Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde praises the ‘outstanding’ month of January for his team despite their OT loss on Wednesday.
On Wednesday night, despite the Detroit Red Wings falling short of the desired outcome against the Ottawa Senators at home, they managed to secure a valuable point in the standings. This enabled them to conclude January with an impressive record of 9-2-2, effectively overshadowing the struggles of December and propelling them back into a playoff position. Head coach Derek Lalonde characterized the team’s performance in January as “outstanding.”
The Detroit Red Wings earned a point in their OT loss
Daniel Sprong and Dylan Larkin contributed goals for the Red Wings, whereas Ottawa responded with scores from Brady Tkachuk, Mark Kastelic, and Shane Pinto, who sealed the victory in overtime. Despite the scoring efforts, the Senators find themselves at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, while the Red Wings currently are tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 1st Wild Card postseason spot.
Derek Lalonde praises the ‘outstanding’ month of January for his team
The Red Wings desperately needed a good month of January after their dismal December, and they achieved it.
“Outstanding,” said Lalonde of the month. “We put ourselves back in the fight. It’s all you can ask, a great push from the guys. We’ll get the break now and get back to work. This was a good step for us but it’s all that it was for us, a step.”
“You’d like to defend like that, it’s a quality recipe for success,” Lalonde said. “We’ve talked about it and the guys bought into it. It’s the only way you’re going to have success in this league.”
TL;DR (too long didn’t read)
- The Detroit Red Wings fell to the Ottawa Senators in overtime on Wednesday night, losing 3-2 thanks to Shane Pinto’s overtime tally
- Detroit still picked up a valuable point in the standings to finish the month of January 9-2-2.
- Head coach Derek Lalonde referred to their month of January as “outstanding”, especially after their dismal December.
Bottom Line: All-Star Break Time
The Red Wings are now entering a well-deserved break in their schedule, relishing over a week off from action. They will resume play at Little Caesars Arena against the visiting Vancouver Canucks on February 10 in an afternoon matchup.
The encouraging news for Detroit is the anticipation of both Patrick Kane and Ben Chiarot returning to the lineup by then. Both players have been sidelined for an extended period due to injuries.
