Todd McLellan Detroit Red Wings head coach

Photo credit: NHL.com

Defenseman Simon Edvinsson of the Detroit Red Wings was called out by Head Coach Todd McLellan for his lapse in judgment against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.

The Detroit Red Wings had built a nice winning streak, which came to a close on Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres. The “loser” point came in overtime, as the team failed to close the case against the Sabres with a four-point comeback, beating the team 5-4 in OT.

Defenseman Mattis Samuelson would lead the charge as the Sabres shut the Red Wings down on home ice, as he scored the game-winning goal.

Todd McLellan wouldn’t be happy with the team giving up both home games to the Buffalo Sabres and criticized his team’s lack of fortitude.

“Simon was on the ice tonight, and he let Cat take their 50 goal scorer who’s 6’7″ instead of him coming to play him. I don’t know what happened sometimes, but those are all game management situations, it was one versus two,” McLellan said. “Was that mental, between the ears? Probably. But until we value it and we figure it out, I’ll probably be talking about this again.

The Detroit Red Wings Defenseman Simon Edvinsson: Letting Crucial Goals In

Edvinsson would let Tage Thompson score a goal at 4:25 in the third period, assisted by Josh Doan and goalie Colten Ellis.

This was a crucial moment in the game, which led to the team’s eventual downfall in overtime, as they let them back in the game.

The Red Wings built a 4-1 lead in the second period, and even just one missed coverage can turn the momentum in a game around. Such as we saw with Thompson’s goal, which was preceded by Ryan McLeod‘s unassisted goal.

The blue line will need to maintain its structural integrity if it’s to last deep in the postseason, and last night was an example of faulty play by Edvinsson.

The former 6th overall pick in 2021, who’s only played a total of 121 games in the NHL, will need to do better.

The only bright spot we could take away?

Previously on Red Wings Insider

POLL

40 MINUTES AGO   |   4 ANSWERS

Red Wings defenseman’s decisions ‘make no sense’ to head coach Todd McLellan

Do you think the Detroit Red Wings played poorly against the Buffalo Sabres?