The Detroit Red Wings have been stuck in a cycle of excruciating losses, dropping five straight with each game decided by a single goal.
They’ll try again to break that string when they visit the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night.
Detroit came up just short again at home on Saturday night, falling 2-1 to Colorado.
“No one is happy in the locker room. Why should we?” defenseman Moritz Seider said. “We’re losing games that are winnable. Just can’t find ways to get it done. Obviously it’s really frustrating but we shouldn’t be lying to ourselves. We need to be better.”
The Red Wings had a seven-game skid last season in late February and March but weren’t eliminated from playoff contention until the final game of the regular season. Detroit was outscored 36-12 during that losing streak.
“We had that stretch last year where we were bad. We earned that losing streak,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “This feels a little different. Bottom line is we’ve got to do more to flip these games.”
The Red Wings’ main source of offense lately has been Lucas Raymond, who scored their only goal Saturday on a tip-in of a Dylan Larkin shot. Raymond has eight goals in the last nine games.
Most of the other forwards have not produced at expected levels, with Patrick Kane (three goals in 22 games), Vladimir Tarasenko (four goals in 26 games) and J.T. Compher (three goals in 26 games) topping the list.
“A lot of frustrated guys in the room,” Compher said. “It’s got to be our group of guys to find a way out of it. It’s there for the taking. A lot of games, it’s right there, but it’s got to be the guys to to step up and get the job done.”
The Sabres share their misery. Buffalo carries a six-game losing streak (0-4-2) into Monday’s contest.
All but one of those defeats have come on the Sabres’ home ice, including a 5-2 loss to Utah on Saturday. Buffalo hasn’t produced a second-period goal during its slide.
“I think we’re starting games really well and I don’t know if it’s a bit of complacency or what it is, but we’ve got to fix the second periods,” forward Jason Zucker said. “It seems like we come out in the third and get a bit of that fire back and start playing again. We’ve got to fix it.”
Buffalo had a three-game winning streak and a winning record before the skid. The Sabres are looking to end a 13-season playoff drought. Detroit has the second-longest postseason drought, spanning a franchise-record eight seasons.
The good news is that one of these teams will emerge with a much-needed victory.
“We just need to get back to executing the way we know how to,” Zucker said. “It’s not a care thing, this room cares. This room has a lot of guys that care and want to do the right thing. It’s about doing it time and time again.”
The Red Wings and Sabres split the first two games of the four-game season series. Buffalo won the first meeting at home, 5-3, on Oct. 26. Detroit collected a 2-1 home victory on Nov. 2.
–Field Level Media