DETROIT – Boos erupted in the first period as the Detroit Red Wings struggled to escape their own zone, facing a level of domination that far exceeded their one-goal deficit.
The crowd’s discontent echoed throughout the game, reaching its peak in the final moments of the St. Louis Blues’ 4-0 triumph on Monday at Little Caesars Arena.
This isn’t the first instance this season where the Red Wings have faced boos on home ice, where their record stands at 7-9-2. What’s concerning is that this lackluster performance came just two days after a disheartening 5-1 defeat in Montreal. With a record of 13-17-4, the Red Wings have now lost three straight games in regulation for the first time this season, sitting only two points above the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
Dylan Larkin acknowledged that the frustration from fans is justified.
“They’re frustrated, and we are too,” Larkin remarked. “On a big night at home, especially with the holiday approaching, we had a great crowd, but we didn’t give them anything to cheer for. It’s a disappointing game, especially before the holidays.”
The team will have a three-day Christmas break to reflect on this before hosting Toronto on Friday at 7 p.m. on FanDuel Sports Detroit.
Conversations regarding coach Derek Lalonde’s job security are likely to intensify.
“It seemed like the fans were just as frustrated as we are,” Lalonde noted. “There’s frustration because we know at times this group can show positive signs. We’re not perfect, but we’ve demonstrated we can play at a high level, and tonight wasn’t enough.”
Following Saturday’s game, some players mentioned they were “outcompeted” and “outworked.”
Lalonde disagreed that effort was lacking in this match.
“I think the group cares,” he said. “It’s about staying connected and finding some rhythm in our game. We’d have a good shift from one line, only to lose momentum with the next.”
Dylan Holloway recorded his first career hat trick, scoring three goals, including one into an empty net, while Jordan Binnington enjoyed a relatively easy night with 19 saves for his 17th career shutout.
“When we show up to play, we need everyone to be engaged, and right now, we don’t have enough doing that, including myself,” Larkin stated. “We must be committed to competing, but right now, we’re disconnected—forwards from defensemen, wingers from centermen. There’s a lot of effort and hard work, but we’re not accomplishing anything.”
J.T. Compher added, “There’s just not enough execution, not enough energy. We’ve turned the puck over too much to allow us to generate offense and create opportunities.”
“(Cam Talbot) kept us in the game for a lot of it with some huge saves, but we were giving up too many odd-man breaks all night.”
The Red Wings are now four games under .500, not counting overtime or shootout losses, for the first time this season.
“It’s not a good position to be in,” Lalonde said. “It’s about finding our game; we’ve had moments where we’ve had success.”
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