Todd McLellan learned in his first game as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings that the team has numerous issues to fix. He’s most concerned with shoring up the defense.
McLellan was behind the bench for Detroit’s 5-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, one day after Derek Lalonde was fired as coach.
The Red Wings, who will host the Washington Capitals on Sunday, have lost four straight games and are tied with the Buffalo Sabres for the fewest points (30) in the Eastern Conference.
McLellan had been waiting for another opportunity after getting fired as the Los Angeles Kings’ head coach last season.
“The game for me was moving fast, and that’s because I’m as rusty as rusty can be,” he said. “I thought overall from a coaching perspective it was exciting to be back there again, but we’ve got work to do, that’s fairly evident. The game allows us a road map now. We know where we’ll go to begin with (Saturday) in practice. It’s evident. You don’t have to be a hockey expert to see some of our entry coverages, some of the D-zone parts of the play have to get fixed.”
Detroit scored both of its goals Friday in the third period after trailing by five goals through two periods. McLellan tinkered with different combinations throughout the game and will continue to do so as he settles in.
“Most of the onus is on the players. Individually we all have to perform better, maybe even got out of our comfort zone a little bit and do something we don’t normally do, play a little different style when things aren’t going well,” defenseman Ben Chiarot said. “It’s on us, it’s on the guys in our room. You can have the greatest coach of all time back there, but if guys aren’t willing to do it or buy into it, it doesn’t matter.”
The Capitals will play the second game of a back-to-back set on Sunday. They defeated the Maple Leafs 5-2 Saturday in superstar captain Alex Ovechkin’s return to action.
Ovechkin, who had missed 16 games due to a broken fibula, picked up where he left off. He scored a goal in an empty-net situation, giving him 16 for the season and 869 for his career. Ovechkin scored five goals in the last two games he played before the injury.
“Scoring on the empty net, a lot of coaches put their best offensive players in those situations because they can anticipate where the puck is going,” coach Spencer Carbery said. “That’s a prime example right there.”
Ovechkin was on the ice for nearly 15 minutes on Saturday.
“In the game, it happens so quick, and you have to be ready for that,” he told The Washington Post. “Obviously, I try to feel how I feel with the puck, mentally, physically. As soon as the first shift ended, I was feeling like, âOK, now I can play.'”
Washington is just one point away of the first-place New Jersey Devils in the Metropolitan Division. This will be the first of three meetings between the Capitals and Red Wings this season.
