Lalonde, who acknowledged that "getting to the top of this league is so hard," said he's thankful his players can learn from Red Wings legends who currently work in the club's front office.
"They had to start somewhere," Lalonde said. "It's a great reference. We are somewhere in that process where they were."
The Capitals have dropped two straight games and are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. Washington has been bit by the injury bug early this season, placing T.J. Oshie, John Carlson and Beck Malenstyn on injured reserve.
Alex Ovechkin currently sits at 785 career NHL goals, one behind Gordie Howe's league record for the most with one team. Ovechkin (5-4-9) is also tied with Dylan Strome (2-7-9) for the team lead in points with nine, while former Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha (3-1-4) is set to play his first game at Little Caesars Arena as a member of the Capitals. Goalie Darcy Kuemper has a 4-3-1 record and 2.39 goals-against average.
Washington will host Detroit at Capital One Arena on Dec. 19, then again on Feb. 21, 2023, to conclude the season series.