No doubt, the Detroit Red Wings have gotten off to a quick start in the 2015-16 season. We shouldn’t put too much weight on just three games, but nonetheless it’s been impressive. For me, it’s not so much their record that has me excited, but rather their style of play in the first three games.

As I watched their 3-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning, I couldn’t help but notice something was different about this team…in a very, very good way.

They’re faster. They’re attacking. They’re creating.

There were several sequences against the Lightning that caught my attention. Rather than a structured—and sometimes conservative—style of play, the Red Wings created on the rush. It wasn’t the safe play we’ve seen the last few years. For better or worse, they took chances at the offensive blue line. They weren’t afraid to hold possession when entering the zone, even if that meant risking a turnover. This is a skilled lineup, and for whatever reason they’ve started playing like it.

But why the sudden change of pace?

For starters, look no further than Jeff Blashill. After spending three seasons as the head coach in Grand Rapids, he’s familiar with almost all of the young players on this roster. He understands what he’s working with, and it wouldn’t be farfetched to believe this group is responding positively to his message.

There’s no denying that Babcock is one of the best coaches in the NHL, but the more we hear about his departure, the more it seems his approach had tired in Detroit. He was hard on his players, and it didn’t take more than a single turnover to get you in his doghouse. Just ask Jakub Kindl about how that works.

It’s early, but it looks like Blashill has freed up this roster to just play hockey. It sounds simple, but it’s true. I understand that structure is important in today’s game, but these players haven’t gotten to the NHL because of how great they can play a single system. They’ve made it to Detroit because they’re talented players that have enough hockey sense to react in the situations each game may throw at them. Again, systems are critical, but too much structure can be paralyzing for any roster.

Blashill’s attacking style seems to be working. Dylan Larkin has been an absolute monster in the first three games of his career. Henrik Zetterberg looks like his playmaking self. Justin Abdelkader was the league’s number-one star last week. Along with a right-handed shot, Mike Green has brought an offensive flare to the blue line. Hell, even Brendan Smith has shown signs of the offensive defenseman we’ve been promised for the last few years. The list goes on and on.

And to think about inserting Pavel Datsyuk and Danny Dekeyser into this lineup, now you’ve got a group that can really do some damage. Buckle up, Red Wings fans. It may be early and the games may look a little bit different, but this team will be a treat to watch for 79 more games.