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Michael Hutchinson, come on down! You’re the next contestant on the downhill flight!
A little context, I woke up sick. Very sick. After a day of Powerade and crackers this can finally be addressed on my end. First, the irony that 3 goalies used to be too many and now isn’t enough isn’t lost. So, the club brings up Hutch who has a sub .900 SV% in the AHL. There isn’t much pushback on the idea that defensive structure hasn’t been addressed. Detroit was able to put 3 goals in and lost in regulation because the first period was awful. There’s normally some sort of defense system for the goalie, but I could only defend 1 goal against (the Larkin deflection). That Gudas goal was embarrassing.
So, what is the real issue? More than one of you have talked about coaching. Comments about in room leadership have come this way as well. That stat, the only team in the league that hasn’t one a game without scoring at least 4 goals. That bothers me to no end. Part of it is being old(er). The end of the regular season and the post season has those 1-0 and 2-1 games. If you were blessed to have lived through Detroit’s triple OT win against Carolina you’ve seen what lockdown looks like. It’s brutal and this team isn’t prepared to offer it.
Kostin is out, but after that goalie run last night I’m a little relieved. In what universe would that not put the team on the PK? Detroit is struggling. It’s the time of year for it. Mental collapses and fatigue are what make this sport so tough to get through and find the top of the mountain. The Wings still haven’t corrected issues that were there at the beginning of the season. Many of you (myself included) talked about the unsustainable nature related to the wins. Scoring so many goals on so few shots. The team has now scored 4 goals over the past 3 games and one of those was a shutout.
There is no infallible GM. Is LaLonde an upgrade over Blashill? The goals are certainly overall better. The defense is awful. I don’t just mean the 6 (or 7) man crew, the team structure is bad. The goalies aren’t stealing games and now 2 are down. Kane and Debrincat are making better plays as each game goes, and Kane is still building back up. Raymond has me concerned. There was a decent cycle at 4 on 4 and Raymond was just shoved off the puck and onto the ice. For whatever gaps in his game, skating hasn’t been one of them until this season. Whether he switch his depth cut on the blades, type of skates, maybe moving to flat bottom V or maybe he has something else going on. Either way, at 4 on 4 he is not able to make plays right now. Personal thought.
No part of me is looking forward to tomorrow’s tilt. Part of that is the flu. Part is just the lack of response in terms of defense. The team came home from overseas and looked renewed. Now the group looks beaten down. Maybe have Tony Robbins sit in with the bed of hot coals. I heard it rarely results in injury. Regardless, the team is at a point where the improvement has to come out of that room. After the season is done and we see the final result, the turnover will be telling. I almost wish they would mic Lidstrom during the game instead of a player on the ice. That response would be worth its weight in gold.
Let me know what the team can do now, and who should be out after the last game is played. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.