Detroit Red Wings struggling at 'big boy hockey' time of year? 'Tough luck,' says coach

This season was supposed to show what the Detroit Red Wings learned last spring, when their late push for a playoff spot came up just short.

But with the runway growing ever shorter — there's just 14 games left — the Wings (32-30-6) appear grounded. They've won twice in their last 10 games, and are three points (and four spots) out of the second wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference, tied with the New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets at 70 points. That is, in fact, worse than last season after 68 games, when the Wings had 74 points after 68 games and were one point out of a wild-card spot.

Defenseman Ben Chiarot shared his thoughts on the situation after Tuesday's 4-1 self-destructive loss at the Washington Capitals.

"We went through it a handful of games last year, it’s the same thing," he said. "We have more new guys on the team, young guys on the team, going through it. There’s a handful of guys going through it for the first time.

"It’s tough. It’s big boy hockey this time of year. It’s hard, it’s heavy lifting, and you have to get used to it, because this is what it’s like."

Chiarot brought up Elmer Söderblom, Jonatan Berggren, Albert Johansson and Simon Edvinsson, as examples (though Edvinsson was part of last year's run, joining the team on March 19 and playing the last 14 games, when the push ended with losing out on a tiebreaker). But the argument that there are young players in key roles doesn't appeal to coach Todd McLellan.

"I’m not going to use age as an excuse," he said. "If you’re in the NHL and if you’re in a playoff race, tough luck. I don’t care how old you are. And that goes with the older players, too.

"I don’t think age is a big thing. Sometimes experience is a little bit, learning to deal with the tension that’s around the hockey club. But from my understanding, this team has been through it before. What lessons did they learn last year, and what are they carrying through? We’re trying to figure that out."

The "we" refers to McLellan and his top assistant, Trent Yawney, who joined the Wings at Christmas. This year's spring meltdown to some degree looks worse because the Wings did so well the first two months since the change in coaching staff, stringing together two seven-game winning streaks.

Now they haven't won consecutively since Feb. 23-25, and face a schedule that features only five more games at home. Most immediately, they head out on a three-game trip that takes them to the Vegas Golden Knights, Utah Hockey Club and Colorado Avalanche.

For the Wings to give themselves a chance, they need to do better at both ends of the ice. Since Feb. 26, their 2-8-0 record is at the bottom of the NHL, and their 2.40 goals-for average and 3.40 goals-allowed average both rank in the bottom third.

Patrick Kane (11 points) is the only Wing to average above a point per game during the stretch. Dylan Larkin has seven points, and Lucas Raymond six points, with only one goal. Vladimir Tarasenko, a season-long underachiever, has three points.

Washington Capitals right wing Taylor Raddysh goes for the puck against Detroit Red Wings defenseman Albert Johansson during the first period at Capital One Arena on March 18, 2025 in Washington, DC.

"I still think we’re looking for players some nights," McLellan said. "We need more from some individuals, be it inexperienced ones or really experienced ones, especially down the stretch."

Larkin likewise brought up the makeup of the team as he sought to explain what's been happening.

"We have a different group than last year," he said. "We have a lot of younger guys. They’re getting a really good look at what it’s like, and it’s every night. It’s also on the older guys to lead the way.

"Everybody has to contribute to win and Todd talks about it a lot, that everyone is important in our locker room and we need everyone every night. The old guys, the young guys — it’s a good taste, but we want more."

The Wings have 28 points available to them; realistically, of course, they're not going to close out going 14-0. And they need other teams to lose. Even if they embrace playing "big boy hockey," they are running out of time to put last year's lesson to better use.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.

Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings, A Curated History of the Red Wings,” was released October 2024. Her books, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings playoff chase: Todd McLellan says 'tough luck'

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