Detroit Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde appeared on 97.1 The Ticket earlier this morning to discuss his team’s outlook following the All-Star break along with the health of Patrick Kane.
While they’ve been out of action for over a week now, the Detroit Red Wings are set to resume their schedule this weekend when they host the Vancouver Canucks at Little Caesars Arena Saturday afternoon. Head coach Derek Lalonde joined the “Stoney and Jansen Show” on 97.1 The Ticket earlier this morning, where he shared insights into his team’s strategies for regaining momentum after the break, along with the necessary steps to maintain the positive trajectory they established in January as well as the health of forward Patrick Kane.
Lalonde joined 97.1 The Ticket this morning
Lalonde emphasized the necessity of the break but highlighted the importance for his players to reignite their competitive spirit akin to their winning streaks in January.
“The guys definitely took some time off, and it’s needed to decompress,” he said. “I had some time off and it was more just chasing my kids around between hockey and soccer.”
“What we did in January,” Lalonde said when asked what they have to do this month to maintain their momentum. “I think we did a pretty job of what I emphasized, keeping it out of our net. Our team defense improved vastly, I don’t know if it’s natural for the group, it’s just a huge credit for the group that they dug in and started emphasizing things on the defensive side of the puck. Our group did that and they got rewarded. But one thing, as much as the long break was needed, when you’re in the trenches and you’re at it every day, you can probably forget how hard you’re competing, and we’ll have to get that back with our first practice today.”
Thanks to their strong play in January, Detroit was able to reverse their fortunes of the miserable December that they experienced – but how much time does Lalonde spend looking at the standings?
“I am the worst self-admitted scoreboard watcher, and what I mean is that during that December slide, we were having, and this is no exaggeration, I never looked at the standings,” he said. “We win a few games and we’re on a roll, and after the January we had, I for sure peek at the standings. I do a little of it, but mostly in the fair weather part of it.”
Lalonde discusses status of Patrick Kane for Saturday
Lalonde was then asked about the status of forward Patrick Kane, who has been missing since January 14 with a lower-body injury.
“I’ll get a better feel from our sports medicine team today, but all indications are that if we gave him the extra time over the break, that he’d be back,” he said. “We’ll get a feel in the next two practices here, but I would expect him to be back in the lineup on Saturday.”
TL;DR (too long didn’t read)
- Detroit Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde made an appearance on the “Stoney and Jansen Show” on 97.1 The Ticket earlier this morning
- Lalonde discussed everything from the needed time off to scoreboard watching to what his team must do in order to continue their winning ways from January
- Lalonde also gave an update on the health of forward Patrick Kane, who hasn’t played since January 14.
Bottom Line: Back in the swing of things Saturday
The Red Wings made waves in January, notching 20 points in the standings for the first time since 2012. To maintain their playoff aspirations, they must sustain their momentum.
This Saturday afternoon, the Red Wings face the Canucks, a formidable Western Conference team, in a 1:00 PM EST showdown. Catch the action on Bally Sports Detroit or tune in to 97.1 The Ticket for radio coverage.
