Yesterday night, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff discussed the Red Wings’ forward depth in a “State of the Red Wings” article, and this evening, Kevin Allen discusses the Red Wings’ defense, and the need for the team to reduce the number of goals they surrender to opponents via blueline improvements:
While [GM Steve] Yzerman appreciated how hard the Red Wings worked down the stretch to stay in the playoff race with come-from-behind and dramatic wins, he also understood the team was undermined by lack of consistency in defensive coverage. The Red Wings ranked 24th in goals-against average, and the bottom 10 teams in that category all missed the playoffs.
Yzerman wants his team’s defensive coverage to be more predictable, more dependable, more simplistic, maybe even boring. Teams that follow that script usually have a better chance of making the playoffs.
“It’s incumbent upon our coaching staff to instill or improve, continue to work on, whether it’s a different system or getting better in how we play and improving our players in the system,” Yzerman said. “It’s practice, practice, practice for me and get it over with.”
This certainly isn’t a new approach, also teams are probably talking more about blocking shots and denying shots more in recent years.
“Goals against is a challenge around the league,” Yzerman said. “It’s more of an offensive league. You’re seeing it in the scoring totals of the top players around the league. Goals-against averages for goaltenders is (up). It’s a difficult league to defend in right now. For whatever reason it’s become more offensive, and that’s entertaining and exciting, but the best teams in the league are probably somewhere in the top in goals against and defensive play, whether it’s the traditional stats or the underlying numbers. So collectively as a team we have to get better, that’s the No. 1 thing.”
Allen continues and discusses the Wings’ personnel changes on defense, and in goal, as they apply to the team-wide emphasis on shoring up their “D.”
