Notes: Wings switch some lines and defense pairs in practice

DALLAS -- There were some different looks to both the lines and defense pairs when the Red Wings took to the ice Friday in practice at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Andreas Athanasiou skated on the top line with Dylan Larkin and Justin Abdelkader; Gustav Nyquist was with Frans Nielsen and Thomas Vanek; and Tyler Bertuzzi was back with Luke Glendening and Michael Rasmussen.

"It gives him a chance to play with Larks, he hasn't done that much," Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "Double-A is a guy that if we can get playing at his highest level, he's obviously a very good player, so we're giving him that opportunity. The thing I said to him is he's got to make sure he's great defensively because ultimately, he's going to be out there against some of the other team's best players on a consistent basis, so he's got to make sure he handles that side of it and we'll see how it goes.
"I haven't minded our lines and we may go back to where they were but just trying to get the right fits. Nyquie and Vanek have had some chemistry together and certainly Bert, Ras and Glenny was a line I thought could really grind in the O-zone and since Bert's been off the line we've kind of gotten away from it, so we'll see."
Larkin leads the team with 16 goals and Athanasiou is second with 12. Both scored in the 5-2 loss in Pittsburgh Thursday.
"I like it," Larkin said. "I really felt like I had a lot of chemistry with Gus. It's going to be a different look, but I've had great chemistry with Doubles. I love the way he plays and we're good buddies, so we're always looking for each other and I think it's going to translate. It's nice having Abby there as well to be in front of the net and win battles for us."

Defensively, Niklas Kronwall remain together. But Trevor Daley and Jonathan Ericsson were back together, a pair that has worked well in the past.
Rookies Dennis Cholowski and Filip Hronek were paired in practice for the first time.
"We're trying to find the right chemistry," Blashill said. "Ericsson and Daley have had real good chemistry in the past and we're trying to get back to that. I think Kronner and Jensen have been pretty good. The Cholowski-Daley pairing hasn't been as good, so we're seeing if this can give us some good chemistry.
"Cholowski and Hronek have played together in the past in the prospects tournament. They were excellent together, they both move the puck well together. That's two young guys, which you don't always want to do and that's why we didn't do it originally. We had an older guy with a younger guy. But I think their skill sets are good together and hopefully they can play real well together."
Cholowski thinks playing with another young defenseman will be fun and he likes the way Hronek plays.
"He's quick. He gets up in the rush," Cholowski said. "Super skilled. He can easily break the puck out of his end and make plays. I think we can kind of work off each other in that way. He's a great skater, he's up in the rush, looking to create offense. It should be a lot of fun playing with him."
Cholowski and Daley were both left-shot defensemen while Hronek is a right-shot.
"Generally that's what most teams do, have a righty and a lefty," Cholowski said. "That's more, I guess, your natural side when you're on the right or the left. Generally teams try to do it and we've been doing it most of the year."

SPECIAL TEAMS STRUGGLES: The Wings have not been getting a lot of chances on the power play and they haven't capitalized lately on those chances.
They had just one power play against the Penguins and did not score. "I think it's we're not capitalizing on our chances," Larkin said. "We're getting tons of zone time, we're making a lot of plays. We just need to get around the net and bury a couple of dirty ones. We need to shoot more pucks and not look for the fancy plays as much, the perimeter stuff. I think our set-ups have been good. We really have been getting chances. I think last night Fransy (Nielsen) found me in the middle and I hit (Matt) Murray's knob, things like that. In Toronto we had a lot of good looks as well."
In the month of December, the Wings have averaged 2.23 power-play opportunities per game, a league low, compared to the league average of 2.96.
The Los Angeles Kings and Dallas Stars, the Wings' next opponent, are second worst in the league, averaging 2.27 power-play chances per game in December.
In December, the Wings have converted on four of their 29 power-play opportunities for a 13.8 percent success rate, which is 25th in the league.
"The last few games I thought we've been pretty good, to be honest," Cholowski said. "We haven't scored but we're getting some chances. They can't stay out of the net forever. Eventually those are gonna go in. We just gotta keep working, keep getting the puck to the net."
Overall for the season, the Wings are 21st on the power play at 18 percent.
The penalty kill has struggled of late as well, falling to 23rd in the league at 77.7 percent.
"We got to do a better job on our penalty kill forecheck," Blashill said. "Teams get in our zone too easy. Is it a matter of executing? Yeah, a little bit. I think we've had moments on our penalty kill where it's been really good. Even in those moments we've spent too much time in our end. We got to make sure we do a better job on our penalty kill forecheck and keep the puck out of our end for longer stretches."
HELM GETTING CLOSER: Forward Darren Helm, who has missed the last 19 games with a shoulder injury suffered Nov. 17 at New Jersey, practiced with the team again Friday.
Helm also skated before and after practice.

"Right now, I'm really tired," Helm said. "Shoulder feels good. Been skating for a while, legs feel good. Just got to start getting a little bit more contact and see how that progresses and hopefully I'll be back soon."
Before Helm can return to games, the doctors would need to clear him.
"From a team aspect, I would say yesterday he skated a little on his own in terms of some slight battles and today we increased the battle level a little bit," Blashill said. "As we increase the battle level and medical staff and Darren thinks he's ready, he'll get back in the lineup. How long is that? I can't say that. I don't think we're talking multiple weeks but we'll see."
Helm said he can't put a definitive timeline on it yet.
"It all depends on how these next couple days go," Helm said. "Other than more contact, see how it goes every morning and see if it feels good and keep going more and more and hopefully it just keeps on."

After doing all the rehabilitation on his own, Helm was happy to be back practicing with his teammates.
"It's nice to be back on the road with them, on the ice with them, just having some fun," Helm said. "Believe it or not, it makes the injury go a little bit quicker, just that good energy and being out there with the guys, feeling that cold rink air, it feels nice. Happy to be out here with these guys for sure."
The one good thing about the injury was Helm got to spend more time with his wife and their three young daughters, especially during the holidays.
"It was awesome being with them," Helm said. "Good fun together. Christmas was a blast. I think they might have been getting a little sick of me being home as much as I am. Not used to that during the hockey season but I was happy to home. Nice to get back at it."