The Detroit Red Wings headed to California weighed with the baggage of a setback performance.
Saturday's game at the Los Angeles Kings was framed as an opportunity to "flush" the bad feelings that came with an 8-2 collapse at home against the New York Rangers.
"The sour taste in your mouth — you’ve got to feel that," captain Dylan Larkin said minutes after Thursday's game at Little Caesars Arena ended. He was the only player to speak to reporters afterward. "We have to be ready for L.A. and that’s a tough place to play, but we have to come out with a gutsy effort, similar to how we responded after the Buffalo game.