Red Wings Must Keep Taking Their Best Shot

If they want to continue to be enjoying success on the ice, Patrick Kane thinks a key for the Detroit Red Wings is to take a pass on making that extra pass.

“We got good players in here that can read the play,” Kane said. “But sometimes I think we want to have that possession and maybe we overpass a little bit.”

As Wayne Gretzky once famously said, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. The lack of a shooting mentality is an afflication that’s been impacting the Red Wings from a time long before Derek Lalonde was coaching the team.

All too often, they are a team in search of the perfect play. It’s almost as if on some nights, the Red Wings think they can pass the puck directly into the other team’s net.

As the home crowd will often advise them in unison, there comes a time to shoot.

Petry opens the scoring! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/tvp63znI11

— FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (@FanDuelSN_DET) December 15, 2024

In the last four periods, there’s been more evidence that the Red Wings are starting to take that advice. They put 12 shots on goal in the final period of Thursday’s 4-1 loss at Philadelphia. Saturday, as they were beating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2, the Wings were aiming 26 shots at the Toronto net that either went in, or were requiring a save from Toronto goalie Joseph Woll.

“It’s something we can definitely build from,” Detroit defenseman Moritz Seider said. “Just creating more shot attempts, on net especially, just forcing the goalie into uncomfortable situations.

“If he’s not really forced then you’re not really making it tough on him, and it won’t be easy to score goals.”

Red Wings Malady An NHL-Wide Issue

Lalonde believes the lack of shot volume is becoming an NHL-wide problem.

“I saw an article on goalies’ save percentage being so low,” Lalonde said. “I think there’s an NHL today where people don’t waste shots. The old school come down the wing, throw one into the goalie’s stomach, faceoff.

“If the goalie sees it, it’s a glove save.”

That being the case, the fact of the matter is that a lot of good comes from putting pucks to the net. It gets it to the area where most NHL goals are being scored today. It causes mayhem and leads to shot scrambles, which often result in goals.

PETRY HAS TWO ✌️#LGRW pic.twitter.com/tiTgBwc0j4

— FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (@FanDuelSN_DET) December 15, 2024

In Saturday’s win, one goal was the result of a deflection of a point shot. Jeff Petry was scoring the eventual game winner on a rebound from a goal-area shot scramble.

By maintaining their shot mentality, the Wings were able to better control zone time. They were limiting Toronto to four third-period shots.

This is the kind of mentality they must embrace going forward if they want to be climbing up into the playoff race.

“I still think we can have a little more predictability knowing the puck’s going to the net because you get bodies there,” Lalonde said. “They just learn to trust it a little more.”

Trust in the process.

“I think we want to be a team that takes those chances instead of looking for a better player or another pass,” Kane said.

Stay with this approach and the Red Wings have a shot of getting back into the chase for postseason placings.

“It’s up to us,” Seider acknowledged. “We just got to do a better job of that.”