Detroit — Dylan Larkin is off to a superb start offensively this season.
But for coach Derek Lalonde, it’s Larkin’s work on the defensive end, away from the puck, and his commitment to that part of the game that has been such a big factor to the Red Wings’ successful start.
Lalonde challenged Larkin in terms of defense during training camp, and Larkin has more than responded.
“He’s been great,” Lalonde said. “What I’m pleased with Dylan is, I held him accountable on his play away from the puck, in his end, and hard too and every game he would have, maybe not noticeable to the regular fan, but he’d get beat off the wall, lose a one-on-one battle, miss a check and it adds up in your net or a chance against.
“He’s taken a lot of pride in that and his (defensive) numbers are phenomenal, any underlying numbers. He’s committed to the right thing. You talk to your skilled guys and all the time that it’s not going to hurt your offense, but maybe enhance it, and he believed us and he’s getting rewarded.”
Lalonde spoke with Larkin early in the season, in training camp.
“To me, it’s more winning habits and our commitment to keeping it out of our net,” Lalonde said, “and he’s (Larkin) had a great buy-in.”
And that buy-in, from the captain and one of the Wings’ best offensive threats, is crucial.
“Huge,” Lalonde said. “If we’re going to be successful, there’s no doubt about it, we’re overachieving as a team and it’s a credit to those guys to what is important. Is it sustainable? We’ll find out in the next month, but it’s being committed to the team defense.”
Finding his game
Tyler Bertuzzi missed a month due to a broken hand after blocking a shot.
Bertuzzi has played six games since with a goal and two assists (one goal, three assists in eight games overall), and he appears to be rounding his game into form after sitting out so long.
“He’s trying to find his game,” Lalonde said. “I hate the fact he missed those games through injury, one because he’s a real good player, and two, we were working on some things within our game. We were starting to limit turnovers, the risk in our game. He missed a lot of that teaching and structure and now he’s coming in a bit late, and you can see he’s still having some issues at times managing the puck.
“There’s some rust there. A little of that rust is maybe his finishing touch, too. He could have four or five goals already. He’s around it, he’s involved in a lot of offense. It’s a good sign for us. It’s just a matter of time. I’d be more concerned if he wasn’t getting those types of looks but he’s getting those looks.”
Lalonde put Bertuzzi on a line with Michael Rasmussen and David Perron heading into Wednesday’s game against Buffalo. Perron was looking forward to complementing Bertuzzi’s strengths.
“I love his game,” Perron said. “Coming from the outside, you know he’s a hard worker. He always finds a way to be around the net, around the puck. He finds open areas of the ice. I haven’t played with him yet, so it’s going to be interesting for sure.
“I’m excited. He’s a guy that also can make more plays than maybe he gets credit for, so I have to be ready in those situations.”
Ice chips
Lalonde met with goaltender Ville Husso on Tuesday morning, after Husso was pulled in the second period the night before against Toronto.
“He’s an absolute professional,” Lalonde said. “He takes it personally. He’s been such a great player for us, he’s been our backbone and probably our Most Valuable Player to this point in the season. He felt he let his group down and I don’t know if that’s the case, but I like that he took it personal. It was a big game for us, playing an elite team, and unfortunately we didn’t find a way to win.”
… Lalonde enjoyed watching Tuesday’s 9-8 victory by Seattle over Los Angeles in overtime. Coaching in it may have been another matter, but he loved watching as a fan.
“You sit there and flipping through games, but it stopped on that game,” Lalonde said. “It was just intriguing, the back and forth, and goals. There will be games like that, which I find entertaining. I’m sure the coaches (on those teams) don’t find it entertaining.”
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan