Photo credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
A Detroit Red Wings rookie was benched by Todd McLellan for nearly an entire period on Thursday night in the game against the Anaheim Ducks.
The team scored the same number of goals as they did in their four previous games combined.
Axel Sandin-Pellikka was among the players who found the back of the net for the first time in weeks.
However, the player struggled defensively, pushing the Wings coaching staff to make a drastic decision in the third period of the game.
Wings Bench Sandin-Pellikka For Nearly a Full Period Despite His Goal
Sandin-Pellikka has impressed so far with his great offensive skills.
Last night, he proved that he has what it takes to score in the NHL, beating Lukas Dostal from the blue line.
If you missed it, watch his goal here:
However, in the third period, Sandin-Pellikka didn’t step on the ice in the final 15:56 minutes of action, ending his night with 13:43 of ice time.
In his press conference, Todd McLellan said it was a coach’s decision.
This came shortly after the Ducks capitalized on a two-on-one against him:
In fact, his overall defensive game wasn’t very good. Here’s another play we bet he would like to take back:
In 17 games this season so far, Sandin-Pellikka tallied two goals and three assists, with a -9 +/-.
It’s very likely that the Wings asked him to work on his defensive game and didn’t like how he responded against the Ducks, pushing the coaching staff to bench him.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Wings do next. The last time a rookie was benched, it was only a few days before Michael Brendsegg-Nygard was sent down to the AHL.
Previously on Red Wings Insider
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Red Wings rookie finds himself benched by Todd McLellan for nealy entire period Thursday
Do you think Axel Sandin-Pellikka will be sent down to the AHL soon?