1st year Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat admits to being frustrated as his slump continues
The good vibes from Saturday afternoon, when the Detroit Red Wings finally broke their seven-game losing streak, vanished almost as swiftly the following day. Once again, they were thoroughly outplayed by an opponent lower in the standings. The Pittsburgh Penguins surged to a 3-1 lead and dominated with a 19-4 shot advantage in the 1st period of their eventual 6-3 triumph at PPG Paints Arena yesterday evening. For forward Alex DeBrincat, whom the Red Wings acquired last summer to bolster their offensive firepower, he has been held pointless in his last six games and admits to feeling frustrated at times.
Alex DeBrincat isn’t producing like he’s being paid to
During the offseason, Detroit addressed a significant need for goal-scoring by acquiring DeBrincat from the Ottawa Senators. With two previous seasons where he reached the 40-goal mark, the move appeared to be one of the best trades of the offseason, especially as he started the year with a red-hot scoring streak.
However, DeBrincat’s performance has since been inconsistent, with only 23 goals in 68 games played. More concerning is his lack of production in five-on-five play, having scored only four goals in his last 49 games. He has failed to find the back of the net in any situation in his last nine games and hasn’t recorded a single point in his last six outings.
“Sometimes the frustration boils over, but for the most part, you can’t grip your stick too hard,” DeBrincat said after the loss in Pittsburgh. “It’s definitely frustrating. A couple of key moments in certain games you have a look and it doesn’t go in. If I put those in, maybe we are looking at a different position right now. Definitely, it’s frustrating, but you stay positive and hope one goes in.”
One of the few silver linings from yesterday’s game was the New York Islanders also losing in regulation, allowing the Red Wings to maintain their hold on the 2nd Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, at least for now.
TL;DR (too long didn’t read)
- The Detroit Red Wings were unable to win a second straight game, falling 6-3 to the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena
- Detroit once again got off to an alarmingly slow start, being outshot 19-4 and outscored 3-1 in the first period en route to their 8th regulation loss in their last nine games
- Alex DeBrincat admits to feeling frustrated over the fact that he’s been held pointless in his last six games
Bottom Line: Alex DeBrincat must step up
DeBrincat has shown that he can be a lethal goal-scoring threat at the NHL level, and he was producing at a stellar pace in the first month of the season.
However, for Detroit to build momentum and string together a much-needed win streak, they will require greater contributions from DeBrincat, especially considering his hefty salary of nearly $8 million, which is primarily for offensive production.
