The Detroit Red Wings managed only 12 shots on goal during their 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena, a performance they'll want to forget about in a hurry.
Saturday afternoon’s game at Little Caesars Arena against the Pittsburgh Penguins is one the Detroit Red Wings will want to forget, and quickly.
They were outplayed in every facet from start to finish, as the Penguins held them to just 12 shots on goal in the entire contest in what was ultimately a 4-1 final score. The loss marked only Detroit’s second regulation defeat at home in their last eight games.
The Penguins had more jump right from the opening face-off, beating the Red Wings to nearly every loose puck while displaying crisper passing and more intensity that their hosts never matched.
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It was also Pittsburgh's second straight win over Detroit after their 4-3 overtime win in Pittsburgh on Thursday.
Alex DeBrincat's goal in the second period, his 21st of the season, was the only bright spot for the Red Wings, who never made life difficult for Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner; he only needed to make 11 saves.
Afterward, head coach Todd McLellan pulled absolutely no punches in his evaluation of Detroit's listless performance.
"The Pittsburgh team was everything we wanted to be, and weren't," Todd McLellan said. "They started on time with an intensity that backed us off; they were faster than we were; they smothered us in three zones, and checked for their chances. Their game management – they didn't give up a breakaway on a line change. They won the face-off battle, they won the board battle, they won the net battle."
"Those are all the things we wanted to do tonight, and we didn't do any of them, so we got exactly what we deserved."
The Red Wings generated nothing on their first of two power-play opportunities and instead negated it with a penalty of their own. On their second chance, they produced only brief pressure that led to a shot off the post, one that would have tied the game at 2–2, but it was as close as they would get.
In the final 20 minutes of play, the Red Wings didn't generate any offensive zone pressure, even with goaltender John Gibson pulled, and managed only three shots in the frame.
"We had one shot on goal by our defenseman, Axe (Axel Sandin-Pellikka)," McLellan said. "We had six of them play, and that includes the power-play. I can't even remember Axe's shot. But, for our team, we've got to get - when we're playing well, there's a lot of firing pucks and getting it back and breaking teams down. We didn't get any of that from the top, but I'm not sure the forwards were doing the work to open up the ice for them either."
"It was a complete team letdown today."
The Red Wings will have the chance to make Saturday's loss a distant memory when they face the Ottawa Senators on Monday evening.
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