Red Wings want to keep grounded mindset, continue to build identity ‘as this crazy schedule keeps going’

DETROIT -- Ahead of a busy trek that will see his club play in three different cities in four nights starting on Wednesday, head coach Todd McLellan discussed the key elements of the road identity the Detroit Red Wings have been working hard to develop this season.

“Good teams find ways to win on the road,” McLellan said following practice at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center on Tuesday afternoon. “That could be with your A-game, B-game, power play or your penalty kill getting it done for you. I would say, in our wins, we’ve probably had a variety of that. It’s always nice to play at home. It’s great to be in front of your fans and have last change, but sometimes just being on the road is simple too.”

Following Wednesday’s Original Six clash against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena, the Red Wings will take on the Minnesota Wild at Grand Casino Arena on Thursday then wrap up their road swing against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre on Saturday.

“This two-day break here has given us an opportunity to recharge a little bit, but also address some areas of the game,” McLellan said. “Whether we did that on the ice today or in the meeting before, areas that we need to polish up, we’ll approach it that way and then play the games. I still believe that the teams that get in at the end are going to handle this stretch, and the stretch coming out of the break, better than the other teams will.”

Detroit has been solid on the road of late, compiling a 7-3-1 record since Dec. 2. Over that stretch, just the Tampa Bay Lightning (10), Buffalo Sabres (8), San Jose Sharks (8) and Minnesota Wild (8) have earned more road wins than the Red Wings.

And since the start of this season, Detroit’s 85-percent success rate on the penalty kill on the road ranks third in the NHL behind the Vegas Golden Knights (87.3) and Colorado Avalanche (85.3).

“I think we’ve handled ourselves well up to this point, but it’s only going to get harder as it gets tighter,” McLellan added. “It’s going to get cranked up. Checking is going to get tighter and game management is going to be even more important.”

The tightness of both Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division races has also made each game seem to feel more important than the last.

“We’re in the battle right now,” Andrew Copp said. “I think it’s a day at a time. We have another big divisional game tomorrow and then, trying to look at it as an eight-game segment going into the break. Let’s keep the momentum that we’ve created so far and just concentrate on that, then get to the break and get some rest. Get everyone as healthy as we can with all the lingering bumps and bruises.”

According to Patrick Kane, sticking to that one-day-at-a-time approach has helped the Red Wings get to their current position in the standings and build confidence along the way.

“Not getting comfortable,” Kane said. “That’s one thing Todd has really done this year, is not letting the group or individuals get comfortable. He’s staying on top of us every day, whether it’s practice day or game day. Just making sure we’re as ready as possible. He really deserves a lot of credit for that.”

Copp also feels Detroit has effectively managed the challenges posed by the condensed schedule because of the upcoming Olympic break, which takes place from Feb. 11-22.

“There’s so much treatment and strength exercises that keep us in the best shape we can as this crazy schedule keeps going,” Copp said. “We’ve handled it pretty well and haven’t really been the greatest in the second half of back-to-backs, but we’ve always found a way to respond after that. Hopefully, we can find a way to put three really good games together on this trip and then we have five left. Really trying to hone in on this three-game segment, empty the tank and then see where we’re at.”