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This was supposed to be a big season for the Detroit Red Wings – and who knows, it still may be.
But as it currently stands, the Wings are sixth in the Atlantic Division standings, two points out of last place and two points out of the second wild-card spot. They deserve to be there at the moment, as they’ve had a modest three-game win streak but otherwise haven’t been able to string two wins in a row while posting a 5-5-1 record overall.
The Wings’ defense has been a problem, as they’re currently 20th in the NHL with a goals-against average of 3.17. Their penalty kill is even more problematic at just 67.7 percent, which is fourth-worst in the NHL.
Their offense hasn’t made up for defensive struggles, either – they’re now 25th in the NHL at 2.67 goals-for per game.
Somewhat surprisingly, the Red Wings’ goaltending has been doing rather well. Free-agent acquisition Cam Talbot has a 3-1-1 record, a 2.73 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage in six appearances. Alex Lyon also has a strong .916 SP, 2.78 GAA and a 30-save shutout in six appearances. He has a 2-3-0 record, but Detroit only averaged two goals-for per game in his three losses.
Together, Talbot and Lyon are giving their teammates chances to win games, but Detroit’s overall struggles to prevent chances from their opponent are hurting them right now.
Per PuckPedia, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman has about $3.71 million in salary cap space right now. But there aren’t any obvious trade targets on ‘D’ for Detroit, and that’s the key issue for them.
If you look at the Red Wings’ defense pairings at THN.com’s Lineups site, you’ll see that they’re hardly an imposing defense corps. Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson are long-term fits with Yzerman’s plan, but Detroit has too many veterans who are fillers – Justin Holl, Ben Chiarot, Erik Gustafsson and Jeff Petry all are at least 32 years old and not getting any better – so this group of defenders needs more than a little work on it.
To celebrate Halloween, I wrote about the eerie feeling around Hockeytown, The Tragedy of Macbeth & the sense that "present fears are less than horrible imaginings," and the state of the "Yzer-plan" one month into year five
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Detroit’s next 10 games include showdowns with teams they absolutely should beat, including two games against the New York Islanders and one game apiece against Chicago, Pittsburgh, Anaheim and San Jose. If the Red Wings don’t win at least four of those six games, they will continue to lag behind the rest of the Atlantic, and the hole they’ll have to dig themselves out of will grow deeper.
It’s hard for NHL coaches to teach offense, but Detroit has enough capable forwards who should improve the Wings’ goals-for average. That said, defense is something Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde can improve. If Yzerman adds another D-man to the lineup – former Sharks right-shot defenseman and current Maple Leaf Matt Benning could be a decent depth option – the Wings should be able to improve on the whole.
Time is of the essence here, and Yzerman and Lalonde have to address what ails their team without taking much away from the roster in any trade. That’s not an easy task. The Atlantic will likely only get more competitive as the current season unfolds, so the Red Wings have to figure out how to improve quickly. If they can’t, it’s going to be another lost year for Detroit.
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News Summary:
- Detroit Red Wings' Defense Corps Is A Glaring Issue – But It Can Change
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.