Detroit Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan has once again issued a challenge to his players following their third straight setback.
While the Detroit Red Wings felt they deserved a better fate on Nov. 24 in their 4–3 loss to the New Jersey Devils, a game they largely dominated, they have since dropped consecutive contests to the Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning, largely due to preventable defensive miscues.
Turnovers plagued the Red Wings during both games while player focus and intensity were also brought into question.
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The Red Wings now face the Boston Bruins on Saturday evening at TD Garden for the first of a home-and-home series that concludes on Tuesday back in Detroit.
Head coach Todd McLellan, who has held his club's feet to the fire after such disappointing losses they've experienced against the Predators and Lightning, said he expects the intensity to be dialed up by the players as he's seen them do before.
"The tools exist in there (the dressing room)," McLellan said. "We expect the players to bring it, and we can't go back and wallow in what we did or didn't do last night or the day before. The same thing is going on next door with (the Bruins). Put it behind you and clean a few things up individually, and we'll be okay."
McLellan directly challenged the Red Wings on whether they were tired of losing following their 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the club's home opener on Oct. 9, and they responded as well as anyone could have expected.
They rattled off five straight wins and looked like the confident team that enjoyed two seven-game win streaks not long after McLellan replaced Derek Lalonde as coach last season in late December.
Under McLellan, the Red Wings have shown that they're more than capable of looking like a team worthy to be included in playoff contention discussions, but too many times they've gotten away from the good habits responsible for those winning streaks.
In order to avoid losing valuable points in the standings, the Red Wings must regain that confidence and swagger they've shown they possess, and McLellan aims to make sure they keep it.
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