Red Wings booed off the ice in 4-0 loss to Blues

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News on Dec 23, 2024

Published in Hockey

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DETROIT — The holiday break just became a little less festive and merry for the Red Wings.

With three days off coming up, like the remainder of the NHL, the Wings headed into the time away from hockey Monday with a bah humbug-like 4-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues.

The Wings (13-17-4) head into the break with three consecutive losses and only three wins in their last 12 games (3-7-2). The way they've lost the last several games, also, will not dampen the speculation on coach Derek Lalonde's job security or social media calling for every last Wings player to be traded.

The Wings, without defensemen Simon Edvinsson and Ben Chiarot — both out with upper-body injuries — were outshot 21-18 by the Blues (10-3 after one period and 17-9 after two periods) and rarely made a significant push at the Blues.

And the holiday crowd at Little Caesars Arena made their frustration and anything but festive feelings known, with boos after each period and end of the game.

Closer to the Eastern Conference basement than a playoff spot, the Wings have yet to gain any sort of traction and move upward in the standings.

"You want to take care of it itself, we wanted a push at the break here," said Lalonde after Monday's morning break. "We had two wins (to begin a homestand) and again, the stinger is that third period lead (lost Friday) against Montreal (which led to three consecutive losses). You just need to get wins and that'll take care of itself."

The Wings were pointing to this five-game stretch before the break, with four of the games at home, to begin the push. But it didn't materialize.

The power play has struggled, the injuries on defense have severely tested the Wings' depth in that area, and the goaltending as Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon returned from injuries hasn't been as sharp as it was earlier in the season.

The Wings were outshot 10-3 in the first period but only trailed 1-0 thanks to some good work from Talbot, making his second start since returning from injury.

Dylan Holloway scored three goals to pace the Blues and goaltender Jordan Binnington earned the shutout with 17 saves. He got his first save of the night on a one-timer in high slot at 16 minutes, 44 seconds.

Looking to build something positive in the second period, instead the gap got wider. Alexandre Texier whistled a blistering shot off the rush just 18 seconds into the second period, giving the Blues a 2-0 lead.

The Wings got their first power-play opportunity at 2:32 of the second period, but saw it nullified 55 seconds into it when Dylan Larkin was whistled for goalie interference.

After both teams came up empty on the power play, the Blues made it 3-0 on Holloway's second goal. Brayden Schenn found Holloway alone between the hashmarks and Holloway snapped a shot past Talbot. Holloway completed the hat trick with an empty-net goal, his 13th goal, at 15:54 of the third period.

The Blues made a coaching change Nov. 24, replacing Drew Bannister with Jim Montgomery, who had just been relieved of his coaching duties in Boston.

The Blues (16-16-4) were 9-12-1 when they hired Montgomery, and are now 7-4-3 since, getting a marginal spike from the change.

"The pressure points, the forecheck, like that are his identity," said Lalonde of how Montgomery has changed the Blues. "More of pressure and taking time and space away, and the identity."

Speculation on Lalonde's job security has increased since a winless West Coast road trip in mid-November. The heat dimmed after a pair of two-game win streaks but the losses recently — along with the way the Wings have lost — will likely make it a question again.

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