Red Wings Rewind: A Lot of Losing but Help is on the Way

It’s been awhile since the Red Wings have been victorious. It’s been even longer since a goaltender not named Jonathan Bernier has won between the pipes for Detroit. It’s been tougher without a number of key players, but help appears on the way:

Here’s a review of what we saw and what to expect in the coming week.

A clean sweep for Red Wings opponents

Dallas claimed victories on Tuesday and Thursday while Florida swept the weekend series 3-2 in both contests. The good news it that the Red Wings looked better during the weekend series and played Dallas tight on Tuesday. Thursday was another story. The four losses prolonged the winless streak to six and made for some restlessness in the fanbase. The losing streak brings back memories of last season when Detroit started 3-1 and lost eight straight. With players being cleared this week to return, it will be interesting to see if it’s a boost that puts the losing to rest.

The Power Play is powerless

Not much has changed there. Though they looked a little more aggressive on Sunday it was still more of the same. Saturday’s contest saw Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha sitting during the first two attempts, and it’s fair to say it didn’t go over well with a lot of fans or pundits–including yours truly. The power play sits at 4/34 (11.8%) and the four goals belong to two players – Tyler Bertuzzi (3) and Mantha (1).

The Week Doesn’t Get Easier

The Red Wings next four games are in Florida — two against the defending champion Lightning and the other two against the Panthers. Repeating that eight game losing streak from last year is certainly possible with two games against Tampa Bay. But if help will be arriving in the form of players being released from Covid Protocol, that would go a long way in healing the ailing power play and scoring woes. Filip Zadina and Robby Fabbri would certainly be a start.Look at what they’ve been missing.