Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

TORONTO -- When the Detroit Red Wings had a recent four-day spell between games, Riley Sheahan used the practices to work on his offense.

The reward has poured in, as Sheahan has helped fuel the Wings' hottest line. Winger Tomas Tatar scored the sole goal in Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. Sheahan, Tatar and Justin Abdelkader drew praise from Mike Babcock afterwards. "I really liked their effort," he said, adding that Sheahan's line and Darren Helm's line have been the best ones during this road trip.

With Pavel Datsyuk out nursing a sore groin, Sheahan has taken over as the team's second-line center. The whole line has been hot, and Sheahan credits his wingers for much of the reason he had racked up four points over the past week.

"I think the biggest contributor is playing with some great players," he said. "We've been getting the puck to the net and are just trying to get bounces off the goalie, and that's been workin g. I'm trying to be a little more confident with the puck and use my body to my advantage.. That's been a focus point for me."

The line has a bit of everything - Sheahan and Abdelkader are both big guys who like to work with their bodies and possess the puck down low, and Tatar has a scorer's instincts for making something out of nothing.



Tatar called Sheahan, "a really heavy guy, and he's got a really heavy shot. He's really strong around the net, so he's making lots of space open for me."

Jimmy Howard likened Sheahan to fellow big man Johan Franzen, saying "She's like Mule, when he uses his big body down low, good things happen." (Sheahan's name is pronounced "Shay-han" but he goes by "She" for a nickname).

Sheahan, 23, was among the young players who carried the team through its plague of injuries last season, emerging as a dependable center who was so good defensively he could be trusted against anyone. The Wings have encouraged him to grow his offensive game, and continue to do so.

"Sheahan is a guy who's got to get his feet going and get through the neutral zone," coach Mike Babcock said, "but he knows how to play with and without the puck."

Z EMPTY HANDED: Zetterberg has gone four games without a point, the longest drought of the season. "Their line wasn't as good the last couple of games," Babcock said. "Now, you play 82, you go through lots of ups and downs. One thing good about those guys, they usually don't give up any goals, but tonight they did."

X HANDS IN FIRST POINT: Xavier Ouellet picked up his first NHL point setting in another impressive game. "He's smart," Babcock said. "You add it all together, and you say, geez, I don't know how big he is, I don't know how great he skates, but he knows how to play. Looks like a veteran, moves the puck, doesn't make a whole lot of mistakes."

ALFIE A GOOD MAN: Daniel Alfredsson has made no official announcement he's retiring, but that's the writing on the wall, and it prompted the Wings to reflect on the player they got to know last season. "Good man in the room," Babcock said. "Had a great career. It's always disappointing when it ends." Jimmy Howard remembers the young Senators forward he watched from across the border in upstate New York. "It was a pleasure to play with him and get to know him after watching him for so long," Howard said.

Contact Helene St. James: hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.