The Red Wings knew this was coming.
They knew the New York Rangers who visited Detroit on Thursday night were one of the best teams in the NHL. They knew their opponent’s goaltending would be sharp and their power play would be dominant. They knew they had to overcome these strengths – through defense, through buy-in, through adjustment – to pull off a redemptive win during a tough start to the season.
They didn’t, and as a result, the Red Wings (1-3-0) have to take another lopsided loss. And as tough as they’ve had it starting the season, the pressure is mounting on Detroit to prove their worth as they enter a season full of hope and hype. The team it wanted to be this season – with good goaltending, decisive special teams and, most importantly, defense – has yet to show up. Thursday’s loss only adds more pressure.
Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
“Everything at the beginning of the season is magnified,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said after the loss. “You will have to go through these kinds of processes all year round. It just happens at the front. And again, we knew it was going to be a tough road, just a little bit frustrating the way some of it has played out.”
Knowing the stretch would be tough or not, the Red Wings have shown little response to their slow start. The same struggles – defense, goaltending and a lack of finishing on offense – have been present in all three losses, and they were prominent again on Thursday.
The Rangers (3-0-1) spent a lot of time on Detroit’s end to start the first period, but three and a half minutes of power play time gave the hosts life and momentum. However, the Red Wings failed to capitalize on these opportunities, including an Alex DeBrincat shot that missed a wide-open net and a loose puck drill that New York cleared first.
Despite Detroit building a 13-1 lead in unblocked shot attempts as tracked by ESPN, forward Artemi Panarin scored on the Rangers’ very first shot at 8:30 of the game, the opening move would culminate in a hat trick and a four-point night. for the Russian superstar. That all included his team’s second goal, which put New York ahead 2-0 going into the first intermission.
The Red Wings entered the second period with a chance to change the momentum – they knew it was necessary if they wanted to have a chance. Defenseman Moritz Seider scored just 1:27 into the second frame to give Detroit some juice. But over the next eleven minutes, two more Ranger power play goals and defenseman Victor Mancini’s first NHL goal left the Red Wings trailing 5-1. They swapped goalkeeper Cam Talbot (who let in all five goals on 19 shots) for Alex Lyon, but otherwise languished for the rest of the game without much hope of regaining control. Cheers from an emptying stadium heralded another tough night in the Motor City.
“It’s a frustrating game because we start really well and they score on their first opportunity and their first power play,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said after the game. “We are 2-0 down, even though we played a pretty good period. So yeah, it’s only four games and they all looked a little different. But this one just escaped us with the special teams.”
Blame any excuse, but Detroit knew what would happen if it couldn’t contain New York’s power play, which went 3-for-5 on the night. It knew goals would be difficult against the Rangers goaltenders – even the backup, three-time Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Quick. Despite this knowledge and all the preparation, despite seeing this same team three nights earlier, the Red Wings left the game with another frustrating loss, with little resemblance to the team they hoped to enter the season.
It wasn’t that long ago that the Red Wings were playoff hopefuls and wanted to play these Rangers in a playoff series. But by trying to weaponize another playoff push on a shoestring budget this offseason, Detroit lost what made that season tick. Last year’s saving grace was the offense, but it allowed 75 goals to pass through free agency and trades. Now the Red Wings are averaging 2.25 goals per game, bottom five in the NHL. And the asset they desperately wanted to achieve this season – defensive improvement – has not been consistent either. The Rangers have exposed both sides of this identity crisis in a short time.
“It’s not something you just turn around and it happens,” defenseman Ben Chiarot said of the defensive buy-in. “It’s not just boys who know the structure. We have a lot of attacking players, guys who want to go on the attack. To get guys like that to play defense, it takes time. It is a purchasing process. You hear teams talk every year about buying into what the coaches preach, and we’re in that process now. And it doesn’t just happen one night two nights (in). It takes time, and you need to have lessons like tonight (to) make sure you change it quickly.
What exactly needs to change? The first four games, including Thursday’s, revealed so many problems at once. Defensive play, goaltending and special teams were decidedly weak areas for the Red Wings, with little progress shown from night to night.
“It’s just a few games and we’re playing against top teams every night,” Chiarot said. “That is a team that has been to the last four a few times in recent years. So we’re playing stiff competition, which is good for us early in the season. It’s a good benchmark and it shows us where we need to go. We have a lot of work to do. Luckily it’s still early in the season and we can learn our lesson early, instead of fooling ourselves early, getting a few easy wins and then playing teams like this later when we really need those points .
Perhaps that perspective offers a saving grace, but it doesn’t change the Red Wings’ poor start. They were certainly hoping for more than one win from these first four games, and mostly hoping to become more like the team they now hoped to be. This puts even more emphasis on getting something out of the next set of games, raising the stakes even higher.
There is a way out, if Detroit can string the wins together. But as Chiarot noted, the root of the problems runs so deep that there is no such thing as a quick fix. Even though there are only four games left in the season, it feels like the next 78 are going to be a rough ride.
Performances like Thursday are the kind where the seats get warm and the fans get cold. They’re the kind of losses that playoff teams rarely suffer. But they are all too common to start the Red Wings’ season. And if they keep doing that, they know what comes next.
