The Detroit Red Wings finally connected for an even-strength goal in the third period of Sunday’s loss after a lineup change.
The play occurred at 4:56 in the third period vs. the Winnipeg Jets, when Alex DeBrincat and the upstart Michael Brandsegg-Nygard provided helpers for Emmitt Finnie’s goal, which gave Detroit its second of the game.
Through most of the contest, DeBrincat played on the Andrew Copp line alongside Lucas Raymond. He then swapped places with Viktor Arvidsson, who joined the Copp line. Arvidsson scored earlier in the game on a power-play goal.
Head coach Todd McLellan elaborated on the changes postgame.
Via Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now, McLellan said, “I didn’t think that Copp, Raymond, and DeBrincat had a lot going, and that was through five periods because we gave them that long. So we put some different lines together. Try anything to spark some things.
“And as a result, I thought Razor played better with the other group with Arvy. And I thought Finn’s speed was something that Cat and his linemates could use. It worked. So we’ll probably look at keeping something like that.”
The Red Wings’ First Five Periods Speak For Themselves
“Probably” may be the understatement of the times for McLellan. It took just five periods for McLellan to realize that the top six wasn’t working as advertised and that there was no harm in mixing things up.
When your lines get shut out through the first five periods of action, your only goal comes on special teams, and you keep things as is, everyone from the fans to the media to the front office will notice. McLellan gets credit for mixing things up toward the end.
Emmitt Finnie proved that point when he knocked home Detroit’s first even-strength goal. Detroit also did its due diligence late in the third period, nearly tying the game in the final minute thanks to Raymond’s relentless play. That effort earned the Red Wings some praise from McLellan.
Detroit Must Keep The Newer Lines Intact Until The Team Is Healthy
It’s worth noting that the Red Wings were without Marco Kasper and that ex-captain Dylan Larkin remains on the mend. While there is controversy galore surrounding Larkin, he’s still a reliable scorer who should work his way into a top-six role once he returns.
Detroit would also get a full game to test a lineup with Arvidsson-Copp-Raymond and DeBrincat-Finnie-Brandsegg-Nygard this week to see if they have something to work with. If that’s the case, then Detroit should keep working its way out of its early-season scoring slump that has seen them score twice in as many games.
Better yet, the Red Wings are playing a solid 5-on-5 game defensively. Should they keep up that effort, find some much-needed scoring, and stay out of the penalty box, they will start making things interesting.
Falling to 0-2 to start the season isn’t what any team wants. But it’s still early enough to make adjustments and bounce back. Should McLellan roll with the newer lines in a game situation, that could spell new life for the Red Wings.
Red Wings Coach Signals Lineup Change After 0-2 Start