A puzzling performance by a Red Wings team fighting for a playoff spot

They lacked urgency and their overall effort wasn't nearly good enough, much to coach Jeff Blashill's surprise and dismay.

The Detroit Red Wings, fighting for a playoff spot, turned in their worst performance of the season Tuesday in a 5-3 loss to the cellar-dwelling Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.

This one was difficult to explain.

"Not good enough," Blashill said. "It's disappointing, it's frustrating; there's no way that effort is good enough, especially in the first period. So we got to look at ourselves, each individual, and we got to play much better that we did, certainly in the first.

"I thought we played better in the second. We need 60 minutes of that type of effort to have any chance of success. I just think by a man we got to be a lot better."

The Blue Jackets dominated during a first period (16-4 edge in shots) that was scoreless only due to Jimmy Howard's play. The Red Wings improved in the second but penalties (Columbus scored twice during five-on-three power plays) and defensive mistakes put them in a 4-1 hole late in the third period.

Goals 46 seconds apart by Tomas Tatar (15:44) and Andreas Athanasiou (16:30) gave the Red Wings an opportunity to pull out a point or two from this mess, but Cam Atkinson sealed the outcome with his second goal of the game, into an empty net, with 18 seconds remaining.

"Out of the gate the urgency wasn't there but we battled right there to the end and just came up short," Howard said. "It just goes to show you can't take anyone lightly in the league and you've got to show up and go or you're going to get beat."

The Red Wings (32-23-11) have lost three in a row and lead the Philadelphia Flyers by just two points in the battle for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

"We have to be playing with more urgency," Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg said. "We all know what's at stake here and it's getting closer and closer. We've got some games left. We know what we've got to do and we just got to do it."

The start was inexplicable.

"I was certainly surprised, because I know we have winners in our room," Blashill said. "Generally our guys recognize the urgency of the moment. I'm not sure how they had more urgency than us but they did. So we better pick it up here right away."

Said Brad Richards: "They came out hard and whether it surprised us or we weren't ready for it, I'm not sure. But it seemed like we were in quicksand a little bit and they kept coming. Tomorrow's a new day. Nothing's done or over. We can learn from it."

Penalties to Luke Glendening (tripping and hooking) put the Red Wings in a five-on-three disadvantage early in the second and midway through the third.

David Savard made Detroit pay by opening the scoring 35 seconds into the second and Atkinson capitalized to make it 4-1 at 9:14 of the third.

"The first five-on-three, to me, was all because we didn't clear the puck," Blashill said. "We had ample opportunity to clear the puck and we didn't execute. I just think from top to bottom we had too many guys that weren't good enough tonight."

After Justin Abdelkader tied it at 10:24 of the second, David Clarkson scored at 16:36. Boone Jenner's goal 26 seconds into the third was tough to take for Blashill.

"The goal in the third (by Jenner) was crazy, there was no reason for it," Blashill said. "It should have been no problem at all and it wasn't. I look at things all the time, as a coach what we need to work on, what do we need to be better at; have you done a good enough job? I'll be honest with you, in situations like that individual players got to play better. That's an absolute fact, so we got to pick our game up come Thursday."

The Red Wings generated only one shot during their first four power plays. Tatar's goal came during a six-on-four advantage after Howard was pulled. Blashill said the power play was as bad as it's looked in a while.

Columbus also took it to the Red Wings physically.

"They're a big team, they can skate, they can throw the body around and they can score goals," Howard said. "They always play us tough and we knew it was going to be a battle out there and it was."

Athanasiou got into his first NHL fight at 4:25 of the third, exchanging blows with Matt Calvert.

"I thought we played physical," Zetterberg said. "Obviously, they probably have more physical style than we do but I thought we stood up well. It was nice to see AA throwing the mitts and got us going there."

If that sparked the team, they need something like that much sooner.


Link : http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2016/03/a_puzzling_performance_for_red.html