While the Detroit Red Wings were able to salvage a point in the standings during Saturday evening's 3-2 shootout setback against the Boston Bruins, it was the fourth straight game in which they were unable to pick up a win.
During their losing skid, the Red Wings have allowed a total of 19 goals, including a worrying six goals against on Nov. 26 against the NHL-worst Nashville Predators, who hadn't scored more than five goals in a single game all season long.
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It continues a concerning trend for the Red Wings which has seen them dip to a -13 goal differential, which is ranked 28th overall in the NHL. For a team that wants to be better defensively, that kind of statistic needs fixing.
After surrendering six goals against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday afternoon, many of which were the result of defensive miscues, head coach Todd McLellan acknowledged that while the team has shown they can play well, there's a disconnect between the forwards and defensemen.
"We don't get 13 wins 25 games in without having a team that can play well enough," McLellan said. "Are we playing well enough? No, we're not. Why aren't we? There's a little bit of disconnect between forwards and (defensemen) right now.
"Then in a team game, you sometimes get punished as a team, score-wise, momentum-wise, win-loss wise, for individual mistakes," he continued. "That happens. Team breakdowns are much more repairable than just an individual faux pas."
The losses against the Lightning and Predators were the reverse kind of performance the Red Wings showed in victories over the New York Rangers and Seattle Kraken, during both of which they were defensively responsible.
McLellan laid out the facts plainly - until the Red Wings decide to improve their game management, these kinds of issues will continue to persist at an uncomfortable rate.
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