The Detroit Red Wings suddenly find themselves in an offensive drought. They’ll try to turn that around when they host the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday afternoon.
Detroit has scored two or fewer goals in regulation over the past four games. The Red Wings were blanked for the first time this season in the finale of a five-game road trip, 1-0, to Vegas on Tuesday. Then they began a four-game homestand by falling to the New York Rangers, 4-1, on Friday.
“We had plenty of time to readjust, to re-energize and get ready to go,” forward Lucas Raymond said. “It’s two (losses) in a row now and we’re looking to change that Sunday.”
Coach Todd McLellan believes the team needs to play smarter.
“Sometimes you’re there physically and (Friday) I thought we were for the most part. I’m not sure we were there between the ears again and that includes offensively,” he said. “We had some pretty good opportunities and yes, (Rangers goaltender) Jonathan Quick made some great saves. But when you’re sharp and you’re alert and you’re attentive, some of those go in for you.”
The Red Wings came up empty on four power plays against the Rangers and have converted on just one of their last 15 power plays.
“My biggest concern offensively is the power play,” McLellan said. “That’s unacceptable. What we’ve been watching is we put some really good players on the ice and they’ve got to get it done, whether it’s the first unit or the second unit. We’re not getting it done right now.”
McLellan believes those players need to attack the net more in those situations, rather than passing it around and seeking the perfect opportunity. Raymond shared similar thoughts.
“We’re not getting to those dirty areas right now where a lot of the goals are scored,” he said. “We talked about it after the Vegas game, we knew it coming into this game. For us, it’s just about keeping it simple.”
Chicago will be finishing off a six-game road trip. The Blackhawks have gone 2-2-1 on the road swing with the two victories coming in their last two outings.
They defeated Vancouver, 5-2, on Wednesday before blanking Calgary, 4-0, on Friday. Their young star forward, Connor Bedard, had a hand in all the goals against the Flames. He scored one and assisted on the others.
“I’m playing with great players that are making the game easy on me,” Bedard said. “Sometimes the points come, sometimes they don’t. For me, it’s just about the process and getting chances, making plays and that’s when (the points) come.”
Spencer Knight recorded the shutout with 33 saves.
“I thought it was a really good team effort,” Knight said. “Guys played really hard in all areas of the ice … defensive zone (and) from what I could see from my side, the offensive zone looked good, neutral zone was good. We’re really committed to working hard, so that’s good.”
Jeff Blashill, hired as Chicago’s head coach in May, will be facing his former team. He was the Red Wings’ head coach for seven seasons from 2015-22 before a stint as Tampa Bay’s top assistant.
