In biggest win of the season Red Wings' "Identity Line" delivers
And for Detroit, it could be a huge key to the rest of the playoff push.
DETROIT — It was the biggest game the Detroit Red Wings have had since they moved into Little Caesars Arena.
Holding a wildcard spot with 13 games remaining and a head-to-head matchup with one of the main teams chasing them, this could have been a game that crumbled the Red Wings.
And after a recent seven-game losing streak, which pulled them into this predicament, it honestly wouldn’t have surprised you if they failed to deliver.
Instead they won 6-3, dealt a major blow to the New York Islanders and kept control of their own destiny before their next biggest game, next Tuesday against the Washington Capitals.
Dylan Larkin also returned after an eight-game absence, scored an emphatic goal in the second period and iced it in the third on an empty-netter after the Islanders made it interesting.
It was an emotional return for Larkin, who beamed at the podium after the game — a rare sight for Larkin in March — and properly adjusted Detroit’s line up for the first time in weeks.
It’s a flaw in the Red Wings’ makeup, something they’ll have to address at some point before they become a true Stanley Cup contender — finding a true No. 2 center. But in the short-term, the Red Wings are much better with JT Compher and Andrew Copp re-situated back as middle-six centers.
Detroit also got the spark from something that Derek Lalonde has claimed, multiple times, that he doesn’t have — a checking line.
Copp’s line with Michael Rasmussen and Christian Fischer dominated its matchup against Bo Horvat’s line, and not only won the area battle, but combined for three goals.
It’s not a checking line, at least not in Lalonde’s description, but that trio currently defines the Red Wings identity.
“When they're rolling like that it, it turns the game,” Larkin said. “It gives us a look that we have an identity line and they play hard on pucks, and obviously they are all responsible defensively. But they really play in the offensive line where other lines don’t.”
Fischer, who also was at the podium with Larkin, embraced the title, “Identity line.”
“I think that is the name of it, I don’t know,” Fischer said. “I think the three of us, we love that kind of thing. The game within the game, if you can shutdown the big boys and make life hard for them. It opens up the ice … if you can free up some space out there, grind other teams down, get some shifts in their zone and play responsibly, that’s basically the gist of it.”
For the Red Wings, that line will be vital on an upcoming five-game road trip that could define whether they make the playoffs or not.
Lalonde has admitted it publicly, Detroit has struggled to get better matchups on the road. For the coach, with Larkin back, he’ll be tasked with finding ways to actually unlock his optimal lineup without the last change over the next 10 days.
It was a momentum-building win, but it only matters if the lessons and momentum actually carry over.
It’s what the Red Wings dreamed of before this season started. While cliche, this is exactly where they wanted to be, playing important games in March and April. Now they get to prove whether it’s actually fully part of their identity or not.