Detroit Red Wings' goal in last home game: Give fans 'something to cheer'

SUNRISE, Fla. — Playing at home has been a balm for the Detroit Red Wings, and that gives Saturday's finale at Little Caesars Arena extra meaning.

Their matinee against the Pittsburgh Penguins poses as another measuring stick in what has been a stretch of measuring-stick games. Over the past 10 days, the Wings (30-38-10) have beaten the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning, and lost to the Florida Panthers twice and to the New York Rangers.

"There are some positive things that we can look at and build off, but we still have a long ways to go," Sam Gagner said after Thursday's 5-2 loss at Florida. "There’s still a lot we can build towards. I think games like this, against a team that’s going to be in the Stanley Cup conversation — it’s a good measuring stick. It’s just a matter of playing a consistent game. We’re trying to find the recipe that allows us to have success and we do have it at times and we just have to keep building to make it consistent."

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The Penguins handed the Wings their most lopsided loss of the season, 11-2, on March 27. The Wings are undermanned with both Dylan Larkin and Robby Fabbri done for for the season, but they went into Tampa Bay on Tuesday and defeated the two-time defending champions. The Wings were eliminated from playoff contention April 9, for the sixth straight year, but playing well down the stretch matters. It's a great learning experience for young core players such as Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, who project to be major pieces in the rebuild.

"You get a chance to measure yourselves and see what you’re good enough at and what you’re not good enough at.," coach Jeff Blashill said. "That’s important as a team and as individuals. If each one of us take and look at it like, 'How can we be better?' that approach is always valuable. You have to grow and get better."

The Panthers clinched first place in the Eastern Conference when they won their 12th straight game Thursday. But it has only been three years since they were on the outside of the playoff picture, failing to qualify six of seven seasons from 2013-19. Now they have 30-goal scorers on the third line and seemingly put the puck in the net at will.

"This league, sometimes it can look like there’s a huge gap," Gagner said. "But on a night-to-night basis, it’s minor differences that make your group better. Once you start getting incrementally better, you build more confidence as a group, you create an identity. It allows you to be a top team.

"I see teams that they build and they do it the right way and ultimately they find themselves at the top of the standings. That’s what we want here. We have work to do, there are things that trending in the right direction that hopefully we build on, and get better."

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The Wings had such an encouraging first half, staying at or a bit above .500 in points percentage. That doesn't measure up to the teams that have clinched playoff spots, but it was significant growth for a team that won 17 games two years ago. They were especially fun to watch at home, where they were 15-9-3 midway through February.

"The first half of the year, when we were really good at home, our crowd was outstanding," Blashill said. "Our crowds have continued to be good. That made a huge impact. Momentum is a big thing in these games, and I think that made a big impact."

Even as the Wings have struggled to sustain their growth over the past two months, they're still 18-15-7 at home.

"Our fan support has been incredible," Gagner said. "We’ve talked about it a lot amongst our group — the energy they give us at home. It’s fan appreciation day, so we certainly want to give them something to cheer for."

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 Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings' goal in last home game: 'Something to cheer'