The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed an afternoon notebook which discusses a number of topics, including the Red Wings’ mediocre defensive play over the first four games of the regular season:
▶ Defense a concern: Maybe the correct way to phrase it is still a concern.
The Wings came into this season focused on improving team defense. It cost them a playoff berth last season, and any hopes of ending an eight-year playoff drought was going to be pinned on improved defense.
These three games, collectively, haven’t lessened any concerns.
Saturday’s victory raised hopes. The Wings played with a sense of urgency defensively, won more individual battles, and played more like planned — although allowing 42 shots and having to play so much defense wasn’t ideal.
It’s only three games. Not even an entire week into the regular season. But allowing 10 goals in three games isn’t an inspiring start.
Continued (paywall); the Red Wings’ defense, offense and goaltending have all been “up and down,” and I won’t deny that I have the same worries and doubts that you and I both have expressed over the course of the summer, training camp and the exhibition season…
But it really is three games, three very middling games, and three games against quality opponents. I didn’t expect the Red Wings to come out of the starting gates like racehorses, especially given that they lost some integral on and off-ice pieces in David Perron and Shayne Gostisbehere, and given that the team’s goaltending isn’t sorted out yet.
I’m not suggesting that the Red Wings deserve some sort of grace period, but they deserve some acknowledgment of the fact that this team is still a set of disparate parts, having turned over somewhere around a quarter to a third of the roster, and the reality of the situation is that the team’s probably going to be better later than it is earlier.
There are kinks to be ironed out and disparate players to be integrated into the roster, from the goal out, and it’s just going to take time to “get their reps” in and gel as a team, especially with a rough October schedule.
Ideally, the Wings get back to work tomorrow, they split the series with the Rangers on Thursday, they get at least a point in Nashville, and they roll from there. There are going to be hiccups and there are going to be bumps and bruises, and how the team–coaches and players alike–reacts to those problems will tell the tale.
The bar is rightfully set high for the Red Wings. They haven’t met their expectations yet. It’s up for them to get ‘er done, even if it comes in fits and spurts until the team hits its stride.
