Red Wings' Slow Start Comes With Bright Spots and Caveats

The Detroit Red Wings sit with just one win through their first five games, but their start has come with some highs and some lows. 

They played their first two games without Dylan Larkin, lost three depth forwards in Marco Kasper, Mason Appleton and J.T. Compher in one sweep, and have faced a run of tough opponents, including the Winnipeg Jets, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens and the red-hot Seattle Kraken.

It's worth taking a complete look at Detroit's numbers so far and how they compare to last season. The roster has seen plenty of turnover, but Detroit's start through five games last season was far stronger. 

The Red Wings won four of the first five games, scoring 16 goals and allowing just 12 against. The special teams were strong as well, with a top-13 power play operating at 22.2 percent and a penalty kill that ranked seventh in the league at 91.7 percent.

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This season, the offense has dipped significantly as Detroit has scored just ten goals through five games, including two outings where they were shutout against the New York Rangers in the season opener and Saturday's game against the Montreal Canadiens. 

The roster looks different than last year's, with Viktor Arvidsson in place of Patrick Kane, Justin Faulk added midway through last season, and Larkin missing the first two games.

The backend hasn't taken much of a step back, allowing 14 goals so far, only two more than at this point last season. The power play has also looked similar at 21.1 percent. The biggest change has come on the penalty kill, which has dropped more than 21 percentage points to 70 percent, going from seventh-best in the league to seventh-worst.

It's still early, and Detroit has several areas to work on but some issues aren't as bad as they may seem, and the defense and power play could help anchor a turnaround.

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