For Red Wings playing to win more important than tanking for lottery

DETROIT – Ten days ago, with 10 games to play and one of the NHL’s more difficult remaining schedules, the Detroit Red Wings were poised to improve their draft lottery odds. Instead, those odds have diminished following a 4-1 stretch. That’s fine with coach Derek Lalonde, who sees a greater benefit to winning down the stretch. “Winning is important; some of these habits from a good team game which have led to our winning of late are important,” Lalonde said. “I know some fans out there are probably frustrated. We’ve literally jumped up six spots on the draft board in…