Hope and mediocrity: What first 10 games told us about Detroit Red Wings
Ten games in, the Detroit Red Wings have shown glimpses of competitiveness, but they've been overshadowed by lulls and being bailed out by goaltending.
They're on a three-game skid as they take on their next opponent, the Buffalo Sabres, on Saturday at Little Caesars Arena. The Sabres just handed the Wings a loss last weekend to end a three-game winning streak — and now as they begin November, the Wings are 4-5-1 and looking for better consistency.
"I think we are still figuring out where we are," veteran defenseman Ben Chiarot said Thursday. "We've had some really good games and some not-so-good games. We kind of are what our record is right now. Some good, some bad, some inconsistencies. There are some things that we still need to put in a lot of work on."
The good
Goaltending takes first prize here. Cam Talbot stole the first victory with a 42-save performance against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 12; Alex Lyon robbed the New York Islanders in a 30-save performance Oct. 21 and provided the goaltending needed to win in Nashville on Oct. 19. Lyon's numbers took a hit after Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, but that was on the teammates who stood around and watched the Jets work harder.
Managing to win while still figuring out who they are is another positive. The three-game winning streak included a 5-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils — in an emotional game highlighted by scoring and scrums — and that 5-2 victory in Nashville, Tennessee.
"I really liked the New Jersey game," Chiarot said. "I really liked the game in Nashville. I actually really liked our Edmonton game, aside from the overtime, the end of the game there. But that was a really good game for us, tight defensively. When we're not giving up a lot of time and space, that is when we are at our best."
The not-so-good
Last season at this point, the Wings were 6-3-1, had scored 40 goals while allowing 31 and had a power play clicking at 32.4% and a penalty kill at 81.1%. This year, they have scored 27 goals, allowed 34, their power play is at 23.3% and their penalty kill at 65.6%.
Of the 27 goals scored, 15 have come during five-on-five play and six during five-on-four advantages. (The others have come during a two-man advantage, a shorthanded situation, and four empty-net situations).
"I think we can get more out of our offense," coach Derek Lalonde said. "We’re a lot of one-and-dones. It probably reflects some of our overall game. There’s times we’re getting some looks and some plays we like, but at the same time, it’s tough to get easy offense on the rush. I think that is what our guys are trying to do. There are nights it’s just not going to happen."
If anything, Lalonde might want to play clips of the first period against Winnipeg, when the Jets scored three times because they got the puck to the inside and outworked their opponent.
"I’d like to see a little more of that from us," Lalonde said.
It\'s fixable
Captain Dylan Larkin said after the Winnipeg loss that he saw the Wings' weaknesses as "fixable." He also pointed to too many forwards on the team being "passengers" in the game, which certainly is a concern: The Wings don't have much margin for error if they want to make the playoffs, and they can't afford to get caught being outworked.
The Jets game was a pretty good snapshot of the first 10 games. The Wings didn't play well in the first period, then showed tenacity and character in the second in trimming a three-goal deficit to a manageable one against the best team in the NHL. Then, 10 seconds into the third period, they let in a doozy of a goal, allowing an opposing player to score right by the net, after maneuvering the puck in from the boards with one hand on his stick. Instead of building on the momentum generated in the previous period, the Wings gifted their opponent a goal; instead of giving themselves a chance to maybe at least squeeze a point out of the game, they got none.
"We are sitting here 4-5-1," Lalonde said. "We are probably what our record is. But I think there’s some signs of hopefully we can trend this the right way. There are some ups and downs in there, and we have to start finding some consistency."
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.
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Her latest book, “The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings, A Curated History of the Red Wings,” was released October 2024. Her books, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.