After the Detroit Red Wings (8-9-2) snapped a three-game losing streak last night against the New York Islanders (7-8-5), they leapt from dead last in the Eastern Conference to three points out of a playoff spot.  Perhaps more significantly, the Red Wings stopped their negative spiral, and as coach Derek Lalonde explained of the mood in the dressing room following the win, "I don't know if it would be relief.  I just think rewarded. Things turn quick."  Part of that reward is the chance for some levity.

Friday's practice was an optional one.  Both goaltenders took the ice, but only five skaters did: the suddenly red hot Jonatan Berggren, Marco Kasper, Joe Veleno, Albert Johansson, and Justin Holl.  That quintet ran through a brief skills session in the early afternoon, before Berggren and Kasper spoke with the media.

"We always talk about taking care of home ice, and I think we did that yesterday" said said Kasper. "It's a frustrating road trip: three losses in the last three games before...We knew we pretty much had to win [last night]."

Meanwhile, it took Berggren 15 games to find the back of the net this season, but now he has three goals in his last five, including the equalizer with 4:46 left in regulation, looking off Vladimir Tarasenko on a two-on-one before burying a shot over Ilya Sorokin's shoulder.  As such, a natural topic of conversation became the sources of his sudden offensive outburst.

"I had kind of a rough start points-wise, but I felt like my overall game was pretty good, so I was always confident the goals would probably come if I keep doing the right stuff," Berggren explained.  "They've finally come, so I'm happy."

When asked whether he is superstitious during a slump like the one that began his season, he was quick to reply, "Oh yeah, I did everything...I started to play sewer again, so I think that's the biggest part," referring to the two-touch soccer game that is ubiquitous as a pre-game hockey warmup.  Is staying in the sewer game the key to keeping the good offensive feeling going? "I think so," replied Berggren.  "That and pancakes...It's me and Marco in the pre-game.  I tried pancakes before the Pittsburgh game, and I scored, so I had to stick to that."

In recounting the goal itself, Berggren—in stark contrast to Kasper, who spoke quickly, with a sincere urgency—kept the jokes coming: "I saw Vladdy coming beside me and I was thinking about passing, because I'm a little bit scared of him, if I wouldn't pass to him. [Big, sheepish smile]. No, I didn't think too much about it.  It's a feeling like my shot has grown this season.  When you're in that moment, you don't think about it too much.  Just happy it went in."

As Lalonde said, "things turn quick," and with just one win, some pancakes, and sewerball, Berggren and the Red Wings restored a sense of joy to their dressing room.

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