The Detroit Red Wings are back! Kind of, anyway. Hey, heading into Monday’s slate of games, this team is fourth in the Atlantic Division and just one point out of third place. That’s epic, right?
Of course, it is. But the Red Wings are still an unfinished product, I’m afraid. If you take a deep dive into where they’re still weak, it could be an ultimate difference-maker in more than a few of those games as that infamous ‘down the stretch’ period draws nearer.
And if I remember it right, that’s what hurt the Wings last season. So, how can they avoid falling into a slump this year? Let’s go over three statistical categories they need to improve now and get this right before they contend down the stretch.
1 - Penalty kill
Yep, this one’s a big topic, because the Wings are one of the worst teams in the NHL when it comes to the penalty kill. In case you’re wondering, they’re at 69.47 percent, and it’s nearly 10 percent below the league average.
Hey, this isn’t to say the Wings aren’t capable of winning games just by outscoring opponents with the way their overall scoring has improved to a degree, more on that later. But they could make things a whole lot easier for themselves if they simply found a way to stop allowing so many goals at 4-on-5.
Anyway, they’ve only allowed nine more power play goals against than the rest of the NHL, on average. But that’s also because they’re one of the lesser-penalized teams in hockey. And if they don’t plan on improving at 4-on-5, then they better not let opponents draw them into senseless penalties.
2 - Creating high-danger chances
The Red Wings high-danger chances for sit at 43.8 percent, and when they manage to forge such chances, they’re still converting just 7.4 percent of the time. That’s an ultra-low number for the Wings, and the latter is 1.2 percent below the NHL average.
While the Wings have been scoring more goals lately but with an asterisk attached (see the next category), they still haven’t made much of a dent improving their high-danger chances or high-danger chance conversions.
If the Wings weren’t still teetering on a wild card, I’d let this slide for the time being. But right now, they need to improve every avenue and catch every break they can get.
3 - Scoring….still…
Yep, scoring still needs to improve. And yeah, I know, I already know what you’re gonna say: Todd, what’re you talking about? The scoring’s already improved! Yeah, it has, and in Todd McLellan’s 19 games heading into the Week of February 3rd, the Wings have 64 goals.
That’s over three per game if you’re conducting the correct math. Or, if I’m conducting the correct math. But they’re doing everything in a roller coaster fashion, scoring large chunks of goals here and there, but they’ve also been prone to hitting dry spells.
We saw it happen in January, and even if they’re back on a winning streak, the Wings have scored two or fewer goals in regulation on three different occasions. They’re better, don’t get me wrong, but consistency still needs some work.