Detroit Red Wings have a problem this season (Via Getty Images) The Red Wings have a problem, and Todd McLellan made sure everyone in the room knew it Saturday afternoon. Detroit was blanked 5-0 by the Colorado Avalanche at Little Caesars Arena, completing a winless three-game homestand that has raised serious questions about the team’s direction heading into the Olympic break.Nathan MacKinnon scored twice to become the first player in the NHL with 40 goals this season, and the Avalanche dominated from start to finish. The Red Wings have now been outscored 9-1 at even strength over their last three games and were shut out for the fourth time this season.
Todd McLellan didn’t hold back after Detroit Red Wings lost their third straight game
McLellan wasted no time identifying what went wrong after the game, delivering a blunt assessment of his squad’s effort. “A lack of energy, a lack of drive, a lack of execution,” McLellan said. “You can’t have all of those things disappear at one point and expect to have success.”The Detroit head coach continued, “I didn’t think we skated well at all. I didn’t think we passed real well at all, which affects your skating.” He went further, singling out the physical battles that define hockey at this level. Colorado simply outworked Detroit in every meaningful way throughout the game.”When it was time to do some of the harder or the heavier things, battles, 50-50s, loose stuff, and the four-foot races, they were much better than we were,” McLellan said. The lack of urgency was particularly telling. Where the Red Wings showed some fight in their first two homestand losses, Saturday’s game was out of reach so early that even a late push never materialized. McLellan offered several possible explanations for the slump, including stale line combinations, a lack of focus, complacency, or fatigue.McLellan made clear that the remaining games before the Olympic break carry enormous weight for this team’s playoff positioning. “We have six periods left, and these points could be the deciding points,” he said. He continued, “For whatever that decision is. I don’t know. But those could be the deciding points, and if we aren’t completely willing to dig in and get after them, then regret comes in many different ways and at many different times.”The Red Wings hold a 32-17-6 record but won’t play at Little Caesars Arena again until March 4 against the Vegas Golden Knights following the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics break.