After a rocky November where they went 5-7-2, the Red Wings have gotten off to a strong start despite an extended road trip in December with a 6-1-1 record halfway through the month. While the team took some time away from Detroit, several players like Andrew Copp, James van Riemsdyk, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka stepped up to start providing improved depth scoring for the team.
The Red Wings have looked more physical, and have skated better in the past few games than they have all season. The team has managed their game a bit better, and their coach is seeing that.
“You know to finish six games in ten nights with a shutout, that’s something we should be proud of,” said coach Todd McLellan.
For the past several years though, it’s been a question in Detroit if they can ever manage to keep that kind of momentum up for an extended period of time. Enough has been said about the March Slump amongst this fanbase to last a lifetime, and at this point it means essentially nothing to go over it again until March actually comes and we see the results.
Depending on the night, the Red Wings have been somewhere in the Atlantic’s playoff picture, whether at the top or hanging on in the wild card slot. At the moment, the division is in a three way race between Detroit, Boston, and Tampa Bay, with 41, 40, and 39 points, respectively.
What they haven’t managed to do is definitively stand out from the pack like some of the rest of the division leaders in the NHL. Meanwhile, an old rival is putting together one of the best seasons in NHL history in a crowded Western Conference.
Detroit Red Wings must start taking notes from the Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche have only suffered two regulation losses this season, and when watching a game played by the Avalanche vs. one played by the Red Wings, it sometimes looks like they’re in completely different leagues.
Headlined by Nathan Mackinnon, who currently leads the league in points and partnered with Martin Necas on the first line, Colorado has some of the most skilled players in the game right now. The Avalanche have a lineup that allows them to come in waves, relentlessly harassing the opposing team with players who can outshoot and outmuscle the opponents down low and get dirty.
The Avalanche have several elements at work that have allowed them to have such a dominant season, but the one that seems to drive their success, and that the Red Wings struggle with, is effort.
The Avs are relentless in their pursuit, and their entire lineup is willing to mix it up and finish a check to get possession. There’s a reason that the roster has three players in the top 15 for points this year, including Cale Makar, who’s making his case for best defenseman in the league yet again this year. Some of that is experience, which comes with age.
Gabe Landeskog, who hadn’t played a regular season game in three years before this season, hasn’t missed a game and has actually been seeing his ice time increase as the year goes on. Recently, the veteran captain held the whole team (minus Makar) to work on the power play extra after practice with him.
The Avalanche have one player on the roster below the age of 24
Detroit has five. (Which, surprisingly, includes Lucas Raymond at 23.)
Part of the reason Emmitt Finnie made the roster and has (mostly) maintained his spot on the top line with Dylan Larkin and Raymond is because of the motor and aggression he plays with.
What the Red Wings need to do if they want to start standing out in a crowded Atlantic Division is play consistent, aggressive hockey up and down the lineup. They need to finish their checks and the team’s bigger players need to start playing a bigger game. More than that, they need to start finishing games.
The Avalanche have won 15 games this season by scoring three or more goals. The Red Wings are 5-12-1 in games where they have three or fewer goals. That means they've needed four or more goals in the 14 other games they've won so far this season. Unless you're a team like the Avalanche, which already has nine games with five or more goals.
The Red Wings don’t have what the Avalanche have in years of experience, or chemistry together. But what they do have is the runway to learn, and a long season ahead of them to start learning every lesson they can.