"We Got Sloppy": Red Wings Lament Missed Chances After Blowing Third Period Lead

Follow Michael Whitaker On X

The Detroit Red Wings got more tricks than treats on Halloween afternoon at Little Caesars Arena, watching their 4-2 third-period lead over the St. Louis Blues disappear and become a 5-4 regulation loss. 

It was a disappointing finish for the Red Wings, who appeared to have the game well in hand.

However, it will have to serve as a hard lesson moving forward, one that head coach Todd McLellan felt began to take shape in the second period rather than the third by committing turnovers in the neutral zone. 

"We played a little sloppier than I would like, but we have jobs to do based on our neutral zone; we didn’t get it done,” said McLellan afterward. “So now, they've got momentum coming out of the gate - then we get into the third. We have rules for back-checking and sort-outs, we didn’t follow them, we give up a goal. A transition play for the fourth one, which doesn’t make a lot of sense to me at all."

“And the last one, you’re going to give something like that, where Anton (Johansson) goes to knock the puck down, and no one knows where it is, taking (Andreas) Englund to the corner. All of a sudden, they’ve shot in a deflection. So for me, we got sloppy.

The intent was still there, but the execution and the details in it weren't, and we paid the price."

As things were unraveling in the third period, McLellan indicated that the communication level on the bench was at a high level and that there was frustration amongst the players. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

"It's good," he said of the bench communication. "They were frustrated and a little bit pissed off, but there is talk there. I'm not losing my marbles, and I should be, but I believe in what the group can do, and fix this. So, there is talk, and there is communication, and some frustration." 

That frustration was on full display in the dressing room afterward, as forward Keegan Kolesar, who scored his first goal since being acquired by the Red Wings over the summer, said that losing after blowing a two-goal lead is going to sting. 

“We should have come away with the win," Kolesar said. "Just got to sit with this the rest of the day and we’ll sit with it until the next game. And it’s not a good feeling.”

The Red Wings will face two straight divisional opponents on the road with matchups against the Lightning and Panthers before returning home to host the Golden Knights. 

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.