Andreas Athanasiou-Goal.jpg

Andreas Athanasiou has scored two goals during the Red Wings' three-game winning streak.

(AP Photo)

DETROIT - Jeff Blashill thinks a number of factors have helped the Detroit Red Wings' offense come to life in the last month.

But as much as anything, the Red Wings finally seem to be buying into Blashill's message about shooting more often and putting pressure on the net.

The Red Wings have averaged 3.29 goals in their last 14 games dating back to Dec. 17, a mark that would put them among the top four teams in the league had they done it for the entire season.

Their record in those 14 games is 7-5-2 but that stretch included seven straight and nine of 10 on the road.

By comparison, their average of 2.32 goals in the first 31 games is better than just four teams for the entire season.

They had a 13-14-4 record in those 31 games.

"Shooting mentality with going to the net more, I think that's been one," Blashill said when asked what the difference has been. "I think we've been way better at that. I think we've played pretty good hockey, at least offensively.

"And then I just think it's was a matter of time before some guys who have been dry would score. They've been scorers in the league. I had said prior I thought they had been playing good. I understand skepticism on that when you're not getting production but I thought they had been playing good.

"Now they're starting to score."

Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar are at the top of that list.

They combined for 141 goals the previous three seasons but have been in a season-long slump thi syear.

After going 21 games without a goal, Nyquist has scored in three of the last four while picking up three assists.

One of those goals came on the power play - where the Red Wings are the NHL's worst team - and another sent Wednesday's game vs. Boston to overtime before Detroit won a wild 6-5 shootout.

He has seven goals on the season.

Tatar has been held without a goal in 14 of the previous 18 games but the Red Wing have gotten at least a point in the four games he did score.

He had a hat trick in a 6-4 win over Anaheim last month, scored in a 3-2 victory over Ottawa Dec. 29, picked up a goal in a 4-3 overtime loss in Chicago Jan. 10 and then scored in the win over Boston.

Tatar has 10 goals on the season.

"They've been playing good," said rookie Anthony Mantha, whose 11 goals trail only the 12 by Thomas Vanek and Dylan Larkin. "They both have 2-3-4, maybe five goals in the past little stretch.

"They need to be good players for the team to win."

Mantha agrees with Blashill's theory that shooting more has made a difference offensively.

"I think it's just confidence of getting a few goals and getting a few power-play goals also," Mantha said. "In the last three games, it's kind of helping our confidence and I just think we just kind of realize the more pucks you put on net the more goals and scoring chances we'll get. That's what we need to keep doing.

"We beat three pretty good teams right now. We had to get the points and we need to keep going. That's just proof we can play against any team in this league. We just need to keep going."

The Red Wings have had three of their most productive offensive games during the aforementioned 14-game stretch.

It started with the win over Anaheim, when the six goals marked their season high, something they matched Saturday in a 6-3 win over the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

Then, they scored five against Boston before tacking on the winner in the shootout.

They've also been getting more production throughout the lineup.

Six different players scored vs. Pittsburgh and a total of nine have tallied during the three-game winning streak.

"That's a huge thing," Blashill said. "We've had good depth of scoring. Different guys have contributed different nights and that's the way you have to score in this league unless you have an absolute superstar in his prime. You need other guys.

"You need different guys contributing every night."