Todd McLellan gives Red Wings another brutal reality check after Lightning loss

The Detroit Red Wings are going through a major slump at this time. Detroit has lost 11 of its last 19 games, and this includes a recent loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Red Wings were once first in the Atlantic Division. Now, they are equidistant from first place in the Atlantic as they are to last in the entire conference.

Detroit put up another brutal showing on Friday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Dylan Larkin and Michael Rasmussen scored goals, but it wasn’t close to enough. John Gibson allowed five goals as the Lightning skated to a 6-3 win at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

The issues surrounding Detroit have many scratching their heads as to what’s actually gone wrong. One thing that is not in question, according to head coach Todd McLellan, is their dedication and care. At the same time, caring is not enough.

“Our players care, there’s no question about it, but that only takes you so far,” McLellan said, via NHL.com. “We gifted them their second goal and the [fifth] one at 4-on-4. We’re not good enough to be giving stuff away for free.”

For their part, the Lightning continued their winning ways. This win over Detroit marked their sixth win on the trot. The Lightning improved to 15-7-2 and maintain their lead atop the Atlantic Division as a result.

Detroit has fallen to 13-11-1 on the season, and are fifth in the Atlantic Division. There is certainly time for this team to turn things around, of course. But they need to do so sooner rather than later. The Red Wings will take on an Atlantic Division rival on Saturday when they hit the road to face to the Boston Bruins.

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