Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings Not Good Enough to Win Without Their Best Game
DETROIT – Coach Todd McLellan saw a team Saturday playing the way he wants his team to play in every game on the schedule.
But it wasn’t his team.
“The Pittsburgh team was everything we wanted to be tonight and weren’t,” the Detroit Red Wings coach said. “They started on time with an intensity that backed us off. They were faster than we were. Smothered us in three zones and checked for chances. Won the faceoff battle. Won the board battle. They won the net battle.”
Those were all accomplishments McLellan expected his team to achieve Saturday because that’s how they played when they were 11-3-1 in December.
“We didn’t do any of them,” McLellan said. “So we got exactly what we deserved.”
What the Red Wings deserved was a 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh, with the Penguins leaving town with a home-and-home sweep. Pittsburgh beat Detroit 4-3 in overtime on New Year’s Day. This is the first time since Nov. 29 that the Red Wings have lost two games in a row.
The Red Wings’ season-low 12 shots on goal are a reminder that while they may have started the day as the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference, they have flaws that are exposed when they don’t play at their best. Despite their improvement, this is a team that isn’t going to win games when their execution is mediocre or worse. Today, it was the latter.
“We had one shot on goal by our defensemen, (Axel Sandin Pellikka)…we had six of them play,” McLellan said.
No Offensive Help From Defense
When the Red Wings are feeding off their speed and energy, there is plenty of firing the puck and getting the puck back, and breaking teams down.
There was none of that against the Penguins.
“We didn’t get any of that from the top, but I’m not sure the forwards were doing the work to open up the ice for them either,” McLellan said.
These kinds of losses are a reminder that the Red Wings, besides needing near-perfect execution of their game plan, probably need increased scoring.
Right now, Detroit’s No. 1 line, centered by captain Dylan Larkin, isn’t scoring at the same rate it did earlier in the season. The Red Wings like how their youngsters are playing, but they are not appearing on the scoresheet much, particularly Nate Danielson and Marco Kasper. Emmitt Finnie is minus-7 with no points in his past five games.
With Patrick Kane just returning from injury, the No. 2 line isn’t quite in sync. These are times when you need a secondary scorer to rise up. As poorly as Detroit played in this game, the Red Wings were only down one goal in the third period.
Changing Lines
McLellan replaced Finnie with Kasper, hoping to find a spark. Kasper played well with Larkin and Lucas Raymond. But nothing clicked today. Two empty net goals sealed the Red Wings’ fate.
Ultimately, a better overall performance is what the Red Wings needed most in this game. If the Red Wings had played more effectively, they might have found the tying goal.
But in the bigger picture, this game shows again the Red Wings might still have to use the trade market to find some secondary scoring, or maybe a top-six scorer, to help this team find the net on nights when they are not at their best. Some teams win when they are not at their best, and those are the ones that contend for the Stanley Cup.
That was an excellent article. Thoughts on a top six winger? Who?
12SOG; I am not sure what to say. As a fan, it is so disappointing when they do not show up. Losing a game is one thing; not showing up is another. Coach T keeps trying to build into them game management. What is the next step? Sit some players? I really do not know.
RW Einstein’s definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Well this is what the Wings are doing with Raz, Comp and Sod. This has to change especially when there are better players in GR.
That makes sense
The GM and the coach have to be furious about that awful display of lackluster lazy play. What a shameful display on national TV to boot. We were there it was worse than it looked. Lack of effort all over the ice, Cat had a couple of good moments but that was about it. Lots of booing and disgusted people in the stands people leaving the stadium mad. Seen some bad hockey in my day…. But this one took the cake, flat out utterly disgusting 😡🤬.
Amen.Rink, a couple of things have been coming on for awhile. They are falling back into the habit of playing from behind. Cannot do that and beat good teams. Two depth of scoring. My third vote would be Kasper back to Grand Rapids and Leonard up to replace him. Why not! Something has to change.
You’re right Tom I’ve been preaching that for a couple of months . Kasper’s a bust right now over 30; games without a goal. Folks on this site down vote this every time I post it . I don’t know what they’re looking at? I have been in and watching hockey for many many years, this guy is doing nothing.. Why they don’t send him their Grand Rapids to try and find his game is beyond me.
I’ve been preaching the same thing concerning Kasper for a good while also. Can’t figure out why he is still up here and MBN and Leonard is in Gr. This is the GM’s job not the coach. This afternoon the shame is not losing. basically a 2/1 game. The shame is being out shot 32/12 in your own barn. Just not showing up for the game. If they get into a spiral which they have done for the past couple of seasons then that will be all she wrote concerning the post season.
True. And bring up MBN. Who cares about his ELC. Finnie’s is not a concern. Yzerman always doing nothing is concerning as we fans see.
So sad to see such a display on the ice.
The Pens executed what others have done successfully against the Wiings – they pressured the puck carrier. They did it 5-on-5, and they even did it when they were on the PK. Teams do it because the Wings simply aren’t very good at managing the puck. They hold onto it too long and that forces them to move it in a way that’s easy for the opposition to predict (hense, lots of deflected or stolen pucks).
As for not “starting on time,” that’s baffling to me. The lowest paid player on the team gets paid $10,000 per game (over an 82-game season). A guy like Compher or Copp gets paid around $60,000 per game. Ras gets paid $40,000 per game. If that’s not enough to get a guy to start every game at full throttle, then they’re in the wrong profession.
And I’m ready now to join those who want to see Kasper sent down to the Griffins. There’s something missing in this year’s Kasper that was there at the end of last year. Call if “fire” or passion or whatever you want. But he needs to find it again or he’s going to turn into Rasmussen. So send Kasper to GR, bring up MBN, and then put him on a line with Danelson and JVR. Let’s at least see if something like that works.
Letting guys like Kasper continue contributing nothing …..you’re sending the wrong signal not only to the team, but the guys in GR who are clamoring for a chance at the NHL Kasper is not going through a ‘sophomore slump’ the excuse people give when they defend him, this is way way way beyond that. He is useless out there.
Amen RR
I do not think them holding onto the puck is an issue. Throwing it anywhere is the issue.
Kasper and Danielson are concerns long-term.
Come on Mr GM, there’s thousands of fans that would gladly drive Marco Kasper to Grand Rapids themselves. How do you think the other guys are feeling, the guys down in Grand Rapids who are working hard and being productive. What kind of example are you setting by carrying this guy? It’s gotten to the point where continuing to play this guy is beyond ridiculous…. it’s torture.