Larkin Had No Issue With McLellan Criticism

COLUMBUS —  Detroit Red Wings Captain Dylan Larkin didn’t have a problem with his coach Todd McLellan criticizing his Thursday performance against Columbus because he agreed with his assessment.

“I understand why he said it and probably would have said it myself if I spoke to (the media) after the game,” Larkin said. “Wasn’t happy. Haven’t been thrilled with how I’ve been playing…”

Larkin had one shot, no points, a minus-3 plus-minus and was 4-9 in the faceoff circle in the 5-2 loss. This comes after getting no shots on goal in his previous game against Minnesota.

McLellan said Larkin was “missing” against Columbus, and didn’t want to blame it on Larkin perhaps being weary from 4 Nations Face-off competition.

McLellan said he did talk with Larkin about his play, and he said it was an “easy conversation.”

“He’s our captain,” McLellan said. “He cares. He’s committed to do it right. He had an off night. We all do. Coaches have off nights, other players have off nights. He’ll be ready to play and we’re excited
about watching him do that.”

Outdoor Game Saturday

The Red Wings play a rematch with Columbus Saturday at 6 p.m. in a Stadium Series outdoor game at Ohio Stadium, where the Buckeyes play football.

This is an important series because both teams are tied for first wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.

“I think I’ll be there, but I understand why he said it,” Larkin said. “I think I hold myself to a high standard and wasn’t happy with myself.”

Larkin is second on the Detroit team with 24 goals and 53 points. McLellan wasn’t happy with others besides Larkin. He didn’t pull his punches when it came to criticism.

“It wasn’t difficult (to hear) at all,” Alex DeBrincat said. “We are all grown men. We can take some criticism. Obviously we know by playing that it wasn’t our best game. There is a lot we can work on.”