Red Wings Report: Inside Shots
Plagued by turnovers, bad decisions with the puck and poor positioning, Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson struggled in 2009-10, his first full NHL season.
The club remained confident, however, that Ericsson was a better player than he showed. He has proven it this season.
He is still learning a position that he didn't start playing until he was 17, but he might be the team's most improved player.
"I learned a lot from what happened last year, couple of rough months there," Ericsson said. "It's all about confidence. If you play with confidence, everything comes natural."
Ericsson has three goals, 11 assists and -- most importantly -- a plus-9 rating that ranks third on the club. Last season, he was a team-worst minus-15.
Coach Mike Babcock said Ericsson "is going in the right direction in his career" and attributed his improvement to confidence, which comes from experience. Ericsson, the final player selected in the 2002 NHL entry draft (291st overall).
COYOTES 5, RED WINGS 4 (SO): The Wings appeared to have the game in hand, leading 4-1 after two periods. But the collapsed in the third, as Phoenix scored three times to send it to overtime before winning in a shootout. The Wings made too many mistakes in the third. They committed turnovers by failing to make the safe play. And they didn't match the Coyotes' desperation or work ethic.
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