It's that annual time of year in the Red Wings dressing room.
Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk are paired on the same line once again.
The pair of Red Wings forwards have been together on Detroit's top line countless times over the years, despite Mike Babcock's reluctance to pair them together.
This time around, it only took a Friday meeting.
"They asked to make sure they had some time together," head coach Jeff Blashill said on Monday.
"I've thrown them together in really short instances, and guys that play off eachother -- that's probably their greatest strength together. They think the game the same way."
Blashill paired Datsyuk and Zetterberg together for Detroit's win over the New York Islanders on Saturday. He liked the early returns.
"I thought they showed flashes of it the other night, but I think there's more there," Blashill said.
Datsyuk said it's been a long time since they were on the same line, but he enjoyed Saturday a lot.
"I think, so far, in our first game we had lots of chances and lots of fun," he said.
