A Frustrated Derek Lalonde Makes His Feelings Known After Red Wings Lose 9 out of Their Last 13 Games
The Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde showed signs of frustration last night in a press conference after the team's third straight loss.
After years of rebuilding, and finally being in the playoff race last season, many believed the Detroit Red Wings were poised to have their breakout season this year.
Their young draft picks, Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider, are older. The team has a strong leader core, with Dylan Larkin and Patrick Kane setting the tone, and a lot of depth on the lineup.
Unfortunately, results are yet to come for the organization. The Red Wings could even break a record for the worst penalty kill in NHL history this year.
After 25 games, they have a 10-11-4 record and stand in 6th place in the Atlantic Division, only two points ahead of the Ottawa Senators and three over the Montreal Canadiens.
Last night, they lost their third consecutive game as they visited the Bruins in Boston, who won 3-2 in overtime.
Pavel Zacha scored the game-winning goal after a great play with David Pastrnak.
Check it out here:
On social media, many people called out the referee for not calling a penalty on Pastrnak seconds before the goal, when he tripped Alex DeBrincat to get the puck in the offensive zone:
After the game, head coach Derek Lalonde expressed frustration and disappointment toward his players, saying they lost momentum because of bad penalties:
Two bad penalties in the third (third) and we end up losing momentum, and our puck play at times. I felt we could have sustained more quality play to get the two points."
Despite all that can be said about the officiating, the lack of defensive depth is what hurts the team the most right now. Outside of the top pair, formed by Seider and Simon Edvinsson, the rest of the defensemen have been quite underwhelming this season.
Notably, former Montreal Canadiens members Jeff Petry and Ben Chiarot hold -7 and -11 ratings, with only three points each this season.
Red Wings fans sure hope to see Steve Yzerman do something either on the trade market, ideally targeting a top-four defenseman, or with the coaching position, with rumors of Yzerman showing interest in a controversial candidate to replace Lalonde.
