DETROIT – Drew Miller said the key to his team's success in this series has been everyone buying into a system.
And that's precisely why the Red Wings are ahead 3-2 on the Lightning heading into Game 6 in Detroit. Nine different Detroit players have scored at least one goal through five games -- 15 have at least a point and 13 have at least two.
"I think overall we're all buying into the system, and I think that's the key right now -- just being patient and playing our system," said Miller.
Game 6 is 7 p.m. Monday (TV: CNBC).
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The 31-year-old winger put the Red Wings up 2-0 on Saturday when he banged home the rebound from a Luke Glendening shot.
"Our line, we try to keep it pretty simple," said Miller. "(Glendening) is going down the wing, I'm driving the middle, (Landon) Ferraro is driving the dot lane, so it's a pretty basic setup coming into the zone on a 3-on-2 ... he got a good shot on net that squeaked through. Right place, right time. Those are the ones that are easy ones once you get there."
While Miller and his linemates may be keeping it simple (yet effective) on offense, they're definitely complicating things for the opposition. Miller is now a +2 in this series while Glendening is a +3 and the rookie Ferraro has remained even. This line -- considered Detroit's 4th -- is adding the depth crucial for success in tight playoff games.
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They're reliable two-way forwards who forecheck hard and score goals -- that's what Mike Babcock is putting on the ice each game. His so-called 4th line is a reflection of the rest of the Red Wings forwards, too. That's what the Lightning have had to deal with.
It seems like the Red Wings have gotten better at it each game, too.
"Every game in this series I feel like we've gotten a little bit better," said Miller. "We've cleaned up some things every game that we feel we can be better at than last game. That's the key -- just being better than your last game."
Simple enough.