Detroit Red Wings have fought for years to play big games late. How will they respond?

WASHINGTON — Derek Lalonde suspects his players would like to hear him bring up a certain topic, but Lalonde prefers to let the Detroit Red Wings speak for themselves.

“The guys, this is what they have battled for, this is what they wanted — important games late in the season,” Lalonde said Monday. “I’m excited to see how we handle it.”

With two months and 27 games left on their schedule, the Wings are right on the cusp of moving inside the playoff picture. Winning five of their last six games was a big deal, but Tuesday brings a special kind of challenge: The Washington Capitals, who are among the teams standing between the Wings and a wild card.

“We felt a little something in this room before the break and we started to get some results after the break,” forward Robby Fabbri said. “I think we’re confident enough in our game as a team to be talking about it. At the end of the day, that’s the ultimate goal.”

The Wings (26-21-8) are 5-2 since the All-Star bye week, and 7-3 their last 10 games. They’re planning to add Jakub Vrana to Tuesday’s lineup, and Lucas Raymond could be ready to return from a lower-body injury Thursday when the Wings host the New York Rangers. (Said Lalonde: “He doesn’t want to mess with his bobblehead night on Saturday.”) The Capitals game is huge not just because of the implications in the standings, but because the Wings need to show that the failure to execute in the game at the Seattle Kraken was a blip, not the start of a slide.

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“We have to do our part, especially against those teams,” Fabbri said. “It will add a little extra fire to the game.”

Vrana, who hasn’t played with the Wings since Oct. 15 for personal and professional reasons, sounded eager to join the effort.

“It’s huge now, we are in hunt for the playoffs,” he said. “This game is really important for our group here.”

Having spent the last four years with the Tampa Bay Lightning, during which they went to the Stanley Cup Final three times, Lalonde is used to making the playoffs. Since being named coach of the Wings last summer he consistently has kept the Wings focused on the present, rather than speculating about the playoffs. He has urged players to focus on performances, not outcomes, but the results the last two weeks have been impressive.

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“I give this group credit,” Lalonde said. “We don’t talk about it. I think the guys almost get annoyed by me not talking about it. But every time, they just keep finding a way, keep battling and putting themselves in position. They’ve worked themselves into being here. Now we have to take advantage of it.”

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.

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Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.