The Red Wings took too many penalties in their 4-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday night and must both reduce them and kill them off better in Game 6 tonight in Detroit, according to defesneman Jonathan Ericsson.
"We took too many penalties," said Ericsson, the only active Wings' player not to take a penalty in the postseason. "We know they've got a good power play. That hurt us. We had chances to get the pucks out but couldn't execute. We've got to be more on our toes. . ." The Blackhawks took advantage of the Wings' penalties to score a pair of power-play goals 2:39 apart in the second period to break a 1‑1 tie in Game 5. The Red Wings are now 2-5 when allowing a power-play goal in the playoffs, including a 0-3 mark when yielding multiple scores. Detroit has allowed 10 power-play goals in the postseason, the most of any playoff team.

Jonathan Ericsson stressed the value of getting under the Blackhawks' skin.
"If we can get them frustrated, that's almost 1-0 for us right away," Ericsson said. "So that's what we want to do." The Blackhawks are denying that the Red Wings have succeeded in frustrating them, but they have suffered back-to-back rough losses against Detroit. They'll enter Game 4 on Thursday with the goal of evening this series, but if the Red Wings get off to a strong sstart, it could be a big blow to Chicago's confidence.

Jonathan Ericsson wasn't too happy with Detroit's defense in Game 1 of their second-round series.
"I think it took way too long for us to get out of our own zone and when we get out we don't have any energy to attack. . We have to do a much better job in the D-zone and the D's got to do a better job of getting the pucks up and the forwards have to do a better job in being open," Ericsson said. Over the past few seasons, several Red Wings defensemen have either left the team or retired and that's pushed Ericsson into the position of being one of the team's veteran blueliners. He ranks second on the team with 18 hits and fourth with eight blocked shots.

Jonathan Ericsson might be the biggest goat in the Detroit Red Wings' brutal 7-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.
At least the statistics argue that point. Ericsson was a whopping -5 during the game. Even with that, his season total (-3) isn't that bad, although he hasn't exactly endeared himself to Red Wings fans this season. The big Swede might be a little out of his element on a thinning Detroit D corps.

Jonathan Ericsson's becoming a bit of a scapegoat for Detroit Red Wings fans.
The blueliner has developed a reputation (fair or not) for gaffes and bad penalties, with Sunday presenting a glaring example. His delay of game minor opened the door for Patrick Kane's game-tying goal in a 2-1 shootout win for Chicago. Tomas Tatar was Detroit's lone goal scorer.

Jonathan Ericsson returned to action on Sunday January 27.

Jonathan Ericsson (shoulder) is probable for Sunday's game versus the Chicago Blackhawks.
Ericsson sustained the injury during a practice on Jan. 20. He took part in Saturday's skate. "A little bit better," Ericsson said, referring to his shoulder. "No steps back yet, so that's good. I'll rest the rest of the day here and we'll see tomorrow."

Jonathan Ericsson (shoulder) will not participate in Friday's contest.
Ericsson did skate on Friday, but he's still sore. He might return on Sunday.

Jonathan Ericsson (shoulder) is expected to be a game-time decision on Friday.
Ericsson skated on his own before Thursday's practice. "I felt better than I thought I would," Ericsson said. "There's a chance (I'll play). You see the (defensemen) dropping like flies and you want to go out there and help. But it might not be helping if you go out and the injury gets worse and you're out another two, three weeks."

Jonathan Ericsson (shoulder), who is questionable to play Tuesday, is scheduled to get an MRI on Tuesday.
Ericsson didn't play Monday after hurting his shoulder in practice Sunday. We're still awaiting word on whether he'll be able to play tonight against the Stars. The Red Wings signed D Kent Huskins on Tuesday to provide depth after Ericsson and D Carlo Colaiacovo (shoulder) were sidelined and it's possible he could play if Ericsson can't go.

Jonathan Ericsson (shoulder) is questionable for Tuesday's home opener against Dallas.
Ericsson did not play on Monday after injuring his shoulder in practice Sunday. If Ericsson is unable to go, the Red Wings will have to call up another defenseman from Grand Rapids as Carlo Colaiacovo was injured Monday.

Jonathan Ericsson is questionable for Monday's game at Columbus because of a sore shoulder.
"Not as good as I hoped," he said when asked how he felt after the team's morning skate. "It's better than it was last night, but it just hurts." The Wings called up Brian Lashoff to take his place if he can't play.

Jonathan Ericsson injured his shoulder in practice on Sunday when he stepped on the puck and crashed into the boards.
Ericsson thinks he will be able to go on Monday when the Red Wings take on the Columbus Blue Jackets but the Red Wings could call up Brian Lashoff from the minors if Ericsson is unable to go. "I just ran into the boards," Ericsson said. "The puck came across when I was going to turn and it came under my skate. I went in pretty hard. I went in shoulder-first. I feel like I've been hit by a train. I'm going to be careful until (Monday) and hopefully it should be fine."

Look for Jonathan Ericsson to be paired with Niklas Kronwall this season.
This is the likely pairing heading into the regular season and it should benefit Ericsson as Kronwall is now the leader on the blueline. Ericsson has been a bit of an enigma as he has always been highly regarded but has not managed to get over the hump. "You learn so much from playing from yourself, and other players, about the game," Ericsson said. "I learned to deal with down periods. Just beating myself down, for no reason really. I just had to look ahead and get better. That's my goal every year, to be a better player every year." Look for Ericsson to get 12-15 points this season and not be fantasy relevant.