We’ll call this one a “McLellan minute.” This evening, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff discusses the Red Wings’ 2-for-8 power play, as explained by Detroit’s bench boss…
“It’s what the power play has to do at the very least, provide some momentum and some energy and excitement for the team,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said. “It’s impossible to score every time. If they score, great. If not, as we leave and begin to play 5-on-5 again, we feel pretty good about ourselves. They’ve swung the tide our way for a little bit. So momentum’s huge, and when it doesn’t go well, you give the momentum back. Now you’re scrambling.”
The first five who go over the boards when Detroit gets the man advantage remain the same as last season. It consists of forwards Dylan Larkin, Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat, and Lucas Raymond, along with defenseman Moritz Seider.
“Those five players, when they’re clicking, they’re moving it quickly,” McLellan said. “They’re dangerous.”
It’s a fivesome that is exhibiting tremendous chemistry. And they want to get better.
“We had a good year last year on the power play, but we want to take steps there as well,” Raymond said. “And when you played a full year together, you learn each other’s tendencies, and at the same time, other teams also do.
“So I think for us it’s about finding new ways to score, being creative out there. And we’re not going to score every power play, but as long as we get momentum for the team and put ourselves in a good spot, I think it’s successful out there. Two games, two goals, so look to keep that going as well.”
And the Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker took note of coach McLellan’s remarks regarding the chemistry between the duo of Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat:
Head coach Todd McLellan not only notices their on-ice chemistry, but is keenly aware of how much both players simply love the game.
“You can start on the ice or start off the ice, I’ll start off it,” McLellan said on Sunday. “It’s the joy of the game, they both love playing and they’re both competitors. We’ve talked a lot about Kaner still being young and hungry and excited to be at the rink.”
“Cat is just like that too, so the two of them have the joy for the game,” McLellan continued. “As far as the connectivity on the ice, they’ve played together for so long and had various levels of success doing what they do that when it’s the simple play, they can make it. But when it’s garbage time and something odd is going on, they have a pretty good idea of where someone else is, and their release point.”
While DeBrincat has traditionally been the shooter and Kane the setup man, it worked perfectly in reverse against the Maple Leafs.
“One is a passer, and one is a shooter,” McLellan said. “We saw it the other way last night, so they do a good job of reading off each other.”
