Three Keys to Success for Detroit This Weekend

The Red Wings will be taking on the Washington Capitals this weekend in a home-and-home. Detroit played very poorly against the Utah Mammoth. They really need to bounce back to start creating some separation at the top of the Atlantic. Washington will be no easy opponent; the Capitals led the Eastern Conference in points last season. Now, they find themselves chasing the Hurricanes for first yet again.

Moritz Seider fought off an injury. He has been cleared to play. However, Detroit will be without veteran forward Patrick Kane yet again. With that, how should the Red Wings approach this match-up? What should they be looking to do to get the better of the Capitals?

1. Get Dylan Larkin & Lucas Raymond Going:

Dylan Larkin has recorded no points in his last four games. He has not had over a 50% face-off percentage in three of those four games. In Detroit’s loss to Utah, Dylan Larkin and the rest of the top unit did not record a single point. This occurred in over five minutes of power play time.

Lucas Raymond has been much better, but still far from himself. No goals in his past seven games is too cold for Detroit’s best forward. He has been grabbing a handful of assists. These still factor in on the scoreboard in the same way. However, when Raymond gets hot, he can change games off his own will.

Getting two-thirds of Detroit’s top line back on track is going to be crucial to outplaying Washington. Washington is deeper and more structured but they don’t have the star power Detroit does. First on my list of keys to victory is to exploit the pure skill gap. Larkin and Raymond have it over the Capitals’ best players. They can single handedly win Detroit games.

2. Consistent Goaltending:

John Gibson has improved leaps and bounds since the start of December. However, it seems Cam Talbot is taking over the role of slumping goalie. With it being another back-to-back, Detroit is going to see minutes from both goaltenders. The Capitals goalie tandem being among the best in the NHL, Detroit needs to come close to hang around.

John Gibson has shown why Detroit took a gamble on him. His month of December has been one of the best in the NHL. He earned league praise as a weekly second star this month as well. Gibson doesn’t scare me too much unless you believe he is due for a bad one. It’s Talbot that worries me.

I’ll be the first to say that I don’t think Talbot has been as the record suggests. No wins in his past six starts look bad. However, I don’t blame a lot of it on him. There seems to be a handful of bad team performances in this last stretch. Regardless, Talbot only recorded a positive GSAx in one of those past six.

Logan Thompson is an early Vezina candidate. Charlie Lindgren infamously has the Red Wings’ number over the past few years. Good performances from Detroit’s goaltenders needs to be the foundation for a win.

3. Bring the Grit

Washington plays a damn hard style. The poster boy of that is Tom Wilson, but Aliaksei Protas is hard to play against in his own way. Wilson or Duhaime lay the boom. Protas and McMichael are quick and technical forwards. They control play really well. Detroit is going to need to get into the dirty areas to grab the wins.

Washington has created one of the NHL’s strongest blue lines. Chychrun, Roy, Carlson and Sandin have formed a blue line that is responsible in both ends and are structurally incredible. It’s going to take more than lazy dump and chase to get goals.

Detroit needs to show more bite with hard offence. Poised defence is also necessary against the Utah Mammoth. Playing hard and fast will effectively dismantle many aspects of Washington’s game.

More to Read:

• Road Trip Complete, What’s Next for Detroit
• Hot or Him: Over-Performances or Improved Players?
• RED HOT WINGS: How Has Detroit Started So Hot?
• Tampa Bay Lightning’s Atlantic Division Record Needs Improvement
• How Larkin, DeBrincat, and Raymond Are Changing the Game for Detroit