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    • Detroit Red Wings show more mediocrity than hope through first 10
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    Detroit Red Wings show more mediocrity than hope through first 10

    Pabio Posted on

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    Ten matches played, the Detroit Red Wings showed signs of competitiveness, but they were overshadowed by lulls and being bailed out by the goalkeepers.

    They are on a three-game skid as they face their next opponent, the Buffalo Sabres, on Saturday at Little Caesars Arena. The Sabers just handed the Wings a loss last weekend to snap a three-game winning streak – and now, as they enter November, the Wings are 4-5-1 and looking for a better consistency.

    THE BEST DEFENSE IS… The Red Wings need a boost on offense to avoid fatigue on defense

    “I think we’re still figuring out where we are,” veteran defenseman Ben Chiarot said Thursday. “We’ve had some really good games and some not-so-good games. We’re kind of what our record is right now. Some good, some bad, some inconsistency. There’s some things we still have to work into a lot of work.”

    The good

    Goalkeepers take first prize here. Cam Talbot stole the first win with a 42-save performance against the Nashville Predators on October 12; Alex Lyon robbed the New York Islanders in a 30-save performance on October 21 and provided the goaltending needed to win at Nashville on October 19. Lyon’s numbers took a hit after Wednesday’s 6-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, but that was on the teammates who stood by and watched the Jets work harder.

    Being able to win while knowing who they are is another positive point. The three-game winning streak included a 5-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils – in an emotional game highlighted by scores and scrimmages – and this 5-2 victory in Nashville, Tennessee.

    “I really liked the New Jersey game,” Chiarot said. “I really liked the game in Nashville. I actually really liked our game in Edmonton, aside from the overtime and the end of the game there. But it was a very good match for us, tight defensively. lots of time and space, that’s when we’re at our best.”

    The least good

    Last season at this point, the Wings were 6-3-1, had scored 40 goals while allowing 31 and had a 32.4% power play and 81.1% penalty kill. This year they have scored 27 goals and allowed 34, their power play is at 23.3% and their penalty kill is at 65.6%.

    Of the 27 goals scored, 15 were during five-on-five play and six during five-on-four advantages. (The others came during a two-man advantage, a shorthanded situation and four empty-net situations).

    “I think we can get the most out of our offense,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “We’re one-on-one a lot. That probably reflects some of our overall game. There are times where we have looks and plays that we like, but at the same time it’s hard to get a easy attack down the field I think that’s what our guys are trying to do. There are nights it’s just not going to happen.

    If anything, Lalonde might want to play clips from the first period against Winnipeg, when the Jets scored three times because they got the puck inside and outplayed their opponent.

    “I would like to see a little more from us,” Lalonde said.

    It’s fixable

    Captain Dylan Larkin said after Winnipeg loss that he considered the Wings’ weaknesses “fixable.” He also pointed out that too many of the team’s forwards are “passengers” in the game, which is certainly concerning: the Wings don’t have much margin for error if they want to make the playoffs, and they can’t afford to get caught being overworked.

    The Jets game was a pretty good snapshot of the first 10 games. The Wings didn’t play well in the first period, then showed some toughness and character in the second as they cut a three-goal deficit to a manageable deficit against the best team in the NHL. Then, 10 seconds into the third period, they let in a goal, allow an opposing player to score just short of the net, after handling the puck from the boards with one hand on his stick. Instead of continuing the momentum generated during the previous period, the Wings gave their opponent a goal; instead of giving themselves a chance to maybe win at least one point from the game, they had none.

    “We’re sitting here in a 4-5-1,” Lalonde said. “We’re probably living up to our record. But I think there are signs of hope that we can move in the right direction. There are ups and downs in that, and we have to start to find a certain coherence.

    Contact Hélène St. James at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.

    Learn more about the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings Newsletter.

    His latest book, “The Franchise: Detroit Red WingsA Curated History of the Red Wings,” was released in October 2024. His books, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Red Detroit Wings’ are available from Amazon, Barnes & Nobles and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via email.

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