Yardbarker
x
Todd McLellan’s ‘wasted’ review of painful loss to Sabres
Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

The Detroit Red Wings opened the scoring against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night. They sought their sixth straight win following a big victory over the Edmonton Oilers. And JT Compher’s goal seemed to give them the sort of jolt they needed. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be for Detroit at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.

Jason Zucker scored before leaving with an injury in the second period. Josh Doan scored as well, while Jack Quinn put up a three-point night. The Red Wings got goals from Compher and Emmitt Finnie, but they weren’t enough. Detroit fell by the score of 4-2.

After the game, head coach Todd McLellan provided his assessment of the loss. He pointed to the team’s poor performance in the first period. The Sabres controlled the play quite heavily. And they didn’t give Detroit much of anything in the first.

“We’re short-handed 30 seconds into the game, get through that kill and all of a sudden we’re back in the box again. … It’s hard to get into any type of rhythm. We somewhat wasted the first period. Based on that outcome, I didn’t think we were prepared for the pace that the game was played at, and a lot of times we’ve been dictating the pace,” the Red Wings bench boss said, via NHL.com.

Red Wings stumble on the road after brutal first period


Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

McLellan certainly isn’t wrong in his assessment of Detroit’s start. Facing a rookie goaltender, the Red Wings were slow off the mark once the puck dropped. In fact, they went over half of the first frame without recording a shot on goal.

When they did record shots, they weren’t anything dangerous, at least for the most part. They did perform better in the second period. However, Detroit was rather undisciplined on the night. They took 10 minutes worth of penalties, handing the Sabres plenty of chances to score.

It’s certainly a rough loss for this Red Wings team. However, it’s not the end of the world. They’ve shown they can play well against some of the best teams in the league. How they bounce back will say a lot about this team. Detroit hits the road on Thursday to take on Matthew Schaefer and the New York Islanders.

This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!