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When the Detroit Red Wings were defeated by a 5-1 final score on Oct. 9 against the Montreal Canadiens in their home opener, head coach Todd McLellan stated in no uncertain terms that the group as a whole would not take the next step until they were able to figure out how to avoid such letdowns.
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On Wednesday evening against the NHL-worst Nashville Predators, the Red Wings got another tough lesson in what McLellan was referring to.
The Predators, who also had the NHL’s worst goals-per-game average, scored a season-high six tallies as part of a 6-3 win at Little Caesars Arena.
McLellan’s frustration was evident in his postgame media availability as he had to once again re-hash the same thing he’s repeatedly talked about.
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“Until this team figures out that they have to value checking and defensive play, I’ll keep telling you the same things,” McLellan said. “Lo and behold, here I am again. So back to the drawing board again.”
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Both Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider acknowledged that the Red Wings had a lack of focus in the third period, during which the Predators would twice score two goals in a span of less than 60 seconds.
When asked the potential reasons behind that lack of focus, McLellan didn’t have the answer.
“I have no idea why our group would feel or think that way,” McLellan said. “I have no idea.”
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As far as what he felt about the rest of their game, he pulled no punches.
“Didn’t like our game most of the night,” McLellan said. “I thought we were quite casual early in the game. Our passing was horrendous. There was nothing crisp about our game.”
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The Red Wings missed an opportunity to gain a pair of valuable points in the standings on a night when teams they’re competing with in the Atlantic Division like the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators all managed to win their respective games.
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