Detroit Red Wings' Todd McLellan reveals what really went wrong for his team to miss the playoffs
Photo credit: Bolavip
Todd McLellan got brutally honest following today's practice about what went wrong for the Red Wings and caused them to miss the playoffs for the 9th straight year.
Red Wings fans are going to have to continue waiting for the team's 1st playoff appearance since 2016, as their fate was sealed late last night.
Detroit went 15-5-1 in their 1st 21 games after they made a badly needed coaching change on December 26. But a brutal stretch starting in late February that resulted in their going 4-11 through the end of March did them in.
Following practice today at Little Caesars Arena, Todd McLellan didn't mince words over where he felt things began to go south for his team, pointing to their final game against the Tampa Bay Lightning before the 4 Nations Faceoff.
I think we were in a good position going into the Four Nations until we played Tampa that game before. We talked about that, about the importance of that game, and it wasn't that important to us that night.
I think we were down 2-0 right off the bat and 4-0 in the first period. And when you look back at it, was that the turning point? I don't know.
I think we were down 2-0 right off the bat and 4-0 in the first period. And when you look back at it, was that the turning point? I don't know.
McLellan also said he thought his players became complacent at times.
The players have to give more when they're here, and we have to value every moment that we're in it. I don't think we did that all the time.
Sometimes, we just take a game for granted, even a period for granted, and it comes back to bite you.
Sometimes, we just take a game for granted, even a period for granted, and it comes back to bite you.
The idle Red Wings were eliminated from any chance at the playoffs on Saturday night
Because the divisional foe Montreal Canadiens picked up a point in their 1-0 OT loss to the Maple Leafs on Saturday night, it officially eliminated the Red Wings from any chance of a postseason berth.
Even if Detroit were to win all 3 of their remaining games and Montreal lost all of theirs, they still would fall a point short of Montreal's 88 points.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 13 | 306 ANSWERS Detroit Red Wings' Todd McLellan reveals what really went wrong for his team to miss the playoffs Were you worried about another March letdown by the Red Wings coming out of the 4 Nations Faceoff? | ||
| Yes, I saw it coming | 218 | 71.2 % |
| No, I thought they'd rise above it | 88 | 28.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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