The Red Wings went into the All-Star break on a high note with a 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils at Joe Louis Arena on Wednesday night.
Detroit looks forward to a much-needed rest after completing a grueling stretch in the schedule. Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks completed a run of 26 games in 51 days. The Wings were 13-9-4 in those games and included a stretch in which 11 of 14 games were on the road. The Red Wings were 7-3-1 in the road games and 8-4-2 overall.
Plus Detroit expects to get a few of its injured players back after the break.
Pavel Datsyuk (broken bone in his hand) and Danny Cleary (fractured ankle) are both expected to return in the first game after the All-Star Break on Wednesday in Ottawa. Tomas Holmstrom (broken hand) hopes to return in that game but will probably not get back into the lineup until a few days later.
“Looks like we're going to get some bodies back after the break,” Nicklas Lidstrom said. “We've been on the road a long time, this is only our four game at home this month. A lot of road games and a lot of
travel. So it (the break) should be good for the whole team.”
Coach Mike Babcock also looks forward to his returning players.
“Obviously, we're going to be a better team after the break with getting our guys back,” he said.
Darren Helm, Valteri Filppula and Johan Franzen -who picked up his 200th career point - scored for Detroit on Wednesday night and Jimmy Howard made 23 saves.
"There's not going to be necessarily a lot of goals coming in the game unless you get a lot of power plays and we didn't today,” Filppula said. “It was good that we were able to play really well defensively and then score on those few chances we were able to get."
Briefly
Lidstrom is the only Red Wing participating in the All-Star festivities.
His Team Lidstrom will take on Team Staal in the All-Star Game's new format on Sunday in Raleigh, N.C..
Lidstrom and the Carolina Hurricanes' Eric Staal – the other captain – are scheduled to pick their teams fro the selected group of All-Stars on Friday in a fantasy-draft type format.
Comments
Much was made of the fact that the Wings' early playoff exit last year gave them time to rest and refresh for this year's playoff run. Sounds good. But I think they are the oldest team in the league. And, despite their considerable talent, I can't help but wonder if injuries and an overall lack of stamina will take their toll.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!