Red Wings believe mental toughness, high effort level will be keys to success down the stretch  

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Detroit Red Wings know the importance of keeping perspective, especially this late in the regular season when the stakes are higher.

Even after Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime road loss to the Washington Capitals, the Red Wings remain in the thick of the competitive Eastern Conference Playoffs race. With just 10 regular-season games left, Detroit entered Thursday just two points behind Washington, which has one game in hand, for the second wild-card spot.

“You can’t look too far ahead and you can’t hold onto nights like last night too long,” Michael Rasmussen said after Wednesday’s practice at PNC Arena. “We’re right there. This is the spot we wanted to be in, so we really got to battle to win some games here. Just take it game by game, shift by shift should be the mindset.”

Head coach Derek Lalonde said the Red Wings also used Wednesday as a chance to have tough conversations while reflecting on the positives to carry over from Tuesday’s game. Detroit is set to face the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.

“Tough video, tough messaging this morning because we did a lot of good things,” Lalonde said. “You win that (game) usually every time, but I think the message is this time of year, everything is amplified and every play matters. Unfortunately we made some plays that ended up in the back of our net and it was a missed opportunity for us. With that said, I like where our team game is. I would give us eight to 10 periods of some pretty good hockey, but it’s got to be even better with the level of competition we’re facing starting tomorrow night.”

When asked what he believes his players are learning during this playoff race, Lalonde said games can be won or lost in the blink of an eye.

“Every play matters, even the little details of a center missing his assignment on a face-off,” Lalonde said. “We preach it, watch video and rep it. I think our guys, I wouldn’t say get sick of it, but I think they’re understanding why. It takes elite, exact details when it matters. A lot of our guys have never been in this situation and are learning, but unfortunately learning in a hard way.”

Rasmussen agreed with Lalonde, highlighting points matter now more than ever.

“It’s hard hockey,” Rasmusen said. “But it’s enjoyable and where we want to be.”

As an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2018-22, Lalonde helped guide Tampa Bay to four consecutive postseason berths and three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances, including back-to-back championships (2019-20, 2020-21). According to Lalonde, maintaining mental toughness will help the Red Wings achieve their goal of playing beyond game No. 82.

“You just got to keep coming, keep bringing it,” Lalonde said. “Again, if we can have efforts like (Tuesday), you’re going to find some success. What will happen is if you start getting down on yourself, it starts to weigh too much on you and you get on the bad end of it. I don’t see that happening with this group.”