"Got To Get Hungrier" Red Wings Sputter On Offense During 4-0 Shutout Loss To Avalanche

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The Detroit Red Wings are a team that isn't going to be known for a high-powered offense. That, combined with a subpar penalty killing percentage, made for an unfortunate result against a club that boasts multiple dangerous offensive threats. 

The Colorado Avalanche got two goals and an assist from Martin Necas, while Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar also scored as part of their 4-0 win over the Red Wings at Ball Arena on Saturday evening.

Three of Colorado's goals were with the man advantage.

The setback was Detroit's fourth in their last five regulation games, and knocked them back below the .500 mark. 

It was an especially disappointing result considering how well they played in the first period, getting multiple high-danger scoring chances and outshooting Colorado by a comfortable margin. 

But once they started getting into penalty trouble in the second period, they were made to regret it. 

As forward Andrew Copp would say afterward, he and his teammates have to show more tenacity around the net while also spending less time in their own zone, which would lead to less penalties against. 

"Those second-chance opportunities feel like we’re a little one-and-done around the net right now," Copp said afterward. "And whether that’s the forwards not getting there or pucks not getting through to the net, whatever the combination is, we just got to get a little hungrier around that net."

The Red Wings have now dropped regulation contests against the Blues, Lightning, Golden Knights, and Avalanche. In two of those contests, they had a third period lead, but couldn't finish things out. 

Right now, they have no choice but to find more offense. 

"We’re playing some really good teams right now, but that shouldn’t be an excuse. We've got to find a way to just concentrate on the positives of the good things we’ve done, a lot of good 5-on-5 defense today and in the Vegas game, and then we just got to find a way to get some offense going," Copp said. "But the quicker we end plays in our D zone, the more time we'll spend in the offensive zone."

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For head coach Todd McLellan, he felt that the club losing control of their emotions, which led to multiple penalties against, ultimately did them in. 

"We were called for five penalties in 10 minutes, and that really changed the game, obviously," said McLellan. "We had to overuse guys. Other guys sat there cold. Their star players got a lot of touches, and they moved the puck around well. Obviously, scored.

So, it was it was frustrating that way, and we didn't deal real well with our emotions, I didn't think. So, we're going to get nights where the other team is better, sometimes the officials won't go in our favor, but we're gonna have to deal with it." 

The Red Wings are back in action on Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues, looking to avenge their loss on Halloween in Detroit. 

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