Wings slow down, work on special teams before trip west
Zetterberg is looking forward to the road trip, which includes three games in four days.
Wings slow down, work on special teams before trip west Zetterberg is looking forward to the road trip, which includes three games in four days. Check out this story on Freep.com: http://on.freep.com/1LINoWT
George Sipple, Detroit Free Press Published 2:10 p.m. ET Oct. 20, 2015 | Updated 3:03 p.m. ET Oct. 20, 2015
Detroit Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader, right, handles the puck in front of goalie Jimmy Howard during practice April 20, 2015, in Detroit.(Photo: Julian H. Gonzalez DFP)
The Detroit Red Wings worked on the power play and penalty kill during practice at the Taylor Sportsplex today, before heading to the airport for their trip to western Canada. The Wings start off with Edmonton on Wednesday, then face Calgary on Friday and Vancouver on Saturday.
The Wings have converted 15.4% on the power play and 80% on the penalty kill in the young NHL season.
"I think we need to be a little more dangerous," forward Justin Abdelkader said of the power play. "Need better zone time, execution off face-offs, trying to keep the puck in their zone as much as possible. Can't be just one-and-done. We got the talent to get it done. Just gotta go out and execute, and we'll be fine. It's still early."
Coach Jeff Blashill said he wanted the team to slow things down in practice.
"We took a little bit more time on it," Blashill said. "Sometimes I think we want practice to go at such a high pace that you rush through and maybe don't get as much teaching time. So we slowed it down. We'll see if it helps.
"Again, it's a small sample size. We'll be fine. We just gotta keep getting better."
Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg is looking forward to the road trip, which includes three games in four days.
"It's a weekend, so we've got a back-to-back again," Zetterberg said with a smile. "It's nice early in the season to go out on a road trip like this. It's good for the team, good to spend some time on the road and play some games and go for dinners and just bond as a team."
Getting a long road trip out of the way early is a bonus.
"It's nicer when it's mid-40s than mid-20s," Zetterberg said of the temperature in Alberta and British Columbia. "We don't play there that often anymore, either, so it's fun to go out there and play those games."
Go blue? Abdelkader was still trying to get some blue paint off of his body after going to the team's Halloween party as a character from the "Avatar" movie. Zetterberg said Abdelkader had the best costume. Abdelkader said he put the most effort into it.
"Just tossing around ideas around with my girlfriend," Abdelkader said of his costume choice. "I saw people with the facepaint and the body paint and said, 'This will be something else if we get this done.' Found someone online to come over and do it, and it turned out really good."
So Abdelkader, a former Michigan State standout, decided to go blue, the color of rival Michigan?
"I could after the win," Abdelkader said, referring to MSU's 27-23 football victory over Michigan on Saturday. "Didn't matter after we beat them."
Goaltender rotation: Blashill said Petr Mrazek will start against the Oilers. Jimmy Howard will get the start against the Flames, and Mrazek will play the next day against the Canucks.
Note: Blashill said he's not sure whether the team will practice Thursday.
Blashill: Red Wings depending too much on top line
Contact George Sipple: gsipple@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @georgesipple.
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