DETROIT – It was a different kind of season, one in which the Detroit Red Wings lost as many games (24, including overtime and shootouts) as they won, and struggled to make the playoffs.

But, it was extremely satisfying for coach Mike Babcock.

Injuries created opportunity for many young players, and Babcock enjoyed watching them grow.

“It's the most fun I've had coaching in a couple years, by far, just because we have a real enthusiastic group, not that we didn't before,'' Babcock said on Sunday.

“At the start of the year, we weren't a good team. We all understood that, but we buckled down and got better. It's been a fun year for us. If you would have asked me before the playoffs, I would've told you the same thing. Then, suddenly you have a little success in the playoffs and it's more fun.''

The fun could just be starting. The Red Wings feel they are in a good spot, tied 1-1 in their Western Conference semifinal series with the heavily favored Chicago Blackhawks heading into Game 3 Monday at Joe Louis Arena.

“We've had great growth from within, I think the most since I've been in the National Hockey League,'' Babcock said. “In saying that, that may be because we have a different type of team. We got a whole bunch of kids, so we have a chance for growth.''

Their growth is being accelerated in the playoffs.

“When I coached junior hockey, I used to always say a playoff game, development-wise, to a regular season game was like 2-1,'' Babcock said. “Your players are getting better and better. That's what's happening for our kids right now. We're playing a good team in Chicago that knows how to play, so it pushes you, and I thought our guys played real well (in their 4-1 victory in Game 2).''

Most of the growth at forward has come from the third line of Gustav Nyquist, Joakim Andersson and Damien Brunner, all first-year players. Nyquist and Andersson began the NHL season with with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. Brunner started the year on a top-two line before finding his niche in the bottom six.

“We didn't have Nyquist, we didn't have Andersson, so, we didn't have a third line,'' Babcock said.

The young defense also has come a long way.

“The growth of (Brendan) Smith and (Jakub) Kindl has been huge for us,'' Babcock said. “(Jonathan) Ericsson has gotten much better.

“We seem to have people playing in spots that suit them better. When (Danny) DeKeyser came in, it helped us immensely. Whether we got confidence or playing better when he left (with a broken thumb), we were able to maintain it to a certain level.''

They're a much better team now than they were during the season, when Babcock said, “a good month for us was 1-over (.500).''

“Our guys have gotten better, you've got to give them a lot of credit,'' he said.

He added: “The biggest improvement out of anybody has been Justin Abdelkader. He was our fourth-line center and suddenly he's playing with Pavel (Datsyuk) all the time and he's a dominant, physical guy for us.''

Goaltender Jimmy Howard echoed Babcock's sentiments that this has been a fun season, due in large part to the youth movement.

“You’ve got a lot of guys in there with a lot of energy,'' Howard said. “You can see the excitement on their faces. It is a great time of year for all of us. We’re all enjoying it, having fun.''