3 ways the Red Wings can get back on track as NHL playoff race heats up
The Detroit Red Wings have been one of the worst teams in the NHL in March, dropping all five games so far this month and six straight.
It’s no secret that the Red Wings have played some awful hockey lately, and to give up seven goals for the second time in a four-game stretch is nothing short of embarrassing for a team that has turned so many corners this year. You would have thought that, even without Dylan Larkin, they would have handled a team like the Buffalo Sabres, who barely gave them a game earlier this season.
Instead, they skated onto the ice with no sense of urgency, and by the end of the second frame, it was clear they weren’t beating Buffalo. Now, a team that had a decent lead for one of the two wild card spots is on the outside looking in, and head coach Derek Lalonde and company must think fast of a way to get back on track before it’s too late and they miss out on the playoffs again.
Red Wings must get back on track as NHL playoff race heats up
March is the worst time of the year for a wild card contender to play such poor hockey, especially in an Eastern Conference where five teams reside within striking distance of the second wild card spot. Therefore, the sense of urgency resides at a season-high, and one that should be the highest for a hockey team that hasn’t enjoyed a postseason berth since 2016.
Luckily for the Red Wings, they are still a good hockey team, even without Larkin. They just haven’t made the appropriate adjustments following his injury. So, how can this team get back on track and reclaim one of those two wild card spots?
For one, they need a leader, someone to step up and take control of a situation that has been spiraling as of late. Which player, or players, can they turn to during their roughest stretch of 2023-24? Let’s answer that question and explore two more areas of note that will help the Red Wings return to their winning ways.
Someone needs to step up as a rallying point
When your top player goes down with an injury, it doesn’t matter who you are: Your team will take a collective step back. But that also doesn’t give you an excuse to drop six straight games (four straight since Larkin’s injury) by multiple goals and get outscored 32-11 in the process. Not when you have been playing outstanding hockey for most of the season and have, at times, been a top-three team in a competitive division.
And not when you have a player like Patrick Kane, who, while not the player he was, has superseded so many expectations. Kane won’t score over a point per game these days, but at 35, and given the accomplishments he’s made throughout his career, he’s someone the team can rally around.
Ditto for David Perron, Jeff Petry, and Ben Chiarot, guys who have played in this league long enough to help navigate teams when times get tough. But the Red Wings haven’t done that, or else they wouldn’t have played their worst stretch of hockey this year.
Before anything, they need to realize this season is nowhere near over, and that they can easily climb back into one of the wild card spots. Then, they need to lean on their seasoned veterans to help salvage the way things have gone right now and start moving in the right direction again while there is still time.
Defense must be Priority No. 1
When the Red Wings 2023-24 season commenced in October, you knew they were going to be one of the NHL’s highest-scoring teams if they could stay healthy. But defense and goaltending were still concerns, and it has shown throughout this six-game losing streak, with opponents scoring an eye-popping 32 goals on them, over five per game if you’re doing the math.
With 218 total goals against, the Red Wings are 23rd in the league following their loss to the Sabres. And while they need to add (or promote) a few more pieces to be even remotely effective defensively in the coming seasons, playing a solid game without the puck must take centerstage from now until mid-April.
Imagine if Detroit allowed just 20, instead of 32 goals over the past six games. That number averages just 3.33 per game, and it would be good enough to have allowed them to play at least 0.500 hockey since February 29th.
It’s time for this team to develop a better mindset defensively, win puck battles in their own zone, prevent opponents from making plays, and make life a little easier for their goaltenders. And no, it’s not all on goaltenders James Reimer and Alex Lyon: Throughout their losing streak, Detroit has allowed 217 shots on goal, or 36.16 per game. Not even a top Vezina candidate would fare well playing behind them.
Red Wings must beat teams they are supposed to beat
Here’s the truth: The Red Wings may have lost six games in a row, but the Islanders, Panthers, Avalanche, Golden Knights, and even the Sabres are good hockey teams. New York and Buffalo are much better than their current records, while Florida, Colorado, and Vegas are legitimate championship contenders. So when a player like Dylan Larkin goes down, none of the three teams mentioned that he missed games against are easy to beat.
The Arizona Coyotes are the only team Detroit played that is guaranteed to be watching the playoffs from home this season, so losing to them a second time this month will be inexcusable. Unfortunately, Detroit plays the Sabres again this Saturday, so that won’t be easy. But they also have games coming up against the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
That said, there is no reason the Red Wings can’t save their season in this stretch and finish at least 3-1-0, 3-0-1, or ideally, 4-0-0. Larkin is without a doubt a valuable player, but Detroit shouldn’t be playing like a bottom-dweller after losing him when there are other players like DeBrincat and Kane who can score at will.
Buffalo won’t be easy to beat, especially since they are 16-11-1 in the calendar year, but Arizona, Pittsburgh, and Columbus MUST turn into three wins.
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(Statistics and data provided by Hockey-Reference as of March 13th)