The Red Wings didn’t just lose their home opener. They spent too much of it chasing the game.
Detroit opened the regular season with a 2-0 defeat to the Rangers, and the problem was familiar: penalties, turnovers and a night where the small stuff kept piling up. The Red Wings were whistled six times and handed New York four power plays, a dangerous formula against any opponent. Detroit killed most of them, but the Rangers needed only one conversion to seize control.
That’s the margin the Red Wings are dealing with right now. It’s thin, and they spent too much of the night on the wrong side of it.
Head coach Todd McLellan had already warned during the preseason that the harder, heavier style he wants will bring some penalties with it when players finish their checks. That part is expected. What he didn’t want was the sloppy start that put Detroit on its heels before it could settle in.
“The first ten minutes was one team that was playing their third game, another team that hadn’t played in a week and got in penalty trouble right away.” Said McLellan.
“All of a sudden you’re not getting the touches. You’re 100% on your heels.”
Detroit was down 1-0 just under five minutes in after Nate Danielson’s holding penalty opened the door for New York’s first power play. The Rangers nearly made it 2-0 on their next chance, but the goal was erased after review showed they were offsides. They would eventually get that second goal back when Detroit pulled its goalie late in the third period.
There were bright spots, though not enough of them. Detroit’s third line, with Marco Kasper especially noticeable, gave the team a needed jolt while the rest of the group struggled to keep pace with a Rangers team that already looked sharp.
“We’ve got a lot of polish to put on the product. We’re in a position to me, and when I first got here I thought that we were mechanically playing.”
Said McLellan. “And we’re thinking we’re doing a little bit of that right now.
But we haven’t had real reps against real teams for a week.”
The Red Wings did bring physicality, and McLellan liked that part of their game. The issue was turning that edge into actual offense. New York’s goalie was making his fourth start, but Detroit never found a way to consistently crowd him or create enough pressure around the crease.
Moritz Seider said the offense was close, but not close enough.
“I think honestly we were just a couple passes away from really connecting to good chances. It’s one chip, one pass out of our own zone and into the neutral zone and getting some odd-mans.’ Said Moritz Seider.
Anton Johansson made his NHL debut and delivered Detroit’s best shot of the night early. Still, the Red Wings couldn’t connect at even strength and went 0-for-4 on the power play. They also outshot and outhit a Rangers team playing the second half of a back-to-back, but none of that changed the final result.
McLellan said the responsibility has to spread beyond a few names.
“The players that are here, they have to understand that they have to expect it from themselves and from their teammates.” Said McLellan.
“You can’t just rely on three or four guys. Because when they are dry, somebody else has to step up.”
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