All-Star Dylan Larkin leads the way, but Detroit Red Wings need more to follow example

Detroit Free Press

Dylan Larkin hesitated to discuss his All-Star status because his Detroit Red Wings look so very pedestrian.

Larkin’s selection to next month’s All-Star Game, the second selection of his career, brightens a stretch of hockey that has the Wings frustrated. Coach Jeff Blashill likes to note that’s a pointless reaction; as such, it reflects the empty feeling the Wings have had the last four games.

They face the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, for what will be their fifth game in eight days. The Wings fell to 16-17-5 with Thursday’s 3-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets at Little Caesars Arena, looking tired after a week in California and a long day of travel.

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“It’s a hard game to come back after being away,” Larkin said. “Guys barely get to see their kids — we got home late [Wednesday]. We’ve got to turn around and play. I thought we showed up, we just didn’t show up on the scoreboard, and that’s where it matters. We have to find ways to score. We’ve got two against Buffalo and we need to show up for those games.”

Friday marked the first full day off since coming out of the Christmas break Dec. 26. Since then, the Wings have gone nonstop, either playing, practicing or traveling. They’re 1-4-2 in that time, and have not won since beating the Sharks Jan. 4 at home.

“You have to dig in,” Blashill said. “I still think we can get more from more people, so we have to dig in and play better hockey. There’s nobody that’s going to do it for you, you have to play great hockey yourself and as a hockey team.

“We have to make sure that our details are good and our energy is good so we can play our best hockey on a nightly basis. We have a big game on Saturday — we have to make sure that to a man we’re ready to ball out and play great hockey.”

There was a stretch of egregious hockey that defied odds late in the third period against the Jets. The Wings gained a man advantage at 14:43, and a second one at 15:31, setting up 1:13 of a 5-on-3 power play. Then Alex Nedeljkovic was pulled, setting up a scenario where the Wings had six skaters and the Jets had three. Still, nothing but a goose egg.

“It gets frustrating,” Larkin said. “We’re looking to find ways to solve some of these issues.”

Larkin, 25, said that being named to the All-Star Game “is a good honor,” but, “it doesn’t feel that good right now, after this game. I think all of us play hard every night. I’m not really too excited to talk about individual things right now.”

Larkin leads the Wings with 32 points in 33 games. Rookie Lucas Raymond could have been chosen to go, but he’s on the ballot to be voted in by fans. Larkin, Blashill said, is certainly deserving.

“He’s done an excellent job with his effort and his approach all season,” Blashill said. “He’s definitely been our engine. We’ve certainly noticed on the nights we haven’t had him. Dylan has done a really good job with first and foremost, the best way to lead us is to play good hockey, and I think he’s done a really good job of that. He’s done a really good job of trying to lead us to playing to an identity.”

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from AmazonBarnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail. 

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