Preview: Red Wings travel to D.C. for first time in nearly three years

DETROIT --He prefaced it by saying it was still early, but the way Dylan Larkin sees it, the young team he captains is beginning to come of age.
After Monday's day off, Larkin spent his media session on Tuesday discussing the quick start for Lucas Raymond, and the continual development of the Detroit Red Wings' top line. But he was especially expansive about the potential of his team playing a consistent brand of hockey that can stand the test of time over an 82-game schedule.

"I like that it really hasn't been perfect yet. We've played some good hockey. I think that when we've won, it feels like it can be repeatable," Larkin said. "In the past couple years when we've won, it was a grind. It was hard, it was a war.
"You look at the game in Montreal, we didn't have it, and we didn't have it against Calgary. We snapped right out of it, and that's a huge response, as a young team. Both games on the road, tough back to back with travel. I really, really liked our attitude going into that game [Chicago]. There was a nice calm presence about us that we were going to show up."

The Red Wings will look to have a similar disposition when they hit the road again, this time for a Wednesday night affair against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. on Bally Sports Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network.
The Caps have yet to suffer a regulation loss and head into the game with a 4-0-2 record, tied atop the Metropolitan Division with 10 points on the season. Alex Ovechkin (7 goals, 5 assists) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (4 goals, 5 assists) both currently rank among the top 10 in the National Hockey League in points, while former Red Wing Anthony Mantha has tallied four points with two goals and a pair of assists. Much like Detroit, the Capitals' Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov have operated as a goalie tandem, combining for 149 saves.
Detroit and Washington will meet for the first time in nearly two years. The last scheduled game between the clubs was March 12, 2020, the same day the NHL suspended the 2019-20 season due to the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Red Wings are 3-2-1 overall (7 points), and tied for third in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division alongside the Tampa Bay Lightning. Detroit earned its first road win of the season Sunday night at Chicago.
Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill sees his team getting better. He feels like the second line featuring Pius Suter, Robby Fabbri and Filip Zadina hasn't necessarily received the puck luck it may deserve. And he pointed out on Tuesday that both the penalty kill, and the power play still have plenty of room for improvement.
Of particular note, Blashill - a former goalie himself - feels comfortable with Detroit's tandem of Alex Nedeljkovic and Thomas Greiss, a duo he believes gives his team a chance to win games every night.
"I think that both of them have the opportunity to be good for us. I think they have an opportunity as a tandem to be real good for us," Blashill said. "They've both shown moments where they've been on top of their game."
"I thought the one game we've been loose defensively for the entire game was the Montreal game where we gave up more chances, 5-on-5, than we have, probably if you combine multiple games. But I did think that game, when Ned went in, that he looked good. I thought the third period the other night (at Chicago) he looked real good. And Greisser's had moments he looked real good. Again, the thing about this league is that you gotta show it every night. We got a chance to show it, whichever guy starts tomorrow night."

Lindstrom Not Expected to Suit Up

Blashill does not expect defenseman Gustav Lindstrom to play on Wednesday. His injury is not considered long-term, but Blashill also noted he wasn't sure what Lindstrom's status would be for this weekend.

Challenging Stretch Ahead

Detroit will play three games in the next four days against teams with a combined 27 points. After returning home to face the Florida Panthers on Friday night, Saturday's game at Toronto will kick off a four-game road trip.
"We got a tough schedule coming up here. Playing against good teams," Larkin said. "It's a great test. We're on the road, we gotta find a way to get in a rhythm and it started the last game in Chicago. We have to keep that up, we have to keep rolling."