Expected severe weather postpones Red Wings' Friday game in Ottawa

Detroit — The upcoming major winter storm has officially played havoc with the Red Wings' schedule.

The NHL announced Thursday morning the Wings' game Friday in Ottawa against the Senators has been postponed, and rescheduled for Monday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m. The Wings will now play the Senators back to back (Feb. 27-28).

Severe winter weather is expected to impact both Detroit and Ottawa.

What this also means, basically, is a longer holiday break for the Wings. The NHL is off Saturday, Sunday and Monday for a holiday break.

The Wings return to practice Tuesday, then play road games in Pittsburgh (Wednesday) and Buffalo (Thursday).

"I got the news about 10:30 in the morning, so obviously practice changes a little bit with the way we handled it," said coach Derek Lalonde, whose staff put the Wings through a rigorous workout before calling it a holiday weekend. "I'm a little surprised, but not really surprised.

"You go with the flow. There's experience with the fluid situations experienced with the pandemic, so really it wasn't a big deal."

What nobody around the Wings wanted was to be stuck in Ottawa into Saturday because of the wintry weather. So, to have that possibility erased was a relief.

"If we had gotten trapped in Ottawa, that would have stunk, stunk for a lot of guys," Andrew Copp said. "We're all kind of used it from the last couple of years (postponements because of the pandemic). Half of the teams are done on the 22nd (of December) anyway, so it's a nice little treat for us."

Being from upstate New York, Lalonde has seen weather that is expected through the weekend around the Midwest and Northeast.

"All you have to do is Google Ottawa weather and you see what they are bracing for," Lalonde said. "They're shutting down on Friday, with wind, freezing rain. I grew up an hour, 45 minutes south of Ottawa and I've experienced some freezing rain. You almost have to see it to experience it, so certainly (postponing the game is) the safe and right thing to do."

Another positive to come out of this situation is, the Wings will head into the break coming off an impressive 7-4 victory over Tampa Bay. It ended a six-game Wings' winless streak and gave the lineup a full dose of confidence.

"You don't want to go into the break on a loss or any sort of losing streak," Copp said. "It's nice to alleviate that, a little clearer mind over the next couple of days."

Lalonde is disappointed the Wings can't build on the momentum created with the win, but the extra day off could help some players who are hurting.

"An extra day doesn't sound like a lot but it is," said Lalonde, who is driving to Cleveland to meet up with his in-laws, and family who are flying from Florida. "There's an extra day to heal, and maybe that's one part of the cancellation that's a benefit."

Headed home

Two players who were impacted, somewhat, by the postponement were David Perron and Joe Veleno.

The two players were going to drive to Montreal, from Ottawa, and meet up with their families in Montreal for the long weekend.

Because of the cancellation, Veleno and Perron had to book a flight Friday to still get into Montreal.

For Veleno, especially, this is a special time. Because of several years of COVID-marred schedules and travel restrictions, and playing in Sweden during one holiday season during the pandemic, Veleno hasn't spent a holiday season in Montreal with family for four years.

"I'm super excited," Veleno said of the being home for the holidays. "I love Christmas; it's really the only time I get to see all my family and friends. I'm happy for the chance to go home."

Veleno admitted he was getting a bit antsy about whether the weather situation in Detroit and Ottawa would again force him to not be able to go to Montreal.

"We had to wait and see what our schedule was going to look like," Veleno said. "There was some talk after (Wednesday's) game, but we just didn't know. I'm glad it worked in our favor.

"It's a Christmas miracle right now."

Ice chips

Lalonde is pleased with the way his team handled itself during the six-game winless streak, not giving in to the gloom and doom.

"This group, they've worked and had goodwill," Lalonde said. "They haven't stepped off at all. Sometimes it may not look it with our play, but for the most part, this was the most enthusiastic, high-morale, 0-4-2 stretch team I've ever experienced, and that's a credit to the guys.

"They got what they deserved with three out of four points against Washington and Tampa."

... One last thing about the weather. Having coached in Tampa the last four years, Lalonde is readjusting himself to the northern winters.

"There's been some mornings here I swore coming out of my apartment," Lalonde said. "But you get used to it."

ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @tkulfan