensen's) skating is never an issue. Sometimes I thought he was fighting the puck, he was fighting his decision making. I think his confidence, for whatever reason, it slipped a little bit and it just got away from him. But again, I think he's done a good job since then of playing to his strengths."
Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard has seen a transformation in Jensen and believes it's because he's a deft skater.
"He can skate himself out of trouble. That's a plus. What it comes down to with Jensen is he's just a competitor," Howard said. "He works hard, he battles. He tries to do it right every single day. When you have the work ethic that Jense has, I don't think it's any surprise to us the success he's having this year."
Jensen can become an unrestricted free agent in July since he's in the last year of a two-year, $1.625 million deal, but recent rumblings indicate the Wings would like to re-sign him, which would be fine with the St. Paul, Minn. native.
"I don't think there's been any formal contract or anything like that. We got time still. I'm just more focused on playing hockey right now," Jensen said. "I love it here. Obviously, I'd want to be back here. But there hasn't been any talk that I know of."

HOWARD SEES THE YOUNGER DIFFERENCE:For the last few weeks, the results may not have been there, but the Red Wings have been encouraged with their overall play.
"For starters, we're not in our own end the whole time. In the past, when we have the lead, we've sat back and kind of just play in our own end for the whole period," Howard said. "There's been some pushback here when we have the lead and continue to push forward. It's been nice to see."
Howard also sees the emergence of Detroit's youngsters elevating their games to the next level, which has made the Wings more competitive.
"Young guys are where this team's at," Howard said. "We need them to be successful in order for us to be successful. It's good to see those guys getting rewarded."
Blashill agrees with his goalie. Detroit can go a long way if its young talent continues to evolve by contributing on a consistent basis.
"I think it's critical for the long-term prognosis of our organization that the young guys continue to take steps. They were the ones that kind of started that rally (Monday night versus Anaheim)," Blashill said. "As I said the other day, I'm not going to put that line (Dylan Larkin, Andreas Athanasiou, and Anthony Mantha) together all the time, but it's nice to be able to throw those three guys together and if they can give you a spark like that, that's a great thing.
"Our young guys have been real important pieces of this team. There's ups and downs that have gone with it, but I think there's a growth process that's been real important that I'm excited about."

LARKIN HAPPY FOR LARK THE SHARK: On Wednesday, the nominees for the Hobey Baker Award for college hockey's best player were announced with Miami goalie and Clarkston native Ryan Larkin, a.k.a. Lark the Shark, listed among the nominees.
Ryan is the cousin of Dylan Larkin and the Red Wings center couldn't be happier for his first cousin.
"Yeah, it's pretty cool. It's a great honor for him individually," Dylan Larkin said. "I feel from following them (Miami) that they've always had a solid team and he's always been a key part of that team so it's good to see him recognized.
"He put in a lot of work this summer to get his body where he needs to be to be the starting goalie there. It's exciting for him to see the hard work paying off."
When Dylan Larkin was reminded it probably helps his younger cousin having him shoot on him during the summer, the elder Larkin said it's been a two-way street.
"It helps me, too. He's a very athletic goalie who reads the play very well, reads your shot," the Red Wings forward said. "I think it was our first summer where my cousin Adam (Ryan's brother) and I went out and shot on him with private goalie lessons. He really did put in a lot of work this summer to help him take off this season."
In March, the list will be pared down, but until then, fans can vote for their favorite nominee through the Hobey Baker Facebook page.
Larkin hopes fans will cast a vote for his cousin, especially since he has a ferocious nickname.
"He's always goalie-themed and it's always on his mask, he's been Lark the Shark. He used to think he was an aggressive goalie. I don't think that's his style but it's a good name for a goalie," Dylan Larkin said. "It's fitting with Larkin and Lark the Shark. I know all of his friends and all of his teammates call him Shark. I think vote for him and help him out."