Red Wings looking to move past recent adversity on Western Canada road trip

CALGARY -- The Detroit Red Wings have proven they are more than capable of overcoming adversity this season.

So while the Red Wings have lost consecutive games, 8-4 at the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday and 4-1 at the NHL-leading Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, for the first time since Dec. 23-27, head coach Derek Lalonde said he wants to see how his players respond in the final two games of their Western Canada road trip.

“It comes from the room, I think some of that veteran leadership,” Lalonde said after Friday’s practice at Scotiabank Saddledome. “We have veterans throughout the entire lineup and in the room who have gone through every situation. They’ve all been through a two-game losing streak. It’s not so much the losing streak, it’s how you get out of them. We’ll have an opportunity tomorrow.”

Energy and quality were the themes at practice, as Detroit prepares for Saturday’s matinee against the Calgary Flames.

“I think it was a needed practice,” Lalonde said. “Kind of that in between from light to really heavy. We did have some substance to it, which I think was vitally important. Practice time is going to be scarce as we get down the stretch here, so I thought it was productive today. We expect that to translate into tomorrow.”

Lalonde said he was pleased the Red Wings got some valuable practice reps after flying from Vancouver to Calgary on Friday morning.

“I know the guys didn’t look overly excited when we were drawing them up on the boards, but they repped them correctly,” Lalonde said. “I think they’ve understood if we’re going to get better and stay in this fight, we’re going to need some of that. We got some of that today.”

Robby Fabbri rejoined the club for Friday's practice after missing the last two games for the birth of his first child on Tuesday. He said his wife, Kassandra, and newborn daughter, Mara Gabriella, are both in good health.

“An amazing time,” Fabbri said. “I was so happy I was able to be there. I got a few days with her and everything went well. It’s just truly amazing. When you get her in your hands, I don’t know what my wife went through. All mothers out there and what they go through, they have a different strength. It made coming here a little bit harder.”

Fabbri said he made the most of his sleepless nights the past few days.

“It was kind of nice having the late games because I was up with the baby and had something to watch,” Fabbri said. “There were some good spurts in both of those games. It’s kind of like the little stretch we went through where we had a good 40 minutes, but we need a full 60. That was the emphasis today and going into the last two games on this road trip.”