from Ansar Khan of Mlive,

The Detroit Red Wings have made progress roughly one quarter of the way through the season, though it might not seem like it on the heels of a four-game skid.

At 8-9-3 after the 20-game mark, the Red Wings’ points percentage (.475) is appreciably better than it was at the end of last season (.429), despite missing Jakub Vrana, one of their key offensive players due to preseason shoulder surgery.

It would have been better if not for an 0-3-1 trip that included a 5-3 loss in Columbus and 2-1 overtime defeat in Arizona, games the Red Wings led in the latter stage of the third period.

“I liked our start to the season,” Dylan Larkin said. “We played hard, we played confident. This past road trip we haven’t been confident. You saw that with the one-goal lead (in Columbus and Arizona).

“We have to be a more confident hockey team. We haven’t been able to practice much but we’re going to get back home and have a couple of hard practices and start figuring some things out and get back to what makes us successful, just playing hard, playing together, and playing fast.”

continued

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,