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Todd McLellan doesn't mince words on one specific Red Wings defenseman after blowing lead to Sabres Saturday
Photo credit: NHL.com
The Detroit Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan singled out a defenseman in post-game comments after blowing a 4-1 lead against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
Todd McLellan had many reasons to be unhappy about his team's performance last night against the Buffalo Sabres.
The team started well, getting a 4-1 lead late in the second period. However, the Sabres scored four unanswered goals to win in overtime.
McLellan Singles Out Defenseman In Candid Press Conference
When he opened up about the loss, McLellan shared that he thought the momentum shifted with the Sabres' second goal, which was a result of a string of mistakes made by his team:
"I didn't sense a change in momentum until that goal went in. We iced the puck unnecessarily, lost a draw and the puck was in our net."
If you missed it, watch Josh Doan's goal here:
McLellan also called out Simon Edvinsson for his mistake on the Sabres' third goal.
Edvinsson let DeBrincat defend against Tage Thompson on a rush, a poor game-management decision that led to a goal.
Here's what the coach had to say about it:
"Simon was on the ice tonight, and he let Cat take their 50-goal scorer who's 6'7" instead of him coming to play him. I don't know what happens sometimes, but those are all game management situations, it was one versus two. Was that mental, between the ears? Probably. But until we value it and we figure it out, I'll probably be talking about this again."
Here's the goal:
The mental aspect of the game is crucial for McLellan. He referred to that multiple times since training camp and stated last night that the team didn't learn the lesson:
"I guess that would come into play, but just understanding what's happening and what's important in certain moments. We have D that are joining a rush, we're up by two with seven minutes left, and it's a risky rush. That just makes no sense to me. We have penalty killers that were throwing pucks back toward our end hoping to get a shot on goal in their end and turning it over for a breakaway."
"It goes back to [training camp], which is when we started talking about game management and learning how to play in certain situations. Clearly, we haven't learned that lesson."
"It goes back to [training camp], which is when we started talking about game management and learning how to play in certain situations. Clearly, we haven't learned that lesson."
The Wings will look to bounce back tonight as they face the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Previously on Red Wings Insider
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NOVEMBRE 16 | 356 ANSWERS Todd McLellan doesn't mince words on one specific Red Wings defenseman after blowing lead to Sabres Saturday Are you disappointed by the Detroit Red Wings performances against the Buffalo Sabres? | ||
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