Detroit — As the NHL season progresses, games get tighter, more physical, and often chippy.
It becomes tough to play, and experienced teams with the right mindset have the advantage.
The Red Wings didn’t match the Boston Bruins’ physicality in a 5-1 loss Sunday, and it’s not something they want to repeat the rest of the season.
“The physicality, it’s just the decision we’re going to match physicality and finish checks and make the opponent pay a price when they have the puck,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “There’s been times we’ve passed on checks, not all, but some.
“Throughout the lineup, we have to make sure we’re making the opponent pay a harder price.”
The Bruins appeared to thrive on that part of the game Sunday and used it to their advantage.
More: Inability to convert on power play continues to plague Red Wings
The leadership of veteran forwards Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand paced the Bruins, who rallied for a win Saturday in Boston against Buffalo. Twenty-four hours later at Little Caesars Arena, the Bruins set the tone for how they wanted the game to go against the Wings.
“Maybe it’s because they played the day before, but the start of that game, they were more ready to compete at that high level you must compete at,” Blashill said. “Certainly a lot of it was driven by the Bergeron line, and there were moments we competed hard back. But we have to make sure we recognize how hard you have to compete.
“We want it to be a separator for us, so that’s every game, not a lot of games.”
The Bruins are a team that, for years, has wanted to be the aggressor, the team that is physically dominant over its opponent.
The Wings didn’t do a good enough job of matching that.
“We can push back harder for sure,” said Blashill after Sunday’s loss. “They want to bully you. That’s how they are, and I didn’t think we fought hard enough for ourselves.”
Forward Dylan Larkin, who Blashill felt did a fine job matching the Bergeron’s line competitiveness, felt the Wings could have been better from a physical standpoint.
Larkin said the Wings didn’t respond to the Bruins as the game progressed.
“It was a physical game, like it was against Washington, and I really felt when it got physical we’ve just kind of been mediocre,” Larkin said. “We need to push back and have a better push back when it gets to this point.”
The Bruins have won a Stanley Cup, have won many playoff rounds, and have a tested roster.
The Wings are still, largely, learning how to win these type of late season-type games.
Over the last several seasons, the Wings were mired deep at the bottom of the standings and as the schedule turned to the second half, games mattered more for development and showing you belonged in the NHL.
This season, the Wings have managed to hang around in the discussion for a potential playoff spot. The games matter. Blashill wants his roster to understand the level of urgency they need to play with as the games become harder to win.
“It’s making sure the other team pays as much a price as we’re going to pay, that’s how the games are going to go here,” Blashill said. “They’re going to get more and more physical.
“One of the advantages we had earlier in the season is we played games like they were playoff games. As you get closer to the second half of the year, teams turn it up. Boston is a team that has to win games (to move up standings) and they get an urgency level that’s closer to the playoffs, and part of that is more physicality.
“We have to make sure teams are paying the price. We’re built enough like that we can make sure guys are making guys pay the price.”
The Wings won five consecutive games just before Thanksgiving and appeared to be making huge strides in terms of confidence.
That confidence could be wavering after losses in six of their last eight games.
“Confidence matters,” Blashill said. “I don’t know if there’s been a stark difference in our play from that period of time to now. It only gets harder as the year goes along and we have to show we’re a team that belongs in the win column as the games get harder.”
Power play tweaks
Just as vital as the physicality issue, arguably more so, is the disappointing Wings’ power play.
The Wings ranked 31st (out of 32 teams) on the power play Monday, with a poor 14.4% conversion rate.
During Monday’s practice, Blashill made one personnel change, replacing Filip Zadina with Joe Veleno on one of the two units.
“We still have to make a decision on it, but I wanted to see him (Veleno) in practice and we’ll see if that’s how it works out in a game or not,” Blashill said. “He has good individual skills, transporting the puck and shooting the puck. Does that translate into lots of offense or power play effectiveness? It’ll be up to him to show us.”
The lack of execution and success on the power play of late has forced Blashill to change things.
The Wings have failed to score on 13 consecutive power plays, and the inability to get goals from the unit were a key reason for the weekend losses to Washington and Boston.
Blashill has generally been pleased with entries into the zone on the power play, and the Wings have improved in the faceoff circle.
So what has been a key cause for the ineffectiveness?
“Unforced errors,” Blashill said. “It’s just understanding what is given and you look for open shots.”
Sick bay
Forward Pius Suter didn’t practice Monday but Blashill termed it a “maintenance day” and expected Suter to be available Tuesday against San Jose.
Defenseman Nick Leddy was officially removed from the COVID list Monday, but Blashill wasn’t sure if Leddy would yet be available to play against the Sharks.
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan
Sharks at Red Wings
►Faceoff: 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Little Caesars Arena
►TV/radio: BSD/97.1
►Outlook: The Sharks (17-15-1) are coming off an ugly 8-5 loss Sunday in Pittsburgh, allowing six goals in the first period..RW Timo Meier (13 goals, 34 points) and C Logan Couture (17 assists, 29 points) pace an offense that has been also bolstered by a healthy D Erik Karlsson (14 assists, 22 points).