Detroit — In many ways it was a perfect send off to another Red Wings’ road trip.
Ending a four-game homestand Saturday, the Wings defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in exciting fashion. Dylan Larkin’s overtime goal put an exclamation point on a 3-1-0 week at Little Caesars Arena.
The Wings rallied from a one win in four games road trip the week before, regained their confidence, and offered glimpses that this is a different team from the last several seasons.
“We sat in Buffalo (Nov. 6), and we talked on the ice in practice,” said coach Jeff Blashill, about the Wings’ three-game losing streak. “We talked about the fact that the week prior, we had a ton of confidence and all of a sudden, we had not much confidence.
“That third period in Buffalo was huge, the end of it, how good Tyler (Bertuzzi) played (two goals, assist) there. We’ve picked up steam from there.”
Saturday, the Wings saw Montreal — a team that had walloped the Wings twice this season — tie the game late. But in overtime, Larkin scored his second bad-angle goal of the game, and the Wings swiped a victory, their third in four games.
The Wings were able to pick themselves up after a disappointing loss Thursday to the Washington Capitals, another sign of maturity and the strength of a deeper, better roster.
“Through a long season you’re going to go through tough stretches,” Larkin said. “Our response has been great. It’s something that in the past few years, we haven’t had that response where we weren’t able to dig ourselves out of holes where three games would have gone to five or seven games. We came home and turned it around.
“We didn’t play as good as we wanted to against Washington, but we responded (Saturday). We played hard.”
Now, the Wings open a four-game trip Monday in Columbus, followed by games Tuesday in Dallas, Thursday in Vegas and Saturday in Arizona.
While possessing a 5-2-2 record at LCA, the Wings have a mediocre 3-4-0 mark on the road. Its better success on the road than the last few seasons, but for a team that wants to continue to surprise people and remain strong the standings, there is a need to win more away from home.
“You have to be able to win on the road and we have some tough opponents and a tough trip,” Blashill said. “We have to go out and have a good showing against Columbus. We have better hockey in us. I’m glad we won (Saturday) and learned lessons while getting points, but we have better hockey in us.”
The fact the Wings are winning games and earning points while still learning pleases Blashill.
“Ned (goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic) was excellent,” Blashill said. “The puck stuck to him. There are lessons we have to learn. We have to keep getting better. We’re giving up too many chances. We have to get better at our puck management.
“(But) you want to learn lessons while you’re winning and we did that.”
Consistent goaltending
One reason the Wings have been able to keep themselves above .500 (8-6-2) is the work of goaltenders Nedeljkovic and Thomas Greiss.
It was Nedeljkovic’s turn to power the Wings on Saturday, with 35 saves, earning his third consecutive victory and fourth in the last six games (4-1-1). Nedeljkovic has dropped his goals-against average to 2.78, while raising his save percentage to .918,. He’s looking like the Calder Trophy finalist he was in Carolina last season.
“(Saturday) was his best game,” Blashill said. “The puck stuck to him a ton, and that’s a huge key for goalies but especially if you’re undersized at all, that the puck sticks to you. They hit him in a lot of different areas and he was able to control all those rebounds.
“Montreal does a very good job of being hard at the net. So for him to do the job he did in terms of controlling his rebounds, it was critical for us.”
Said Larkin: “He was the best player out there. He’s been solid, Thomas Greiss has been solid. He’s (Nedeljkovic) so athletic, he’s hard to play against. He plays the puck so well. I was surprised and excited (when the Wings acquired Nedeljkovic in the off-season). I work out with him in the summer and he’s very excited to be here.”
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan
Red Wings at Blue Jackets
►Faceoff: 7 p.m., Monday, Nationwide Arena, Columbus.
►TV/radio: BSD+/97.1
►Outlook: Columbus (7-5-0) is off to a somewhat surprising start but has lost its last two games. The Wings defeated Columbus 4-1 last month at LCA. … RW Oliver Bjorkstrand (five goals, 10 assists) and G Elvis Merzlikins (5-2-0, .929 SVS) have sparked the Blue Jackets.
— Ted Kulfan