Welcome to my 24th weekly regular season recap of the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings played four games this week, losing all four. Losses against the Vegas Golden Knights, Buffalo Sabres, and two against the Arizona Coyotes completed a horrid week for Detroit.
Positives
The power play was good this week operating at 3-for-12. Proper passing led to good chances and the bumper position came into effect for some good looks at the net. A bit of change in the power play units led to opportunities in a quicker-paced man-advantage.
The Red Wings also got rid of the puck quicker leaving teammates open for quality chances. The power play is now operating at a 23% clip.
Forward Lucas Raymond and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere led the team in scoring this week with three points a piece. Raymond had two goals and one assist while Gostisbehere had one goal and two assists.
Raymond has been the only bright spot during this losing streak as he has continued to go 100% on all shifts. Gostsibehere continues to lead Detroit defensemen in scoring with 10 goals and 33 assists for 43 points in 65 games.
The special teams carried the play this week. Aside from a positive showing from the power play, the penalty kill was outstanding going 9-for-10 this week.
With all things considered, the penalty kill has been the thing carrying Detroit during this streak as they have smothered the man-advantages of the opposition.
Forwards are quick on the puck and the defensemen are quickly clearing the zone. The penalty kill has been one of the bigger transformations this season as they are now operating at an 80.9% kill rate, which is 11th in the league.
Negatives
What has not gone wrong during this streak? With Dylan Larkin out due to injury, nobody has stepped up to take control of this team. There is no leadership, no offense, no pressure on the puck in the neutral zone, nothing.
The team looks extremely flat and, at times, looks as if they have given up on playing for a playoff spot.
There is no energy when the game starts, the players are hanging their heads on the bench, goaltender Alex Lyon looks defeated and needs a rest, and the coaches look astonished as if they do not know what else to do. What happens if Larkin does come back and the team play remains the same?
Defenseman Ben Chiarot and Jeff Petry have to be the worst defensive pairing Detroit has had in a while.
Petry has struggled all season, has no outlet pass, runs around in his zone, does not lay the body, shoots into the opposition instead of waiting for a shooting lane to open up, and is not effective on the power play.
Chiarot has been criticized all season for his play in the defensive zone and it is not getting better. At 6-foot-3 and 224 pounds, he does not play to his size and uses his size to his advantage. It is quite the opposite. He lets the opposition push him around and is standing still in front of the net.
Countless times, he has had a turnover in his zone. Although he has a bullet of a shot, he passes up good shots and looks for an open forward. With his size and shot, he should be one of the more complete defensemen on the roster but it is the other way around.
Goaltender Lyon needs a rest. He has played a significant amount of games in a row and looks gassed. Part of his struggles include a load of shots and costly turnovers in the defensive zone.
He was playing like a Vezina Trophy candidate early in the season but he has not been the same due to the workload. Head Coach Derek Lalonde cannot expect Lyon to bail them out if he has no energy or confidence left.
He is letting in soft goals and looks flustered after every goal given up. He was the savior in the first half but he needs to be given a rest if Detroit turns this around and acquires a playoff spot. Lyon is a good goaltender but over the last two weeks looks like a completely different player.