The way coach Todd McLellan sees it, the math simply isn’t mathing for the Detroit Red Wings.
McLellan often categorizes NHL games as being a race to three. The first team to score three goals generally wins. And once again in Thursday’s 6-3 loss to the Nashville Predators, that team wasn’t Detroit.
He went on to point out that the elite NHL teams win many games just by scoring three goals.
Again, that team isn’t often the Red Wings.
Todd McLellan addressed the issues behind the Red Wings’ loss last night. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/C0QEg1qfz9
— FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (@FanDuelSN_DET) November 27, 2025
“We scored three in (New) Jersey, and we scored three (against Nashville),” McLellan said. “There are boatloads of teams that win games scoring three.
“It’s a three-goal lead league over and over and over again. I don’t know what the scores (were on Thursday). I haven’t looked at them, but I’m betting somebody won 3-1, 3-2, maybe 4-3.”
As a matter of fact, in nine games on Thursday, the winning team was only required to get to three goals to win. Another five teams won with four goals.
“We needed seven to win,” McLellan said. “You don’t need nine just to win, but the way we play some nights, we do.”
Red Wings Making It Too Easy For Opponents
Another problem that’s adding to the issues is that Detroit is coughing up goals through self-inflicted wounds. Through defensive miscues, they make it too easy for the other team to score.
“There are too many individual mistakes that lead to goals, and yeah, we just got to make sure we don’t give up easy offense,” Detroit defenseman Moritz Seider said.
On too many nights, the Red Wings also leave themselves an uphill climb by falling behind on the scoreboard.
There’s an old saying in hockey – catch-up hockey is losing hockey.
“You can’t keep digging yourself into a hole,” McLellan said. “You’ll bury yourself. You just keep putting sand on your head, putting sand on your head. And when you can’t breathe, now you want to dig your way out.
“It doesn’t work.”