One of the key points Detroit Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan has emphasized is the importance of mental fortitude and game management.
While it hasn't been 100 percent smooth sailing all season long, the results of Detroit's recently completed six-game road swing speak for themselves.
The Red Wings won four of their six straight games away from Little Caesars Arena, picking up nine of a possible 12 points and moving into a first-place tie with the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division through 33 games played.
At 18-12-3, it's a contrast to where they were at this point last season with a 13-16-4 record.
Dylan Larkin, who is third overall in team scoring with 33 points, said he believes the team is showing added mental fortitude this season compared to previous years.
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"I think in the Calgary game, this is going back days now, but I thought we were able to hold down the fort," he said following Monday's practice. "They had momentum, and they pushed, but we won the game. In the past, I feel like it would have gotten away from us, and then who knows how the rest of the trip would have gone?"
"We've seemed to be able to do it all year, and I think it speaks to the guys in the room in being through it, and adding veterans that help us through it," he said. "And then goaltending, being able to solve a lot of problems."
McLellan made it clear in Training Camp that for the Red Wings to take the next step, the battle “between the ears” matters just as much as anything on the ice.
Red Wings' Patrick Kane On The Verge of NHL History Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane is now two goals away from reaching 500, and nine points from passing Mike Modano for the most career points by an American-born NHL player. "At Training Camp, we asked our group to get harder physically, mentally, and (in) game management," McLellan said. "Those are the three things we thought we needed to improve on. I'd say on our road trip, all three of those came into play. We weren't consistently good with all of them, but when it was all said and done, we did tap those areas. We got better in those areas."
Now that the Red Wings are back home, they can't afford to take their successful trip for granted, as there is still plenty of work ahead beginning with a matchup on Tuesday evening against the New York Islanders.
"The trip is over, and it starts all over again," McLellan said. "We can't fall into that trap."
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