Notebook: Preparing for the Blues; Stecher and Stephens update

DETROIT - Preparing for a two-game homestand as they look to bounce back from a 0-3-1 road trip, the Detroit Red Wings held practice on Tuesday in advance of the team's Thanksgiving Eve home game against the St. Louis Blues, a franchise just two years removed from their first Stanley Cup.
"They're a Stanley Cup team, they're a Stanley Cup coaching staff and they've earned that credibility and that confidence," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said on Tuesday. "They've got a real good roster still. Obviously, some pieces have moved in and out but the pieces they've moved in are really good pieces."
This season, the Blues are 10-6-2 (22 points) and sit in a second-place tie in the Western Conference's Central Division.

The Red Wings, who occupy fourth place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division with a record of 8-9-3 (19 points), have fared better at Little Caesars Arena this season. In front of the Red Wings faithful, the team has a 5-2-2 record.

TIMELINE ON STEPHENS AND STECHER
After practice on Tuesday, Blashill announced that defensemen Troy Stecher (wrist surgery) and center Mitchell Stephens (lower body) will both be out through the Olympic break.
This season, Stecher appeared in six games for Detroit and totaled one assist and five shots. In 2020-21, the 27-year-old played in 44 games and recorded 11 points. He has not seen the ice since Nov. 4 against the Boston Bruins.
Stephens, 24, suffered an injury on Nov. 13 in a game against the Montreal Canadians. He appeared in 16 games for Detroit and has four points. The NHL will break for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing from Feb. 4-20, 2022.
PROSPECTS HEATING UP
Selected by the Red Wings in the third round (70th overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft, Carter Mazur has had a nice start to his freshman year at the University of Denver. Last week, the Jackson, Mich., native was named the Rookie of the Week by the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.
In 12 games, Mazur is tied for second on the Pioneers in goals (7), seventh in points (10) and tied for second in points per game (2). The freshman has also scored five goals in his past four games.
Another player who continues to develop is 2021 first-round pick Sebastian Cossa. As a 19-year-old goalie for the Edmonton Oil Kings, Cossa has a 2.14 goals-against average this season. Over the past three seasons in the WHL, he is 49-10-7. The 15th overall pick also has a .929 save percentage through 17 games in 2021-22.

BENEFITS OF A BREAK
A three-day lull, regardless of the purpose, can be a beneficial break for the players on an NHL roster.
At the quarter-mark of the season, the Red Wings have played 20 games in 38 days, one of just three NHL teams to do so. Just last week, Detroit played four games in four different cities, a stretch that severely limited the team's time to practice and recover.
"We've played a lot of games in a short period of time here," center Robby Fabbri said. "So, these last couple of days have been good for everyone just to step away for a bit and to get the rest we needed and come back refreshed."
Fabbri knows there is work to be done. Saturday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes extended the Red Wings' losing streak to four games. After the team's strong start to the 2021-22 campaign, Fabbri said having some breathing room before Wednesday will prove beneficial.
"It allows us to sharpen up what we need to sharpen up," Fabbri said. "You know, get back to the basics and get back to the way we were playing in the first 10 games. We're going to do that through practice, and it's nice that we have some time here."
A TRADITION LIKE NO OTHER
Fans have two chances to welcome the Red Wings back to Hockeytown this week.
The Red Wings will face the Blues on Wednesday night in what has been a huge Thanksgiving Eve tradition over the years in Hockeytown. Then, Detroit will welcome the Buffalo Sabres at Little Caesars Arena (Saturday, Nov. 30) before hitting the road to play the Bruins (Tuesday, Nov. 30).