Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings May Be Streaky But They’re Still Improving

Published

1 year ago

November 29, 2022

Nate Brown

The Detroit Red Wings 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs wasn’t what fans were hoping for. It wasn’t what the team was looking for, either.

But sometimes, hockey is a fickle sport and the fortunes that favor them one night don’t hold up in the next.

“Just one of those nights,” head coach Derek Lalonde said. “The puck just did not go our way, which is gonna happen. Again, I thought our guys hung in there. I thought they played the right way for the most part. But that’s just the way it went tonight.”

After a four game win streak, preceded by a four game losing streak, the Red Wings continue to ride a roller coaster of emotion.

Yet they’re hardly shaken.

Red Wings Special Teams The Difference

Captain Dylan Larkin summed it up with the struggles on special teams, something that had been a strength through the four-game winning streak.

“We’ve been good on the special teams,” Larkin said. “But we lost the special teams battle tonight and it cost us.”

Detroit surrendered a power play goal while going scoreless on the man advantage, something that hadn’t happened in their past four games.

But there were positives.

Moritz Seider got his second goal of the year, something the Red Wings need for the reiging Calder Trophy winner to get back on track offensively.

Seider's 2nd of the year. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/t4bX7GgiC9

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 29, 2022

Ville Husso may have been pulled but he’s’ been the most consistent player all season for the Red Wings. As Lalonde said, some nights just aren’t the best for teams. This was one of them. There were some leaky goals in this loss. But no one on Detroit’s roster is oblivious to the job Husso has done so far.

“We’ve been relying a lot on Huss and a shot like that goes in it is deflating but it happen,” Larkin said. “We just got to find a way the next game to get the next one when that happens. We didn’t tonight but I thought our process was good all night.”

Up and Down Play Will Be Likely Throughout the Season

The Red Wings have been better this season, and snapping a four game winning streak while frustrating, still shows the improvement on the team.

But Detroit still has a couple tests ahead. While the four-game streak consisted of teams not truly considered top talent, the next few games will certainly push Detroit a bit more than those four games prior to Toronto.

“If we replicate that performance, we’re gonna win more times than not.” – Derek Lalonde after tonight’s loss. #LGRW

— Daniella Bruce (@daniellabruce_) November 29, 2022

But there’s no question this iteration of the Red Wings is much better than previous versions. But swings between winning and losing streaks is the hallmark of a young team learning, and it should be something considered as the season wears on.

Detroit is in a better spot now than the Red Wings have been in nearly a decade.

The next couple games will answer more questions about where they may go from here.

Perhaps Lalonde summed it up best.

“That’s the league we play in, anyone can beat anyone on any given night,” he said. “We were right there. We play that game again, I think we put the puck in the net more.”