Wings coach: Darren Helm must energize

Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

Vancouver, British Columbia -- Darren Helm stepped into the Red Wings playoff lineup last spring and immediately provided a powerful jolt of energy.

Coach Mike Babcock, allowing for the fact Helm is coming off a shoulder injury and has played in five games, is wondering where that energy has gone -- so much so that he's decided to light a little fire of his own.

Babcock scratched Helm for Tuesday's game in Vancouver.

"Anytime you miss training camp, especially when you are a kid, it's tough," Babcock said. "Helm, on this team in my opinion, should be pushing for third-line center, not battling to be the fourth-line center.

"So, he's going to get an opportunity to watch (Tuesday). I talked to him about it and he's going to be fired up to come back. Sometimes just a shot over the bow is a good reminder."

Helm has one point and is a minus-1 in five games. He has 15 hits, fourth on the team.

"I don't think I've been bad for the first five games, but I definitely have to step it up," Helm said. "I have to be a lot better. What he's telling me (about being the third-line center), I don't know if it's a challenge or not, but Drapes (Kris Draper) has been playing well. You can't take anything away from him.

"I think it's just (Babcock) telling me that I've got to start working harder and pushing myself."

Helm said he was struggling to find a rhythm after missing training camp, but he said his shoulder was fine.

"I've got to be more focused and more prepared," he said. "I have to work harder. I am not going to see the game as well after five games as I did at the end of any year. I think I've been playing physical, but the emotion is not quite as big as it is in the playoffs and that's what drives me ... I have to find a way to get that edge each night."

Babcock made it clear he was not in any way using Helm as a scapegoat for the team's start.

"Helmer's been fine," Babcock said. "He's not at the level I am used to having him, but there's a lot of guys that could be accused of that."

There's a chance the Wings could send Helm to Grand Rapids to work back to game speed once the team gets back from its five-game trip next week.

'Easy math'

Andreas Lilja was asked if any of the Red Wings tried to convince Mikael Samuelsson to stay with the Wings, instead of signing the three-year $7.5 million deal with the Canucks.

"Yeah, we talked, but that's pretty easy math," Lilja said. "I don't blame him (for signing) at all. I miss him, but everybody has to get what they can get."

The Wings offered Samuelsson $1 million less per year.

A third-line forward in Detroit, Samuelsson is playing on Vancouver's first line and leading it with 10 points.

Ice chips

One extra night's sleep apparently wasn't sufficient for Babcock to arrive at a decision about shifting centers on his second and third lines. He said Valtteri Filppula would center the second line with Todd Bertuzzi and Danny Cleary , with Draper between Jason Williams and Ville Leino , "In warm-ups, for sure."

Meaning, everything is subject to change.

"I liked all of my lines the last game, yet, we're not scoring," Babcock said. "And when you are not scoring, you try to find something to generate some more offense."

... Helm, Patrick Eaves and Derek Meech were the healthy scratches.