DETROIT \u2013 The Detroit Red Wings didn\u2019t get the start they hoped for in their season opener. <\/p>\n
Instead, the game brought back memories of last year \u2014 and not in a good way.<\/p>\n
There was a brief moment of hope when Captain Dylan Larkin scored a power-play goal almost four minutes into the first period, but the game fell apart after that. <\/p>\n
The Montreal Canadiens responded with five unanswered goals, forcing the Wings to pull goalie John Gibson \u2014 making his Red Wings debut \u2014 and replace him with Cam Talbot.<\/p>\n
By the end of the second period, the team was booed off the ice. <\/p>\n
A 5-1 loss was a disappointing end to what was supposed to be a celebratory night. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe came out, I thought it was a great start, really good intensity,\u201d Moritz Seider said. \u201cAnd then the game kind of slipped away from us, we weren\u2019t detailed. They just kind of outworked us, outskated us, got a lot of great opportunities around our net. Nothing Gibby could have done there to prevent goals, so that\u2019s definitely up on us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coach Todd McLellan didn\u2019t hold back, pointing to \u201cmental lapses\u201d and undisciplined play as key reasons for the collapse.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just played the game. We didn\u2019t play to win the game. And we have no chance. And the players will say, they probably have already said, that we can fix this, we can win. It\u2019s time,\u201d he said. \u201cWe just spent three weeks at training camp dealing with these situations. Now, if it happened once or twice in a game, it would be okay. But there was seven, maybe six or seven outnumbered rushes at the end of the first period from the 10-minute mark on. It\u2019s unacceptable. We\u2019ll have to drill it back into them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the tough loss, there\u2019s no need to panic. The season is just getting started, and the team has 81 more games to turn things around.<\/p>\n
\u201dIt was such a special night,” Larkin said. \u201cThe crowd was unbelievable, and we kind of wasted that one. We got 81 more to start — to get back to our game. And we got to figure it out fast.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Wings have an opportunity to rebound this weekend when they face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, Oct. 11, at Little Caesars Arena.<\/p>\n
Last season, the Leafs finished with a 52-26-4 record and made it to the second round of the playoffs before being eliminated in Game 7 by the Florida Panthers. <\/p>\n
The matchup between two Original Six teams will be a true test of the Wings\u2019 ability to recover.<\/p>\n
As McLellan said, \u201cWe earned the Bronx boos — it\u2019s up to us to fix it.\u201c<\/p>\n
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