DETROIT >> Coach Todd McLellan brought it up the other day, and several players have alluded to it in recent weeks.

The Red Wings’ season, thus far, can be split into two distinct parts. You have the segment in which the Wings went 13-17-4 under former coach Derek Lalonde, which nudged general manager Steve Yzerman to make a change Dec. 26, inserting Todd McLellan as head coach.

Then, you have the part since McLellan took over, with the Wings going 15-5-1 and charging into a playoff spot as the NHL paused the schedule for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

As the regular season resumes Saturday, and with only 27 games left on the schedule, which is the truer Wings’ team?

Players are confident it’s the latest example, the Wings team from Dec. 26 to the present, that has impressed in so many ways.

“We’ve just been playing real good hockey all the way around, doing a lot of things well,” forward Joe Veleno said. “Competing, and our attention to details have been sharp. When Todd came in here, he introduced us a to a lot of new systems and the way we’d like to play.

“We feel good about our chances and our game. We definitely want to be that team to push to the very end and learn from those mistakes last year that didn’t get us in the playoffs.”

What gives the Wings optimism is that this hot streak they’ve been on under McLellan hasn’t just lasted a week, or two, or a bit more. It’s been almost two months, encompassing 20 games, and has shown no sign of disappearing.

It might be more than just a fluke.

“You’re seeing it not for just a short amount of time,” defenseman Ben Chiarot said. “It’s been a while now. We’ve been playing a certain style of hockey and we’ve been getting the most out of the guys in the room. Guys who maybe didn’t have as big of roles have broken out into important roles.

“I’m looking forward to seeing (the rest of the season) as well.”

The Wings had the look of a playoff team most of last season, particularly in the final weeks, as they closed hard, but missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker to the Washington Capitals.

The roster looks similar, but young players such as Jonatan Berggren, Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson, Marco Kasper and Elmer Soderblom have injected a jolt into this season’s lineup, especially recently with their performances.

“We’ve gotten good energy from all the guys that have come into the lineup,” said Chiarot, adding the Wings are playing an aggressive style that fits their lineup. “It helps our team, the way we play now, more aggressive. It’s a good-skating team, and that helps get teams on their heels a bit. In the past, when we’d get to being that more aggressive team, we’d have more success just like last year down the stretch.”

One thing that plagued the Wings last season were losses to teams below them in the standings that ultimately were a key reason to not making the playoffs.

With the standings currently as tight as they are, McLellan is emphasizing every game.

“The value of two points is no different on any game day 82 times a year,” McLellan said. “I don’t like talking about last year, I wasn’t here, but I know what happened. Empty-net pull (in Philadelphia, Washington scoring to win the game), the goalie not in, but that wasn’t what prevented them from getting into the playoffs. There was a game during the year they gave themselves permission (to not go as hard) and it cost them. Let’s hope that Tampa game (last game before the break, a 6-3 loss) wasn’t our (similar game).

“We’ve talked about that a little bit.”