Red Wings-Rangers Post-Game Reactions: It's All About Moving Forward, Getting Our Game in Order"

Andrew Copp, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Derek Lalonde react to the Red Wings' 5-3 loss to the New York Rangers

Progress Relative to Buffalo and Ottawa

Last night at Madison Square Garden in New York, the Detroit Red Wings fell behind 5-0 in the second period in what eventually proved a 5-3 defeat at the hands of the Rangers. Here's what Andrew Copp, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Derek Lalonde had to say about the loss.

Andrew Copp

-On what went awry the first two periods: "I don't really know to be honest with you. We've gotta figure out a way to score the first goal one of these games. They were throwing a lot of the pucks at the net, so it seemed like there was more chaos than there really was in the first, but still, we gotta figure out a way to get momentum, and we just couldn't find it. And then back-to-back power play goals for them makes it 3-0, makes it really tough. I think we just gotta find a way to get the first one."

-On power play going 0-for-6: "They have some really good penalty killers over there for sure. I think we still got some good chances, but our selection was off. We were shooting when we didn't really have anyone in front of the net yet, or we were passing up maybe a few open looks. Felt like we got into position all right, and they did a good job on the face-offs, which is kinda tough to go 200 feet every single time. We got some good looks, but...1-for-6 sounds a lot better than 0-for-6."

-On what's changed since first two weeks of the season: "We gave Boston their first regulation loss last game, came back 2-0 from the Islanders, which was a really tough one. So you could say our last four, we're 2-2, but it just hasn't been the same consistency. We were kinda bailed out by a really hot power play for a while there, so we gotta find consistency in our five-on-five and overall maybe intensity. Not that we weren't intense tonight, but we weren't as intense as we were in the Boston game."

-On early pressure on Ville Husso: "I think they were just kinda throwing pucks from everywhere and then the crowd gets into it...It sounds like we're [taking on] water here, but the reality is those pucks have no chance of going in. It's kind of a shot-starting mentality, which is a way to do it, and I think we need a little bit more of that. In terms of actual Grade A chances, that's not really how pucks are gonna go in the net...I think it starts with us breaking the puck out."

Shayne Gostisbehere

-On whether he has an explanation for recent starts: "Not really. Just kinda puts us in a hole, and it's hard to climb out of a five-nothing hole...You don't wanna be in a hole. You don't want to have to dig yourself out."

-On pressure on Husso and James Reimer in recent games: "We've been leaving 'em out to dry for sure. They've come up big for us in situations where we didn't have a good start, and they stand on their head, and it's still a 0-0, and we find our game and end up winning. Definitely want to help them out a little more."

-On power play struggles: "It's just tough. There wasn't a lot of execution, especially on myself. I gotta be better personally. For us as a unit, we're good when we're moving pucks quick, and we're seeing plays. We just didn't have it tonight."

-On whether any solace can be taken from the third: "For sure. Coach came in and said 'this is the biggest period of the game.' It leads to what we're gonna do for the rest of the year. We're gonna have these games in an 82-game year. I think for us, we just gotta move on from it."

Derek Lalonde

-On what went wrong: "It's the start. They just got to a more simple game quick. They established the forecheck. They put pucks on net. Just building momentum off of getting pucks on net and foot races, and we were unable to do that. We come out of the period, we had chances 2-2 in the first, but it didn't feel like it...It's because they got pucks on net, and they got battles. Start and special teams."

-On leaving Husso in all night: "It's a good question. We talked about it. Our goalie coach thought his best hockey was the last four, five minutes of the second. I was a little worried about leaving him out to dry, but he was confident that he was gonna have a strong third, and he was right...I think it helped him build his game a little bit."

-On explanation for poor recent starts: "It's the same thing. You watch hockey every single game; it's the team that has the most simple game to start. The New York Rangers established the forecheck by getting pucks deep, and all they did was put pucks on net. They only generated two chances for, but they generated a ton of zone time. We on the other hand failed to do that...It's a race for that simple game to start."

-On takeaways from the third period: "Our guys hung in there. Just asked them to build the game, do things right, if we get back in it, great, but it's all about moving forward, getting our game in order in the third today...You get in these different scenarios in your season...and we have not been in that situation yet this year, and it's gonna happen over 82 games. It's how you handle it, and it's about building your game for Thursday. And I give the guys credit: They certainly did that, and they gave themselves a chance there."