Derek Lalonde blasts the ‘awful’ start by the Detroit Red Wings in their latest embarrassing loss.
The woes continue for the Detroit Red Wings, as they suffered their sixth consecutive regulation loss, further deepening their ongoing nightmare. Once again, they missed a crucial opportunity to secure valuable points in the tightly contested playoff race within the Eastern Conference. The Buffalo Sabres dominated from the outset, netting four goals in the opening period alone on their way to a commanding 7-3 victory at KeyBank Center. In the aftermath, head coach Derek Lalonde was candid and direct in his postgame press conference, not shying away from addressing the team’s performance.
Derek Lalonde blasts the ‘awful’ start by his team
The Red Wings once again failed to start the game with the kind of energy that they needed in order to put a stop to their losing skid and allowed four first-period goals alone as goaltender Alex Lyon was chased from the net in favor of James Reimer.
“Awful start,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “We had no legs, no pace, they were playing fast and we give them that easy offense early on and then we just got rattled and got out of our structure.
“It just piled up in the first period.”
For Lalonde, it was an especially disappointing fate considering how his team battled back twice in their previous game against the Vegas Golden Knights.
“It’s disappointing because we showed some (positive) signs in Vegas,” Lalonde said. “All we’re going to concentrate on the next two days is our start at home on Thursday. It’s a little (about) mentality, 100 percent. It’s just, again, frustrating because we had a little pushback with the group in Vegas and then the start we had (Tuesday), we simply couldn’t find our game throughout. It’s not good.”
TL;DR (too long didn’t read)
- The Detroit Red Wings once again lost in embarrassing fashion, falling to the Buffalo Sabres by a 7-3 final score
- The Red Wings found themselves trailing in the 1st period alone by a 4-1 score
- Head coach Derek Lalonde blasts the ‘awful’ start by his team, who has now lost six straight games in regulation
Bottom Line: What has happened to the Red Wings?
Just over two weeks ago, the Red Wings soared atop the world with a six-game winning streak, but their recent plummet back to Earth has been remarkably swift and unexpected. Now, they face the daunting task of regrouping and piecing together victories once again.
Their next opportunity comes Thursday night against the visiting Arizona Coyotes, a team they fell to with a surprising 4-0 defeat just last Friday in Tempe. This rematch serves as a critical juncture for the Red Wings as they seek to reverse their fortunes and reignite their momentum.
