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It’s Simple: Red Wings Need to Score More 5-on-5

Detroit can’t keep relying on power play to carry offense

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Lucas Raymond, Red Wings
Lucas Raymond thinks the Red Wings must find different ways to score goals.

When you do the math, it simply doesn’t add up to long-term success for the Detroit Red Wings.



Sure, it’s great that the Red Wings are sending the NHL’s No. 2 power play over the boards. Detroit is clicking at a 28.4% success rate. Only the Winnipeg Jets (43) show more power-play goals this season than the 40 netted by the Wings.

It’s when the Red Wings aren’t on the power play that the trouble arises. And on nights when they don’t score a power-play goal, the chances of a Detroit victory deteriorate rapidly.

“Obviously the power play’s a huge part,” Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond acknowledged.

The Red Wings are 7-12-3 this season in games in which the club doesn’t connect for at least one power-play goal. But of late, that number is 0-6-1 in the last seven games that the Detroit power play was held off the board.

Red Wings Live, Die By Power Play

During the club’s current 0-2-1 skid, the Wings have scored just once while enjoying a manpower advantage. It’s no secret why they’ve only managed one goal in each of those three setback.

Detroit just doesn’t score enough, period. And they certainly are dreadful when it comes to counting 5-on-5 goals.

“We need to find offense other ways,” Raymond pointed out.

Yes, they most certainly do.

Currently, with 131 goals for, the Red Wings are 24th in the NHL in goal scoring. When it comes to 5-on-5 goals, things are even worse. Detroit has scored just 76 times in that scenario. That’s 30th overall among the 32 NHL teams.

Only the Calgary Flames (73) and Nashville Predators (68) have scored fewer 5-on-5 goals.

“Five-on-five is hard on this league,” Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said.

Among the top-five NHL teams in power-play goals, no club relies more on its manpower advantage scenarios for game sucess more than the Red Wings.

Three Of Every 10 Red Wings Goals On Power Play

The Jets are No. 1 in both goals (167) and power-play goals. Winnipeg gets 25.7% of its goals with the man advantage. The Jets are scoring 58.6% of their goals 5-on-5.

Both the New Jersey Devils (25.6%) and Pittsburgh Penguins (25.8%) are right around Winnipeg levels when it comes to percentage of goals scored on the power play. However, each of the Penguins (64.6%) and Devils (62.1%) are more proficient at finding 5-on-5 goals.

Tampa Bay is third in goals (166) and fifth in power-play goals (36). The Lightning are among six NHL clubs with 100+ 5-on-5 goals. They’re netting 21.6% of all goals on the power play and 62% of tallies are being registered while 5-on-5.

Detroit accounts for 30.53% of all goals while on the power play. The Red Wings are scoring just 58% of goals while 5-on-5.

Relying on the power play to carry the day so much is a recipe for disaster. Power-play units tend to run like the winter weather. They’re very up and down and can be prone to enduring lone cold spells.

Detroit was 17-for-34 (50%) while going 8-2 during Todd McLellan’s first 10 games as coach. Over the last three games, the Red Wings are 1-for-10 (10%) with the man advantage.

Red Wings 5-on-5 Play Must Improve

Even though it’s not showing through yet on a regular basis, Larkin beleives the club’s 5-on-5 game is trending in the right direction since McLellan took over as coach from Derek Lalonde late last month.

“It’s been better to be honest with you,” Larkin said. “We’ve had way more of a shot focus. Shoot it and get it back and play that way.

“Especially when things aren’t going our way Todd is very vocal about being direct. He says it all the time, so I think it’s been better that way.

“We haven’t been as much on the outside.”

He’d best be right, because if the Wings keep rolling with inconsistent 5-on-5 play, at the end of the season, that’s where they’ll be in terms of the playoff picture.

On the outside.