Despite their postseason hopes being on the brink, the Detroit Red Wings don't believe that they're ready to be written off.
Despite saying all the right things, the Detroit Red Wings’ actions at such a critical point in the season continue to make those words ring hollow.
For the fifth time in their last seven games, the Red Wings fell behind their opponent by at least three goals, this time Sunday afternoon against the visiting Minnesota Wild. The Wild, who trailed 1–0 after the opening 20 minutes, scored just 18 seconds into the game's second frame and went on to score four goals in a period for the first time this season.
They also withstood a furious three-goal comeback attempt by the Red Wings in the third, thanks in part to a late power-play goal from sniper Kirill Kaprizov, who completed his sixth career hat trick, ultimately winning 5-4.
However, for the first 40 minutes of the game, the Red Wings officially managed just eight total shots. Meanwhile, the Wild managed to score four times in a 20-minute frame for the first time this season.
What kind of things are being said amongst the players on the Red Wings bench during that stretch?
“Trying to stay up, like don’t let it kill you,” forward Andrew Copp said. “‘We’re fine, we’re fine, get the next one, get the next one,’ things like that. Yeah, you’re gonna get down 3-1, you’re gonna get down 2-1, they’re gonna score to tie it up."
"We can’t let that impact the next shift, just try and have that even keel mentality as much as possible. But when your confidence is wavering, it gets harder and harder to do that.”
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
Are the Red Wings facing an issue with confidence?
Head coach Todd McLellan doesn’t believe so, dismissing concerns that echo the infamous speech President Jimmy Carter delivered in late 1979, known as the "Crisis of Confidence" address.
"I don't think it is," McLellan answered. "I don't think we stop the bleeding when we start to bleed. And is that confidence? I don't know, I think that's mental fortitude, the ability to dig in and respond when it's not going well. If we lacked confidence, did we find it between the second and third then? And come out and play that type of game? We just have to stop the bleeding when it starts."
With only five games left and plenty yet to be decided, the Red Wings can only focus on their next upcoming game.
"We're not going to cry ourselves to sleep tonight and bail on the last five games, that's just not the DNA in our room and our profession in general," Copp said. "It's going to suck tonight...we'll regroup and come back with the most amount of intensity and jam we can bring on Tuesday."
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.