The Detroit Red Wings are heading in the wrong direction, and head coach Todd McLellan isn’t pretending otherwise. Following Tuesday night’s 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues, McLellan delivered a blunt assessment of an offense that continues to leave Detroit with virtually no margin for error.
The loss marked Detroit’s fourth straight defeat, dropping the Red Wings to 7-9-3 on the season. Even more concerning, they have been outscored 13-5 during that stretch, a troubling trend for a team hoping to compete for a playoff spot.
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According to the Red Wings’ official postgame report, McLellan didn’t hesitate when asked about his team’s quality scoring chances throughout the game.
“Zero in the first period, a little bit better in the second and a lot in the third,” McLellan said.
Todd McLellan Knows the Red Wings Have a Serious Problem
Detroit actually opened the scoring Tuesday when Andrew Copp found the back of the net late in the first period. Unfortunately, the Blues responded with two goals in the opening 2:34 of the second period, and the Red Wings were suddenly playing catch-up again.
McLellan was particularly frustrated with how his team started the game, telling NHL.com’s Lou Korac, “I sure didn’t like our start.” It was another example of Detroit failing to establish consistent pressure before finding itself in a difficult position.
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The Red Wings finally came alive in the third period, outshooting St. Louis 20-8. Moritz Seider scored his first goal of the season with 1:14 remaining, but Detroit couldn’t find the equalizer.
And that is precisely the problem. A strong 20-minute stretch doesn’t erase the damage done during the previous 40.
Red Wings’ Offensive Struggles Are Becoming Impossible to Ignore
McLellan has already expressed concerns about Detroit’s inability to generate offense, and Tuesday’s performance only reinforced those concerns. Detroit simply isn’t scoring enough goals to overcome mistakes, even when its goaltenders give the team a chance.
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John Gibson returned from injury and made 30 saves against St. Louis, but it still wasn’t enough. The Red Wings have now managed just five goals over their last four games, which isn’t going to win many hockey games regardless of who’s between the pipes.
Alex DeBrincat also acknowledged Detroit’s offensive issues following the loss, emphasizing the need for more confidence and better opportunities around the net. His assessment echoed McLellan’s concerns about an attack that hasn’t been consistent enough.
The frustration is clearly building, and Moritz Seider’s recent comments following Detroit’s shutout loss to Colorado showed that the players are feeling it, too.
The Red Wings return to action Thursday against the Florida Panthers, hoping to end their four-game slide. Unless they figure out how to generate sustained offensive pressure for more than one period, McLellan’s harsh assessments could become an increasingly familiar part of the postgame routine.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
