Detroit Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan bemoaned the defensive breakdowns which led to what he believed was easy offense for the New Jersey Devils on Monday evening.
Despite enjoying a decided advantage in the shot totals, the Detroit Red Wings departed Prudential Center with zero points in the standings after a 4-3 setback at the hands of the New Jersey Devils on Monday evening.
The Red Wings were done in by a pair of quick goals by the Devils in the span of just over a minute in the opening 20 minutes of play, followed by what eventually stood up as the game-winner in the second period following an costly turnover behind the net by defenseman Travis Hamonic.
The Red Wings got goals from Alex DeBrincat, James van Riemsdyk, and Dylan Larkin. While they pressed hard for the equalizer late in the final frame, they came up short.
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Afterward, head coach Todd McLellan bemoaned the defensive breakdowns that led to what he saw as easy offense for the Devils.
“There’s probably going to be a lot of talk about what we didn’t get or didn’t find down the stretch, but in my opinion, it’s what we gave up,” McLellan said. “There was too much free, especially early in the game.”
The third period was rife with on-ice scrums, especially after the final horn in which there was plenty of pushing and shoving between both sides.
The Red Wings were frustrated at Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, who somehow escaped a penalty in the waning minutes of regulation after his blindside hit on Lucas Raymond, who was nowhere near the puck, in the neutral zone went undetected by both on-ice referees.
McLellan appreciated the effort of the Red Wings to battle back and attempt for the tying goal, but would have preferred that their defensive miscues didn't put them in the situation of needing a late-game equalizer in the first place.
“I give the guys credit for sticking with it and fighting back, maybe we did deserve better, but we can’t give up goals for free," he said. "We did tonight.”
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