The Athletic’s Max Bultman discusses the Red Wings players’ sense of freedom to play instinctive hockey under coach Todd McLellan, as evidenced by Jonatan Berggren’s renaissance:
“Right from the start, with practice since Todd came in, the speed — I think everyone that has watched the practices sees it,” Berggren said. “Feeling like we translate that to the games pretty good. Like, how we start the games and how much we skate. Then when you get these wins, the confidence gets higher.”
“I think there’s no quit,” Alex DeBrincat added. “We give up that late goal (to make it 4-4), and our PK does a great job, and obviously Berggy scores after that. We’re not getting down on the bench when we have a momentum swing. We just keep working to get that momentum back.”
McLellan noted an “attack mentality” for his team, playing off the goaltender’s pads to try and create rebounds and secondary chances, and the buy-in he’s gotten from players in doing so. He feels they’re spending less time in the defensive zone, which by definition tends to mean more opportunities the other way.
It’s everything you’d want to hear from a new coach, and the results have matched.
McLellan has already been quick to admit, however, that it’s still a “honeymoon” right now between him and his new players in Detroit. There’s a reason the new coach bump has its own name in the sports world, after all.
Continued (paywall), and the disappointment regarding Berggren’s game-winning goal in last night’s 5-4 win is palpable in the video below:
The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton put the Wings’ resilient victory this way:
The Red Wings killed the penalty, and as it expired, a diving Tyler Motte swatted the puck through to send Jonatan Berggren—stepping out of the box, having served the two-minute minor—in for a breakaway. Berggren scored his second breakaway in as many games with just 35 seconds left in regulation. Detroit held on for a 5–4 victory, with Cam Talbot making 19 saves to backstop the victory.
In the end, it was messy, but unequivocally, the Red Wings figured out a way to win, and that’s what mattered most for a team in dire need of stockpiling points, a team that will now travel to Winnipeg for Saturday’s game with the Jets having taking six of its last possible six.
