Red Wings Working Fine Margins For Victories

If you’re planning on seeing excitement when you come to see the Detroit Red Wings play this season at Little Caesars Arena, we’ve got news for you.

You’re in the wrong place . . . or at the very least the wrong mindset.

There’s nothing exciting about this season’s edition of the Red Wings. It’s taken them 20+ games to figure it out, but this is the way it’s going to have to be if there’s any hope of success for this team.

They are working fine margins. And suddenly, that’s begining to work out just fine for them.

RAY RAYYYYYYY pic.twitter.com/aTTR0tmVmz

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 28, 2024

A 2-1 win on Wednesday over the Calgary Flames was again emphasizing what must be the blueprint for success with this team.

“Absolutely,” Detroit goalie Cam Talbot was confirming. “And I think that we’ve shown that we can play these games. I mean, we knew that coming into this game, Calgary was going to be a team that, they’re an aggressive team. They forecheck hard. They tend to try to just outwork their opponents and grind them down.

“And we bent, but we didn’t break for the most part all night.”

Coming on the heels of a 4-2 win on Long Island with an empty-net goal to beat the New York Islanders, the mission for the Red Wings is a simple one. Check like demons. Defend maniacally. Clog up the neutral zone. Block shots.

It isn’t pretty to watch and it’s going to require the sacrificing of many a fingernail among the fan base. At the same time, it’s the only formula for success this team can implement.

Defense The Name Of The Game For Red Wings

From the outset, the Wings have spoken to the need to tighten up defensively. Finally, that talk isn’t mere platitudes. There’s been a renewed emphasis on keeping the puck out of their net. Detroit has allowed just six goals over the past four games. And in the process, they’ve been laying claim to points in four of the past five games.

“You don’t have to be experienced in hockey to see we’re playing with really good structure, high compete and we’re getting rewarded for it,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said.

“It’s about keeping out of our net, the last four games and good. Six goals (against), it just gives us an opportunity.”

Of course, facing opposition such as the Islanders and Flames who are equally starved for goals makes it easier to play a disciplined defensive system.

Friday the Red Wings welcome the New Jersey Devils to town. They’re fifth in the league with 84 goals scored.

“It’ll be a challenge to keep this going,” Lalonde acknowledged. “We get a little bit different offensive juggernaut on Friday from New Jersey. So that’d be a really good test for us.”

😼🚨 pic.twitter.com/CrlWHh4YFC

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 28, 2024

The fact of the matter is they must past these tests to score on the final exam, which would be earning a playoff spot. And to get marks that high, this is the way they must play.

There isn’t going to be a lot in the way of entertaining hockey out of the Red Wings this season. But if you want winning hockey in Hockeytown, boring is going to be the recipe for success.