NOTEBOOK: Red Wings using practices to 'grow and get better'

SUNRISE, Fla. -- After
Tuesday's 4-2 road win
over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Detroit Red Wings took a quick flight to South Florida, then reassembled on Wednesday morning for off-ice workouts and a practice at FLA Live Arena.

It's been a busy 17 hours for the Red Wings, a stretch that appropriately encapsulates the NHL's daily grind. And for head coach Derek Lalonde, making the most of limited practice time helps his players "go about their business."
"Practices are tough to come by this time of year," Lalonde

"This worked out great, and I thought we had a productive practice."
Lalonde said that before taking the ice on Wednesday, his coaching staff reiterated to the group that these sessions serve as valuable opportunities to improve.
"We're going through a gauntlet here," Lalonde said. "Some elite and highly offensive teams. We still have a long way to go in our game."

The Red Wings will continue their four-game road trip on Thursday night against the Florida Panthers, marking their second straight road matchup versus an Atlantic Division opponent. Detroit is 2-3-2 against the Atlantic this season, the only division in the NHL in which every team has surpassed the 20-point threshold through at least 22 games.
"Specifically in the Atlantic, you're dealing with three, four or five of the top teams in the entire league," Lalonde said. "It's always a challenge, but that's where we're at. We wanna grow and get better."

Soderblom nearing return

Elmer Soderblom continues to check off boxes as he nears a return to game action.
The Red Wings' rookie forward, who is with the team on their four-game road trip, took the ice for Tuesday's morning skate in Tampa Bay, and participated in Wednesday's practice.
Lalonde said Soderblom is making progress in his recovery from a lower-body injury he suffered in Detroit's 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 8.
Soderblom, who has two goals in 13 games this season, was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 15 retroactive to Nov. 8.
"He's coming," Lalonde said on Tuesday. "We had two really, really good skates."
When asked about Soderblom's timetable, Lalonde said he hopes to see Soderblom "maybe by the weekend" but added that the 21-year-old Swede could initially spend time with Detroit's American Hockey League-affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.
"Again, it'll be up to Steve (Yzerman) on what he wants to do with him," Lalonde said. "I'm sure, because he's been out so long, he'll probably see some time in Grand Rapids."

Hirose shining early with Griffins

Taro Hirose is shining with the Griffins to begin the 2022-23 campaign.
Through 19 games, Hirose leads Grand Rapids with 19 points on six goals and 13 assists. The 26-year-old forward played in his 200th career AHL game in last Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Texas Stars, scoring just 22 seconds into the second period to record the club's fastest goal to start a frame this season.

Hirose, who signed a two-year contract extension with Detroit on May 21, totaled a career-high 53 points (15-38-53) in 59 games last year, including one goal and three assists in 15 games with the Red Wings.
The Griffins currently own an 8-11-1 overall record (17 points), good for sixth in the AHL's Central Division standings.