Goaltender Cam Talbot sees a willingness to fight back in the Detroit Red Wings that wasn’t there at this time last year.
Coming off a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of the New York Islanders, and down 3-1 Saturday in the third period against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Talbot is certain he knows what the outcome would’ve been a year ago.
Add another number in the Detroit loss column.
“Last year, up until Christmas, maybe January, I don’t think that we come back with these kinds of performances,” Talbot said following their 4-3 overtime victory over the Blue Jackets. “We tended to let things linger a little bit.
Cam Talbot robs Sean Monahan 🛑 pic.twitter.com/Rmf52bDHdD
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“You could tell this is a different group in here mentally, so we know that we can come back after performances like that.”
The Red Wings remain a flawed team, but in today’s parity-driven NHL, that gives them plenty in common with most of their opponents.
Red Wings Display Ability to Come Back
Several times this season, the Wings have found themselves seeking solutions following dismal outings. Most times, they’ve managed to locate a path out of the doldrums.
A week ago, Detroit blew a 4-1 lead and lost 5-4 in OT to the Buffalo Sabres. The next game was a 2-1 Red Wings road win over the New York Rangers.
Earlier this season, there was a comeback from a 4-0 disadvantage to beat St. Louis 6-4. That rally also came on the heels of a 7-2 shellacking the Wings had taken from the Islanders.
“I think it’s a different sense of confidence,” said forward Alex DeBrincat, who scored Saturday’s OT winner. “I think we showed it versus St. Louis, coming back from 4-0 there.
DEBRINCAT CALLS GAME 🚨 pic.twitter.com/hz3C7ZiIJy
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“Obviously, you don’t want to come back every game, but we have that in our toolbox, and we just keep battling till the last whistle.”
It’s a trait that coach Todd McLellan is glad to see within his club. He only wishes they didn’t need to go to that well so often.
“We’ve shown that we have some fight in us, and we can come back,” McLellan said. “So I’d like to keep that in the room.
“We don’t want to keep going down 3-1. But the resiliency showed up again, which is a good thing for us.”