The Detroit Red Wings have a simple problem — they can’t put the puck in the net. They have been blanked twice in their first five games.
Detroit will try to find more answers on offense when it hosts the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.
The Red Wings’ futility stretched into overtime and a shootout in Montreal on Saturday. The Canadiens emerged with a 1-0 victory after Detroit went 0-for-6 in the shootout.
“I believe in volume shooting, but I also believe in scoring,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan said. “At some point, the volume shooting has to turn into goals. With the shots that we’re taking, especially from the blue line, we can do a better job of getting through the goaltender’s eyes. But in the end, you have to get rewarded for the shots and we need to score a little bit more. There’s no doubt about it.”
Overall, the Red Wings are averaging two goals per game, but half of their 10 goals this season came during their lone victory.
“We’ve had our fair share of chances, they just haven’t gone in yet,” Detroit forward Alex DeBrincat said. “We have to find a way to get them in. Obviously, there are no excuses for that. We’re playing well. We’re getting zone time and getting chances. We just have to bury them, myself included. I had three or four (chances) I could have put in the net and it just didn’t go in.”
DeBrincat scored both of his goals in the Red Wings’ 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 6. Lucas Raymond, who has scored at least 25 goals in each of the past three seasons, is still seeking his first of the season. Detroit ranks in the bottom three in the league in shooting percentage at 6.1%.
“When Cat (DeBrincat) starts scoring, it comes in bunches,” McLellan said. “Razor (Raymond) is not going to go the whole season without scoring. Andrew Copp had a breakaway in Montreal. They’ll have to score.”
The Devils will be playing the second game of a back-to-back set after losing 4-1 to the Senators in Newark, N.J., on Monday.
New Jersey had a 30-20 advantage in shots on goal but was limited to Arseny Gritsyuk’s third-period goal.
“Just not enough screens in front, made the night a little too easy on (Ottawa goalie Linus) Ullmark,” New Jersey forward Jesper Bratt told NHL.com. “And he’s a good goalie when he sees the puck. And then some details lead to them scoring on the power play. When you’re killing off that many penalties, a good team with good individual players are going to score after all.”
Ottawa had five power plays, converting one, while the Devils went 0-for-2 with a man advantage.
“We just didn’t get on offense enough, and when we did, I think we were probably a little fatigued, as I said, because (the penalty kills were) so hard to get through,” Bratt said. “But it’s something we’ve got to do a better job of. We’ve got to learn how to score when it’s hard. That’s just the reality of it. So, we’ve got to stay with it.”
The Devils won the series against the Red Wings 2-1 last season, taking the lone matchup in Detroit 5-3 on April 11 behind two goals and an assist from Bratt.
