The Detroit Red Wings won't play another game until Dec. 2, giving them two full days of rest as they reflect on what was a horrific November. On Saturday, the Wings faced a bitter Original Six rival in the Boston Bruins and, predictably, lost.
But they picked up a much-needed point by at least forcing a shootout, so in this situation, it's better to escape with a point and at least show it's a sign they're getting back on track. Following the game, Dylan Larkin stressed this, saying getting a point was, “Very important. We battled and stood up for each other, stood up for ourselves, and I thought we were right there. It was a good battle game, a good game for us to come together and show we can play in different ways.”
Still, if the Wings play this badly in December, earning a playoff berth for the first time since 2016 will be hard to come by. The Wings finished the month with a losing record and looked nothing like the high-octane group we thought they were in October.
Detroit Red Wings' November statistics won't garner a lot of hope in fans
The Wings finished the month with a 5-7-2 record, scoring just 36 goals and allowing 50 of them, or putting up just 2.57 per contest and allowing 3.57. Their penalty kill, which looked lights-out in October, resembled the historically bad group it was last season, allowing 10 goals on 35 attempts. Good for just a 71.4 penalty kill percentage, which isn't going to win you many games.
As for the power play, which was supposedly a strong suit? It went eight for 45, or a 17.7 power play percentage. Both numbers were far below the league average so far this season, so you can add special teams to the long list of items the Red Wings must improve.
Contrast those numbers with October, when the Wings finished 8-4-0, with 41 goals scored, 39 allowed, and a power play percentage of 25.0. As for the penalty kill? It had a percentage of 0.861 and looked like a top 10 unit. Those are the numbers the Wings must revert to in December if they want to carry momentum into 2026.
Why were the Red Wings so bad in November?
Once again, we can turn to Dylan Larkin for words of wisdom. These days, the captain isn't blaming things on the Wings not being deep enough or refusing to make a blockbuster move to bring reinforcements to Hockeytown. In an article from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Larkin pointed to something else entirely when the Wings lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday.
"We're just so, we want it so bad. I can tell you that we're listening to what we're being told to do. And we're trying to do it, we're trying to do it. It's just, we're almost trying too hard and we're not playing the game. We have, when things aren't going well, we just kind of sag. And it seems like the things that we talk about just keep happening."
The good old "just play your game" quip may seem like a cliche. But if that's the case, and Larkin knows more than the rest of us since he's with the team nearly 24/7, then it's the best thing the Red Wings can do right now. Play your game, and stop trying so hard, because it's not going to work.
That indicates the Wings are thinking way too much. It's a good way to slow themselves down, outsmart themselves, and end up playing objectively bad hockey for long stretches. Calm down and just play hockey in December, and there's no question they will look like the playoff-caliber team they proved they could be back in October.