The Detroit Red Wings find themselves skating in familiar, unflattering territory.
If it looks like a duck . . . and loses to the Ducks . . . well, then, it might just be a duck.
And that’s not ducky for the Red Wings.
Slow starts, bad decisions, and poor game management.
Sound familiar? Look familiar?
It’s what’s been happening to the team all too often yet again.
They got away with it in a couple of wins over the St. Louis Blues, but paid the price for these afflictions in Friday’s 5-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
“I think the starts are a little bit of an issue right now that we’ve got to address and got to fix,” defenseman Moritz Seider said on the club’s website. “I think that’s the biggest issue right now.”
It’s especially been a problem when the team is playing away from home.
“We can’t really find the answers on the road,” Seider said. “I think we just gotta be a lot more detailed, a lot more simple with the puck.
“Just keeping it really, really simple, on and off our tape, in behind the D, and then just really work on a really good road game. And we just couldn’t really do that over a lot of the periods lately.”
Red Wings Need To Engage Their Brains
The way coach Todd McLellan views it, more often than not, the malady that’s ailing the team is a thinking problem. Most nights, the effort is there, but some nights, the thought process is not.
“I think the bodies wanted to go, but the brains were in neutral for most of the night, and it cost us,” McLellan said of Detroit’s performance in Anaheim. “Some of our problems in the past reared their heads again in the first period.
“A few outnumbered rushes on real poor decisions, including the power play.”
Although the team’s record is still impressive at 8-4, McLellan sees a team that remains a work in progress. He described the Red Wings’ season outcomes as a mixed bag.
“It’s all over the map right now,” McLellan said. “We are trying to figure things out. We’re gonna have some good days, we’re gonna have bad stretches. We’re gonna need practice time, we’re gonna need rest.
“You know, last time I checked, we’re gonna be a team that’s just trying to really work hard to get into the playoffs. So we’ve got a lot of learning lessons.”
Rookies, Veterans Trying To Find Footing
The enticing glow brought forth by Detroit’s three young rookies has worn off a bit in recent performances. Forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygard was demoted to the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. Defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka is minus-seven over the past seven games with just two assists. He’s looked overmatched at times in recent games.
🚨 Terry 🚨
He goes top corner shorthanded to start the scoring! #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/v5P9eL13Cb
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) November 1, 2025
Winger Emmitt Finnie has gone three games without a point and is minus-two.
“We’ve got some young players that are just really feeling their way through right now,” McLellan said. “At this time of the year, it gets a little tougher. Travel gets heavier. The teams have settled in with their rosters.”
It’s not just the kids who haven’t been alright. Several veterans, players who should know better, have some explaining to do.
Center Andrew Copp is minus-five in the past five games. Right-winger Jonatan Berggren was minus-three in Anaheim. Forward Michael Rasmussen has one assist in seven games and is minus-three. Winger Elmer Soderblom has one goal through seven games and is minus-three.
🚨 Mac-T 🚨
What a SNIPE 🎯
It’s 3-1! #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/LOwnZQGQsg
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) November 1, 2025
“We’ve got veterans that we’ve got a lot out of so far, and some that we need more from,” McLellan said. “So we’re a mixed bag at this point, but we have opportunity for growth, and we’re looking forward to getting better.”
Forward Lucas Raymond believes that the problems that cause the Red Wings to go south are easily identifiable.
“We know what to do to be successful out there,” forward Lucas Raymond said. “It’s about going out there and executing it.”