Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff cautions Red Wings fans to be patient regarding the team’s strong performances in their first two games:
Fast starts under coach Jeff Blashill are commonplace for the Red Wings. Fantastic finishes are not. In fact, in the majority of seasons under Blashill, the team has broken from the gate effectively.
Last season, the Red Wings were 2-2 after four games. Then came an eight-game losing streak. In 2019-20, the Wings opened 3-1. That was also followed by an eight-game losing streak.
In 2018-19, the Wings got the skid out of the way off the bat. They opened 0-7. A 4-1 launch to the 2017-18 season was immediately followed by a six-game slide.
Blashill’s Red Wings were 5-2 after seven games in 2016-17. Then they lost six in a row. A 3-0 beginning in Blashill’s first season behind the Red Wings bench was followed by four successive losses.
The message here is to keep in mind what Blashill himself likes to talk about. It’s a small sample size. Let’s see where the Red Wings stand after 10 games before making any early assessments about this team.
Continued; the Red Wings play 4 games in 6 nights later this week, hosting Columbus and Calgary before heading to Montreal and Chicago for back-to-backs. Those games should help tell the tale as to what the Wings’ potential really consists of.
I would suggest waiting for the 20 game mark.