{"id":432283,"date":"2026-01-28T10:04:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T10:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/432283\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T10:04:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T10:04:12","slug":"rare-underwhelming-performance-by-red-wings-dhn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/432283\/","title":{"rendered":"Rare Underwhelming Performance by Red Wings \/ DHN"},"content":{"rendered":"

The adjectives being used to describe the Detroit<\/a> Red Wings following Tuesday\u2019s 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings<\/a> were commonly heard not that long ago.<\/p>\n

Lethargic. Disjointed. Frustrated. Second-best.<\/p>\n

This season, such terminology seems like a foreign concept when describing the 2025-26 version of the Red Wings.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re getting \u2013 players, coaches, but also you (media) guys \u2013 used to us winning,\u201d Red Wings coach Todd McLellan<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s true. And you can include Red Wings fans among that group. So when things are going as south as they did on Tuesday, questions are going to be asked, and answers demanded.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udeab NOPE \ud83d\udeab pic.twitter.com\/p5i9oQ9fis<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 LA Kings (@LAKings) January 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The Red Wings looked a half-step behind for much of the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were slow with the puck,\u201d Detroit defenseman Moritz Seider<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

They succumbed to LA\u2019s relentless forecheck too often. The Kings were frequently overwhelming the Detroit power play with their puck pressure. Pucks were dumped into the LA zone without a purpose behind their placement.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing really went right for us,\u201d Red Wings forward Patrick Kane<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

Solutions, so often unearthed during the course of a game this season by the Wings, weren\u2019t forthcoming this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe weren\u2019t completing or executing two pieces of the puzzle,\u201d McLellan said. \u201cWe may get one done, but we couldn\u2019t get to the second.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looked like we were okay with being average, and that wasn\u2019t good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Red Wings: The Model Of Consistency<\/p>\n

You have to go back to a three-game losing streak from November 24-28 to find Detroit losing consecutive games in regulation time. That was nearly 30 games ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have this feeling in the locker room where going into every game, we have a chance to win,\u201d Kane said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s a great feeling right now, but, you know, just didn\u2019t have it (Tuesday) for whatever reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

Red Wings just can\u2019t get any sustained pressure in the offensive zone tonight at all.<\/p>\n

\u2014 OhNyquist (@OhNyquist) January 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Performances like Tuesday\u2019s setback have become the exception, not the rule. What\u2019s keeping the Red Wings running with the NHL elite this season is the fact that they aren\u2019t allowing mediocrity to become accepted.<\/p>\n

They bounce back. They get back on track.<\/p>\n

Hitting the reset button will be the objective when they hit the ice for practice on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust gotta turn the page and get back to work,\u201d Seider said. \u201cJust got to put the work boots on and get back to the grind.\u201d<\/p>\n

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