Lucas Raymond said ‘we’re a little bit too much on the outside, looking for that perfect opportunity’.
Lucas Raymond said ‘we’re a little bit too much on the outside, looking for that perfect opportunity’.
Detroit — The Red Wings have hit their first rough patch of the young season.
Artemi Panarin had a goal and two assists and goaltender Jonathan Quick stopped 32 shots Friday as the New York Rangers beat the Wings, 4-1.
The loss was the third in four games for the sliding Wings (9-6-0), who began a four-game homestand after being on the road for five games and eight days.
That first game back from such a trip often doesn’t go well, and the Wings weren’t entirely sharp in this game.
“Sometimes you’re there physically, which tonight we were for the most part, (but) I’m not sure we were between the ears again,” coach Todd McLellan said. “That’s including offensively. We had some pretty good opportunities and yes, (goaltender) Jonathan Quick made some great saves, but when you’re sharp and alert and attentive, some of those go in for you.”
Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere scored goals 58 seconds apart midway in the third period, extending the Rangers’ (7-6-2) lead to 4-1.
Panarin scored his third goal, at 7:29, after Mika Zibanejad gathered the puck in the corner and fed Panarin alone near the hashmarks for a one-timer. Lafreniere quickly made it 4-1, with his second goal, as Conor Sheary found Lafreniere skating behind the Wings’ defense, and breaking in alone on goaltender Cam Talbot (21 saves).
“Two very preventable goals, especially the fourth (goal),” McLellan said.
The Wings put a good quantity of shots on Quick, and had some quality looks at goals. But the inability to finish and convert those chances cost them.
BOX SCORE: Rangers 4, Red Wings 1
“We did a pretty good job of giving ourselves a chance most of the game,” said J.T. Compher, who scored the lone Wings goal. “Then they strike to make it 3-1 and we kind of give them one to make it 4-1 and then it feels way different.
“We had our chances. We have to find a way to bear down and tie it or keep it closer.”
Will Cuylle (power play) and Northville’s Noah Laba scored the other Rangers’ goals.
The Wings failed to covert on four power-play opportunities and didn’t look particularly great doing it.
“Four power plays and we know we have a good power play,” forward Lucas Raymond said. “We have to execute better. We didn’t play with enough speed, sloppy through the zone. You’re not always going to score but you have to gain momentum, come out of there with a bit of a push for the team and we didn’t do that.”
McLellan feels the Wings are “upside down” on the power play.
“We start from all around the net,” McLellan said. “We want to make all these plays and sometimes it’s great and the goalie makes saves and you feel good about the power play, but overall I go back to the simplicity of creating a shooting opportunity, taking advantage it and then jumping on them right after.
“We do it differently. We want to make eight passes and spring somebody open for a great chance. If it works, great, if not, we have to do it all over again. We’re upside down a little bit, but we’ll fix it.”
Laba broke a 1-1 tie with his third goal at 4:52 of the second period. Just after a Rangers power play expired, Lafreniere found Laba in the slot and Laba – who had close to 50 family and friends in attendance – knocked a bouncing puck Talbot, giving the Rangers lead.
Compher tied the game 1-1 with his third goal, in the first period. Linemates Andrew Copp and Mason Appleton did fine work controlling the puck behind the net, and Appleton fed Compher alone near the post, Compher quickly snapping a shot past Quick at 11:06.
Cuylle opened the game’s scoring, on the power play, for the Rangers. Zibanejad found Cuylle across the slot and Cuylle, on the rush, wristed a shot past Talbot at 6:46, for Cuylle’s third goal.
“(This game) was far from the way we’re supposed to play or can play,” Raymond said. “It was far from our game.”
The Wings host Chicago Sunday at 1 p.m.
tkulfan@detroitnews.com
@tkulfan
Want to comment on this story? Become a subscriber today. Click here.