Breaking News:Red Wings tough as it gets in the room need to put pride on line

15 March 202415 March 2024 08sportsnews.com

Arizona Coyotes center Nick Bjugstad, in huddle, is greeted by teammates after scoring during the third period on Detroit Red Wings goaltender Alex Lyon Thursday. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)AP

DETROIT – A couple of weeks ago the Detroit Red Wings were rolling, drawing praise from opposing coaches and national broadcasters and looking like the team nobody would want to face in the first round of the playoffs

They have since lost seven in a row in regulation, including Thursday’s 4-1 setback to the Arizona Coyotes, and a dressing room that was loose and cheerful suddenly is bewildered and solemn as stunned players search for answers.

It’s unacceptable, obviously,” David Perron said. “… It’s as tough as it gets in the room right now. We got to find a way to bounce back. We got to find a way to get up, put our pride on the line and be better.

The past five losses have come without Dylan Larkin (lower-body injury), but they realize that’s not the issue.

We have not handled our group very well with Dylan out,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “There’s no reason for that. He’s a special, special player. He’s our engine a lot of nights but we have a very capable group, very capable lineup.

The Red Wings have prided themselves on depth – a league-high 13 players with 10 or more goals. But offense that came in abundance during a 16-4-2 run in January and February has been hard to find during a seven-game losing streak – the first time they’ve dropped that many in a row in regulation since 2019 (Nov. 19-Dec. 10).

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