Preview: Larkin, Red Wings set to entertain Blue Jackets on Tuesday night

DETROIT -- One thing was made clear during Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin's media session ahead of Tuesday's game against visiting Columbus: he's ready to move on from the events of last Thursday's Home Opener and Saturday's ensuing suspension, and simply get back to leading his team.
Larkin discussed for the first time Mathieu Joseph's hit and the events that followed in the season opener against Tampa Bay (Oct. 14), while also acknowledging his own wrongdoing. He said the one-game suspension was "warranted."

"I can't act like that. I can't lash out like that," Larkin said. "Hits like that happen; you've got to do something different to try and fight him or whatever. It was too aggressive, and I kind of lost my cool there for a split second. I was very much disappointed in myself after, and disappointed for the team."
In the same breath, Larkin emphasized the fact that he and his teammates will continue to look out for each other on the ice.
"We have to stick up for each other. We can't lose our cool, but we have to stick up for each other," Larkin said. "In the room, we're there for each other. I think you see it out there on the ice.
"… We have each other's backs, and I think we're going to have to continue to do that. We're going to have to continue to get a little smarter and not let it get us off our game. But enough is enough. Teams are pushing us around, and we've got to stand up for ourselves.
"I served my suspension, and very ready to get back out there tomorrow night."

The Red Wings' four-game homestand to begin the season continues with a 7:30 p.m. puck drop (Bally Sports Detroit, Red Wings Radio Network) against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Columbus is off to a 2-0 start after pulling away from the Arizona Coyotes in the season opener, 8-2, and defeating the Seattle Kraken, 2-1, in overtime on Saturday. Patrik Laine scored 2:16 into the extra session to seal the win on Saturday. Columbus will be playing its first road game of the season.
Detroit has three points through its first two contests, with six players scratching the scoresheet. Tyler Bertuzzi heads into Tuesday's game with a team-best five points on the heels of a four-goal output against Tampa. Alex Nedeljkovic and Thomas Greiss have each earned one start in net for the Red Wings.

Red Wings Power Play Off to Quick Start

Early indications are that the Red Wings' investment into the power play during the offseason is paying dividends. Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill brought in assistant coach Alex Tanguay to head up Detroit's power play, which finished 30th among 31 NHL teams in power play percentage (11.4 percent) last season.
In a small sample size, the Red Wings have scored on the power play in each of the first two games, with Bertuzzi and Filip Zadina both finding the back of the net.
"Every power play unit - you want to be right at 20 percent," Larkin said. "Alex [Tanguay] talks about that a lot - not too much, but he knows that's our goal. I think we need to build our power play into that momentum.
"If we don't score, it's momentum for the next shift and the next power play. Then, when we get a power play late in the game - if it's a tie game or a one-goal game - that's when we capitalize. That's what good power play units do, and what good teams do. It helps the team win."

According to Blashill, Detroit's power play success this season will be predicated on an opportunistic, yet attacking strategy.
"I think they have an understanding of what Alex wants them to do, which is pretty simple," Blashill said. "Quick puck movement, take what's given, be ready to attack.
"We've got to keep getting better at it, and it's going to be a big piece of success. I gave our guys this stat before the year: in the last five years, if a team won the specialty teams battle, 76 percent of the time, you win the hockey game. That's a huge percentage. So let's find ways to make sure we win the specialty teams battle."