from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

The Detroit Red Wings emerged from the weekend encouraged by a couple of performances at home, and with the hope they will soon be in better shape.

Good results continued to elude them as the winless streak grew to six, but for a team as battered as the Wings, even small positives add up. They at least looked respectable on power plays in Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers at Little Caesars Arena, and did a much better job getting pucks deep and pressuring the Panthers’ defense. For a team that slunk home from an 0-3-1 trip, it’s something to build on as they head on the road again.

“We played better hockey over the course of these two games than we did the second night in Dallas and the second night in Chicago, but at some point we have to find ways to win.,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “We have to find a way to win these close games. These are the games I’ve talked about that we have to be in in order to be successful. We are not going to win games 5-1, so we have to find ways to win these close games.”

That effort will get a boost as five players are expected to exit from COVID-19 protocol in the coming days. Blashill said Robby Fabbri and Adam Erne, who have not played since the first two games of the season, should be available to practice Tuesday. (Monday is a day off.) Sam Gagner and Jon Merrill may also be available for Wednesday’s game against defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay. Filip Zadina is expected to be available for Friday’s game.

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