DETROIT – There aren’t many chances in an NHL regular season to have a full-scale, physical practice like the Red Wings had Tuesday.

This season’s schedule, in particular, is so condensed because of the Olympics, that it’s rare a team is off three days like the Wings currently are.

But after two consecutive losses – and three in four games – and needing to shake up the look of the team a bit, coach Todd McLellan made it feel almost like training camp Tuesday with a competitive practice.

“We don’t get a lot of time during the season to practice the way we did today,” McLellan said. “We just can’t because you have so many games in a short time frame. They expended a lot of energy (Tuesday). It was physical, a lot of battling, and so it gave us a chance to have a practice like that.

“But also to remind them that’s an important part of the game.”

After reviewing the losses to the New York Rangers and Chicago (by a 9-2 combined score), McLellan felt the Wings had offensive opportunities score on several odd-man rushes.

“That part of the game is OK,” McLellan said. “It’s what happens when we settled into the offensive zone and feeder shots getting to the net, and are we near the net or through the goalie’s eyes or are we around rebounds? Conversely, on the other end, are we doing a good job (in those areas)?

“That type of practice was designed because of time and a need for the group.”

Getting to the net and disrupting the opposing goaltender are things the Wings need to do during this recent offensive power outage.

“Being stronger in front of the goalie’s eyes,” forward Alex DeBrincat said. “We’re getting a lot of shots but a lot of them are from the point and no one is in front and going through the goalie’s eyes. It’s pretty hard in this league if you don’t do that. That was an emphasis today (in practice), and playing in front of the net at both ends of the ice.”

McLellan also changed the look of the lineup, keeping the lines the Wings’ finished with in Sunday’s game.

That meant DeBrincat with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, and Emmitt Finnie with J.T. Compher and Patrick Kane.

“Sometimes lines get a little stale, and it’s no reflection on Cat or Emmitt or anybody else,” McLellan said. “We’re just trying to do different things. Both lines played better after the change in the third period (Sunday). Are we going to do that against Anaheim (Thursday)? We’ll see.”

DeBrincat was excited about potentially skating with Larkin and Raymond.

“Two great players, and obviously fun to play with them,” DeBrincat said. “They have a lot of speed. They can make a lot of plays and hopefully we can have the puck a lot during the game. Those two guys are good defensively and we can create chances off their turnovers and go down and play with the puck, where we’re more comfortable.”

Both DeBrincat and Kane, who are known for their on-ice chemistry, said occasional line changes like these don’t change the way they play with new linemates.

“I try to stick to the same stuff with them,” DeBrincat said. “We can all rotate on who is getting on pucks and all of us just try to hunt pucks quick and create turnovers in the offensive zone. That’s kind of how we feed off each other, with us three, and create offense that way.

“If we can play a simple game and play in their end and get pucks back, we’ll be fine.”

Said Kane: “Maybe without Cat on that side you look for your shot a little more, or maybe try to get to the net a little more. But it’s still being who you are as a player, and it’s the same thing with Finnie or J.T.; it’s the player that you are.”

McLellan said Sunday the recall of Nate Danielson was a chance to potentially ignite the Wings’ offense and take a look at different combinations. It wasn’t, as social media suggested, to necessarily ignite trade discussions.

“My son called me (Sunday) and said, ‘Oh, you guys are trading some players,’” McLellan said. “No, we’re not. That doesn’t mean we won’t or ever will, but that’s not the reason. Danny (Danielson) is here because he’s played well in training camp and we have players who are struggling, and we feel he can inject some life and enthusiasm into the team and maybe provide us with some offense.

“He’s earned the right to do that after training camp. We can put him in and see how he looks with other players and maybe we can find combinations and evaluate. But it’s not about (general manager) Steve (Yzerman) buying airline tickets and sending people all over the place.”