Detroit – It’s becoming a trend, and not one the Red Wings want to continue.
They have struggled this season on the back end of back-to-back games, the second game in two nights. Those are common in the NHL, it’s a way of life, and the Wings have five more this season, so they better find a solution.
Wednesday’s 4-1 loss against Utah leaves the Wings with a 1-4-1 record on games the second night of back-to-backs. With three more sets of games on consecutive nights this month, against some playoff-contending teams, the Wings need to fix the issue.
“We’re going to have to be a little better in back-to-backs with our schedule moving forward,” captain Dylan Larkin said. “Some really tough matchups, like this back-to-back was.”
The Wings rallied Tuesday to defeat the New York Islanders 3-2 before Wednesday’s setback.
“It’s just about growing and experience,” Larkin added.
How has it gone for the Wings this season in these situations?
▶ The Wings lost in Buffalo, 4-2, on Oct. 22, then the next night played one of their worst all-around games of the season in a 7-2 loss on Long Island against the Islanders.
▶ The following week, the Wings defeated Los Angeles 4-3 in a shootout on Oct. 30, surviving a spirited third-period Kings rally. But the next evening, after a bussing down the freeway to Anaheim, the Wings couldn’t keep pace against the younger, explosive Ducks, losing 5-2.
▶ The Wings’ lone victory on a back-to-back occurred at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16, when they shut down the N.Y. Rangers 2-1 – 24 hours after a discouraging 5-4 overtime loss at Little Caesars Arena against Buffalo.
▶ Right after Thanksgiving, the Wings lost 6-3 at home against Tampa and followed that on the road the next night with a 3-2 shootout loss in Boston.
▶ Last week, during stops in Alberta, the Wings survived a third-period rally against Calgary, Dec. 10, defeating the Flames 4-3. But the next night in Edmonton, they couldn’t get much going in a 4-1 loss to the Oilers.
▶ And this week the Wings followed Tuesday’s exciting victory against the Islanders with the loss against Utah.
“The two games were completely different,” coach Todd McLellan said after Wednesday’s loss. “We had some all-alone looks (against the Islanders). We didn’t really have those looks (Wednesday). A lot of it was distance shots with scrambles around the net that we didn’t get to, and they did.”
Grabbing a quick lead on those second nights might be one way to stop the defeats.
“I’m not sure that we’ve scored first in any of those games, which makes it more difficult,” McLellan said. “But I don’t think there’s anything in my mind that’s sticking out.
“Scoring first, especially in a back-to-back game, alleviates a little pressure on the offense.”
The Wings need to find a tonic for the problem because they’ll face a powerful Capitals team Saturday in Washington and the next day at Little Caesars Arena.
Then, coming out of the Christmas break, the Wings travel to Carolina (Dec. 27), then host Toronto the next evening.
The Wings close out the 2025 portion the schedule with a home game Dec. 31 against Winnipeg, then play in Pittsburgh the next day.
Larkin is confident the Wings can reverse this trend.
“We’ve done it on the road, when you don’t have your best, (and) you got to find a way to win and bring something better than what we brought (against Utah),” Larkin said.
Net difficulties
McLellan felt the Wings were “starting to get it” after Tuesday’s victory against the Islanders in terms of how to close out a victory.
The loss against Utah was a step back, but McLellan felt the cause was easy to identify.
“I wouldn’t take those words back at all,” said McLellan of the Wings understanding how to win. “(The) team did a real good job (Tuesday). (Wednesday’s loss) for me, the difference was obvious. It was play around our net and it wasn’t just the goals we gave up. It was some chances that they had even earlier in the game. They were much better around their blue paint, and I’m not talking about goaltending. I’m talking about clearing and batting pucks away, making sure that sticks were on plays that were made in toward that scoring slot area.
“We didn’t score 5-on-5, and we gave up four goals. … It has to be better, but for me, it was the 5-on-5 play around the net.”
tkulfan@detroitnews.com
@tkulfan
