Detroit Red Wings Struggle to Start 2026

During the Red Wings’ recent slump, the team has struggled to start games. Starting on time is a continuous message heard from coaches across the NHL. Todd McLellan has recently passed the one-year anniversary of his coaching tenure with the Red Wings. His message has been clear from the point during his first practice with the team when he said, “Play f—ing hockey. You’ve done it your whole lives.” McLellan can deliver a message that gets the Red Wings back on track.

This is evident given McLellan’s comments after the second game against the Penguins. “They really overwhelmed us for two periods,” McLellan said. “We found our legs a little bit in the third, but they’re a tough team to come back against. We didn’t do much with the first 40, and not enough at the end.” Perhaps the second most important coaching axiom is playing a full 60 minutes. The Red Wings need to get back to the type of play that saw them nearly have the best record in the NHL before a game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Red Wings Road to Playoffs is Difficult

According to Tankathon, the Red Wings have the most difficult schedule remaining. This is in addition to the NHL’s schedule being condensed because of the Olympic break in February. The Red Wings have 15 games remaining before the Olympic break. To start 2026, the Red Wings lost two games to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Red Wings did get one point in the first game, however. These two games may just be a blip in the Red Wings’ season, but it does not necessarily bode well for a team trying to make it back to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Having said all this, the Red Wings are still in first place in the Atlantic Division with 52 points. The team has played 43 games so far this season. This is the latest that the Red Wings have been in first place in an NHL season in a decade. 10 seasons ago, the Red Wings lost in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the Tampa Bay Lightning. There are warts to the Red Wings’ game. If the team can clean these warts up, they can make it back to the playoffs.

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